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November 18, 2019 at 4:18 pm
GATINEAU, Quebec (AP) — A union federation representing 45,000 teachers in Quebec is suing the Canadian province over its ban on the wearing of religious symbols by many public employees.
The lawsuit by the Fédération Autonome de l’Enseignement challenges a state secularism law passed this year that prohibits some civil servants from wearing symbols of religion, such as hijabs and crosses, while at work.
The most contentious rule is that any new police officers, judges, lawyers and teachers are banned completely from wearing any religious symbols while on duty. Existing employees get an exception.
A student studying to become a teacher and Montreal’s English school board are among those who have also filed lawsuits.
Nour Farhat, who wears a hijab and stu...
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November 18, 2019 at 4:16 pm
Stocks posted fresh records on Monday before closing little changed as investors digested mixed signals around U.S.-China trade talks.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the day up just 31.33 points, or 0.1% at 28,036.22. The S&P 500 advanced 0.05% to 3,122.03 while the Nasdaq Composite closed 0.1% higher at 8,549.94. Disney was the best-performing Dow stock, rising 2%. Real estate and consumer staples both gained at least 0.6% to lead the S&P 500 higher.
However, the major averages failed to post significant gains after CNBC’s Eunice Yoon reported, citing a government source, that Chinese officials are pessimistic about the prospect of a U.S.-China trade deal. China is troubled by President Donald Trump saying recently...
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November 18, 2019 at 2:38 pm
The second Modzitzer Rebbe, Rabbi Shaul Yedidya Elazar Taub, (1886-1947) an outstanding Talmid Chochom, had tremendous love for Eretz Yisroel and prophesied that a Jewish State would come into being. Sadly he passed away on Shabbos, the 16th day of Kislev, Nov. 29, 1947, the day the UN voted for the Partition Plan of Palestine. A gifted composer of a thousand niggunim, the Rebbe was known as the Imrei Shaul after one of the Seforim consisting of a collection of his writings. He claimed that he had much more inspiration to compose when he was in the Holy Land. The first time he visited Eretz Yisroel was from Poland in 1925. He composed there many new melodies. one of which is especially popular, Koh Ribon Olam. It is believed to have been composed Shavuos night at the Kotel.
The Imrei Shau...
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November 18, 2019 at 2:32 pm
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, criticized Vermont Senator and presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders on Sunday, excoriating the senator’s proposal to ‘leverage’ US military aid to Israel.
Speaking at a gala event held by the Zionist Organization of America in New York City Sunday evening, Danon mocked Sanders references to his brief stint working on a kibbutz, and accusing the senator of ignorance on Middle East issues.
“Mr. Sanders, a few months on a kibbutz in 1963 can only teach you so much,” Danon said, according to the Jewish Insider.
“Perhaps Mr. Sanders didn’t hear about Israel leaving Gaza in 2005,” Danon continued. “Maybe he hasn’t had the chance to visit the Kerem Shalom crossing, where hun...
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November 18, 2019 at 2:30 pm
As rockets fell on southern and central Israel last week, a team of U.S. firefighters worked side by side with their Israeli counterparts to extinguish brush and building fires, and deal with other emergencies.
The U.S. firefighters are part of the Emergency Volunteer Project (EVP), which trains U.S. firefighters and medical personnel, and then deploys them to Israel in times of need.
However, according to EVP Emergency Deployment Director Eitan Charnoff, they were already in the country when the flare-up in hostilities between Israel and Gaza-based terrorist groups broke out.
“They were originally deployed because of anticipated high winds later in the week,” said Charnoff. ”We were fortunate to have them here given the unexpected rocket attacks.”Subscribe to Th...
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November 18, 2019 at 2:30 pm
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a surprise military drill in northern Israel on Monday, warning local residents to expect increased troop and vehicle movements in the area, as well as sirens and the sound of explosions.
According to the IDF, reserve forces have been called up for the drill, which will test “the Northern Command’s readiness and operational capabilities” by simulating an attack on Israel by Iran, Syria or Lebanon.
The drill occurs as Israel remains on high alert following an Iranian attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure with drones and cruise missiles in September. The incident caused IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi to warn of the possibility of a similar attack against Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sa...
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November 18, 2019 at 2:27 pm
An Orthodox Jewish man has announced that he will be running for Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn’s Parliament seat in the United Kingdom’s general elections on Dec. 12.
Yosef David, who grew up in Golders Green—a London suburb know for its Jewish population—is a social worker for a large Jewish charity. He recently registered as a candidate of the right-wing Brexit Party for the Islington North constituency in London.
In 2017, the district elected Corbyn with 73 percent of the vote. Labour has won in Islington North in every election since 1937, which poses a challenge for David.
“I am aware that overturning a 30,000-plus majority would be a miracle,” David told the Jewish News, explaining that his run “is about highlighting the impact of the ...
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November 18, 2019 at 2:27 pm
Two men and a woman were killed in a shooting outside a Walmart store in Oklahoma on Monday, according to officials.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol told Fox affiliate KOKH FOX 25 the shooting happened just before 10 a.m. in the parking lot of a Walmart in Duncan, located roughly 75 miles south of the state capital of Oklahoma City.
The Duncan Police Department said on Facebook that the woman and one of the men were found shot to death in a car, while the other man was found dead outside the car in the parking lot.
"A handgun was found on scene," police said. "We will update as more information comes in."
Duncan Police Chief Danny Ford told the Associated Press that authorities are looking for witnesses to the shooting. One of the peop...
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November 18, 2019 at 2:25 pm
William Taylor, George Kent and Marie Yovanovitch testified in front of the House Intelligence Committee; House Minority Whip Steve Scalise joins Chris Wallace on ‘Fox News Sunday’ to discuss.
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November 18, 2019 at 2:25 pm
MK Miki Zohar (Likud) took part on Sunday evening in the Likud “emergency conference” which was called to protest the possible establishment of a left-wing government supported by the predominantly Arab Joint List party.
Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Zohar called the charedim to compromise in order to prevent a third election in one year and also urged Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman to return to the right-wing bloc.
“We are in a state of emergency. There is a real danger that a left-wing minority government will be established. I truly hope that Liberman will come to his senses, will not lend a hand to this, and will prevent this because, ultimately, it’s in his hands. He can prevent this disaster and I hope that he does so,” said Zohar.
The right-win...
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November 18, 2019 at 2:25 pm
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, recently acknowledged the rise in antisemitic attacks within his country and vowed to take additional steps to protect the UK Jewish community, it was revealed on Sunday.
In a letter earlier this month to Isaac Herzog, Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Johnson wrote, “It is with a heavy heart that I have read about the increasing incidents of antisemitism. I completely agree that we need to do more to stamp this out and better protect our Jewish friends and neighbors.”
The comments came in response to an October letter from Herzog calling on European leaders to make security of Jewish institutions a top priority. In light of the recent attempted murder of Jewish worshipers at a synagogue in Halle, Germany during...
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November 18, 2019 at 2:24 pm
Israel’s national anthem “Hatikvah” was played in an Abu Dhabi arena on Saturday after Alon Leviev, 17, took home the gold in the junior category at the Ju-jitsu World Championship.
Leviev, who competed in the 55-kilogram-and-under weight category, beat an athlete from Abu Dhabi in the final round of the competition, according to The Times of Israel. Following the medal distribution, “Hatikvah” was blasted in the arena.
After the medal ceremony, Leviev wrote on Instagram, “For me it was very special to compet [sic] here in Abu dhabi, leave politics behind and do what we love to do. Amazing feeling to sing the israeli national anthem in Abu dhabi. It was great experience and im looking forword [sic] for the next year.”
The United Arab Emirates la...
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November 18, 2019 at 2:22 pm
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was set to announce the shift, which may doom peace efforts, on Monday afternoon.
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration was set to declare on Monday that the United States does not consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank a violation of international law, officials said. The policy shift may doom any peace efforts with Palestinians.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was scheduled to announce the move on Monday afternoon. A senior State Department official confirmed the decision, which was first reported by The Associated Press.
The United States has in the past described the settlements as illegitimate, and Palestinians have demanded the land for a future state, a goal that has been backed by the international community.
But President Trump ha...
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November 18, 2019 at 2:18 pm
A agricultural worker fell from heights in a field near Sedot Yam.
United Hatzalah volunteer Yitzchak Ben Asayig related from the scene: When I arrived at the scene together with EMS volunteers, bystanders told us that the man fell from a ladder over 7 meters high while he was working to build a greenhouse. After a lengthy rescusitation process we unfortunately had to pronounce his death due to the severity of the injuries he suffered.”
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November 18, 2019 at 2:18 pm
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Ford is unveiling its first all-electric SUV, marking the start of an avalanche of battery-powered vehicles coming from mainstream and luxury automakers during the next two years that industry analysts say will boost electric vehicle sales.
The “Mustang Mach E,” which will go 230 miles to more 300 miles per charge depending on how it’s equipped, will be unveiled Sunday night ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show press days.
There are 18 now for sale in the U.S., and IHS Markit expects that to grow to 80 in 2022, including pickup trucks and SUVs that are in the heart of the American market. Yet last year, pure electric vehicles made up only 1.5% of new vehicle sales worldwide, and the consulting firm LMC Automotive predicts that will rise to 2.2...
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November 18, 2019 at 2:18 pm
BOSTON (AP) – The Dunkin’ coffee chain says customers will have to do without a “double cup” for their iced drinks.
A new campaign focused in Massachusetts and Rhode Island tells customers they can no longer nest their iced drinks in a second, foam cup for extra insulation as the company moves to eliminate its polystyrene cups.
The brand says the double-cup habit was started in New England and is most common there. But by Dec. 1, all the region’s stores will swap foam cups for paper ones that the company says are more environmentally friendly.
New ads tell customers that the “double cup is breaking up” because the chain’s relationship with foam isn’t sustainable. Cold drinks are being marketed as “iced, delicious and single.&rd...
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November 18, 2019 at 2:09 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is ramping up its push to get a bill through Congress that curbs prescription drug costs, feeling a new urgency as the impeachment investigation advances amid the 2020 election campaign.
The effort has progressed beyond anything seen in years, says President Donald Trump’s top domestic policy adviser. “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to confront these issues in a nonideological fashion,” adviser Joe Grogan said in a recent session with reporters.
“Unfortunately,” Grogan explained, “there are some current complications.”
After months of dialogue, the White House and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have parted ways on Medicare price negotiations that Pelosi advocates and Trump — unlike most Repub...
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November 18, 2019 at 2:08 pm
VENICE, Italy (AP) — Venetians are bracing for the prospect of another exceptional tide in a season that is setting records.
Officials are forecasting a 1.6 meter (5 feet, 2 inch) surge of water Sunday through the lagoon city. That comes after Tuesday’s 1.87-meter flood, the worst in 53 years, followed by high tide of 1.54 meters on Friday.
Those two events mark the first time since records began in 1872 that two floods topped 1.5 meters in the same year — much less the same week. The city’s mayor says the flooding damages are in “the hundreds of millions” and Italian officials have declared a state of emergency for the area.
Tourists with suitcases were rushing to grab the last water taxis to get to the mainland Sunday before service is interrupted i...
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November 18, 2019 at 2:05 pm
Everything seemed ready to go: President Donald Trump’s ban on most e-cigarette flavors had been cleared by federal regulators. Officials were poised to announce that they would order candy, fruit and mint flavors off the market within 30 days – a step the president had promised almost two months earlier to quell a youth vaping epidemic that had ensnared 5 million teenagers.
One last thing was needed: Trump’s sign-off. But on Nov. 4, the night before a planned morning news conference, the president balked. Briefed on a flight to a Lexington, Kentucky, campaign rally, he refused to sign the one-page “decision memo,” saying he didn’t want to move forward with a ban he had once backed, primarily at his wife’s and daughter’s urging, because he f...
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November 18, 2019 at 2:04 pm
Dramatic and far-reaching agreements have been made between MK Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu party and the larger Blue and White party chaired by MK Benny Gantz.
The parties’ negotiating teams agreed, among other things, to pass legislation allowing municipal rabbis to open batei dinim for geirus, which will not be supervised by the government conversion system.
They also agreed to fully implement the Kosel Plan, allow civil marriage, and pass the Draft Law in its original version. In addition, the agreement states that the Supermarkets Law will be canceled, and there will be regular public transportation on Shabbat (the Sabbath) in any municipalities interested in it.
The agreement has not yet been signed.
Read more at Arutz Sheva.
