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May 25, 2017 at 11:43 am
Britain has suspended intelligence sharing on the Manchester bombing with the US after American officials leaked information to the media, an issue that British Prime Minister Theresa May will raise with US President Donald Trump later Thursday.
US officials released the suspected bomber’s name and other details of the investigation into the deadly attack at the Manchester Arena Monday night, irking British investigators scrambling to keep details of the probe confidential.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said that only intelligence relating to this particular probe had been suspended, adding that “we quite frankly can’t afford to risk it any more.”
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May 25, 2017 at 11:43 am
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said President Donald Trump put “a lot of pressure” on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to revive peace talks during the American leader's recent visit to the region.
"There were very substantive discussions in Israel with both Netanyahu as well as Abbas,” Tillerson told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Trump was “very forceful” in his discussions with the two leaders, and "everyone has to compromise,” Tillerson said. The secretary of state also suggested Israeli-Palestinian relations could have a domino effect on peace in the region.
“[Trump] has made the point several times: we solve the Israeli-Palestinian peace dilemma, we start solving ...
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May 25, 2017 at 11:41 am
An Iranian semi-official news agency says the country’s powerful Revolutionary Guard has built a third underground facility designated to produce ballistic missiles.
The semi-official Fars news agency on Thursday quoted the chief of paramilitary’s airspace division, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, as saying the force will “continue to develop our missile capacity” and that U.S. concerns over the country’s ballistic program are of no significance to Iran.
According to the report, the site is the third underground production facility for ballistic missiles in Iran. The report did not provide more details, say where it’s located and if and how many missiles have already been produced there.
Iran has long boasted of having missiles that can travel 2,000 kilomete...
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May 25, 2017 at 11:40 am
Visiting a city he once called all sorts of names to meet with the leaders of one alliance he threatened to abandon and another whose weakening he cheered, President Donald Trump will address a continent Thursday still reeling from his election and anxious about his support.
Trump traveled Thursday morning to the European Union headquarters in Brussels for meetings with Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, and other EU officials.
Trump appeared to be greeted warmly by the leaders, despite his past comments publicly cheering the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the EU last summer and slamming the alliance during his transition as “a vehicle for Germany.” Trump has taken a less combative tone sinc...
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May 25, 2017 at 9:58 am
Without the shocking video, it’s unlikely that the world would have learned or cared about the violent manhandling of a 69-year-old man on a plane last month.
The outrage on social media, the mea culpa by an airline CEO, the promise to treat customers better — none of it would have happened.
The passengers who shot those videos on a United Express plane in Chicago violated United’s policy on photography. By the letter of the airline’s law, they too could have been ordered off the plane.
Under United’s policy, customers can take pictures or videos with small cameras or cellphones “provided that the purpose is capturing personal events.” Filming or photographing other customers or airline employees without their consent is prohibited. American, De...
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May 25, 2017 at 9:56 am
P. was born to Iranian parents who fled Iran to Germany following the Islamic Revolution. Following her parents’ divorce and subsequent discovery that her mother is, indeed, Jewish, P. was drawn to begin investigating her Jewish roots and identity. Revealing that she, too, is Jewish, she determined to join a one-year study program in Israel.
On Yom Yerushalayim, P. marched through Jerusalem’s streets and joined the Flag Dance throughout the city accompanied by her friends from the World Bnei Akiva youth movement.
P.’s story is comprised of myriad details and contradictions that, somehow weave the riveting tapestry of her life. Following the Islamic Revolution in 1979, her mother’s family, unaffiliated Jews, fled Iran to Germany, intending to continue on to the Uni...
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May 25, 2017 at 9:55 am
Britain’s home secretary criticized U.S. officials on Wednesday for leaking sensitive information about the inquiry into the extremist attack that killed 22 people at a Manchester concert arena.
Amber Rudd told Sky News that U.S. officials provided information to the news media that Britain preferred to keep confidential for reasons of operational security. Britain has raised its official terror threat to “critical” — meaning it is likely an attack is imminent — and is trying to uncover a suspected extremist network before it strikes again.
Rudd said the “element of surprise” in the police and security service measures could be compromised by information being released too quickly. Rudd said she had complained to U.S. officials to make sure the f...
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May 25, 2017 at 9:50 am
It is a question that is on everyone’s mind (actually, mostly on those who keep the second zman): Can we get a haircut this Friday, Rosh Chodesh Sivan?
Answer: It is complicated.
Generally speaking, for those who keep the second period of mourning, when Rosh Chodesh Sivan falls on Friday, the Shloshes yemei hagballah – the three days of preparation for Matan Torah begin on Sunday.
Previously, we discussed that when Lag BaOmer falls on Sunday, it is kind of a slap in the face to the Shabbos to get a haircut for Lag BaOmer but not for Shabbos! Therefore, on the 31st of the Omer that falls on a Friday, it would be permitted to get a haircut.
So can we not apply the same logic here and allow a haircut for Shabbos on Rosh Chodesh Sivan when it falls on a Friday?
So the answer t...
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May 25, 2017 at 9:49 am
The Trump administration is asking for more money to protect President Donald Trump’s signature New York skyscraper, add hundreds of new Secret Service agents and strengthen security at the White House, according to new budget documents presented to Congress.
The request is for $25.7 million in security-related expenses at Trump Tower, including “personnel travel costs assigned to the protective details for the children and grandchildren of President Trump, as well as other functions supporting these details.” Those services, the request said, will be maintained “throughout the incumbent’s presidency.”
The budget numbers offer the first look into the administration’s request for a full year’s worth of extra protective resources under Trump,...
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May 25, 2017 at 9:49 am
Israeli security forces during the night made additional arrests in the attempted lynch in the Shomron last week.
Three Arabs suspected of taking part in the attempted lynch against a Jewish motorist in Chawarah last week were taken into custody. It has already been established that a Red Crescent ambulance team blocked the victim’s vehicle, preventing any route of escape. The ambulance crew was arrested shortly following the attack.
B’chasdei Hashem the intended victim was armed, using his pistol to kill one attacker and wound another as he was outnumbered about 200 to 1.
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May 25, 2017 at 9:42 am
While Americans have doubts about how much they should trust the “news media” in general, a poll by the Media Insight Project released Wednesday suggests they have a higher opinion of the sources they personally rely upon to follow the world.
The survey by the project, a partnership between The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and American Press Institute, echoed the phenomenon where people express distaste for politicians yet support their local representatives.
Only 17 percent of people judged the “news media” as very accurate but twice as many said the same thing about the news sources they visit most often, the poll found. Ask about other attributes and it’s the same pattern: 24 percent judged the media as a whole as moral, while ...
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May 25, 2017 at 9:41 am
Chareidi MKs are working hard to defeat an effort by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, who are pushing a reform that would limit the amount of private bill MKs can present, thereby limiting the power of serving Members of Knesset.
Leading the opposition is the chairman of the Knesset Finance Committee, MK Moshe Gafne. Gafne is a leader when it comes to private bills and over the years as an MK, has had significant success in implementing change for the chareidi tzibur via private bills passed into law. This includes law pertaining to kashrus, mikvaos and more.
Other chareidi MKs taking part in the discussion to defeat the bill includes MK Uri Maklev, MK Yisrael Eichler, MK Yoav Ben-Tzur. They signaled they will use all their power ein Knesset against the pl...
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May 25, 2017 at 9:39 am
On Wednesday, 28 Iyar, the Knesset Education Committee convened an emergency session to discuss the concern that Ben-Gurion University is promoting the BDS movement.
The committee was initiated by MKs Bezalel Smotrich (Bayit Yehudi), Anat Berko (Likud) and Oded Forer (Yisrael Beitenu) following the University’s recent promotion of a controversial workshop run by far-Left NGOs and sponsored by the European Union, which taught students how to effectively film protests.
Ben-Gurion University has come under fire in the past for its affiliation with anti-Zionism and BDS. In 2011, Israel’s Council for Higher Education recommended shutting down the University’s Department of Politics and Government unless changes were implemented.
Education Committee Chairman MK (Shas) Yaakov...
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May 25, 2017 at 9:38 am
Subpoenas for former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn piled up Wednesday as the House intelligence committee pressured Flynn to cooperate with its investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
The prospect of new congressional subpoenas came one day after the committee’s Senate counterpart served its own subpoenas to Flynn’s businesses. The FBI also faced a deadline Wednesday to turn over memos written by former FBI Director James Comey detailing his discussions with President Donald Trump. One memo reportedly shows Trump pressuring Comey to shut down the bureau’s investigation into Flynn’s Russia ties.
Also Wednesday, former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser Carter Page told The Associated Press that he will testify next...
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May 25, 2017 at 9:38 am
Commenting on the visit to Saudi Arabia by US President Trump earlier in the week, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman expressed concerns with the regional “arms race” in the Middle East, adding “I am not at peace with it”.
Speaking with Galei Tzahal (Army Radio), he explained the deal is $215 billion, a significant sum, and he is concerned with the amount of military equipment being sold to the Saudis. The deal with the Saudis includes tanks, missile defense systems, radar system, combat ships, cybersecurity technology and communications technology. Lockheed Martin will assemble 150 Black Hawk helicopters intended for the Saudi kingdom in Saudi Arabia instead of assembling them in the US.
Lieberman was also asked to comment on the reported leak by President ...
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May 25, 2017 at 9:33 am
It has been over a decade since Yeshivat Chomesh returned to the former northern Shomron community in the hope of rebuilding that which was destroyed by the government of Ehud Olmert, in the so-called Disengagement Plan of 2005.
The Jews were ousted from Chomesh and nearby SaNur, as well as from Gaza, but Olmert’s vision of peace was quickly replaced by Islamic terror and rocket attacks into southern Israel.
In a recent attack, PA (Palestinian Authority) residents directed their destruction against Yeshivat Chomesh, on Monday night the eve of 27 Iyar. This is not a regular yeshiva since the IDF does not permit the talmidim to reside there or leave anything. Hence, they bring everything each day, and fold up at day’s end. It is located on the ruins of what was once Yishuv Chom...
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May 25, 2017 at 9:31 am
Home searches across Manchester have uncovered important items for the investigation into the concert bombing that left 22 people dead, Manchester’s police chief announced Thursday. A British official said Manchester police have decided not to share further information on the probe with the United States due to leaks blamed on U.S. officials.
Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said the eight suspects detained so far were “significant” arrests and said the searches will take several more days to complete. Police have swooped in on multiple addresses in the northwestern city since Tuesday and those arrested include bomber Salman Abedi’s brother Ismail.
Hopkins did not elaborate on the material that has been found so far.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said she plans t...
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May 25, 2017 at 9:31 am
The Republican candidate in the nationally-watched election Thursday for Montana’s sole congressional seat has been charged with misdemeanor assault for allegedly grabbing a reporter by the neck and throwing him to the ground.
Voters decide in the special election whether Republican Greg Gianforte or Democrat Rob Quist will fill the U.S. House seat left vacant when Ryan Zinke resigned to join President Donald Trump’s Cabinet as secretary of the Interior Department.
Gianforte, who has tried to align himself with Trump, defended himself as the criminal charge was announced Wednesday, saying the reporter was being aggressive and grabbed him by the wrist in their exchange at his campaign office.
Quist has declined to comment on the charge.
The assault charge is a last-minute cu...
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May 25, 2017 at 9:30 am
“LISTEN, BOYCHIK, VEN I VAS much younger in da Bronx, the Ruf of de shul of Bais Shraga allowed it. Dat’s gut enuf for me. If its gut enuf for Maariv it should be gut enuf for sfiras ha’omer.”
“The Mishna Brurah says that when the mechaber says mib’od yom its referring to after Bain HaShmashos.”
“Look the Vilna Gaon says it’s okay.”
These are the types of discussions that often occur in the larger shuls in New York, when there are multiple minyanim on an erev Shabbos. The Rav cannot be everywhere, and at times people are unaware of his ruling for a Sfiras HaOmer when Maariv ends well before the sunset. So what is the story with early Sfiras HaOmer?
THE WORDS OF RAV KARO IN SHULCHAN ARUCH
The exact issue, of course, dates back...
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May 25, 2017 at 9:30 am
For the second time this month, Arabs were apprehended trying to bring an explosive device into a military courthouse. This last incident occurred at the Shomron Military Court, the same venue as the first incident. The bombs were found when they went to the inspection point prior to entering the court.
The two elicited the suspicion of border and military police, and it was found they were carrying a pipe bomb. The two, a minor and adult, were taken into custody.
Border police commanders praised the alertness of security personnel, which averted disaster on both occasions.
