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October 17, 2018 at 9:07 am
Facebook Inc will ban false information about voting requirements and fact-check fake reports of violence or long lines at polling stations ahead of next month’s U.S. midterm elections, company executives told Reuters, the latest effort to reduce voter manipulation on its service.
The world’s largest online social network, with 1.5 billion daily users, has stopped short of banning all false or misleading posts, something that Facebook has shied away from as it would likely increase its expenses and leave it open to charges of censorship.
The latest move addresses a sensitive area for the company, which has come under fire for its lax approach to fake news reports and disinformation campaigns, which many believe affected the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, won by Do...
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October 17, 2018 at 9:05 am
A new process under development in Israel could provide the economical, earth-friendly solution many industries seek for cleaning up soil, sludge and sediment polluted by their activities.
Phased transaction extraction, or PTE, is meant as a new tool to help get rid of industrial pollution both for nonvolatile organic and metal pollutants, especially in wet conditions. It uses a combination of methods to remove and concentrate the substances. All components, both the pollutants and the materials that separate them, can be recycled.Professor Amos Ullman devised the system with fellow Tel Aviv University Faculty of Engineering Professor Naima Brauner and Professor Zvi Lodmer of the Faculty of Agriculture at the Hebrew University’s Rehovot campus, in addition to a team of graduate stud...
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October 17, 2018 at 9:04 am
A Brooklyn teenager has been charged with a hate crime following an unprovoked attack on a Jewish man in the New York borough’s Crown Heights section.
Crown Heights Info reported that the incident occurred on Monday afternoon at the intersection of Empire Boulevard and Albany Avenue. The victim was accosted as he was crossing the street by a black teenager carrying a wooden stick. When the victim realized he was about to be assaulted, he attempted to flee into a dry cleaning store owned by a friend and was struck by the assailant on the back and shoulder as he ran. The stick broke in half and the assailant then threw the second piece into the store, striking both the victim and another bystander and causing further injuries.
The assailant was apprehended m...
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October 17, 2018 at 9:03 am
For the sixth time in less than two years, UK Media Watch has prompted a correction at The Times of London to the false suggestion that Tel Aviv is Israel’s capital.
The latest example appeared in a book review published at the paper written by Justin Marozzi (Book review: Enemies and Neighbours: Arabs and Jews in Palestine and Israel, 1917–2017 by Ian Black, Oct. 29th).
Here’s the relevant paragraph:
We complained to editors, and received a reply confirming that it’s not their editorial policy to use Tel Aviv as an metonym for the Israeli government, and that the appropriate editor would communicate their concerns to Mr. Marozzi.
Later, we received this reply from Marozzi, in response to our Tweet from yesterday alerting him to the error.
Today, the correction...
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October 17, 2018 at 9:00 am
Hours after a powerful rocket fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel struck a private home in the southern city of Beer Sheva, the now homeless family which resided in the now destroyed house is calling on the public to help them rebuild their lives.
“I don’t have a home,” said Miri Tamano, the mother of three whose home was destroyed when a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip overnight landed in her yard. “I have three kids, each of them means the world to me.”
Tamano said her family was left without even the bare essentials, and would need help from the public.
“In particular, [we need] the bare essentials, so that we can get on our feet. Everything has been lost.”
The family will be staying in a hotel while repairs are made to the house.
Tamano...
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October 17, 2018 at 8:57 am
Washington - A couple of liberal Harvard law professors are lending their name to a new campaign to build support for expanding the Supreme Court by four justices in 2021.
The campaign, calling itself the 1.20.21 Project and being launched Wednesday, also wants to increase the size of the lower federal courts to counteract what it terms “Republican obstruction, theft and procedural abuse” of the federal judiciary. This includes the recent near party-line confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh that cemented a conservative majority on the Supreme Court.
It is premised on Democratic victories in next month’s elections and the 2020 presidential contest that could leave Democrats in charge of Congress and the White House in 2021, a possibility but by no means a sure thing. ...
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October 17, 2018 at 8:57 am
Cologny, Switzerland - The U.S. economy sits atop of the World Economic Forum’s annual global competitiveness survey for the first time since the 2007-2009 financial crisis, benefiting from a new ranking methodology this year, the Swiss body said on Tuesday.
In its closely-watched annual Global Competitiveness Report, the WEF said the U.S. is the country closest to the “frontier of competitiveness,” an indicator that ranks competitive productivity using a scale from zero to 100.
The U.S. beat off Singapore, Germany, Switzerland and Japan, the other top four markets, with a score of 85.6 out of 100, the report said, due to its “vibrant” entrepreneurial culture and “strong” labor market and financial system.
The World Economic Forum, the same orga...
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October 17, 2018 at 8:57 am
Austin, TX - Democrat Julian Castro said Tuesday that he will likely seek the presidency in 2020 after months of signals from former President Barack Obama’s housing secretary that he’s preparing for a White House run.
“I’m likely to do it,” he told The Associated Press.
The 44-year-old Castro would join what is shaping up to be a crowded field of Democratic challengers, which could include Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Castro said he still wants to see the results of November’s midterm elections before making a final decision, saying he’s “convinced these elections set a mood and a tone” for the next couple of years.
“It’s a wide-open race. People want a new generation of lead...
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October 17, 2018 at 8:54 am
Moscow - Russian officials said an explosive device killed at least 13 people and injured at least 50 others Wednesday at a vocational college in Crimea and called it a possible terrorist attack.
Yet Russian news media reported that at least some of the victims died in an attack by an unidentified gunman or gunmen. Russian officials wouldn’t confirm those reports.
Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee said the blast at the college in the city of Kerch in eastern Crimea was caused by an unidentified explosive device. Emergency officials initially had said the blast was caused by a gas explosion.
Sergei Melikov, a deputy chief of the Russian National Guard, said the explosive device was homemade. Russia’s Investigative Committee, the nation’s top investigative...
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October 17, 2018 at 8:54 am
Jerusalem - Israel’s top court weighed an appeal on Wednesday by a U.S. student facing deportation under a law against foreign pro-Palestinian activists who call for boycotts of Israel.
Lara Alqasem, 22, flew to Israel on Oct. 2 on a study visa but was refused entry by security officials who cited her role as president of a small local chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Florida.
Alqasem’s case has touched off debate in Israel over whether democratic values have been compromised by a 2017 law that bars the entry of foreigners who publicly support boycotts over Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians.
Alqasem, who is of Palestinian descent, has been detained at the Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv since being denied entry to...
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October 17, 2018 at 8:53 am
Jerusalem - A rocket fired from Gaza struck a residential home in southern Israel early Wednesday and the Israeli military began attacking militant sites in Gaza in response after days of rising tensions.
The Magen David Adom medical service said a woman and her three children, whose home in Beersheba was struck, were being treated for shock after they fled to their shelter upon being awoken by warning sirens shortly before 4 a.m. Her swift response likely saved their lives, as the home was destroyed and debris was scattered throughout the street, damaging parked cars and adjacent structures.
Next-door neighbor Segev Naveh said he did not hear the warning sirens and was awoken by the massive blast.
“It was very scary,” he said. “If it was falling on my house I would be...
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October 17, 2018 at 12:38 am
Baltimore, MD - Oct. 17, 2018 - As the founding director of Agudath Israel of Maryland (AIMD), Rabbi Ariel Sadwin has been able to channel the organization's efforts to accomplish in one short decade what many larger entities have not over longer spans of time. In recognition of Rabbi Sadwin and AIMD’s outstanding leadership in Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic region, an estimated overflow crowd of 700 + gathered at Baltimore’s Beth Tfiloh Congregation on Sunday evening, October 14 to celebrate AIMD’s Ten Anniversary Gala.
Joining the impressive crowd - which included a large number of esteemed Rabbonim and community askanim, as well as local, state, and federal government officials, was a contingency of Agudath Israel of America leaders – both lay and professi...
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October 17, 2018 at 12:10 am
US Treasury Department slaps sanctions on Iranian paramilitary group and a network of businesses that were providing it with financing.
The US Treasury Department on Tuesday slapped sanctions on an Iranian paramilitary group along with a network of businesses that were providing it with financing, AFP reported.
In announcing the sanctions, the Treasury said a network of more than 20 businesses known as the Bonyad Taavon Basij was financing the Basij Resistance Force, a component of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
It also accused the hardline militia of sending child soldiers to Syria in support of President Bashar Al-Assad's regime.
"The international community must understand that business entanglements with the Bonyad Taavon Basij network and IR...
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October 17, 2018 at 12:08 am
Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings to be closed following rocket attack on Be'er Sheva.
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman on Wednesday morning ordered the closing of the Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings to Gaza, as well as the reduction of the fishing area in Gaza to only 3 nautical miles.
The Defense Minister's decision was made following the rocket fire into Israeli territory overnight Tuesday.
A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip exploded in near a home in the southern Israeli city of Be'er Sheva.
Magen David Adom paramedics gave medical treatment to a woman about 50 years of age and a 40-year-old man who suffered light injuries while running to a protected area. In addition, a 20-year-old woman who suffered from shock was evacuated to the Soroka Hospital.
Th...
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October 17, 2018 at 12:06 am
Sirens heard shortly after 3:30 a.m. in Be’er Sheva and the surrounding area. Rocket explodes near home in the city.
A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip overnight Tuesday exploded in near a home in the southern Israeli city of Be'er Sheva.
Magen David Adom paramedics gave medical treatment to a woman about 50 years of age and a 40-year-old man who suffered light injuries while running to a protected area. In addition, a 20-year-old woman who suffered from shock was evacuated to the Soroka Hospital.
The residents of the home were treated for shock, including a 39-year-old woman and her three children aged nine, ten and twelve. Two other residents who live nearby were treated for shock as well.
A total of nine people were treated by Magen David Adom teams.
In addition, the b...
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October 16, 2018 at 10:52 pm
Dallas - Saudi Arabia’s status as the biggest oil exporter gives it the power to jolt the global economy — if it wants.
That was the kingdom’s message when it warned Washington and President Donald Trump against imposing sanctions over the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a U.S. resident.
Trump, who bragged at rallies about his business dealings with rich Saudis, said over the weekend there would be “severe punishment” if evidence points to Saudi responsibility for Khashoggi’s disappearance. On Sunday, the Saudi government threatened to retaliate against any punishment such as economic sanctions, outside political pressure or even “repeated false accusations.”
Trump tempered his comments on Monday after talking to Saudi K...
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October 16, 2018 at 10:48 pm
Washington - Facing an electoral defeat that could imperil his presidency, President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he won’t accept the blame if Republicans lose the House in November, arguing that he is “helping people” in the midterms.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, Trump also accused his longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen of “lying” under oath, defended his use of the derisive nickname “Horseface” for porn actress Stormy Daniels and argued that the widespread condemnation of the Saudis in the disappearance of a Washington Post columnist was a rush to judgment.
Of his efforts on the campaign trail, Trump said: “I don’t believe anybody has ever had this kind of impact.” He resisted comparisons to f...
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October 16, 2018 at 10:47 pm
New York -Eleven days after a bus shelter collapse in Staten Island, approximately one third of the city’s bus shelters have been temporarily taken out of service and wrapped with yellow tape bearing the words “caution” and “cuidado” due to safety concerns.
The Wall Street Journal (https://on.wsj.com/2yIZ4aB) reported that a corroded bolt caused the roof to collapse at a vacant shelter located at the corner of Victory Boulevard and Van Duzer Street on October 5th.
No injuries were reported in the incident which prompted JCDecaux, the French advertising company that operates the shelter, to launch a full inspection of the city’s 3,500 bus shelters.JCDecaux examined 1,000 of the approximately 2,500 shelters that share the same design as the collaps...
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October 16, 2018 at 10:46 pm
Washington - House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi says she’s confident Democrats will retake the House in next month’s midterm elections.
Pelosi, who stands to become speaker if her party captures the chamber, ticked off a legislative to-do list including lowering health care costs, spearheading a national infrastructure plan and pushing for changes to campaign finance laws.
The California Democrat said she wasn’t worried about Democrats campaigning for the House in part by opposing her as speaker, telling candidates: “Do whatever you have to do, just win, baby.”
Pelosi made the comments Tuesday at the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School.
Pelosi also says she wants the public to know what instructions investigators may have received from Presid...
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October 16, 2018 at 10:45 pm
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — About 20 Cuban diplomats and supporters disrupted a U.N. meeting called Tuesday by the United States to spotlight the island nation's political prisoners, loudly banging on tables and shouting in Spanish, "Cuba, yes! U.S. blockade, no!"
It was impossible to hear U.S. Deputy Ambassador Kelley Currie, senior Trump administration officials or the secretary-general of the Organization of American States above the noise in the U.N. Economic and Social Council chamber that continued for more than 45 minutes.
Toward the end of the meeting, U.N. security officials ordered out more than a dozen pro-Cubans in the balcony who had joined in the shouting. Those protesters yelled "Long live free Cuba!" (Viva Cuba libre!) and one kept shouting "Liars!" ("Mentirosos!") a...
