International

Winner of Iran presidency is hardline judge who is under U.S. sanctions

Published by Reuters By Parisa Hafezi DUBAI (Reuters) -Ebrahim Raisi’s record of fierce loyalty to Iran’s ruling clerics helped explain why the senior judge had been expected to win Friday’s presidential election, a contest the authorities limited almost exclusively to hardline candidates like him. The win for Raisi, 60, an implacable critic of the West […]

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Middle East, USA

Mexico to vaccinate migrants in Baja California under new border initiative

Published by Reuters By Lizbeth Diaz MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Authorities in the Mexican border state of Baja California say they will include migrants in the new COVID-19 vaccination plan for border cities, which is aimed at accelerating the reopening of the shared land border with the United States. The state, which lies just across

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International

N.Z. Jewish Leader’s Speech Interrupted by Walk-Out

More than a dozen Muslim attendees at an anti-terrorism conference in New Zealand shouted “Free Palestine” and staged a walkout during a speech by a leader of the country’s Jewish community. It happened while Juliet Moses, spokesperson for the New Zealand Jewish Council, told the crowd that the country’s leaders should be consistent when condemning terrorism. [JNS]

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International, Middle East

Petition Urges New Zealand to Establish Embassy in Israel

Pastor Nigel Woodley of the Flaxmere Christian Fellowship has initiated a petition calling upon the New Zealand Parliament to establish an embassy in New Zealand. “Israel, in good faith, has had an Embassy in our country now for many years and I think it is time for New Zealand to reciprocate the goodwill,” Woodley writes in an announcement of the petition drive.  “At a time when the misguided are shouting ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘Close the Israeli Embassy in Wellington,’ we can be involved in pushing that dangerous and negative rhetoric and narrative to the back by calling for the proper diplomatic representation of New Zealand within Israel itself. [John McCormick]

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International, John McCormick, Middle East

Biden to withdraw ‘hundreds of troops from Middle East’

Published by Al-Araby The United States is set to radically reduce weapons systems and troops in the Middle East, mostly in Saudi Arabia, as it refocuses its attention to potential threats from China and Russia, an official has revealed. It is believed Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

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Middle East, USA

German ministers aim to combat anti-Semitism, protect journalists

Published by DPA Germany’s interior ministers agreed at the conclusion of their regular conference on Friday to do more to combat anti-Semitism and to protect journalists from attack while performing their work. Unified standards and rules are to be worked out to restrict anti-Israeli demonstrations held at synagogues or to prohibit them, the ministers of

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International

IPO Performs at Negev Hospital for Israelis with Disabilities

ADI (formerly ALEH Jerusalem and ALEH Negev-Nahalat Eran) is legendary as Israel’s most comprehensive provider of residential and rehabilitative care. The village, that sits on 25 acres, is home to 165 individuals with severe disabilities. There are over 500 professional staff members, including doctors, nurses, therapists and special educators, and more than 800 annual volunteers.  It has a hydrotherapy pool, special education school, integrated nursery, green care farm, and a therapeutic horse farm and petting zoo.  [Toby Klein Greenwald]

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Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Science, Medicine, & Education, Toby Klein Greenwald

Why everyone should celebrate Juneteenth, the new federal holiday

By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – I was delighted to learn that Congress, by an overwhelming vote, has decided that Juneteenth should be a federal holiday. President Joe Biden subsequently signed the Juneteenth bill into law. Marking the June 19, 1865 date when U.S. Army Major General Gordon Granger abolished slavery in Galveston, Texas,

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Donald H. Harrison, USA

Only in Israel!

By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — With its unique mix of people from all over the world, almost all of them with Jewish roots, Israel’s population comprises a wide range of cultures, traditions, and even genetic composition. The juxtaposition of so many people from so many different backgrounds has given rise to some unexpected

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East

Israeli study: pre-infection deficiency of vitamin D associated with more severe COVID-19 cases

RAMAT GAN, Israel (Press Release) — A new study conducted by the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine of Bar-Ilan University and its affiliate Galilee Medical Center (GMC) is among the first to show that pre-infection deficiency of vitamin D is associated with increased COVID-19 severity and mortality. Previous studies focusing on the association between vitamin D

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Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education

Close Khamenei loyalist sanctioned by U.S. set to win Iran vote

Published by Reuters By Parisa Hafezi DUBAI (Reuters) – Iranians vote on Friday in a race likely to hand the presidency to a judge sanctioned by Washington for alleged involvement in executions of political prisoners, a result that would cheer the clerical leadership but stir Western human rights concerns. Hardliner Ebrahim Raisi, an ally and

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USA

Israel headed for severe garbage disposal crisis, Environment Ministry warns

(June 17, 2021 / JNS) Israel is likely to run out of landfill space for the disposal of waste by next year, the Environmental Protection Ministry warned mayors and local council heads. The Efaa, Ganey Hadas and Tarbin (Dudaim) landfills are fast reaching capacity, which will likely necessitate their closure, the ministry said, according to

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Middle East

New educational partnership to amplify legacy of President Truman’s support for Israel

(June 16, 2021 / JNS) The Jewish Agency for Israel and the Truman Library Institute announced a new cooperative agreement in which they will work together to increase education and awareness of the history and legacy of President Harry S. Truman’s support for the creation of the State of Israel.   The two entities will

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Middle East, USA