International

Biden announces foreign policy, national security team

Washington (AFP) – US President-elect Joe Biden on Monday named the deeply experienced Antony Blinken for secretary of state, also nominating the first female head of intelligence and a czar for climate issues, with a promise to a return to expertise after the turbulent years of Donald Trump.As Trump continued to make flailing attempts at overturning […]

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International, Middle East, USA

Saudi official says ‘Israel normalisation talks’ did take place in NEOM, while foreign ministry denies

A Saudi official has told The Wall Street Journal that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did hold talks in the NEOM megacity on Sunday, with the kingdom’s foreign ministry strongly denying the reports.Prince Mohammed and Netanyahu reportedly held secret talks in NEOM late Sunday, according to flight data of

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Middle East, USA

Pakistan minister retracts Macron ‘Nazi’ jibe after French demands

A Pakistani minister withdrew comments comparing French President Emmanuel Macron’s treatment of Muslims to the Nazis’ persecution of Jews, after the remarks triggered outrage from Paris.France’s foreign minister demanded the remarks tweeted by Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari be withdrawn over the weekend.”Macron is doing to Muslims what the Nazis did to the

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International, Jewish History

SANDAG Reopens Bids for Historic Salomon Property

The future of Rancho Lilac, Valley Center’s historic and culturally-significant ranch, has been up in the air since 2011 when it was purchased by Caltrans in what is known as an environmental mitigation land exchange program.  There had been concern that the site could be permanently closed to public access. That apprehension appears to have been abated, at least for the present due to governmental action taken last week. [Robert Lerner]

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International, Jewish History, San Diego County, USA

Biden to name longtime aide Blinken as US top diplomat: reports

Washington (AFP) – President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate seasoned diplomat Antony Blinken as his secretary of state, a decision likely to signal a return to multilateralism after Donald Trump’s shunning of traditional allies, US media reported Sunday.A mild-mannered policy wonk who is fluent in French and plays guitar on the side, the 58-year-old Blinken

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International, Jewish History, Middle East, USA

Olmert: Don’t let Pollard make aliyah

Former prime minister Ehud Olmert criticized former agent Jonathan Pollard on Sunday, saying he should not be welcomed in Israel.Interviewed by Jerusalem Post editor-in-chief Yaakov Katz at the Maariv newspaper’s business conference on Sunday, Olmert cautioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against holding a festive ceremony for Pollard when he moves to Israel soon.“With all due

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Middle East, USA

Michigan House speaker floats possibility of ‘constitutional crisis’

LANSING, Mich. — Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield referenced the possibility of a “constitutional crisis” during an interview on Fox News Sunday morning, two days after he met with President Donald Trump at the White House.The Board of State Canvassers meets Monday to consider certifying Michigan’s statewide election results, including President-elect Joe Biden’s 154,000-vote victory.

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USA

President Trump’s legal team is a ‘national embarrassment,’ Chris Christie says

As the court losses continue to mount, President Donald Trump’s ally and informal adviser Chris Christie called the commander-in-chief’s legal team a “national embarrassment.”The former New Jersey governor said it was time for the president to face reality.“If you have got the evidence of fraud, present it,” Christie said on ABC Sunday morning.“Quite frankly, the

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USA

How will California Gov. Newsom pick Kamala Harris’ replacement? Ethnicity, electability, experience?

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — To say that Gov. Gavin Newsom is under pressure is an understatement.The chance to appoint someone to the U.S. Senate does not come along often. It has happened only a handful of times before in the state, most recently in 1991, and it represents an opportunity to install an official that could

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USA

Biden to start naming cabinet picks Tuesday as Trump resists

Washington (AFP) – US President-elect Joe Biden will name on Tuesday the first picks to be part of his administration, his chief of staff said, even as Donald Trump continues to evoke unsubstantiated fraud and to insist he defeated the Democrat.That announcement underscored Biden’s preparations to assume the presidency in January despite Trump’s moves —

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USA

Was Chaucer an Anti-Semite?

One of the tales that is told in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales is the controversial story told by a prioress called “The Prioress’s Tale.” A prioress is a woman who is head of a house of nuns. She is next in rank below an abbess. She is seemingly a religious person with religious ideas. Chaucer describes his prioress in his book in two ways. She is introduced in his Prologue as an aristocratic, genteel, pious nun, but the story she tells shows her demeaning Jews and stating that Jews drink Christian blood in a Jewish ritual. She describes how Jews were rounded up, treated brutally, and then murdered by the Christian community. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History

Good News from Israel (November 22, 2020)

In the 22nd Nov 20 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
In a human trial, Israeli scientists have reversed the aging process.
The UN overwhelmingly approved an Israeli-led resolution on sustainable solutions.
A 62-year-old ex-Air Force pilot will be the next Israeli astronaut.
An Israeli company has solved the problem of recycling dirty plastics.
Joint US-Israeli agriculture projects give the world huge economic benefits.
Two Israelis basketball players were selected in the NBA drafts …. [Michael Ordman]

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International, Michael Ordman, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, USA