Jerusalem - Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday attended a mass multi-corps IDF exercise in the north along with IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi. The large-scale military exercise began on Sunday and will end on Thursday, and is taking place in various parts of the country, including the Jordan Valley, the Upper Galilee, Nahariya, the Sea of ​​Galilee and the Golan Heights. The drill is intended to maintain the readiness of the forces, the IDF stated. Netanyahu was briefed on the exercise and spoke with soldiers and commanders who participated in it. He said he was “very impressed by the improvement in readiness, by the fighting spirit of the soldiers and commanders, and mainly by the destructive power of the IDF.” Expanding on ...
Jerusalem - A watchtower dating to the rule of Judean King Hezekiah in the 8th century BCE was recently uncovered by IDF paratroopers carrying out archeological excavations in an IDF base in southern Israel. The excavation was conducted together with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) as part of the project called “the Nature Defense Forces Project- Commanders Take Responsibility for their Environment.” The tower, which dimensions are estimated to have been 5 x 3.5 m, was built of especially large eight-ton stones and was erected at a high geographic point, probably used as an observation point towards the Hebron Mountains, the Judean plain and the Ashkelon vicinity. Sa’ar Ganor and Valdik Lifshitz, excavation directors on behalf of the IAA, explained that “t...
Riyadh - Moments before Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed and dismembered last October, two of his suspected murderers laying in wait at the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate fretted about the task at hand, according to a U.N. report published on Wednesday. Will it “be possible to put the trunk in a bag?” asked Maher Mutreb, a Saudi intelligence officer who worked for a senior advisor to Saudi crown prince, according to a report from the U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions. “No. Too heavy,” responded Salah al-Tubaigy, a forensics doctor from the Interior Ministry who would dismember and dispose of the body. He expressed hope his task would “be easy”. Tubaiqy continued: “Joints will be separated. It is not a problem. Th...
The community of Avigail in the southern Hevron Hills has faced repeated acts of 'water terrorism.' Arutz Sheva spoke to Tzik, the village secretary, to discuss how the village copes with this phenomenon on a day-to-day basis. At the start of his remarks, Tzik clarified that the problem has not only returned, but has spread "to the entire eastern route of Mount Hevron, from Susia to Carmel. We've had real problems these last few weeks. Farmers need a lot of water mainly during this period and they are constantly stealing water from the line in a very sophisticated way, below the ground." "They steal from the water pipes' sources, and in the end the sources can't supply enough water for our situation in which they steal while we have an increased need fo...
Most Israeli teachers believe schools are understaffed, more needs to be invested in special needs and disadvantaged students. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published the results of the international TALIS survey for 2018. Forty-eight countries participated in the survey, which included teachers and principals of students in grades 7-9. SIxty-one percent of Israeli teachers said teaching was their first choice of career, compared to the OECD average of 67%. However, 96% of Israeli teachers said the reason for their choice was that they wanted to be part of and contribute to children's development and society, higher than the OECD average (90%). The average Israeli teacher is 42 years old, two years younger than her OECD counterparts, and j...
Geneva - Evidence suggests Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman and other senior Saudi officials are liable for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a U.N. rights investigator said on Wednesday. There was no immediate reaction from Riyadh which was sent the 100-page report in advance - but the kingdom has regularly denied accusations that the prince was involved. Agnes Callamard, the U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, called for countries to widen sanctions to include the Crown Prince and his personal assets, until and unless he can prove he has no responsibility. Khashoggi, a critic of the prince and a Washington Post columnist, was last seen at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct 2 where he was to receive papers ahead of his wedding. His body...
The Hague - Three Russians and a Ukrainian will face murder charges for the July 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in which 298 people were killed, in a trial to start in the Netherlands next March, an investigation team said on Wednesday. The suspects are likely to be tried in absentia, however, as the Netherlands has said Russia has not cooperated with the investigation and is not expected to hand anyone over. The Dutch-led international team tasked with assigning criminal responsibility for the plane’s destruction named the four suspects as Russians Sergey Dubinsky, Oleg Pulatov and Igor Girkin, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko. It said international arrest warrants for the four have been issued. MH17 was shot out of the sky on July 17, 2014, ove...
United Arab Emirates - The limpet mines used to attack a Japanese-owned oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz last week bore “a striking resemblance” to similar mines displayed by Iran, a U.S. Navy explosives expert said Wednesday, stopping short of directly blaming Tehran for the assault. Iran has denied being involved in the attack last Thursday that hit the Japanese tanker Kokuka Courageous and also the Norwegian-owned Front Altair. The comments by Cmdr. Sean Kido came as the Navy showed reporters pieces of debris and a magnet they say Iran’s Revolutionary Guard left behind when they spirited away an unexploded limpet mine after the June 13 attack in the Gulf of Oman. Iran has also not acknowledged taking the mine. Kido also stressed that the damage done to the Kokuk...
Beijing, China - Israel’s Xsight Systems said on Wednesday that its hazard detection technology will be installed on runways of a new mega-airport in China scheduled to open later this year. Xsight’s artificial intelligence-based system improves runway safety and capacity by monitoring and detecting any forms of debris or hazards and can prevent incidents like bird strikes or airplanes veering off the runway, the company said. Financial details were not disclosed. The technology will be installed on the north and east runways of Beijing Daxing International Airport, which is due to open in September and will accommodate 72 million passengers a year by 2025, making it one of the world’s busiest airports upon completion. The system is already in use in airports in the U...
San Francisco - Apple Inc and Best Buy Co Inc said on Wednesday that they have extended a partnership that will allow the Minneapolis-based retailer’s technicians fix iPhones at any Best Buy store in the United States. The deal between the two companies will cover all 992 U.S. Best Buy stores, up from about 225 stores previously. In addition, 7,600 of Best Buy’s so-called Geek Squad technicians now certified to carry out the repairs and using parts directly from Apple. Apple also carries out repairs at its stores, but there are several U.S. states - including Vermont, West Virginia, both Dakotas, Montana and Wyoming - with no Apple Store. Apple said that it now has 1,800 third-party repair providers in its U.S. network, three times as many as three years ago and enough to pu...
Washington - At a time when the United States says China is aggressively spying on its government, a push by President Donald Trump to fix the system that determines who can and cannot be trusted with secrets is behind schedule and disorganized, according to U.S. officials and an internal agency report. While the process for security clearance background checks has been broken for years, the Republican Trump administration delayed starting a revamp for months, said Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee. With a June 24 deadline for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to begin transferring thousands of employees and contractors to the Department of Defense under Trump’s plan, it is unclear when the overhaul will be completed, said four g...
BALTIMORE —June 19, 2019 - Oooooh, ahhhhh! Looking for a July Fourth fireworks show near you?  List courtesy Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal and municipal websites, subject to change without notice. ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY AnnapolisAnnapolis HarborJuly 4, 9:15 p.m. Glen BurnieSawmill Creek ParkJuly 3, dusk(Rain date, July 5) BALTIMORE CITY Inner HarborJuly 4, 9:30 p.m.(Rain date, July 5) Cherry HillMiddle Branch Park, (3301 Waterview Ave.)July 4, 9:30 p.m. BALTIMORE COUNTY CatonsvilleCatonsville High School Athletic Fields (Valley Road)July 4, 9:30 p.m.(Rain date, July 6) DundalkGrange Elementary SchoolJuly 4, 9:15 p.m.(Rain date, July 5) FullertonFullerton ParkJuly 4, 9:15 p.m.(Rain date, July 6) (NO MORE TICKETS LEFT) Oregon Ridge ParkJuly 3, 8 p.m...
A pair of water main breaks had closed sections of major roads around the Baltimore area. Repairs have been made and the roads have reopened. York Road was closed in both directions at Ashland Road, just south of Shawan Road in Cockeysville due to a water main break, according to the Maryland State Highway Administration. A section of Belair Road was closed just south of Taylor Avenue, where a 12-inch water main broke, sending water into the street. The Baltimore City Department of Public Works said that it is a 12-inch water main break that had closed York Road. A portion of York Road in Timonium was closed last week due to a road collapse and water main break.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israelis will attend the upcoming US-led economic conference in Bahrain. “Very soon there will be an important conference in Bahrain. It’s an attempt by the US to lead us to a better future and to solve the regional problem, and Israelis will attend this conference,” Netanyahu said at a memorial for victims of the 1948 Altalena Affair. “In the open or in secret, we are in contact with many leaders from the Arab world and there are prodigious ties between Israel and Arab countries — with most Arab countries,” the prime minister said. Read more at i24NEWS.
An upstate New York clerk is criticizing legislation that lets undocumented migrants apply for drivers’ licenses, saying he “will not be granting drivers’ licenses to illegal immigrants.” The measure was signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday, hours after it passed the state Senate. It passed the Assembly last week. In a letter Erie County Clerk Michael Kearns sent to attorney Michael Siragusa on Tuesday, he asked for representation in a lawsuit over the legislation in federal court, WIVB in Buffalo reported. Siragusa did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment. WIVB reported that a spokesperson for the attorney said the letter had been delivered, and that he "will be reviewing the request to make a...
Sen. Bernie Sanders said Tuesday “we should definitely take a look at” splitting up Google, Amazon and Apple, though he stopped short of a full-throated call for their break-ups. “I worry very much about monopolistic tendencies in many sectors of our economy, including high tech, and I think we have to take a really hard look at the degree to which monopolization in all aspects of our economy are a threat to the American people,” said the 2020 Democratic presidential contender when asked about the prospect. Pressed again on whether he supports splintering those three tech giants, Sanders replied, “It’s something we should definitely take a look at, yes.” Read more at POLITICO.
Baltimore County, MD June 19, 2019 - Recently, there has been a string of robberies at five different retail locations in the 2nd District of Baltimore County — the Shoppers at 2801 Smith Ave. in Pikesville, the Subway at 110 Reisterstown Road in Pikesville, the Royal Farms at 11510 Reisterstown Road in Owings Mills, the Royal Farms at 6607 Falls Road in Baltimore, the Royal Farms at 15 Hanover Pike in Reisterstown and the Rite Aid at 11917 Reisterstown Road in Reisterstown. In response, Baltimore County Councilman Izzy Patoka, District 2 is working very closely with the command staffs of the Pikesville and Franklin police precincts to help address and resolve these incidents, which are all under investigation. We are focused on providing as much information, transparency a...
We are coming to the States for a whole year – be'ezrat Hashem! And now a few words to explain this surprising statement. Those of you who follow me on FB have surely noticed that in recent months I have been flying to the US every few weeks for a lecture series. What started as a local initiative in Jerusalem – the Weekly Shiur – has grown beyond belief and I was invited to give the shiur in LA, Washington DC, New York, Atlanta, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New Jersey and in many other locations. There I met thousands of far-yet-near brothers and sisters – from Israelis who moved to the States to fifth-generation American Jews. Each time I went there, I felt how important it was, how much we all share the same story, and it is not an Israeli stor...
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said Israel had “contacts” with “most of the Arab countries.” Speaking in Tel Aviv at a memorial ceremony for those killed in the June 1948 Altalena incident, Netanyahu said, “We are holding open and secret contacts with many leaders of the Arab world and there are ramified contacts between the State of Israel and Arab countries, with most of the Arab countries.” Addressing the upcoming US-sponsored economic workshop in Manama, the first stage of the Trump administration’s yet-to-be-unveiled peace plan, Netanyahu stated, “Very soon there will be an important conference in Bahrain, that we welcome, at which the US will try to bring about a better future for — and resolve problems of ...
As the president formally kicks off his reelection campaign, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich breaks down the campaign challenges facing both parties.
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