|
April 17, 2019 at 9:13 pm
Washington - White House senior adviser Jared Kushner urged a group of ambassadors on Wednesday to keep an “open mind” about President Donald Trump’s upcoming Middle East peace proposal and said it will require compromises from both sides, a source familiar with his remarks said.
Kushner said the peace plan is to be unveiled after Israel forms a governing coalition in the wake of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s election victory and after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ends in early June, the source said.
“We will all have to look for reasonable compromises that will make peace achievable,” Kushner said, according to the source, who asked to remain anonymous.
Kushner, one of the main architects of the peace proposal and who is marr...
|
April 17, 2019 at 9:13 pm
New York - Auto shows may be waning in importance as companies find other ways to introduce new products, but the New York International Auto Show still has a healthy list of new vehicle debuts.
In keeping with the dramatic shift from cars to sport utilities, most of the new models are SUVs.
Here are some of the new vehicles being rolled out on the show’s press days Wednesday and Thursday. It’s open to the public from April 19-28:
TOYOTA HIGHLANDER
The popular midsize family-hauling SUV gets a complete revamp with a roomier interior, a redesigned gas-electric hybrid power system and added safety features.
The Highlander, with a more sculpted look, also keeps three rows of seats that can be configured to carry as many as eight passengers.
It comes with a holdover 295-horse...
|
April 17, 2019 at 9:13 pm
Jerusalem - Israel’s Defense Ministry says the country’s military exports were $7.5 billion last year, down 18% from the previous year.
The ministry said on Wednesday that despite the drop, the 2018 figures were a “major success” and the second-highest level in the past decade.
It said the $9.2 billion of defense exports in 2017 were “out of the ordinary” but was unable to explain the drop in 2018, saying only that the global market is “dynamic.”
The largest share of Israel’s exports consisted of missiles and air defense systems. Unmanned aerial vehicles, radar systems and ammunition also represented crucial exports.
Nearly half of Israel’s sales went to the Asia and the Pacific region.
Israel is the world’s eighth-larg...
|
April 17, 2019 at 9:12 pm
Jerusalem - A long-hidden trove of unpublished works by Franz Kafka could soon be revealed following a decade-long battle over his literary estate that has drawn comparisons to some of his surreal tales.
A district court in Zurich upheld Israeli verdicts in the case last week, ruling that several safe deposit boxes in the Swiss city could be opened and their contents shipped to Israel’s National Library.
At stake are untouched papers that could shed new light on one of literature’s darkest figures, a German-speaking Bohemian Jew from Prague whose cultural legacy has been hotly contested between Israel and Germany.
Though the exact content of the vaults remains unknown, experts have speculated the cache could include endings to some of Kafka’s major works, many of which...
|
April 17, 2019 at 9:11 pm
Brussels - The European Union has drawn up a list of $20 billion worth of U.S. products it could tax in an escalating feud over plane industry subsidies, the EU’s executive commission said Wednesday.
The commission said the EU could tax the products , which range from aircraft parts to frozen fish, from early next year in retaliation for U.S. financial support to Boeing that it says hurt Europe’s Airbus.
The extent of the EU punitive duties will depend on a ruling by the World Trade Organization. Earlier in this dispute, the EU sought permission to target $12 billion worth of U.S. products. Businesses and stakeholders have through May to give feedback on the proposed EU tariffs.
The move comes days after the U.S. said it was preparing tariffs on $11 billion worth of EU trade...
|
April 17, 2019 at 9:11 pm
Washington - The Trump administration wants to open two new tent facilities to temporarily detain up to 1,000 parents and children near the southern border, as advocates sharply criticize the conditions inside the tents already used to hold migrants.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a notice to potential contractors that it wants to house 500 people in each camp in El Paso, Texas, and in the South Texas city of Donna, which has a border crossing with Mexico.
Each facility would consist of one large tent that could be divided into sections by gender and between families and children traveling alone, according to the notice. Detainees would sleep on mats. There would also be laundry facilities, showers, and an “additional fenced-in area” for “outside exercise/re...
|
April 17, 2019 at 9:10 pm
Acting Mayor Bernard C. "Jack" Young has put two top aides to Mayor Catherine Pugh on leave.
Young put both Chief of Staff Bruce Williams and lobbyist Karen Stokes on paid leave. The news was first reported by The Baltimore Sun.
“Personnel matters are private and cannot be discussed," Young said in a statement. "To date, no employees from the Office of the Mayor have been terminated from City employment by me. In my capacity as Ex Officio Mayor, I will make decisions necessary to provide stability and continuity of government. To that end, I will onboard persons whom I believe are best able to achieve both continuity and stability during this unusual time in Baltimore's history."
Pugh remains on a leave of absence owing to a recovery from pneumonia as questions swirl around h...
|
April 17, 2019 at 9:09 pm
Baltimore, MD - Apr. 17, 2019 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Shlomo Chernitzky and Ariella Baars on their engagement.Mazel Tov to Mr. & Mrs. Shmuel Chernitzky
יה"ר שיזכו לבנות בית נאמן בישראל. אמן!
|
April 17, 2019 at 9:08 pm
Gov. Larry Hogan is expected to sign nearly 200 bills passed in the Maryland General Assembly session, which ended last week.
Hogan is being joined in bill signing by Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller and Speaker Pro Tem Adrienne Jones, who has assumed the duties of House Speaker Michael E. Busch, who died last Sunday, a day before the session adjourned.
Among the bills to be signed the measure known as "Grace's Law 2.0," which enhances the penalty for online bullying.
The legislation is named for 16-year-old Grace McComas of Howard County, who committed suicide on Easter Sunday in 2012, after she was repeatedly bullied online by a classmate.
The original "Grace's Law" was passed by the Maryland General Assembly in 2013.
Grace's mother, Christine Pfister McCom...
|
April 17, 2019 at 6:14 pm
Moscow - Russia’s Foreign Ministry has strongly rejected Israeli media reports claiming that Russian officials have taken the remains of legendary Israeli spy Eli Cohen out of Syria, where he was executed more than five decades ago.
Cohen infiltrated the top echelons of Syria’s leadership in the early 1960s and obtained top-secret intelligence before he was caught and publicly executed in 1965.
Israeli media reported earlier this week that a Russian delegation took Cohen’s remains out of Syria.
The Russian Foreign Ministry put out a statement Wednesday “resolutely refuting” the claim, which it described as a “provocation.” It urged the Israeli media to show a more “accurate, professional and honest approach to coverage of such sensitive is...
|
April 17, 2019 at 6:12 pm
The Trump administration is reimposing limits on the amount of money Cuban Americans can send to relatives on the island and ordering new restrictions on U.S. citizen, nonfamily travel to Cuba, national security adviser John Bolton said Wednesday.
The new measures, outlined by Bolton in a Miami speech, follow an announcement by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that the administration will lift restraints that have prevented lawsuits from U.S. citizens seeking compensation for property expropriated by the Cuban revolutionary government that seized power there more than six decades ago.
Bolton also announced new sanctions against Venezuela and Nicaragua that will bar parts of their banking systems from U.S. dollar transactions.
The actions are the latest move in President Donald Trump&rsquo...
|
April 17, 2019 at 6:11 pm
An Aeroflot flight to Israel from New York via Russia was canceled without the airline informing the passengers, who were delayed for seven hours at the airport.
Behadrei Haredim reported that the families received notice that they had no way to reach their destination the Passover holiday, which begins on Friday night. Their only option is an alternative flight with El Al in the evening at a price of $2,000 per ticket, far less than the company is willing to reimburse the stranded passengers. According to the company the plane experienced a technical failure and cannot take off.
Read more at Arutz Sheva.
|
April 17, 2019 at 6:09 pm
The Trump administration’s proposal for achieving peace in the Middle East won’t be released until June at the earliest, senior White House adviser Jared Kushner told ambassadors on Wednesday.
The June release would come after the conclusion of the month of Ramadan, which ends early in the month, and would allow recently reelected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a governing coalition.
Kushner discussed the proposal Wednesday with roughly 100 ambassadors from around the world at Blair House, which is located across the street from the White House. He reportedly encouraged attendees to keep an open mind, but did not disclose whether the plan would call for the creation of a Palestinian state.
Read more at The Hill.
|
April 17, 2019 at 6:08 pm
TIME Magazine on Wednesday voted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu one of its “100 most influential people of 2019.”
Netanyahu was chosen for the list’s subsection on “leaders” that also included Donald Trump, Nancy Pelosi, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Brett Kavanaugh, Robert Mueller, and international figures such as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Pope Francis.
Explaining its decision to include Netanyahu on the prestigious annual list, TIME wrote that “Israel is Bibi’s nation.”
“Were there any doubt, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s election to a fifth term in April not only cemented his hold on the critical Mideast country, but also positioned him to surpass its founding leader, David Ben-Gurion, as Israel’s lo...
|
April 17, 2019 at 6:03 pm
The Department of Justice will allow some members of Congress to view a copy of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report “without certain redactions,” federal prosecutors said in a court filing Wednesday.
“Once the redacted version of the report has been released to the public, the Justice Department plans to make available for review by a limited number of Members of Congress and their staff a copy of the Special Counsel’s report without certain redactions, including removing the redaction of information related to the charges set forth in the indictment in this case,” prosecutors wrote in the filing.
The court document is part of longtime GOP operative Roger Stone’s criminal case, which emerged from Mueller’s probe.
A ...
|
April 17, 2019 at 4:56 pm
Possible Public Exposures at Three Locations in Pikesville
Baltimore, MD – The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) has confirmed a third measles case in a Maryland resident. The MDH wants to inform anyone who visited the following locations during the times noted below that they may have been exposed to measles.
4000 Old Court Rd in Pikesville on Sunday, April 14 from 10:30 a.m. till 1:30 p.m.
Market Maven (1630 Reisterstown Rd, Pikesville) on Sunday, April 14 from 11:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Seven Mile Market (201 Reisterstown Rd, Pikesville) on Sunday, April 14 from 12:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Individuals who may have been exposed at additional locations are being notified directly.
“It is concerning that three cases of measles have been id...
|
April 17, 2019 at 4:37 pm
Jerusalem, Israel - Apr. 17, 2019 - On April 17, יב ניסן the Jerusalem Press Club organized a pre-Peasch tour led by Tzippy Diskind Yarom , the science and technology journalist of Mishpacha Magazine. Walking the old Jerusalem streets filled with people shopping, the approaching holiday was evident. The cool weather was perfect to store cases of fruits and vegetables outside of apartment windows. Signs on the synagogues warned not to bring in chametz. Washed items were hanging and blowing in the wind, on outside clothes lines to dry. Fresh garlic was piled high on the street and in the Machane Yehudah Market. Potatoes and table coverings were featured items. Huge vats of boiling water were on the sidewalks in multiple locations. A visit inside the Miller home on Ras...
|
April 17, 2019 at 2:32 pm
Ahead of Pesach, President Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin this morning, Wednesday 17 April / 12 Nissan, sold the chametz together with Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar, the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem and the former Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, and Director-General of Beit HaNasi Harel Tubi.
The president thanked the Rabbi for coming and appointed the Rabbi as his representative to sell all the chametz in his residence at Beit HaNasi. The president asked for the Rabbi’s blessing for better days for Israeli citizens and wished the people in Israel and in Jewish communities around the world a happy and kosher Pesach.
Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar blessed the president with success and long life, and sent his wishes for the speedy recovery of his wife Nechama.
The bill of sale was signed by Director...
|
April 17, 2019 at 2:26 pm
New York - A burgeoning movement to outlaw fur is seeking to make its biggest statement yet in the fashion mecca of New York City.
Lawmakers are pushing a measure that would ban the sale of all new fur products in the city where such garments were once common.
A similar measure in the state Capitol in Albany would impose a statewide ban on the sale of any items made with farmed fur and ban the manufacture of products made from trapped fur.
Whether this is good or bad depends on which side of the pelt you’re on. Members of the fur industry say such bans could put 1,100 people out of a job in the city alone. Supporters dismiss that and emphasize that the wearing of fur is barbaric and inhumane.
“Cruelty should not be confused with economic development,” said state Assem...
|
April 17, 2019 at 1:15 pm
MARYLAND — Struggling housewares retailer Bed Bath & Beyond — known for selling every kind of kitchen gadget, bed linens, towels and home decor — will close about 40 stores this year while opening 15 "lab" stores offering more home decor and food products, the company said this week. The number of stores to be shuttered could increase if more favorable lease agreements can't be reached with some of its landlords, company officials said in a conference call.
During the call, company reps disclosed disappointing first-quarter sales. Based in New Jersey, the company also operates Buy Buy Baby and World Market.
Bed Bath & Beyond has not revealed which locations will be shuttered. The company has more than a thousand stores in the United States, Puerto...
