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May 4, 2016 at 10:14 am
London - A Jewish group has launched a lawsuit against British local authorities that called for boycotts of goods from Israeli settlements, claiming the actions are anti-Semitic.
Jewish Human Rights Watch is asking the High Court to rule against three councils: Leicester in England and Swansea and Gwynedd in Wales. It claims the authorities have failed to consider “the impact of their actions on the Jewish community.”
Leicester and Swansea councils say their resolutions calling for sanctions are nonbinding, apply only to illegal settlements and are not attacks on the state of Israel.
Gwynedd says it backed a trade embargo with Israel in 2014 to condemn “attacks by the Israeli state on the territory of the Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.”
A two-d...
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May 4, 2016 at 10:12 am
Washington - Senator Elizabeth Warren has taken to Twitter to attack what she calls presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s “toxic stew of hatred & insecurity.”
The Massachusetts Democrat issued a series of tweets Tuesday night as results from the Indiana GOP primary forced Texas Senator Ted Cruz from the race and left Trump as the overwhelming favorite for the nomination.
Warren tweets that Trump has built his campaign on “racism, sexism and xenophobia” and that there’s more enthusiasm for him “among the leaders of the KKK than leaders of the political party he now controls.”
Warren says what happens next is “a character test for all of us—Republican, Democrat, and Independent.”
Warren has ...
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May 4, 2016 at 10:05 am
Kif al Harat, West Bank - Maayan Yaacov changed his flight back to the United States so that he could join the thousands of people who hiked late Tuesday night into the Palestinian village of Kifl Haris to visit the tomb of the biblical leader Joshua.
A small stone and stucco building with a round roof marks his grave in the center of the village, on the edge of a plaza with apartments and stores.
His father Nun is buried nearby, as is Calev Ben Yefuneh.
Joshua and Calev were the only two out of 12 spies who trusted that God would bring the Jews safely into the land of Israel.
Israelis cannot typically visit the graves, except for on special occasions in the middle of the night when the IDF shuts down a section of the village to allow for their safe passage.
A native of the nea...
United Nations - The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees expressed hope Tuesday that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait will come up with $80 million to ensure that 500,000 boys and girls who are refugees can start the next school year on time in August.
Last year, a $101 million shortfall in the budget of the agency, known as UNRWA, almost led to a delay in starting school.
Pierre Krahenbuhl told a news conference Tuesday that the three Gulf countries came to the rescue last year and he hopes they will “renew the generosity this year.”
“If we could have that, then we will be able to avoid another crisis this summer,” he said.
UNRWA operates 700 schools for Palestinian refugees with 22,000 education staff in the West Bank...
Detroit - Fiat Chrysler and Google will work together to more than double the size of Google’s self-driving vehicle fleet by adding 100 Chrysler Pacifica minivans.
The companies announced the agreement on Tuesday, saying that Chrysler engineers would work with Google to install sensors and software so the vans can drive themselves.
The added vehicles are needed as Google expands real-world testing. Google says it will own the gas-electric hybrid vans, and it’s not licensing autonomous car technology to Fiat Chrysler or anyone else. Both companies are free to work with others as well.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The added vehicles are needed as Google increases real-world testing in four cities including Mountain View, California; Austin, Texas; ...
New York - Company founder and CEO Elon Musk may not mention Tesla Motors Inc’s
stock price when his electric car company gives its latest financial update on Wednesday, but it will be front and center for investors divided over its seemingly rich valuation.
After a rally that ended in April, Tesla’s market capitalization is currently about $31 billion - equivalent to $620,000 for every car it delivered last year, or $63,000 for every car it hopes to produce in 2020.
By comparison, General Motors Co’s
$48 billion market value is equivalent to about $4,800 for every vehicle it sold last year.
Tesla’s heady valuation - about 125 times the next 12 months of expected earnings - and the implication that shareholders may be overpaying for Musk’s small bu...
New York, NY - More than 200 gun permits issued by three NYPD officers who are accused of taking bribes in exchange for gun licenses have come under scrutiny, with gun owners instructed to surrender any firearms in their possession to police while the investigation continues.
As previously reported on VIN News, Deputy Inspector Michael Endall, Sergeant David Villanueva and Officer Richard Ochetal of the NYPD’s licensing division were all reassigned for having provided former Brooklyn resident Alex Lichtenstein with gun permits for $6,000 each.
Lichtenstein allegedly sold the permits to individuals at a significant profit without performing the requisite background checks.
According to a CBS report, six guns and licenses issued by the three officers have already been revo...
Washington - Donald Trump can thank male voters for his big victory in the Indiana Republican primary.
The billionaire won the support of Republican men by a more than 25-point margin over Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who dropped out of the presidential race after his defeat Tuesday night.
On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was drawing the support of black voters and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was attracting younger voters, according to early findings from exit polls conducted for The Associated Press and television networks by Edison Research.
The exit polls also show that Democrats say they’re energized and optimistic about their party’s nomination process, while Republicans say they’re worried their party is being torn apart.
Indiana...
New York - New York City agreed to pay the U.S. government $4.3 million to settle a civil fraud lawsuit accusing the city’s fire department of accepting tens of thousands of improper Medicare reimbursements for emergency ambulance services.
The accord signed on Tuesday resolves claims that the city cheated the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services out of millions of dollars from October 2008 to October 2012 by submitting claims for services that were not medically necessary, violating the federal False Claims Act.
According to court papers, part of the problem may have been linked to the New York City Fire Department’s (“FDNY”) ambulance billing contractor.
The U.S. Department of Justice said that in a review sought by the FDNY, the contractor in...
New York - Fire department officials say the cause of a blaze that destroyed a historic New York City church is under investigation but it could have been candles.
The Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava (SAH’-vah) burned on Sunday, the same day Orthodox Christians around the world celebrated Easter. Fire officials said Tuesday they are looking into whether caretakers at the church may have accidentally placed candles that had not been fully extinguished in a cardboard box after the Easter celebration.
They say the fire is not suspicious, but the investigation is ongoing.
The church was designed by architect Richard M. Upjohn and was built in the early 1850s. One of its earlier congregants was novelist Edith Wharton, who wrote “The Age of Innocence.” She wa...
New York - A prominent art collector and real estate developer has agreed to pay $7 million to settle allegations he failed to pay taxes on about $80 million worth of art, the state attorney general said Tuesday.
The settlement with Aby Rosen followed an investigation that revealed he owed taxes on over 200 works of art, said Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Rosen’s whose companies own several New York landmarks, including the Seagram Building that houses the soon-to-be-shuttered Four Seasons restaurant.
Schneiderman contends that from 2002 to 2015, Rosen used a company that he formed, 22nd Century Acquisitions, to purchase the art and a second company, Lever House Artwork, to commission new works. Rosen, the attorney general said, did not pay sales tax on the it...
Washington - Businesses better have good evidence to back up claims of health benefits from their products, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Monday after the Supreme Court rejected POM Wonderful’s challenge to FTC findings that the juice maker’s advertising was misleading.
The Supreme Court left in place a lower-court ruling that largely upheld the regulatory agency’s determination about the pomegranate juice maker’s advertising claims that its products fight ailments such as heart disease, prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction.
“The outcome of this case makes clear that companies like POM making serious health claims about food and nutritional supplement products must have rigorous scientific evidence to back them up,” FTC C...
Stockholm - The president of the European Jewish Congress says Sweden needs to be vigilant of anti-Semitism among some refugees seeking shelter in the Nordic country.
Moshe Kantor on Tuesday said that while Muslim refugees also face bigotry and racism, “anti-Semitism remains a significant problem in Sweden” and should be prioritized.
Kantor spoke to The Associated Press after a meeting in Stockholm with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven.
Sweden has received more asylum-seekers in recent years than any other European country, except Germany. Most come from predominantly Muslim countries including Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.
“As Europeans we should be greatly sensitive to the suffering of others, especially those who are running away from oppression, but we ...
San Diego - It’s not only drones and driverless cars that may become the norm someday — ocean-faring ships might also run without captains or crews.
The Pentagon on Monday showed off the world’s largest unmanned surface vessel, a self-driving 132-foot ship able to travel up to 10,000 nautical miles on its own to hunt for stealthy submarines and underwater mines.
The military’s research arm, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, in conjunction with the Navy will be testing the ship off the San Diego coast over the next two years to observe how it interacts with other vessels and avoids collisions. Unlike smaller, remote-controlled craft launched from ships, the so-called “Sea Hunter” is built to operate on its own.
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The 3rd aliyah of Parshas Acharei Mos tells us the intriguing avodah (service) on Yom Kippur of the sa'ir l'azazel-the goat sent off a cliff into the wilderness. We discover the stark differences between the lot of Yaakov and the fate of Se'ir-Esav. The service of Yom Kippur directs us to identify with the heavenly, angelic and transcendent connection with Hashem, as opposed to an underworld of sorcery, which is firmly rooted to the earth and physicality in general.
Click here to listen
Pinellas, FL - A Florida nursing home is under investigation after the death of a man in a wheelchair who was left in the sun, where he suffered second-degree burns, blistering and symptoms of dehydration.
Police in Pinellas Park said 65-year-old Wilbert Henry Moten, who was immobile, spent hours outdoors on Saturday when temperatures rose into the 90s on a humid day. He died later after reportedly suffering heart failure, police said. An autopsy was under way Monday.
The state Department of Children and Families said in a statement Tuesday that it has opened a death investigation. And Shelisha Coleman, spokeswoman for the Agency for Health Care Administration said it’s also looking into the death.
A woman staffing the front desk of GraceWood Rehabilitation and Nursing Car...
Baltimore, MD—May 3, 2016 -- Just about a year ago, STAR-K publicized the psak of HaRav Moshe Heinemann, shlita, on BaltimoreJewishLife.com, regarding the installation of digital water meters in Baltimore City [Baltimore's Newly Installed Digital Water Meters Pose No Threat to Shabbos Observance, posted 5/14/15]. Presently, the residents of Baltimore County are having water meters installed on their properties. These meters are the same as those that were installed in the City and according to the Rav pose no halachic issues for usage on Shabbos and Yom Tov.
When the cover is closed there is no display. When opened, it displays for 30 seconds and then goes blank. (Credit: Jonah Ottensoser)
Washington - Bernie Sanders wins the Democratic presidential primary in Indiana, scoring a late primary season victory over front-runner Hillary Clinton.
The release of a reportedly hazardous material inside the Towson Town Center did not pose a public threat, Baltimore County officials said.
Six people at the mall were evaluated, including a pregnant woman who was taken to the hospital with abdominal pain, which may or may not be related to the pepper spray-like substance that was found in the mall, officials said.
Crews located a localized substance, described by mall security as tear gas-like, on the third floor of the mall and evacuated the immediate area.
The substance was evaluated, and while no definite determination was made, officials said it was pepper spray-like.
Officials did air-monitoring and said there was no threat to the public.
The situation started around 8:25 p.m. at the north part of the complex...
Gaza - An explosion occurred on the northern border of Gaza Wednesday afternoon, the second of the day.
In a statement, the IDF said the unit stationed in the area “returned fire into Gaza using tanks” in response.
There were no injuries among security forces, the IDF noted.
The IDF does not yet know who was behind “both cross border incidents.”
Palestinians in Gaza fired a mortar shell at an IDF unit carrying out operational work on the Gaza border fence earlier in the day..
In a similar response, a IDF tank carried out return fire at a Hamas position in the area, the military said.
There were no injuries among IDF soldiers.
The incident marked the second straight day in which Palestinians in Gaza fired at IDF soldiers on the border.
