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October 19, 2021 at 3:50 pm
Infected person is an 11-year-old boy who tested positive on his return from Moldova
Health officials on Tuesday evening reported the first identified case of the highly contagious delta "AY.4.2" subvariant in Israel.
The variant has recently been detected in several European countries.
The infected person is an 11-year-old boy who tested positive on his return from Moldova.
Officials are investigating whether the new strain is more virulent than the delta variant, although they have not yet expressed serious concerns about it.
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October 19, 2021 at 3:35 pm
Racism is now officially a public health crisis in New York City.
Monday, the city’s Board of Health passed a resolution recognizing the impact of racism on people’s health during the pandemic, which magnified inequities in communities of color.
“We must confront racism as a public health crisis. This pandemic magnified ineq...
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October 19, 2021 at 3:32 pm
Maryland Treasurer Nancy Kopp announced Monday she will step down by the end of the year.
Kopp, a Democrat, has been treasurer since 2002. She has been re-elected by the General Assembly to five four-year terms.
The treasurer holds one of three seats on the state’s powerful Board of Public Works, which oversees a large portion of state procurement contracts. The other two board members are the governor and comptroller.
As treasurer, Kopp has served as the state’s chief representative dealing with bond rating agencies and banking firms, responsible for receiving, depositing, investing, and distributing state funds.
The treasurer also leads several key state boards and financial planning committees, including the Maryland State Retirement and Pension Systems.
State law req...
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October 19, 2021 at 3:31 pm
Southwest Airlines has scrapped a plan to put unvaccinated employees who have applied for but haven’t received a religious or medical exemption on unpaid leave starting by a federal deadline in December.
Southwest Airlines and American Airlines are among the carriers that are federal contractors and subject to a Biden administration requirement that their employees are vaccinated against Covid-19 by Dec. 8 unless they are exempt for medical or religious reasons. Rules for federal contractors are stricter than those expected for large companies, which will allow for regular Covid testing as an alterative to a vaccination.
Executives at both carriers in recent days have tried to reassure employees about job security under the mandate, urging them to appl...
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October 19, 2021 at 3:26 pm
A Georgia school board has passed a resolution condemning anti-Semitism and racism in the wake of multiple incidents of anti-Semitic graffiti in school restrooms, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
The “Anti-Semitism and Racism Resolution” adopted by the Cobb County School Board in Marietta, Georgia said: “The Board wishes to reaffirm its continued commitment to take proactive steps to address anti-Semitism, racism and all other forms of hate in Cobb County School District,”
It passed at the board’s October meeting with four members voting in favor and two voting against.
The resolution was put forward after restrooms at Pope High School and Lassiter High School were defaced with anti-Semitic phrases and swastikas durin...
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October 19, 2021 at 3:25 pm
The FBI swarmed the Washington DC residence of a Russian oligarch who is a close associate of President Vladimir Putin, a measure the agency called a “law enforcement activity,” the New York Post reported.
Dozens of agents were seen searching the billionaire’s mansion on Tuesday, which was blocked off with tape.
Some of the agents reportedly carried off boxes and other objects from the house.
NBC News reported that an FBI spokesperson would not state why the raid had been ordered. The FBI is also not commenting on whether Deripaska is under investigation.
Deripaska is an aluminum billionaire who is a close associate of Putin. He was placed under American sanctions by the Trump administration due to his ties to the Russian president as allegations swirle...
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October 19, 2021 at 3:24 pm
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tested positive for a COVID-19 breakthrough case on Tuesday, a department spokesperson said in a statement reported by CNN.
Mayorkas was tested for the virus as part of routine pre-travel protocols, according to the statement from spokesperson Marsha Espinosa. He was preparing to travel to Colombia with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to CNN.
Mayorkas is experiencing mild congestion and will continue to work from home.
“Secretary Mayorkas tested positive this morning for the COVID-19 virus after taking a test as part of routine pre-travel protocols. Secretary Mayorkas is experiencing only mild congestion; he is fully vaccinated and will isolate and work at home per CDC protocols and medical a...
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October 19, 2021 at 3:17 pm
The Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine is 93% effective in preventing hospitalization in adolescents between the ages of 12-18, according to a study published Tuesday by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
The study found a slight difference between the effectiveness in older and younger adolescents, with a 94% effectiveness among children between the ages of 16-18 and a 91% effectiveness for children between the ages of 12-15.
The study authors wrote that the findings " reinforce the importance of vaccination to protect U.S. youths against severe COVID-19."
"These data suggest that increasing vaccination coverage among this group could reduce the incidence of severe COVID-19 in the United States. Further, as in-person school attendance increases, multicomponent preventive measur...
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October 19, 2021 at 3:11 pm
Dozens of policemen and Border Police officers worked this evening (Tuesday) in the area of the Old City of Jerusalem's Damascus Gate to disperse a violent riot involving hundreds of Arabs.
22 suspects have been arrested so far on suspicion of involvement in breaches of public order, violence and throwing stones at buses and police forces operating at the scene.
A 38-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy were lightly injured by stones thrown by Arabs at a bus on the Opel Road in Jerusalem. Magen Davidf Adom (MDA_ medics and paramedics provided medical care and referred the wounded to hospitals.
A Border Police undercover force operating in the Herod's Gate area made a targeted arrest of a suspect after stones at a bus. During the arrest, stones and bottles were thrown at the forc...
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October 19, 2021 at 1:36 pm
US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield criticized the UN Security Council for its disproportionate focus on criticizing Israel during the UN Security Council Briefing on the Situation in the Middle East Tuesday.
"Before I address what we’ve just heard, I want to briefly comment on the content of these monthly meetings. The monthly agenda calls for a briefing on “the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.” This Council spends a great deal of time on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which is both understandable and consistent with the agenda. But far too often, the substance of these discussions is centered almost entirely around criticism of Israel and counterattacks. I sincerely hope that going forward, Council members w...
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October 19, 2021 at 1:26 pm
An Egged passenger bus was attacked by stone-throwing Arabs by the Damascus Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem Tuesday,
Documentation from the scene shows the moments when stones were thrown at the bus and the windows shattered following the impact.
The frightened passengers lay on the floor so as not to be hit by any more stones thrown at them. There were no casualties during the incident.
Police said that during the riots that broke out in the area, rioters threw stones at police forces - and at passing buses: "A police force acted to disperse the rioters using riot dispersal methods. Police and Border Police have so far arrested 11 suspects on suspicion of involvement in public rioting incidents and throwing stones at buses and acted to repel the rioters and maintain public order."
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October 19, 2021 at 1:22 pm
In July, several US lawmakers called on the IOC to either postpone or relocate the Olympics
Activists are calling for a boycott of China’s upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics, citing Beijing’s treatment of minorities.
Representatives from the World Uyghur Congress, a group advocating for Uighur rights, and several Tibetan agencies delivered a press conference from Athens, Greece on Tuesday to protest the upcoming games.
“The Olympic Torch is supposed to represent peace and hope, but for our people who are living under the brutal Chinese Communist Party this represents global complicity in China's extreme repression,” Uighur activist Zumretay Arkin explained, according to Reuters.
“We are in Athens to tell the international community that the Olympic ...
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October 19, 2021 at 1:22 pm
HOUSTON, Texas (KWTX) - Firefighters are at the scene of a plane crash in Waller County northwest of Houston.
ABC 13 in Houston reports the crash happened at the Houston Executive Airport. DPS officials told ABC 13 in Houston 21 people were on board and all made it out safe and only person was sent to the hospital with back injuries.
This is a developing story.
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October 19, 2021 at 11:55 am
Several tracks will be employed to help tech companies fill new job vacancies
Two Israeli ministers have announced a new plan to fill tech vacancies in Israel by allowing foreign students studying in Israel to receive a visa to continue working in the country.
Minister of Interior Ayelet Shaked of Yamina List and Minister of Science and Technology Orit Farkash-Hacohen of the Blue and White Party are promoting the plan, which will also allow foreign experts to be granted visas to integrate into the country.
An employment chief will be appointed to the Israel Innovation Authority to employ several tracks to help tech companies fill new job vacancies.
The first track will give visas to overseas specialists, the second track is designed for tech employees enti...
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October 19, 2021 at 11:31 am
Seven air forces participating in 'Blue Flag' aerial exercise at Uvda Air Force Base in southern Israel
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) is currently hosting a multinational military aviation exercise described as "Israel's largest and most advanced aerial exercise ever."
The "Blue Flag' aerial exercise took off on Sunday at Uvda Air Force Base in southern Israel and is scheduled to last for two weeks until October 28.
Seven air forces from around the world are participating: Germany, Italy, Britain, France, India, Greece and the United States.
According to the Israeli military, the event marks the first deployment of a British fighter squadron in Israel since the establishment of the country, as well as the first deployments in Israel of an Indian "Mirage" f...
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October 19, 2021 at 11:29 am
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah declared for the first time on Monday that his group has 100,000 trained fighters, The Associated Press reports.
Nasrallah’s remarks came in a speech appeared to be meant as a deterrent to domestic foes following the nation’s worst internal violence in years.
“We have prepared (those fighters) with their diverse weapons to defend our territory, our oil and gas that is being robbed before the eyes of Lebanese, to protect the dignity and sovereignty of our country from any aggression (and) terrorism and not for internal fighting,” Nasrallah said, according to AP.
In his speech, Nasrallah accused the head of a right-wing Christian party, Samir Geagea, of seeking to ignite civil war in Lebanon.
Addressing Geagea direc...
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October 19, 2021 at 11:28 am
The coronavirus pandemic has led to a new wave of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia online, according to a research study by the Institute for Freedom of Faith and Security in Europe (IFFSE).
Social media companies, including Facebook and Instagram, must do more to combat anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this is the central demand of the authors of the study presented in Brussels on Monday.
Even a year and a half after the beginning of the pandemic in Europe, anti-Semitic and Islamophobic content is rampant online, criticizes the Institute for Freedom of Faith and Security in Europe (IFFSE), an initiative led by the Conference of European Rabbis (CER), in the study.
This has spread especially on social media platforms, repackaging existi...
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October 19, 2021 at 10:50 am
Jerusalem - On Monday, The Minister of Social Affairs and Social Services, Meir Cohen, presented a certificate of appreciation to the teenagers with disabilities who volunteer as part of the national service program at United Hatzalah. The young volunteers were excited to receive a special United Hatzalah pin as well as a certificate from the Minister. The commendation came in recognition of all the tireless work that they do managing logistical activities and helping the volunteers of the EMS organization who respond to nearly 2,000 medical emergencies on a daily basis.
The ceremony took place as part of the visit by Minister Cohen to the national headquarters of United Hatzalah in Jerusalem. The visit was led by the organization's CEO Eli Polak, Chairman Moshe Teitelbaum, VP of O...
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October 19, 2021 at 10:44 am
A total of 1,483 new cases of the coronavirus were diagnosed across Israel Monday, according to data released by the Health Ministry Tuesday morning, up from 1,199 new cases reported a day earlier.
The increase in the number of new diagnoses, however, resulted entirely from the larger number of tests performed Sunday, with the percentage of tests coming back positive falling Monday to 1.42%, down from 1.45% on Sunday. That is the lowest level recorded since July 23rd.
The number of known active cases of the virus across Israel dropped to 17,512, down from 17,803 a day earlier. The number of hospitalized COVID patients also fell Tuesday, declining to 488, down from 519 on Monday.
Since the pandemic began, 1,318,478 confirmed cases of the virus have been reported.
