Meloni has hailed Iran, Hezbollah, protested Gaza ’massacre’ * Iran widens crackdown; 76 dead * Ancient ’miracle plant’ rediscovered? * 2 wounded Ukraine soldiers arrive

[Times of Israel]( [The daily edition]( Tuesday, September 27, 2022 [Italy far-right leader once hailed Iran, Hezbollah as defenders of Syrian Christians]( By [TOI staff]( [2018 video shows Giorgia Meloni, who has now vowed to support Israel, offering praise of Syria’s Assad and his backers]( [Analysis / Italy’s Meloni portrays herself as strong supporter of Israel, rejects fascist past]( By [TOI staff]( [Italy’s ‘immortal’ Berlusconi returns to parliament yet again, seeking fatherly role]( By [AFP]( [Iran steps up arrests of activists, journalists as crackdown on protests escalates]( By [Stuart Williams]( [Arrests come on top of internet restrictions and blocking of Instagram and WhatsApp, which activists say is aimed at preventing details of the protests from reaching the world]( [Rights group says at least 76 dead as Iran protests rage despite violent crackdown]( By [Stuart Williams]( [Video shows Iranian authorities assaulting girl who removes hijab in front of them]( By [TOI staff and AFP]( [First severely wounded Ukrainian soldiers arrive in Israel for medical treatment]( By [TOI staff]( [A total of 20 service members will be treated at Sheba Medical Center as part of Israel-Ukraine agreement]( [Gunman kills Russian military recruiter as opposition to Ukraine mobilization grows]( By [Adam Schreck and Jon Gambrell]( [Annexation vote wraps up in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine]( By [Adam Schreck and Jon Gambrell]( [Mexican authorities raid Lev Tahor cult compound, detain 26 members]( By [Tobias Siegal]( [Some members face serious sex charges and could get up to 20 years in prison if found guilty by a Mexican court; 3-year-old boy returned to father in Israel who previously escaped]( [Police chief tours tense Temple Mount as Jewish visits resume for Rosh Hashanah]( By [TOI staff]( [1 arrested at compound during Yaakov Shabtai’s visit to Old City, day after clashes between cops and Palestinians at flashpoint holy site and across East Jerusalem]( [Palestinian rioters face off with police in East Jerusalem for 2nd night in a row]( By [TOI staff]( [Abbas calls Gantz with holiday greeting, discusses West Bank security]( By [Tobias Siegal and Jacob Magid]( Return of the panacea [Ancient ‘miracle plant,’ believed extinct, said rediscovered in Turkey]( By [Tobias Siegal]( [Turkish prof. says ferula drudeana, found growing on Mt. Hasan in Anatolia, is ancient silphion — a seasoning, aphrodisiac, medicine, and contraceptive — not seen for 2,000 years]( [Initiatives help descendants of Crypto-Jews reconnect with stolen Sephardic heritage]( By [Renee Ghert-Zand]( [Certificate of Sephardic Ancestry validates identity, while an online ancestral database of 45,000 Sephardic family names makes searching for roots easier]( [NASA crashes spacecraft into asteroid in first ever test of planetary defense]( By [Agencies]( [Space agency aims to alter orbit of rock by smashing craft, known as DART, into its surface, in venture hitherto only attempted in science fiction]( [NASA calls off 3rd attempt to launch moon rocket due to hurricane]( By [Marcia Dunn]( [Arafat’s nephew returns to Gaza, mounting challenge against aging, unpopular Abbas]( By [AFP and TOI staff]( [Nasser al-Kidwa builds support in terror-ruled Strip, calling Palestinian Authority ‘totalitarian’ and destructive, as PA’s rule appears increasingly tenuous]( Top Ops [Sheldon Kirshner]( [Rashida Tlaib’s absurd acid test]( [The Michigan congresswoman’s denunciation of Israel supporters puts her in line with the ideologies of totalitarians and theocrats like Iran and Hezbollah]( [Eric Fingerhut]( [Ethiopian Aliyah: The Hope and the Promise]( [I’m proud to be playing a role in the redemption of our brothers and sisters in Ethiopia and in the ingathering of exiles – but our work is not yet done]( Author interview [The unlikely rise – and remarkable endurance – of Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky]( By [Rich Tenorio]( [A new biography of the resilient president by journalist Serhii Rudenko chronicles his start as a law student and TV actor, through the war that revealed his true colors]( [Italy’s far-right leader begins complex task of cobbling together coalition]( By [Ella Ide]( [Giorgia Meloni races against time to divide roles among allies while several challenges loom, among them a deadline to submit a draft budget plan to the EU by October 15]( [US, EU signal willingness to work with Italy’s victorious far right]( By [AFP and TOI staff]( [After former Mussolini admirer Meloni’s win in Italy, what happens now?]( By [Alice Ritchie and Ella Ide]( [CRM]( [IAEA head meets with Iranian atomic chief amid dispute on undeclared nuclear sites]( By [AFP and TOI staff]( [‘Dialogue has restarted with Iran on clarification of outstanding safeguards issues,’ Rafael Grossi says after vowing UN watchdog won’t close probe opposed by Tehran]( [IAEA, Iran signal no compromise on impasse over undeclared nuclear sites]( By [TOI staff and AFP]( [Iran’s Revolutionary Guard strikes Kurds in Iraq, as anti-regime protests rage]( By [SALAR SALIM]( [Saudi Arabia reclaims the West’s embrace as Khashoggi killing fades]( By [Aya Batrawy]( [In a triumphant week, Riyadh brokers Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap, holds UN summit, hosts German chancellor and talks energy with White House, but human rights pushed aside]( [CRM]( More Headlines [Four dead as boat sinks off Galapagos, several still missing, three Israelis rescued]( By [Agencies and TOI staff]( [Arab Israeli man held after apparent attempt to derail a train in northern Israel]( By [TOI staff]( [Tennis legend Novak Djokovic ‘happy and excited’ to land in Israel for tournament]( By [TOI staff and Agencies]( [Man arrested after wife found dead in burning home]( By [TOI staff]( [Backdoor gambit / World chess champ Carlsen accuses US teen rival Niemann of cheating]( By [AFP]( [Lebanese lawmakers to elect country’s next president despite lack of consensus]( By [Kareem Chehayeb]( [Danish premier says ‘cannot rule out’ sabotage to Russian gas pipelines]( By [MONIKA SCISLOWSKA and JAN M. OLSEN]( [Hurricane Ian hits Cuba as it heads for Florida as Category 3 storm]( By [Leticia PINEDA]( [Russia expels Japanese diplomat detained for alleged spying; Tokyo denies accusation]( By [Mari Yamaguchi]( [Putin grants Russian citizenship to US whistleblower Edward Snowden]( By [AP]( [Polish city says it canceled Roger Waters concerts over his support for Russia]( By [Vanessa Gera]( [Train smashes into parked Colorado patrol car in which fleeing cops had left suspect]( By [TOI staff and AP]( [The daily edition]() [facebook]( [twitter]( [instagram]( [View in browser]( [Contact support](mailto:support@timesofisrael.com) [Advertise with us](mailto:advertise@timesofisrael.com) Were you forwarded this email? [Subscribe here]( [Unsubscribe]( from this List © 2022 The Times Of Israel, All Rights Reserved