jerusalempost--2020-01-15--HK police defuse pipe bomb, arrest four for manufacturing explosives

HONG KONG - Hong Kong police said they defused a pipe bomb and arrested four men for manufacturing explosives after raiding an apartment where they found protest-related items such as Guy Fawkes masks and protective gear .
Police also searched a village house in a northern neighborhood where they found laboratory equipment they suspect could be used for producing explosives .
The men were aged 21-29 , a senior officer said late on Tuesday .
The bomb was 8 inches ( 20 cm ) long and weighed 1.5 pounds ( 680 grams ) .
The controlled explosion produced shrapnel that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of an elevator in the building , Senior Superintendent Chan Tin-chu told reporters .
`` If the bomb was ... thrown at a car , all the people inside the vehicle would definitely die , '' Chan said .
Those arrested were suspected of being members of an anti-government protest group , he said .
Three of the men were tertiary students and were also charged with illegal assembly on New Year 's day .
In early December , police said officers had defused two homemade bombs found at a centrally-located school .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and explosives in recent months as pro-democracy protests that escalated in June over a now-withdrawn bill that would have allowed extraditions to China have kept a relentless pace .

HONG KONG - Hong Kong police said they defused a pipe bomb and arrested four men for manufacturing explosives after raiding an apartment where they found protest-related items such as Guy Fawkes masks and protective gear.
Police also searched a village house in a northern neighborhood where they found laboratory equipment they suspect could be used for producing explosives. The men were aged 21-29, a senior officer said late on Tuesday.
The bomb was 8 inches (20 cm) long and weighed 1.5 pounds (680 grams). The controlled explosion produced shrapnel that left a hole in the metal door of an elevator in the building, Senior Superintendent Chan Tin-chu told reporters.
"If the bomb was ... thrown at a car, all the people inside the vehicle would definitely die," Chan said.
Those arrested were suspected of being members of an anti-government protest group, he said. Three of the men were tertiary students and were also charged with illegal assembly on New Year's day.
In early December, police said officers had defused two homemade bombs found at a centrally-located school.


jerusalempost--2020-01-15--Mk Motti Yogev announced he won't be competing the in coming elections

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Mk Motti Yogev, who was pushed to the 11th place in the party after the unity agreement between Bayit Yehudi and New Right, announced that he will be participating in the coming elections.


jerusalempost--2020-01-15--Canada investigators to examine Iran crash wreckage later on Wednesday

The investigators have not yet been granted access to the flight and cockpit recorders , Garneau told a news conference @ @ @ @ @ to a team of Canadian officials , including two specialists from the Transportation Safety Board @ @ @ @ @ probe how and why Iran on Jan. 8 shot down a Ukrainian airliner , killing @ @ @ @ @ .
`` They have visited the crash site .
... Today two investigators will examine @ @ @ @ @ said .
`` What we have been told by the Iranians is that we will @ @ @ @ @ not only the decoding of the ( black ) boxes , but also the analysis @ @ @ @ @ `` We 're standing by at the moment to find out where that is going @ @ @ @ @ not had that signal . ''

The investigators have not yet been granted access to the flight and cockpit recorders, Garneau told a news conference.
Iran has issued visas to a team of Canadian officials, including two specialists from the Transportation Safety Board who are in Tehran to probe how and why Iran on Jan. 8 shot down a Ukrainian airliner, killing all 176 people on board.
"They have visited the crash site. ... Today two investigators will examine the wreckage," Garneau said.
"What we have been told by the Iranians is that we will be allowed to participate in not only the decoding of the (black) boxes, but also the analysis," he said. "We're standing by at the moment to find out where that is going to happen. We have not had that signal."
OTTAWA - Crash investigators from Canada have visited the site of an Iranian plane disaster in which 57 Canadians died and will examine the wreckage later on Wednesday, Transport Minister Marc Garneau said.


jerusalempost--2020-01-15--China's Vice Premier: Trade deal will prove talks work to improve economy

China 's top negotiator in the trade talks with the United States was quoted by state-run English channel CGTN as @ @ @ @ @ ceremony for the Phase 1 deal in Washington that both sides need to solve problems @ @ @ @ @ are not a good solution .
`` It is the correct choice for the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ currency manipulator list , '' Liu was quoted as adding by CGTN .

China's top negotiator in the trade talks with the United States was quoted by state-run English channel CGTN as telling reporters following the signing ceremony for the Phase 1 deal in Washington that both sides need to solve problems with negotiations and that tariffs are not a good solution.
"It is the correct choice for the U.S. to remove China from the currency manipulator list," Liu was quoted as adding by CGTN.
BEIJING - Chinese Vice Premier Liu He said China will use the results of the Phase 1 trade deal with the United States to prove that the negotiations are working to improve the economy, Chinese state television reported on Thursday.


jerusalempost--2020-01-15--Bennett-Peretz meeting ends with no conclusion

Defense Minister Naftali Bennett concluded his Wednesday meeting with Education Minister Rafi Peretz with no clear conclusions about a possible merger between their respective parties, New Right and Bayit Yehudi.As deadline for list submission for each party running in the March election looms, a merger of these two right-wing parties, meant to increase the strength of the Right leaning bloc, seems unlikely to happen.


jerusalempost--2020-01-15--IDF attacks targets in Gaza in response to rocket fire - report

The Hamas terror organization is responsible for what is happening in and out of the Gaza Strip and it will @ @ @ @ @ Israeli citizens . ''
A group of incendiary balloons were also launched towards the southern @ @ @ @ @ , a city spokesperson said on Wednesday evening .
Israel Police bomb disposal experts were @ @ @ @ @ reports of a suspicious object that was attached to several balloons that landed in one @ @ @ @ @ .
Rocket alert sirens were activated in southern Israel on Wednesday afternoon as four rockets @ @ @ @ @ Strip into Israel .
The sirens were heard in

The Hamas terror organization is responsible for what is happening in and out of the Gaza Strip and it will have consequences for actions against Israeli citizens."
The IDF believes that the rockets were fired by a rogue group within the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group who has been responsible for most of the rocket fire since the assassination of Baha Abu al-Ata in November, according to Ynet. The IDF believes that the rocket fire will likely continue and is deploying Iron Dome batteries throughout southern Israel.
The terrorist groups in Gaza recently decided to escalate the situation because Israel has delayed implementing understandings reached in calm agreements, according to the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar. An Egyptian delegation was reportedly supposed to visit Gaza last weekend, but failed to do so among rising tensions between Hamas and Egypt. Egypt also reportedly raised taxes and the price of goods imported to the Gaza Strip.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh visited Tehran to take part in the funeral of former Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani. Haniyeh had agreed not to visit Iran when he was permitted to leave the Gaza Strip to visit countries in the region last month.Dozens of incendiary balloons were launched from the north and south of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, according to Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar.
A group of incendiary balloons were also launched towards the southern city of Sderot from Gaza, a city spokesperson said on Wednesday evening. Israel Police bomb disposal experts were dispatched to the scene after reports of a suspicious object that was attached to several balloons that landed in one of the neighborhoods of Sderot.
Rocket alert sirens were activated in southern Israel on Wednesday afternoon as four rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel.
Nahal Oz, Saad and
Kfar Aza. The IDF reported that two of the rockets fell in open territory and two were intercepted by the Iron Dome. The IDF reported that two of the rockets fell in open territory and two were intercepted by the Iron Dome. Israel's Magen David Adom ambulance service said no injuries or damage were reported in the first such attack in three weeks. Israel's Magen David Adom ambulance service said no injuries or damage were reported in the first such attack in three weeks. There was no immediate claim of responsibility from the Gaza Strip, which Israel keeps under blockade citing security concerns over Hamas, the dominant armed movement in the Palestinian territory. There was no immediate claim of responsibility from the Gaza Strip, which Israel keeps under blockade citing security concerns over Hamas, the dominant armed movement in the Palestinian territory. Last month, a rocket was launched from the Gaza Strip at the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon as it hosted a rally with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, prompting him to Last month, a rocket was launched from the Gaza Strip at the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon as it hosted a rally with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, prompting him to seek shelter briefly before returning to the venue. No one was hurt. But simmering tensions have mostly remained calm since a two-day surge of violence in November between Israel and the armed Gaza-based faction Islamic Jihad that left 34 Palestinians dead and dozens of Israelis injured. But simmering tensions have mostly remained calm since a two-day surge of violence in November between Israel and the armed Gaza-based faction Islamic Jihad that left 34 Palestinians dead and dozens of Israelis injured.
The sirens were heard in


jerusalempost--2020-01-15--Active shooter reported on McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base

An active shooter was reported on McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base in Tennessee, according to the Associated Press citing the local sheriff’s office.Law enforcement are responding to the incident as sweeping the base while it has been placed in lockdown.According to a spokesperson cited by the Associated Press, no flights have been delayed.This is a developing story.


jerusalempost--2020-01-15--Putin puts forward little-known tax chief as new Russian PM - Kremlin

Putin submitted his candidacy to the Russian parliament for approval after Mishustin agreed to be put forward for the role @ @ @ @ @ Russia 's government resigned unexpectedly earlier on Wednesday after President Vladimir Putin proposed sweeping constitutional @ @ @ @ @ to extend his rule .

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday formally put forward Mikhail Mishustin, the little-known head of Russia's Federal Tax Service, to be Russia's new prime minister, the Kremlin said.
Putin submitted his candidacy to the Russian parliament for approval after Mishustin agreed to be put forward for the role, the Kremlin said.
Russia's government resigned unexpectedly earlier on Wednesday after President Vladimir Putin proposed sweeping constitutional changes that could allow him to extend his rule.


jerusalempost--2020-01-15--France says diplomatic solution only way to save Iran nuclear deal

`` Iran has been progressively emptying the accord of its substance .
It is in danger and Iran must respect @ @ @ @ @ done , '' Jean-Yves Le Drian told a parliamentary hearing after the three European powers @ @ @ @ @ rebuke Iran 's violations of the 2015 accord on Tuesday .

"Iran has been progressively emptying the accord of its substance. It is in danger and Iran must respect its commitments as we have done," Jean-Yves Le Drian told a parliamentary hearing after the three European powers launched a process to formally rebuke Iran's violations of the 2015 accord on Tuesday.
PARIS - France's foreign minister said on Wednesday that the Iran nuclear deal was in danger after repeated violations by Tehran, but added that a dispute mechanism triggered by France, Britain and Germany aimed to resolve the problems diplomatically.


jerusalempost--2020-01-15--Russian government resigns - Prime Minister Medvedev

Putin 's comments are likely to reignite speculation about his plans once his current presidential term ends in 2024 .
Critics have long accused him of plotting to stay on in some capacity to wield power over the world 's largest nation after he steps down .
He remains popular with many Russians who see him as a welcome source of stability even as others complain he 's been in power for too long .
In his annual state-of-the-nation speech , Putin said the changes he was proposing to Russia 's political system -- handing parliament and the prime minister @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president -- were so serious that he wanted a nationwide referendum to be held to agree them .
In power as either president or prime minister since 1999 , Putin , 67 , is due to step down in 2024 when his fourth presidential term ends .
Under the current constitution , which bans anyone from serving more than two successive presidential terms , Putin is barred from immediately running again .
But critics have suggested he is considering various options to remain at the helm , including by shifting power to parliament @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prime minister after he steps down in 2024 .
On Wednesday , Putin told Russia 's political elite he wanted to allow the State Duma , the lower house of the Russian parliament , to be given the power to confirm the candidacy of the country 's prime minister .
The new prime minister would then present parliament with candidates for the country 's deputy prime ministers and government ministers which parliament would also confirm .

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday that the government he heads was resigning to give President Vladimir Putin room to carry out changes he wants to make to the constitution.Medvedev made the announcement on state TV sitting next to Putin who thanked Medvedev, a close ally, for his work.President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday proposed giving parliament the power to choose Russia 's prime minister and other key positions, a major change to the Russian constitution that may offer a hint about his own future.
Putin's comments are likely to reignite speculation about his plans once his current presidential term ends in 2024.
Critics have long accused him of plotting to stay on in some capacity to wield power over the world's largest nation after he steps down. He remains popular with many Russians who see him as a welcome source of stability even as others complain he's been in power for too long.
In his annual state-of-the-nation speech, Putin said the changes he was proposing to Russia's political system -- handing parliament and the prime minister more power at the expense of the president -- were so serious that he wanted a nationwide referendum to be held to agree them.
In power as either president or prime minister since 1999, Putin, 67, is due to step down in 2024 when his fourth presidential term ends.
Under the current constitution, which bans anyone from serving more than two successive presidential terms, Putin is barred from immediately running again.
But critics have suggested he is considering various options to remain at the helm, including by shifting power to parliament and then assuming an enhanced role as prime minister after he steps down in 2024.
On Wednesday, Putin told Russia's political elite he wanted to allow the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, to be given the power to confirm the candidacy of the country's prime minister.
The new prime minister would then present parliament with candidates for the country's deputy prime ministers and government ministers which parliament would also confirm.
"The president would be obliged to appoint them."


jerusalempost--2020-01-15--Ukraine checking whether Iran will hand over plane crash black boxes

KIEV - Ukraine is trying to establish whether Iran will hand over the black boxes from a Ukrainian passenger plane that crashed in Iran last week, a senior Ukrainian prosecutor was quoted by Interfax Ukraine as saying on Wednesday.An Iranian investigator was meant to visit Ukraine on Wednesday to check whether a Ukrainian laboratory could decode the black boxes but did not arrive, said Polina Chyzh, head of the Department of International Legal Cooperation and Asset Recovery at the Prosecutor General's office.Chyzh said Iran had not officially answered a Ukrainian request for access to the black boxes, prompting Ukraine to make a second request.


jerusalempost--2020-01-15--Turkey summons Egyptian envoy over raid of its state news agency office

ANKARA - Turkey summoned the Egyptian charges d'affaires in Ankara to the foreign ministry on Wednesday over a raid of its Anadolu state news agency office in Cairo, the agency reported.Earlier, Anadolu said Egyptian security forces raided its office in Cairo on Tuesday and detained four of its staff, in a move that Turkish officials condemned.


jerusalempost--2020-01-15--Qatar Airways to continue to fly to Iran

KUWAIT - Qatar Airways will continue to fly to Iran and has not lost any bookings during a recent spike in Middle East tensions, Chief Executive Akbar al-Baker said on Wednesday.A number of flights to Tehran were canceled last week after the crash of a Ukrainian airliner in Iran, which Tehran later admitted it had shot down by mistake. Many airlines use Iranian airspace, including Qatar Airways which is banned from flying over some neighboring Gulf Arab states.


jerusalempost--2020-01-16--Putin's surprise pick for Russian PM addresses parliament

MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin's nominee for prime minister, Mikhail Mishustin, addressed Russia's State Duma, the lower house of parliament, on Thursday, outlining some of his key aims.Mishustin spoke of preserving Russia's macroeconomic stability, of keeping inflation at around 4% and said work on 'national projects', Putin's flagship economic development program when he ran for a fourth term in office in 2018, must be sped up.Russia's ruling party, United Russia, which has a majority in the Duma, unanimously backed Mishustin for prime minister earlier on Thursday, all but assuring his confirmation.


jerusalempost--2020-01-16--EU's Borrell holds "frank" talks with Iran's Zarif

BRUSSELS - The EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell held "frank" direct talks with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in New Delhi on Thursday after Britain, France and Germany formally accused Tehran of breaking a 2015 nuclear arms control agreement."In a frank dialog, they discussed the latest developments around the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action," the European Union said in a statement, referring to the deal by its formal name.The face-to-face talks on the sidelines of a conference were the first following a series of telephone calls since a U.S. drone strike killed a top Iranian general on Jan. 3.EU officials have said Iran already expressed anger at the European move by telephone.


jerusalempost--2020-01-16--Erdogan says Turkey starting troop deployment to Libya

ANKARA - Turkey is beginning to send troops into Libya in support of the internationally recognized government in Tripoli, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday, days before a summit in Berlin which will address the Libyan conflict.Speaking in Ankara, Erdogan added that Turkey will continue to use all diplomatic and military means to ensure stability to its south, including in Libya. Erdogan is due to meet leaders of Germany, Russia, Britain and Italy on Sunday to discuss the conflict.He also said Turkey would start granting licenses for exploration and drilling in the eastern Mediterranean in 2020, in accord with a maritime agreement with Libya. He said Turkey's Oruc Reis ship would begin seismic activities in the region.


jerusalempost--2020-01-16--Russia's ruling party approves Mikhail Mishustin as PM

MOSCOW - Russia 's ruling party on Thursday unanimously backed President Vladimir Putin's surprise choice for prime minister, Mikhail Mishustin, a man with almost no political profile.Mishustin's elevation is part of a sweeping shake-up of the political system announced by Putin on Wednesday, which led to the resignation of Dmitry Medvedev as prime minister along with his government.The changes are widely seen as giving Putin, 67, scope to extend his grip on power once he leaves the presidency in 2024. He has dominated Russian politics, as president or as prime minister, for two decades.Russia's State Duma, the lower house of parliament, is expected to vote on Mishustin's candidacy later on Thursday after he has addressed the chamber. United Russia, the ruling party, has a majority in the Duma, meaning Mishustin's confirmation, barring an unexpected upset, is assured.Mishustin, 53, ran the country's tax service where he won praise for dramatically improving tax collection.Critics have long accused Putin, a former KGB officer, of plotting to stay on in some capacity after his term ends and continue to wield power over the world's largest nation, which is also one of its two leading nuclear powers.The constitutional reform proposals, which he set out on Wednesday and suggested should be put to a referendum, would give him the option of taking an enhanced role as prime minister after 2024 or a new role as head of the State Council, an official body he said he was keen to build up. Putin could even become speaker of a new, supercharged parliament.PUTIN TO "RULE FOR LIFE"?Opposition politician Leonid Volkov said it looked as though Putin was digging in."It's clear to everyone that everything is going exclusively towards setting Putin up to rule for life," he wrote on social media.The Kommersant business daily on Thursday called Putin's shake-up "the January revolution." The proposals looked, Kommersant wrote, like the start of many more changes to come.Under the current constitution, which sets a maximum of two successive terms, Putin is barred from immediately running again for the presidency in 2024, but his supporters find it hard to imagine Russian political life without him.Putin remains popular with many Russians who see him as a welcome source of stability, even as others complain that he has been in power for too long, that their pensions and standard of living are being steadily eroded, and that poverty is widespread and healthcare poor.


jerusalempost--2020-01-16--Swastikas drawn on Liberman campaign billboards

An investigation has been opened into the incident .

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF,JERUSALEM POST STAFF

Swastikas were drawn on campaign billboards featuring Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman in Bat Yam on Thursday, according to Israel Police.
המשטרה חוקרת מי בשיחת וריסס צלב קרס על שלטי בחירות של ליברמן בבת ים pic.twitter.com/X49Mf89bi9 — אלי שלזינגר Eli Shlezinger (@EliShlezinger) January 16, 2020
An investigation has been opened into the incident.


jerusalempost--2020-01-16--Nigerian Islamist militants free 3 aid workers, other civilian hostages

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria - Islamist militants released three aid workers and other civilians in northeast Nigeria who had been held hostage since late December, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in the country said on Thursday.The people were kidnapped on Dec. 22 by militants posing as soldiers who stopped a convoy of commercial vehicles traveling towards the city of Maiduguri, state capital of the northeastern state of Borno.


jerusalempost--2020-01-16--Suspected infiltration in Hashmonaim near Modi'in

Residents were permitted to leave their homes after IDF soldiers finished conducting searches in the settlement of Hashmonaim near the Modi'in-Maccabim-Reut after a suspected infiltration into the town on Thursday morning, according to Walla! news.


jerusalempost--2020-01-16--Texas executes man convicted of shooting wife to death in 2005

John Gardner was pronounced dead at 6:36 p.m. local time at the state 's death chamber in Huntsville , the @ @ @ @ @ said in a statement .
Gardner was convicted of killing his wife Tammy Gardner , @ @ @ @ @

John Gardner was pronounced dead at 6:36 p.m. local time at the state's death chamber in Huntsville, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said in a statement. Gardner was convicted of killing his wife Tammy Gardner, 41, in 2005.
A 64-year-old man was executed by lethal injection in Texas on Wednesday, 15 years after authorities say he fatally shot his estranged wife who had told her friends she did not expect to get out of the abusive marriage alive.


jerusalempost--2020-01-17--U.S.'s representative on Iran: Tehran's threats will isolate it more

Threats made by Iran will only further isolate the country, the U.S. Department of States special representative to Iran said on Friday after Tehran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said its fight could move beyond its borders.The State Department's representative, Brian Hook, also told reporters in a briefing that the United States was sanctioning an IRGC brigadier general in the latest U.S. action against Iran.


jerusalempost--2020-01-17--Russia: Iran was spooked by reports of U.S. F-35s when it downed airliner

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Iran's accidental shooting down of a Ukrainian airliner last week this month occurred at a time when Tehran was spooked by reports of advanced U.S. stealth fighters in the area."There were at least six (U.S.) F-35 fighters in the air in the Iranian border area (at the time). This information has yet to be verified, but I'd like to underline the edginess that always accompanies such situations," Lavrov said.


jerusalempost--2020-01-17--Syria ceasefire has failed as civilians killed daily - UN rights boss

GENEVA - United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet called on Friday for an immediate cessation of hostilies in Idlib, saying that the latest Syrian ceasefire had "yet again failed to protect civilians.""It is deeply distressing that civilians are still being killed on a daily basis in missile strikes from both the air and ground," Bachelet said in a statement on the ceasefire, which was due to be implemented nearly a week ago.Around 350,000 Syrians, mostly women and children, have fled a renewed Russian-backed offensive in the opposition-held Idlib province since early December, and have sought shelter in border areas near Turkey, the United Nations said on Thursday.


jerusalempost--2020-01-17--Air France-KLM: Stopped flying over Iran after downing of Ukraine plane

AMSTERDAM - KLM, the Dutch subsidiary of Air France-KLM, said on Friday it had ceased flying over Iran and Iraq only after the downing of a Ukrainian plane on Jan. 8.The company was responding to questions raised by members of Dutch parliament as to whether KLM stopped flying in the region before or after Iran's military shot down Ukraine Airlines Flight 752 in an incident that killed 176 people.KLM said in a statement that the last flight it had carried out left "the area" more than an hour before the incident. KLM Flight 446 flies daily from Kuwait to Amsterdam, a flight that departs at 0055 GMT and until Jan. 8 followed a route over Iraq.KLM said it then "conducted an in-depth risk analysis" and halted any further flights over Iran and Iraq.


jerusalempost--2020-01-17--Iranian representative coming to Ukraine next week, Kiev says

KIEV - An Iranian representative will travel to Ukraine next week following the shooting down of a Ukrainian passenger plane near Tehran last week, Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko told parliament on Friday.He said Iran was willing to pass on to Ukraine the data and voice recorders from the flight after they had been examined by a joint investigation team comprising experts from Iran, Canada and Ukraine.The airliner was struck by a missile on Jan. 8 shortly after leaving Tehran en route to Kiev. Iran admitted on Saturday it had shot down the plane in error.


jerusalempost--2020-01-17--Taliban open to 10-day ceasefire with US

The Taliban will implement a 10-day ceasefire with U.S. troops, a reduction in violence with Afghan forces and discussions with Afghan government officials if it reaches an agreement with U.S. negotiators in talks in Doha, two sources have said.If an agreement is reached, the move could revive hopes for a long-term solution to the conflict in Afghanistan.Taliban and U.S. negotiation teams met on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the signing of a peace deal, according to a spokesman for the Taliban office in Doha, Qatar.The talks between the two sides were "useful" and would continue for a few days, the spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, said in a tweet early on Friday.


jerusalempost--2020-01-17--5.6-magnitude earthquake hits Mexico

5.6-magnitude earthquake hits Mexico

Mexico was hit on Thursday evening with a 5.6-magnitude earthquake which could be felt up until Mexico City.This is a developing story.


jerusalempost--2020-01-17--US warship spotted sailing through Taiwan Straits after elections

A U.S. warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday, the island's defense ministry said on Friday, less than a week after Taiwan held elections.The ship sailed in a northerly direction through the sensitive waterway and Taiwan's armed forces monitored it throughout, though nothing abnormal was seen, the ministry said in a brief statement.


jerusalempost--2020-01-16--US and Mexico agree on plan to combat drug, arms trade

The two neighboring countries also agreed to cooperate on measures to reduce drug consumption and combat addiction , the Mexican @ @ @ @ @ statement .
`` A number of advances on the issue of arms trafficking were discussed @ @ @ @ @ how to implement operations with non-intrusive technologies in key points of the border to stop @ @ @ @ @ into our country , '' it said .
In November , U.S. President Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ cartels as terrorist groups after a series of security lapses , including the murder of @ @ @ @ @ U.S.-Mexican origin in northern Mexico .
The threat prompted a speedy request for talks by @ @ @ @ @ an initial visit to the country last month .
Meanwhile , Mexico has been preparing @ @ @ @ @ that could allow wire taps to be used as evidence in court , as well @ @ @ @ @ challenges to avoid extradition delays for criminal suspects .

Mexico and the United States have agreed on a plan to combat illicit trafficking of arms, drugs and money, the Mexican government said on Thursday, following meetings between U.S. Attorney General William Barr and top Mexican officials.
The two neighboring countries also agreed to cooperate on measures to reduce drug consumption and combat addiction, the Mexican foreign ministry said in a statement.
"A number of advances on the issue of arms trafficking were discussed with the aim of analyzing how to implement operations with non-intrusive technologies in key points of the border to stop movement of arms and ammunition into our country," it said.
In November, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorist groups after a series of security lapses, including the murder of nine women and children of U.S.-Mexican origin in northern Mexico.
The threat prompted a speedy request for talks by Mexico, and Barr made an initial visit to the country last month.
Meanwhile, Mexico has been preparing a package of judicial reforms that could allow wire taps to be used as evidence in court, as well as measures to limit legal challenges to avoid extradition delays for criminal suspects.
Such reforms could facilitate cooperation on security between Mexico and the United States, which under Trump has pressed Lopez Obrador to tighten border security in order to stem the flow of migrants north from Central America.


jerusalempost--2020-01-16--IDF attacks underground Hamas terror cell

The IDF attacked an underground Hamas terror cell which stood in the northern Gaza Strip, according to the IDF.The attack was in response to the earlier insertion of incendiary balloons from Gaza into Israel, which exploded in the Gaza border communities with no casualties reported.


jerusalempost--2020-01-16--Egypt orders the release of Turkish news agency employees

Two Turks were to be handed over to the Egyptian embassy and deported after questioning , while three Egyptians were to be released on a 10,000 Egyptian pound ( $ 630 ) bail , the prosecutor said in a statement .
On Wednesday , Turkey had summoned Egypt 's charge d'affaires to deliver a protest about the raid and detentions .
Ankara 's relations with Cairo have been frosty since the Egyptian army ousted Muslim Brotherhood president Mohammed Mursi , an ally of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan , in 2013 .
The two countries have also been at odds over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eastern Mediterranean .
Anadolu said just one Turkish national had been detained and later released after the raid .
`` Hilmi Balci , one of our four employees detained in Egypt , has been released .
We expect the others to be released on bail , '' Anadolu quoted its general manager Senol Kazanci as saying .
The Egyptian interior ministry said the location of the raid - which it said was a flat - had been used to produce false and `` negative '' information .
It accused Turkey and the banned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activity '' at the flat .
Egypt 's State Information Service , which accredits foreign media , said Anadolu had no legal status in the country since 2013 .

Egypt's public prosecutor's office said on Thursday it had ordered the release of five people detained following a raid on Turkey's state-owned Anadolu news agency office in Cairo, and the company confirmed one employee had been freed.
Two Turks were to be handed over to the Egyptian embassy and deported after questioning, while three Egyptians were to be released on a 10,000 Egyptian pound ($630) bail, the prosecutor said in a statement.
On Wednesday, Turkey had summoned Egypt's charge d'affaires to deliver a protest about the raid and detentions.
Egypt in turn summoned Turkey's charge d'affaires, Egyptian media reported on Thursday.
Ankara's relations with Cairo have been frosty since the Egyptian army ousted Muslim Brotherhood president Mohammed Mursi, an ally of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, in 2013. The two countries have also been at odds over maritime jurisdiction and offshore resources in the eastern Mediterranean.
Anadolu said just one Turkish national had been detained and later released after the raid.
"Hilmi Balci, one of our four employees detained in Egypt, has been released. We expect the others to be released on bail," Anadolu quoted its general manager Senol Kazanci as saying.
The Egyptian interior ministry said the location of the raid - which it said was a flat - had been used to produce false and "negative" information.
It accused Turkey and the banned Muslim Brotherhood of being behind "adverse activity" at the flat. Egypt's State Information Service, which accredits foreign media, said Anadolu had no legal status in the country since 2013.
Turkey's Foreign Ministry condemned the raid as "an act of violence" against Anadolu.


jerusalempost--2020-01-16--Ukraine says bodies of all 11 Ukrainians in Iran plane crash identified

The bodies of all 11 Ukrainians who died in last week's plane crash in Iran have been identified and will be transported back to Ukraine on Jan. 19, the interior ministry said in a statement to Reuters on Thursday.The five countries whose citizens died when Iran shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane have said Tehran should pay compensation to the families of the victims, saying the world is watching for its response.


jerusalempost--2020-01-16--Iran must compensate relatives of plane-crash victims 5 countries demand

Five countries whose citizens died when Iran shot down an airliner last week said on Thursday that Tehran should pay compensation to families of the victims.Canada, Ukraine, Sweden, Afghanistan and Britain said Iran should hold a "thorough, independent and transparent international investigation open to grieving nations," in a statement issued after a meeting of officials in London.The countries said they welcomed Iran's engagement to date.


jerusalempost--2020-01-16--Trump administration violated law by withholding Ukraine aid - US watchdog

The Trump administration violated federal law last year by withholding security aid for Ukraine that had been appropriated by Congress, a US congressional watchdog said in a report released on Thursday."Faithful execution of the law does not permit the President to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law. OMB withheld funds for a policy reason, which is not permitted under the Impoundment Control Act (ICA)," the US Government Accountability Office said, referring to the Office of Management and Budget. "The withholding was not a programmatic delay. Therefore, we conclude that OMB violated the ICA.""I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens. In fact, he never complained about this at the time of his very public termination. If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book," the president said in a tweet.


jerusalempost--2020-01-16--First Ethiopian-Israeli IDF female soldier promoted to Lieutenant Colonel

The IDF’s 91st Division [HaGalil Division] now has a new manpower officer, Ethiopian-Israeli Masala Tagnia, Mako reported.This is the first time an Ethiopian-Israeli woman has been promoted to such a rank within the IDF.Coincidently, she is the sister of Channel 12 reporter Brahano Tagnia who said that she is the pride of the entire family “and she always excelled in everything she did.”


jerusalempost--2020-01-16--Incendiary balloons explode in the Eshkol Regional Council, no casualties

Several incendiary balloons that were launched into Eshkol Regional Council from the Gaza Strip in the southern part of the country exploded when police teams arrived on the scene to inspect them, a police spokesperson reported on Thursday.No casualties were reported.Police warned the Israeli public not to approach or touch such balloons when they are spotted.


jerusalempost--2020-01-16--Sheldon Adelson trying to lure NFL's Raiders to Las Vegas

Sheldon Adelson, one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, is reportedly planning to build a $1 billion domed stadium in his hometown of Las Vegas as part of an effort to entice the Oakland Raiders to relocate their American football franchise there.According to ESPN, the Las Vegas Sands Corp., which is owned by Adelson, announced that it would back a project that would envisage a 65,000-seat complex on 42 acres of land that was recently bought by the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.Adelson is reportedly planning to meet with the owner of the Raiders, Mark Davis, in Las Vegas on Friday.


jerusalempost--2020-01-16--Defense Minister Naftali Bennett meets Greek Minister of Defense

Defense Minister Naftali Bennett met on Thursday with Greek Minister of Defense Nikolaos Panagiotpoulosm a press release on behalf of his ministry reported.The ministers discussed regional security challenges and agreed that the two nations should increase their cooperation, which is based on shared values and interests.


jerusalempost--2020-01-16--Caretaker finance minister says Lebanon on brink of forming new gov't

Caretaker finance minister Ali Hassan Khalil said on Thursday Lebanon was on the `` brink '' of forming a new @ @ @ @ @ new cabinet would comprise 18 specialist ministers .
Lebanon has been without a government since @ @ @ @ @ minister on Oct. 29 in the face of sweeping protests .

Caretaker finance minister Ali Hassan Khalil said on Thursday Lebanon was on the "brink" of forming a new government.
He said the new cabinet would comprise 18 specialist ministers. Lebanon has been without a government since Saad al-Hariri resigned as prime minister on Oct. 29 in the face of sweeping protests.


jerusalempost--2020-01-17--Suspected murder/suicide: Man and a woman were found dead in Petah Tikva

Israeli police received a report about a man and woman who were found shot in Ein Ganim street in Petah Tikva.Medical teams confirmed the couple's death.The event is under investigation.


jerusalempost--2020-01-17--Ukraine president gives PM second chance after recording leak

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appeared not to accept a resignation offer by Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk on Friday, saying he would give Honcharuk another chance and that it was not the time to shake the country politically.Honcharuk had earlier offered his resignation after an audio recording suggested he had criticized the president.


jerusalempost--2020-01-17--Trump taps lawyer Dershowitz, others for impeachment trial defense

Former independent counsel Ken Starr and lawyer Alan Dershowitz will join U.S. President Donald Trump's impeachment trial defense team led by White House counsel Pat Cipollone and Trump attorney Jay Sekulow, Trump's legal team and a source said on Friday.Trump adviser Pam Bondi and former independent counsel Robert Ray will also be on the team, according to the source who is familiar with the team's composition.


jerusalempost--2020-01-17--Canada says black boxes from Iran crash should be sent to France

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday urged Iran to send the flight and cockpit data recorders from a crashed jet to France for analysis and said the first remains of victims should soon arrive back in Canada.Trudeau told a news conference in Ottawa that France was one of the few countries with the ability to read the plane's so-called black boxes, which he said were badly damaged.


jerusalempost--2020-01-18--Four South Korean trekkers among seven missing in Nepal avalanche

KATHMANDU - Seven trekkers, including four South Koreans, went missing in Nepal's northwest Himalayan region after an avalanche hit their trail, local police and hiking officials said on Saturday.The area where the avalanche struck the group, which also included three local guides, is estimated to be about 150 km (93.21 miles) northwest of Nepali capital Kathmandu, according to the officials. The avalanche was triggered by heavy rain and snowfall, they said."Four of our Korean clients, who were trekking in the Annapurna region are not in contact and are missing since an avalanche struck them on Friday," Sandesh Pandey, who runs the tour company which organized the hike, told Reuters.Mount Annapurna, in northwest Nepal, is the world's tenth highest mountain at 8,091 meters (26,545 feet) and its base camp is popular with thousands of trekkers who visit annually.The three Nepali guides are also not reachable, said Mira Acharya, a tourism department official in Kathmandu.Four helicopters have been deployed for the search and rescue mission with police and local volunteers also looking for the trekkers, Acharya said, adding, however, that rough weather conditions were making the operation difficult. The incident comes as the annual trekking season in Nepal, home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountain peaks including Mount Everest, is drawing to a close.It could potentially dampen the mood for the Himalayan nation's tourism industry, yet to recover from a devastating earthquake which killed nearly 9,000 people in 2015 including 18 climbers and their guides at the base camp of Mount Everest.Cash-strapped Nepal earns 4% of GDP through income from tourists.About 8% of the nearly 1.1 million tourists who visited the country in 2019 went hiking or mountain climbing, according to official estimates.Separately, four rescue helicopters on Saturday evacuated nearly 200 trekkers in the Annapurna region – about 140 of them foreigners - to safer locations, police said. Their nationalities are not yet known.


jerusalempost--2020-01-18--Yemen's rival powers battle over banknotes

Yemen's warring sides opened a new front in their five-year conflict on Saturday - a battle over old and new banknotes that threatens to create two economies in the same state.As of midnight, the Houthi movement which controls the capital Sanaa outlawed the use and possession of crisp new Yemeni riyal bills issued by its rivals in the internationally recognized government based in the southern port town of Aden.The Iran-allied Houthis, who say people should only use the old bills, have defended the ban as a move against inflation and what they call rampant money-printing by the government.The government has branded the ban an act of economic vandalism. And the population, as ever, have been left stuck in the crossfire.Yemenis from both sides told Reuters the ban had effectively created two currencies with diverging values, adding to the turmoil in a state already governed by two powers and brought to its knees by the war.In the one-month build up to the ban, people in Houthi-controlled areas have been queuing to try to exchange their new riyal notes for old, turning the grubby and torn bills into a prized and relatively scarce commodity.The riyal stood at about 560 to the dollar across Yemen before the ban was announced in mid-December. The rate has since slipped a little in Houthi-controlled areas to around 582, but slumped much further to 642 in the south, an area now awash with new bills.That relative strength might look like a boon for northerners, if only they could get hold of enough of the old notes in time to keep afloat in the largely cash-based economy."We go for the exchange and they won't take [the new notes] from us. Or say they need three, four or five days," craftsman Abdullah Saleh al-Dahmasi told Reuters on a Sanaa street a week before the ban came into force."The new one isn't accepted and the old one is worn out, they have to find a solution," the 27-year-old said.A few days before the ban came in, around 20 angry men and women were turned away from one exchange which said it had filled its quota for the day. Many had been coming there for three days in the hope of swapping their cash.North-south trade has become far more expensive as traders have to buy and sell two types of riyal - told apart by the state of the paper and the different sizes and designs.TWO CENTRAL BANKSMany people in Sanaa told Reuters they felt the ban was needed to constrain inflation. But they were facing difficulties in the short-term."When people saw that new currency come into circulation, they held onto it as it was new and shiny. But now it's a problem that they have it," said 28-year-old Abdallah Bashiri, a private sector worker in Sanaa.In that city, legal exchanges will swap 100,000 Yemeni riyals (around $172) in new notes for electronic currency that can be spent on things like phone credit or electricity bills, for a small fee of around $1.50.But things get more challenging when it comes to actual paper that can be spent in food markets. Sanaa residents said unofficial exchanges are offering to change 100,000 riyals of new notes into 90-96,000 riyals of the scarcer old.After the Houthis stormed the capital Sanaa in 2014 and ousted the government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, Yemen's central bank split into two branches - one in Sanaa, under Houthi control, and one internationally recognized branch in Aden, which has access to money printers.The Aden authorities have defended their decision to step up the printing of new money from 2017, saying it was an attempt to deal with a building cash crunch and pay public sector salaries."The Houthis ... did not consider the economic cost to society," Yousef Saeed Ahmad, adviser to the governor of Aden's central bank, told Reuters there this week."We hope the measures taken are short-term. They cannot be kept up because the economy is one, it is interrelated and commodities flow from Sanaa to Aden and vice versa. This measure will aggregate the living conditions of all Yemenis," he said.The crackdown on new banknotes means many public sector workers in Houthi areas have stopped receiving salaries from the Aden government. The resumption of these salary payments across conflict lines had been a key bipartisan step to alleviate Yemen's humanitarian crisis.The Houthis have defended their ban as a way of defending the value of the currency."The Sanaa central bank had to take measures to stem the dangerous practices the Aden central bank was carrying out through their monetary policy," said Sami al-Siyaghi, in charge of foreign banking operations at the Sanaa central bank."The imposition of [Aden's] monetary stance on us led to the collapse of the national currency against foreign currency ... With each new issuance you notice a commensurate collapse in the riyal against foreign currency," Siyashi told Reuters.


jerusalempost--2020-01-18--North Korean foreign minister replaced - report

SEOUL - North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho has been replaced, Seoul-based NK News reported on Saturday.Ri's replacement has not been identified but Pyongyang is set to reveal his successor about next Thursday, the report said, citing unnamed sources.South Korea's unification ministry, which is in charge of North Korea affairs, has said that any change in Ri's status should be assessed cautiously.Born in 1956, Ri is the son of Ri Myong Je, former deputy director of the Organization and Guidance Department (OGD), a shadowy body within the ruling Workers’ Party that oversees the appointment of management positions within the state, according to the South Korean unification ministry.His father was also an editor at the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the state media body that publishes Pyongyang’s propaganda statements.A fluent English speaker who studied at Pyongyang’s prestigious University of Foreign Languages, Ri has for years held a number of high-level posts dealing with the West.From 2003 to 2007, he was North Korea’s ambassador in London and served as vice foreign minister, representing North Korea at six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program.Ri did not attend the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations in September. He had attended the high-level meeting in New York for three years from 2016 to 2018.


jerusalempost--2020-01-18--Bad weather forces delay of SpaceX simulated rocket failure test

CAPE CANAVERAL - Bad weather forced Elon Musk's SpaceX to delay until Sunday a test in which it will destroy one of its own rockets in a trial of a crucial emergency abort system on an unmanned astronaut capsule.The test, the company's final milestone test before flying NASA astronauts from US soil, had been planned to take place on Saturday.SpaceX said in a Twitter post https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1218473546772430848 it was standing down from the Crew Dragon capsule test because of high winds and rough seas in the recovery area.It was now looking at carrying out the test on Sunday, with a six-hour test window starting at 8 a.m. ET (1300 GMT).Less than two minutes after liftoff from a launchpad in Florida, the Crew Dragon will fire on-board thrusters to eject itself off a Falcon 9 rocket mid-air, simulating an emergency abort scenario that will prove it can return astronauts to safety.The test is crucial to qualify SpaceX's astronaut capsule to fly humans to the International Space Station, which the National Aeronautics and Space Administration expects to come as soon as mid-2020. It follows years of development and delays as the United States has sought to revive its human spaceflight program through private partnerships.NASA awarded $4.2 billion to Boeing and $2.5 billion to SpaceX in 2014 to develop separate capsule systems capable of ferrying astronauts to the space station from US soil for the first time since NASA's space shuttle program ended in 2011.The space agency has since relied on Russian spacecraft to hitch rides to the space station.In the test, the Falcon 9 rocket's boosters will shut down roughly 12 miles (19 km) above the ocean, a mock failure that will trigger Crew Dragon's so-called SuperDraco thrusters to jet itself away at supersonic speeds of up to 1,500 miles per hour (2,400 kph).The capsule will deploy three parachutes to slow its descent to water, carrying aboard two human-shaped test dummies dressed in motion sensors to collect valuable data on the immense g-force — the effect of acceleration on the body — imposed during abort.The booster will free-fall and tumble back uncontrollably toward the ocean, SpaceX's Crew Mission Management director Benji Reed said. "At some point we expect that the Falcon will start to break up.""Our Falcon 9 recovery forces will be standing by ready to go and recover as much of the Falcon as we can as safely as possible," Reed said.The in-flight abort test was originally scheduled to take place in mid-2019, but the timeline was delayed by nine months after one of SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsules exploded in April on a test stand just before firing its launch abort thrusters, triggering a lengthy investigation.SpaceX zeroed in on a previously unknown explosive reaction between a titanium valve and the capsule's rocket fuel. Reed told Reuters SpaceX had completed the investigation within the last week.


jerusalempost--2020-01-18--UN Libya envoy hopes eastern oil ports closure ends in few days

BERLIN - The United Nations envoy to Libya said on Saturday he hoped but "could not predict" whether oil ports in the east of the country that were closed on Friday would be reopened in a few days."If the thing is not solved between today and tomorrow I expect the issue to be raised, yes," Ghassan Salame told Reuters, referring to a meeting in Berlin that will try to broker a reopening of the ports.


jerusalempost--2020-01-18--UN Libya mission 'deeply concerned' over disruption in oil production

CAIRO - The United Nations mission in Libya said on Saturday it was deeply concerned over efforts to disrupt oil production in the country and urged all sides to exercise restraint."This move would have devastating consequences first and foremost for the Libyan people who depend on the free flow of oil for their well-being," the mission said.


jerusalempost--2020-01-18--Czech Republic reports first H5N8 bird flu case in three years

PRAGUE - The Czech Republic has its first case of the highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu virus in three years after an outbreak was reported on a poultry farm in the country's central region, the State Veterinary Administration said on Saturday.The veterinary agency said the virus killed half of a flock of 12 hens, which was confirmed by tests, and that it had taken precautionary measures immediately.


jerusalempost--2020-01-18--Palestinian woman arrested for suspected stabbing attack in Jerusalem

A Palestinian woman was arrested in Jerusalem following a suspected stabbing attack, according to i24News. Social media videos show what appears to be an elderly woman detained after allegedly trying to attack Israeli security personnel with a knife at the Damascus gate in Jerusalem’s old city.This is a developing story.


jerusalempost--2020-01-18--A man was killed when his vehicle overturned near the Dead Sea

A man was killed when his vehicle overturned on Highway 90, near the Dead Sea Works. Magen David Adom forces deployed to the scene to provide medical treatment determined his death. At the same time, police forces arrived at the scene and opened an investigation into the circumstances of the incident.


jerusalempost--2020-01-18--Thousands evacuated from their homes in Fiji as cyclone strikes

Thousands of residents were evacuated from the northern part of Fiji on Friday as cyclone Tino struck , ynet reported.Defined @ @ @ @ @ , Tino is expected to continue on a southeasterly path during the weekend and slowly @ @ @ @ @ in the upcoming week , AccuWeather reported .

Thousands of residents were evacuated from the northern part of Fiji on Friday as cyclone Tino struck, ynet reported.Defined as a Category 2 cyclone, Tino is expected to continue on a southeasterly path during the weekend and slowly transition to a non-tropical system in the upcoming week, AccuWeather reported.


jerusalempost--2020-01-18--North Korea builds missiles ‘as fast as anyone’ says US Gen. Hyten

Vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff US Air Force Gen. John Hyten said that North Korea is “ building @ @ @ @ @ , new weapons as fast as anybody on the planet , ” CNN reported on @ @ @ @ @ , when missiles are your business , you need to “ test fast , fly @ @ @ @ @ during a talk he gave at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington @ @ @ @ @ itself is efficiency , ” he pointed out North Korea does all that while being @ @ @ @ @ economy in the world .

Vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff US Air Force Gen. John Hyten said that North Korea is “building new missiles, new capabilities, new weapons as fast as anybody on the planet,” CNN reported on Saturday.
Hyten said that, when missiles are your business, you need to “test fast, fly fast and learn fast” during a talk he gave at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
Saying that “speed itself is efficiency,” he pointed out North Korea does all that while being the 115’th powerful economy in the world.


jerusalempost--2020-01-18--State dept. to investigate if ex-ambassador Yovanovitch was under threat

The US State Department will do everything necessary to determine whether former US ambassador Marie Yovanovitch was under threat in @ @ @ @ @ Mike Pompeo said on Friday .
Documents released this week indicated Lev Parnas , a @ @ @ @ @ US President Donald Trump 's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani investigate US presidential candidate Joe Biden @ @ @ @ @ They also showed Parnas was involved in monitoring Yovanovitch 's movements before Trump removed her @ @ @ @ @ a respected career diplomat , was a key witness in the U.S. House of Representatives @ @ @ @ @ he was impeached in December .
Late on Friday , a Democratic aide said House @ @ @ @ @ text messages , photographs and other documents provided by Parnas for the Senate impeachment trial @ @ @ @ @ next week .

The US State Department will do everything necessary to determine whether former US ambassador Marie Yovanovitch was under threat in Ukraine, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday.
Documents released this week indicated Lev Parnas, a Ukraine-born US citizen, helped US President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani investigate US presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
They also showed Parnas was involved in monitoring Yovanovitch's movements before Trump removed her in May. Yovanovitch, a respected career diplomat, was a key witness in the U.S. House of Representatives' investigation of Trump before he was impeached in December.
Late on Friday, a Democratic aide said House Democrats will be sending additional text messages, photographs and other documents provided by Parnas for the Senate impeachment trial that gets underway in earnest next week.


jerusalempost--2020-01-19--UK's Johnson plans to move House of Lords to York

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is planning to relocate parliament's upper house, the House of Lords, to the northern English city of York, the Sunday Times reported.In last month's national election for the lower house, Johnson's Conservatives won a swathe of seats in the traditional Northern English heartland of the opposition Labour Party as he secured a large majority in parliament.With a view to securing these gains, Johnson has promised to ramp up investment in the north of England, which suffered under the decline of heavy industries and austerity policies since the financial crisis, the Sunday Times said, without citing sources.York, founded by the Romans and famed for its large minster, is first choice for the move, ahead of Birmingham, Britain's second-largest city.The unelected House of Lords, which dates back to the 14th Century, is principally seen as a revising and refining mechanism but it technically has the power to block laws.


jerusalempost--2020-01-18--Sixty killed in Houthi attack on camp in Yemen's Marib

Iran-aligned Houthis attacked a military training camp in the Yemeni city of Marib on Saturday, killing 60 military personnel and wounding dozens others, Saudi state television said on Saturday evening.Al Ekhbariya quoted sources as saying the attack was carried out with ballistic missiles and drones.A proxy war has been playing out in Yemen between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015, backing government forces fighting the Iran-allied Houthis. Iran has repeatedly denied supplying weapons to the Houthis.Iran-aligned Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack.


jerusalempost--2020-01-18--Suspected incendiary balloons found in Sderot

A spokesperson for the municipality of Sderot reported that a suspicious bundle of balloons , that was found in a @ @ @ @ @ Saturday afternoon , is suspected to be incendiary balloons .
No injuries or casualties were @ @ @ @ @

A spokesperson for the municipality of Sderot reported that a suspicious bundle of balloons, that was found in a neighborhood in the city on Saturday afternoon, is suspected to be incendiary balloons.
No injuries or casualties were reported during the incident.


jerusalempost--2020-01-19--Iran may review cooperation with IAEA if EU pressure mounts -TV

DUBAI - Iran will review its cooperation with the United Nations' nuclear watchdog should it face "unjust" measures, Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani said, after EU powers last week triggered a dispute mechanism under Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal.The move by France, Britain and Germany amounts to formally accusing Iran of violating the terms of the deal and could lead eventually to reimposing U.N. sanctions that were lifted under the pact."We state openly that if the European powers, for any reason, adopt an unfair approach in using the dispute mechanism, we will seriously reconsider our cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency," state TV quoted Larijani as saying.Tehran has continued to gradually roll back its nuclear commitments under the pact in reaction to sanctions reimposed by Washington since the U.S. quit the nuclear deal in 2018.Tehran said last week it would abandon limits on enriching uranium, though it would continue to cooperate with the U.N. nuclear watchdog (IAEA), which is policing the nuclear pact.President Hassan Rouhani, architect of the nuclear deal, has repeatedly said that Tehran's nuclear steps were reversible if Tehran's economy was shielded by other parties to the deal from U.S. penalties.Under the deal between Iran and major powers, Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for lifting international sanctions against the Islamic Republic.The three European nations said they still wanted the 2015 nuclear deal to succeed and were not joining a "maximum pressure" campaign by the United States.The mechanism involves a Joint Commission, whose members are Iran, Russia, China, Germany, France, Britain and the European Union, seeking to resolve the dispute.A group of Iranian lawmakers signed a statement on Sunday warning the European powers to "stop their hostile approach" toward Tehran, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported."Otherwise we, as representatives of the Iranian nation, will decide whether Iran should remain in the nuclear deal or whether it should continue its cooperation with the IAEA," the lawmakers said.Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, not parliament, has the last say on state matters such as Tehran's nuclear standoff with the West.The Tasnim report did not say how many lawmakers signed the statement, which also called on the government to consider downgrading its diplomatic ties with Britain after Iranian officials accused the U.K envoy to Tehran of attending an illegal protest, which he denies.


jerusalempost--2020-01-19--35-year-old man found dead in an open area near Rehovot

A 35-year-old man was found dead in an open area near Rehovot, according to a Mako report. MDA paramedics located the man, noticing that he was without signs of life, pronouncing his death at the scene.


jerusalempost--2020-01-19--Terror attack suspected in Barkan settlement in West Bank

Initial reports claim that a terror attack has taken place in the Barkan settlement in the northern West Bank.This is a developing story.


jerusalempost--2020-01-19--Lebanon's Hariri: 'stop wasting time' in govt talks, economic solutions

BEIRUT - Lebanon's Saad al-Hariri on Sunday urged politicians to urgently form a new government and find solutions for the country's economic crisis, after a night of violent clashes between security forces and protesters."There is a roadmap to calm the popular storm. Stop wasting time, form a government, open the door to political and economic solutions," tweeted Hariri, who resigned as prime minister in October under pressure from a wave of protests."To keep the army, security forces and protesters in a state of confrontation is to circle inside the problem," he said.


jerusalempost--2020-01-19--Court rejects Netanyahu's call for investigative material into his cases

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit on Sunday rejected the request of PM Netanyahu's attorneys to receive the full investigative material in the cases against him, according to Mako news. This includes files 1000, 2000 and 4000.The court explained that the full materials will only be transferred when Netanyahu begins the process for his indictment at the court.


jerusalempost--2020-01-19--Yamina: We will only recommend Netanyahu as PM

Yamina, the right-wing religious-Zionist party consisting of the New Right, Jewish Home and National Union, said that they will only recommend Benjamin Netanyahu as Prime Minister following the third election within a year, according to Walla news.Israel has been undergoing a period of political deadlock, as both the center-left and right-religous blocs have both been unable to form a majority government.Yisrael Beytenu chief Avigdor Liberman responded to the declaration, saying that "a vote for Yamina is a sure vote for a fourth election campaign."


jerusalempost--2020-01-19--Venezuelan president announces he's willing to negotiate with the US

CARACAS - Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido will meet on Monday in Bogota with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at a regional counter-terrorism meeting, according to two people close to Guaido.Colombian President Ivan Duque said on Twitter that he would meet with Guaido on Sunday afternoon and Guaido would on Monday attend the conference. Spokespeople for Guaido and the US State Department had no immediate comment.Guaido has not left Venezuela since February, when he defied a court-imposed travel ban and traveled to neighboring Colombia to organize a US-backed effort to transport aid cargos back across the border, which was blocked by troops loyal to President Nicolas Maduro.The United States, along with some 50 other nations, has recognized Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate head-of-state since last January when he invoked the constitution as head of congress and declared Maduro an usurper.But a year on Maduro remains in power, despite a US campaign to cut off his government's sources of financing by imposing sanctions on Venezuela's vital oil sector, and Guaido's attempts to encourage the military to rebel.Earlier this month, Venezuela's ruling Socialist Party seized control of the National Assembly and swore in an allied politician who defected from Guaido's camp. Opposition lawmakers than voted in Guaido for a second term as congress chief in a separate session.Pompeo at the time congratulated Guaido for his re-election and condemned "the failed efforts of the former Maduro regime to negate the will of the democratically elected National Assembly."Maduro accuses Guaido of being a coup-mongering puppet controlled by the White House. In an interview published by the Washington Post on Saturday, Maduro said the Trump administration had underestimated his staying power and he "didn't care" about sanctions.


jerusalempost--2020-01-19--China reports 17 more cases of new virus strain

China reported 17 more cases of pneumonia caused by a new coronavirus strain on Sunday, stoking worries as the country gears up to celebrate Chinese Lunar New Year when much of the population travels.Three of those patients are seriously ill, according to a statement issued by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission.The total number of patients infected by the disease in China, all of them in central Chinese city of Wuhan, has now climbed to 62. Two have died.The 17 new patients began exhibiting symptoms such as a fever or cough before Jan.13, the statement said.


jerusalempost--2020-01-20--At least two dead in Honolulu shooting

At least two dead in Honolulu shooting

At least two Honolulu police officers were killed in a shooting on Sunday ( local time ) , CNN affilliate @ @ @ @ @ Honolulu Police reported that `` the area of Hibiscus Drive and connecting streets are closed @ @ @ @ @ . ''
A Hawaii News Now video showed that several houses on Hibiscus Drive were @ @ @ @ @ previously reported that the suspect set a home on fire on that street .

At least two Honolulu police officers were killed in a shooting on Sunday (local time), CNN affilliate Hawaii News Now reported.
Honolulu Police reported that "the area of Hibiscus Drive and connecting streets are closed down due to police investigation."


jerusalempost--2020-01-19--Syria: Air defense systems activated near Russian military base

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Syrian air-defenses were activated on Sunday evening near the Russian air force base in Khmeimim, Yisrael Hayom reported.This is a developing story.


jerusalempost--2020-01-19--No normalization in relations yet, Boris Johnson tells Vladimir Putin

LONDON - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday there would be no normalization of the two countries' relations until Moscow ends its "destabilizing activity" that threatens security.A spokeswoman from Johnson's Downing Street office said the prime minister met Putin on the sidelines of a summit on Libya in Berlin, where the two discussed the need to address security issues in Libya, Syria, Iraq and Iran."He was clear there had been no change in the UK's position on Salisbury, which was a reckless use of chemical weapons and a brazen attempt to murder innocent people on UK soil. He said that such an attack must not be repeated," the spokeswoman said in a statement.This referred to a 2018 chemical attack on a former Russian double agent in the city of Salisbury that the British government blamed on Russian military intelligence."The prime minister said there will be no normalization of our bilateral relationship until Russia ends the destabilizing activity that threatens the UK and our allies and undermines the safety of our citizens and our collective security."


jerusalempost--2020-01-19--Earthquake of magnitude 6.0 strikes Sulawesi, Indonesia

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck Sulawesi, Indonesia on Monday, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said.The quake was about 116 km southeast of Gorontalo, Indonesia and was at a depth of about 131 km.


jerusalempost--2020-01-19--Palestinians throw explosive devices at IDF soldiers – Report

Palestinian terrorists threw explosive devices at IDF soldiers stationed at the border of the Gaza Strip, news-site 0404 reported on Sunday.The report follows earlier reports of incendiary balloon terror.


jerusalempost--2020-01-19--Incendiary balloon spotted over fields in Gaza border communities

An incendiary balloon was spotted on Sunday evening over fields in Gaza border communities , Channel 13 reported .
The @ @ @ @ @ in the southern city of Sderot on Sunday , no casualties were reported .
Unconfirmed @ @ @ @ @ tank struck a terror target at the security fence on the Gaza Strip border .
@ @ @ @ @ be terrorists who were releasing incendiary balloons .

An incendiary balloon was spotted on Sunday evening over fields in Gaza border communities, Channel 13 reported.
The report follows an explosion reported in the southern city of Sderot on Sunday, no casualties were reported.
Unconfirmed Palestinian reports suggest an IDF tank struck a terror target at the security fence on the Gaza Strip border.
The target is said to be terrorists who were releasing incendiary balloons.


jerusalempost--2020-01-19--Tzofar farmers thank Netanyahu, will begin to cultivate new land

Farmers in the Arava Desert community of Tzofar, which will be returned to Jordan in April under the conditions of the peace treaty between Israel and that country, thanked Prime Minister Benjami Netanyahu on Sunday for approving a budget of 14 million NIS [USD 4 mil] to be used to cultivate fields currently owned by the Jewish National Fund for agricultural usage, a press release reported.The fields are located north of the community town of Sapir in the central Arava region.The budget is meant to be followed by another 8 million NIS following the approval of the 2020 budget.


jerusalempost--2020-01-19--Macron says presence of foreign fighters in Libya must end immediately

PARIS - The presence of Syrian and other foreign forces in Tripoli must end immediately, French President Emmanuel Macron will say in a speech to be delivered to a Libya peace conference on Sunday.The United Nations should negotiate truce terms in Libya without either of the warring parties setting preconditions, Macron said in the speech seen by Reuters.The speech makes no mention of an advance towards Tripoli by eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar or a halt in oil output.


jerusalempost--2020-01-19--Canada: There are no firm plans for downloading black boxes from jet

OTTAWA - There are still no firm plans for downloading the cockpit and flight data from a Ukrainian airliner which was shot down by Iran 10 days ago, Canada's Transportation Safety Board (TSB) said on Sunday.The TSB said in a statement that two of its crash investigators had left Tehran earlier on Sunday after a six-day visit during which they examined the wreckage. A total of 176 people died in the disaster, 57 of them Canadian citizens.


jerusalempost--2020-01-19--Yaffa Issachar lands in Israel, hopes Putin will release her daughter

Yaffa Issachar flew out of Moscow on Sunday teary eyed having left her daughter Naama in a Russian jail, but arrived at Ben-Gurion Airport hopeful that this week she will finally hear news of her daughter’s release.“I came because this is the ‘moment of truth’ for Naama,” said Yaffa as she spoke with reporters in the arrivals hall.Behind her, balloons flew as families and friends waited to be united. Someone yelled out “Mom.”Anticipation is high that Russian President Vladimir Putin during his Thursday visit to Israel will announce his intention to pardon and release the 26-year-old yoga teacher.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Putin last week. He then published a statement in which he said he was optimistic there would be progress on the case.On Sunday, he reported on the conversation at the start of the weekly governmental meeting.“I hope that on the occasion of the visit, we will also hear good news soon,” Netanyahu said.The Jerusalem Post’s sister paper Maariv reported that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov is set to meet with Social Equality Minister Gila Gamliel on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of a pardon for Naama.Yaffa told reporters she too was hopeful that “this week we will know when she will be released.”It would not be an “easy week,” Yaffa said as she asked Naama’s supporters to lay low in advance of Putin’s visit. Yaffa said she hoped to meet with Netanyahu during her time in Israel this week, but as of Sunday night no such meeting had been scheduled.“I respect President Putin. I believe that he will pardon her and return Naama home as soon as possible,” Yaffa said.“I have faith and hope” that the next step will Naama’s return,” Yaffa said.She described how earlier in the day, “I left [Moscow] in tears because I left her there. If there are no surprises, I will go back to bring her [home].”Later in the day Yaffa sent a message to all the activists who had worked on her daughter's behalf and asked them to cancel any protest activities they had planned for this week because this week is a "critical, fragile and sensitive time" with regard to Naama's fate.Their efforts, she said, had raised public awareness of Naama's plight and helped create the atmosphere that could potentially lead to her release.Yaffa likened the experience to being on a roller coaster that changed course every few hours as it rode through a rumor mill. "It's also been a mental roller coaster for my family and myself," she said."You have done a wonderful job," Yaffa told the activists, adding that it was time now to allow for the negotiations between Russia and Israel to advance. "I'm optimistic and you should be as well," Yaffa added.Naama was arrested in April while on a layover in Moscow’s airport on her way back to Israel from India. Russian authorities stopped her at the gate of her departing flight prior to boarding after claiming they found 9.5 grams of cannabis in her checked luggage. At no point did Naama leave the airport, nor did she have any intention of leaving the airport. She has denied the charge levied against her.She is widely believed to have been jailed and sentenced last year as part of a failed diplomatic maneuver to prevent Israel from extraditing alleged Russian computer hacker Alexei Burkov to the United States. That extradition has since gone through.There is wide sympathy in Israel for her case, and Netanyahu is under public pressure to get her released.


jerusalempost--2020-01-19--Turkey's Erdogan urges Libya's Haftar to end aggressive stance

BERLIN - Eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar must end his aggressive stance to pave the way for a political process in the North African country, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday at a peace summit in Berlin."To implement the other stages of the political process and solution, Haftar's aggressive stance must come to an end," Erdogan said in comments broadcast on Turkish television at the start of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.


jerusalempost--2020-01-19--Magnitude 5.7 earthquake strikes Southern Xinjiang in China

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Southern Xinjiang, China on Sunday, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said.The quake was about 100 km east of Kashi, China and was at a depth of about 10 km.


jerusalempost--2020-01-19--Explosion reported in Sderot – Incendiary balloons suspected

An explosion was reported in the southern city of Sderot on Sunday, no casualties were reported.The city's spokesperson said that the cause of the explosion is unknown and that security services are investigating the matter.Incendiary balloons are suspected as a possible cause to the explosion.Unconfirmed Palestinian reports suggest an IDF tank is striking a terror target at the security fence on the Gaza Strip border.The target is said to be terrorists who are releasing incendiary balloons.


jerusalempost--2020-01-20--Kremlin: Na'ama Issachar's potential pardon to be discussed with Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss a likely pardon for Naama Issachar , who is in a Moscow prison, the Kremlin said on Monday.This was the first time the Kremlin acknowledged talks were taking place between the leaders about Issachar’s fate, as they continued negotiations over her release.The leaders will meet on Thursday, when Putin will be in Jerusalem for 12 hours to attend the Fifth World Holocaust Forum.Leaders of more than 40 countries, including presidents, prime ministers, kings and princes, plan to attend the event in honor of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, which will also focus on fighting contemporary antisemitism.Netanyahu and National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat met with Issachar’s mother, Yaffa Issachar, and other relatives. After the meeting, Netanyahu said, “I hope… for good news.”“I hugged her in all of your names,” he said in a video posted on social media following the meeting. “And I told her that, as the Kremlin said today, I plan to meet with President Putin on Thursday and discuss a pardon for Naama.”Issachar, a 26-year-old American-Israeli, was sentenced last year to more than seven years in prison in Russia for allegedly possessing 9.5 grams of cannabis in her luggage while on a stopover in Moscow on her way from India to Israel. Netanyahu has formally requested that Issachar be pardoned on humanitarian grounds.A pardon is the likely outcome for Issachar, but it is unclear when it will happen and in what format. One possibility is that she will move to Israel to serve her sentence there, and then, President Reuven Rivlin would either pardon her or commute her sentence.As for what Russia would receive in return for the gesture, Putin’s camp continues to pressure Israel to give Russia more land in the Russian Compound in central Jerusalem. The Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society chairman recently said Putin is “very interested” in buying the Elizabeth Courtyard in the Russian Compound, where there is currently an Israel Police detention center. In 2008, Israel granted Moscow ownership of Sergei’s Courtyard, a guesthouse constructed by the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society in 1891.Social Equality Minister Gila Gamliel plans to meet with Russian special presidential envoy for the Middle East Mikhail Bogdanov in Jerusalem on Tuesday to discuss Issachar’s case.Gamliel was in Russia last week, where she asked for a goodwill gesture from Russian officials. Bogdanov warned her at the time that “anti-Russian” statements and accusations of antisemitism will not help Issachar’s case.Israeli diplomatic sources said publicly pressuring Russia could have an adverse effect on Issachar’s case. Sunday night, her mother called for the cancellation of any protests planned during Putin’s visit.Putin plans to dedicate a monument to victims of the Siege of Leningrad during World War II in Jerusalem’s Sacher Park on Thursday.The Kremlin also confirmed that Putin will visit Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during his short trip to the region. Abbas and Putin will meet in Bethlehem, where Putin will also visit Christian sites. Putin is also expected to bring up Russian property under PA control.French President Emmanuel Macron plans to meet with Abbas in Ramallah on Wednesday.The first leader attending the World Holocaust Forum landed in Israel on Monday afternoon, Australian Governor-General David Hurley.The presidents of Georgia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Romania, Finland, Portugal, Iceland, Bosnia-Herzegovina and North Macedonia, along with US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, are expected to arrive on Tuesday.


jerusalempost--2020-01-20--Putin will meet with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, the Kremlin reports


jerusalempost--2020-01-20--EU foreign ministers to discuss Israeli-Palestinian conflict Monday

European Foreign Ministers are slated to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during a scheduled meeting in Brussels on Monday. But the talks come amid rumors that US President Donald Trump is slated to finally publish his long awaited "Deal of the Century" to resolve the conflict. The EU and the Trump administration are at odds over the best path forward. The EU holds to a two-state resolution based on the pre-1967 lines, while the Trump administration had not taken the '67-lines into consideration.


jerusalempost--2020-01-20--Lebanon caretaker PM Hariri: new gov't needed urgently to avoid collapse

BEIRUT - Lebanon needs to urgently form a new government to get out of a cycle of collapse that has repercussions for the country's economic and security situation, caretaker prime minister Saad al-Hariri tweeted on Monday.Hariri said the country was headed to the "unknown" while obstruction has continued and the team responsible for forming a government has taken its time.Lebanon has been without a government since Hariri resigned on Oct. 29 in the face of mass protests


jerusalempost--2020-01-20--Ukraine to press for plane crash black boxes as Iran minister visits

Ukraine will press Iran to hand over the black boxes from the crash of a Ukrainian passenger plane at a meeting with a visiting Iranian delegation on Monday, Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko told reporters.Ukraine would convey the message to visiting Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami, that returning the black boxes would show that Iran wanted an unbiased investigation of the crash, Prystaiko said."His main task is to apologize and acknowledge what happened. We hope that we can go a little further than just political discussions and discuss practical problems. Among them in particular is the return of the black boxes," Prystaiko said.Iran had said on Sunday it was trying to analyze the black boxes from the airliner its military shot down this month, denying an earlier report it would hand them to Ukraine. All 176 aboard the flight died."At first they stated that they were handing them over, then the same person stated that they were not handing them over. This created some misunderstanding in Ukraine and we were starting to be asked: are they being handed over or not?"Many of those killed had were Iranians with dual citizenship, but Iran does not recognize dual nationality and on Monday said it would treat the victims as Iranian nationals.


jerusalempost--2020-01-20--North Korea's Kim Jong Un appoints new foreign minister

SEOUL - North Korea's new foreign minister is a former defense commander with little diplomatic experience, spotlighting leader Kim Jong Un's reliance on party and military loyalists at a sensitive time amid stalled US talks, analysts in Seoul said on Monday.Last week, North Korea told countries with embassies in Pyongyang that Ri Son Gwon, a senior military officer and official of the ruling Workers' Party, had been appointed foreign minister, a diplomatic source in Seoul told Reuters.He replaces Ri Yong Ho, a career diplomat with years of experience negotiating with Washington, but who often took a backseat to other officials during the last two years of diplomacy.Seoul-based NK News first reported the change on Saturday, citing unnamed sources in Pyongyang.Analysts said it was too soon to tell exactly what impact the appointment may have for the stalled denuclearisation talks with the United States, but said Ri Son Gwon had often played a confrontational role in negotiations with South Korea.Unlike his predecessor, Ri Son Gwon does not have any experience in dealing with nuclear issues or US officials, though he has led high-level talks between the neighbors.Previously chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country (CPRC), which handles relations with South Korea, Ri is the latest military official to be promoted to the party leadership."There has been a demonstrative crossover dynamic in which senior military officials migrate into the party leadership," said Michael Madden, a North Korea leadership expert at the Stimson Centre, a US think tank.As the young North Korean leader oversaw a number of short-range ballistic missile launches in the past year, the number of military and arms industry officials appearing in public with Kim Jong Un has increased sharply.Ri had largely stayed out of the public eye since talks with South Korea stalled last year. But in April he was named to the foreign affairs panel of the Supreme People's Assembly, the country's parliament, and was most recently seen at a meeting of the party's policy-making central committee in December.A tough, hawkish negotiator, Ri "stormed out of the room" during military talks with South Korea in 2014 when Seoul demanded an apology for what it saw as the North's past military provocations, a former South Korean official who met him said.Ri was also known as a right-hand man of Kim Yong Chol, another former military leader who took up a top party post before steering nuclear talks with the United States.POWER SHIFTSAfter the failed Hanoi summit with US President Donald Trump, Kim Yong Chol faded from public view as Kim Jong Un elevated diplomats versed in US relations, including Ri Yong Ho's deputy Choe Son Hui.But Kim Yong Chol seemed to retain influence behind the scenes, while the role of Ri Yong Ho gradually withered, as working-level talks with the United States also collapsed in October and Washington ignored a year-end deadline to resume negotiations.Ri Yong Ho's absence from a group photograph of top party executives at the December meeting prompted speculation about his future."Ri Yong Ho is the official who was effectively sidelined after the Hanoi meetings and was removed from office because the interlocutors selected by the foreign ministry appeared not to accomplish anything," Madden said.As Ri Son Gwon becomes foreign minister, deputy Choe is expected to retain an influential position, thanks in part to her family background and personal rapport with an inner circle of women close to Kim Jong Un, including his sister and wife, diplomatic sources say."What's most important is what Kim Jong Un thinks, and he needs someone he can trust to speak for him, whether it be Ri Son Gwon or Choe Son Hui," said Kim Hong-kyun, a former South Korean nuclear negotiator.


jerusalempost--2020-01-20--Nissenkorn accuses Shaked of not standing against 'cameras bill'

On Monday, MK Avi Nissenkorn told 103 FM, "The cameras bill, which [Attorney-General Avichai] Mandelblit and Knesset Members opposed in the previous elections, [Knesset Speaker] Yuli Edelstein pushed forward within 48 hours, and I did not see Ayelet Shaked oppose it then."Shaked responded, "It turns out that the representative of a party that was negotiating to form a minority government with Ahmed Tibi and Ayman Odeh is weak not only in the economy, but also in facts. Then we will remind you Avi that Ayelet Shaked was not an MK at that time."The bill, which was voted on in September, but ultimately failed, would have allowed the installation of cameras in voting booths. The main backer of the bill was the Likud party, which argued that it would help fight voter fraud.


jerusalempost--2020-01-20--Iran considers dual nationals on downed Ukrainian plane to be Iranians

DUBAI - Iran considers dual nationals aboard a Ukrainian plane that was shot down accidentally this month to be Iranian citizens, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday.Iran does not recognize dual nationality. Many of the 176 people killed in the disaster were Iranians with dual citizenship. Canada had 57 citizens on board."We have informed Canada that Tehran considers dual nationals who were killed in the plane crash as Iranian citizens ... Iran is mourning their deaths," Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi told a televised weekly news conference.As protests erupted in Iran over the plane disaster, the British ambassador in Tehran was briefly detained. Officials said he was at an "illegal" rally, while the envoy said he was attending a vigil for victims. Britain criticized his detention."Iran respects all foreign diplomats in Iran as long as they do not violate international laws," Mousavi said.


jerusalempost--2020-01-20--Man hit by vehicle in Jerusalem, rushed to Hadassah Hospital

A 70-year-old man was in critical condition after a vehicle hit him in Jerusalem on Monday. Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics provided medical treatment at the scene before sending him to Hadassah Hospital."When I arrived at the scene, he was lying unconscious on the road. We performed preliminary medical examinations in the field and quickly rushed him to the ambulance when his condition became critical," said senior MDA medic Lior Sasha.Israel Police said in a statement that it launched an investigation.


jerusalempost--2020-01-20--South Korea confirms first case of new coronavirus in Chinese visitor

SEOUL - South Korea reported on Monday its first confirmed case of the new coronavirus that has broken out in China, South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said.The patient is a 35-year-old Chinese woman who flew from Wuhan, China to Incheon international airport on Sunday. She was isolated upon entry into the country due to symptoms such as high fever, KCDC said in a statement.An outbreak of a new coronavirus in China has spread to more cities, Chinese authorities said on Monday, as the number of patients tripled and a third person died, stoking concerns about the containment of the virus


jerusalempost--2020-01-20--Police arrest organizer of Hong Kong protest after rally turns violent

HONG KONG - A prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist was arrested by police, his organization said on Monday, after a protest he helped organize in the financial district a day earlier turned violent with officers firing tear gas to disperse the crowds.Ventus Lau was arrested on Sunday evening on charges of "obstruction of police administration" and violating terms set when permission was granted for the protest, the Hong Kong Civil Assembly Team said in a statement.The organizers initially applied for a permit - known as a letter of no objection - for a march, but the police only agreed to a static rally in a park in the city's Central district.But as the crowds swelled and spilled onto surrounding streets, some protesters briefly barricaded roads with umbrellas, traffic cones and other street furniture and dug up bricks from the pavement.Police then ordered a halt to the protest and began dispersing the crowd."It was primarily rioters' violent acts which led to the suspension of the gathering," Senior Superintendent Ng Lok-chun told reporters."The organizer has violated the agreements set in the no objection letter, failed to assist in maintaining the order in the public gathering event, that is why we have arrested Mr. Lau."Police said two community liaison officers were attacked with wooden sticks and sustained head injuries. They also said some protesters threw water bottles at officers conducting a 'stop and search' operation.In a statement late on Sunday, the government said it "strongly condemns" the attack on the police officers.The "Universal Siege Against Communism" demonstration was the latest in a relentless series of anti-government protests since June, when Hong Kongers took to the streets to voice their anger over a now-withdrawn extradition bill.Organizers said 150,000 attended the demonstration, while police estimated a crowd of 11,680 at its peak.


jerusalempost--2020-01-20--China confirms spread of coronavirus as new cases surge

BEIJING - An outbreak of a new coronavirus in China has spread to more cities, Chinese authorities said on Monday, as the number of patients tripled and a third person died, stoking concerns about the containment of the virus.The Daxing health commission in the capital Beijing said it had confirmed two cases of coronavirus, while the southern Guangdong province's health commission confirmed one case in Shenzhen. They mark the first cases in China beyond the central city of Wuhan where the virus first emerged.The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said 136 new cases of pneumonia caused by the coronavirus strain had been found in the city over the weekend, adding to 62 already known cases. A third death occurred on Saturday, the authority said in a statement.This brings the total number of known cases worldwide to more than 200, underscoring the challenge for health authorities seeking to contain the outbreak.Hundreds of millions of Chinese tourists will be traveling domestically and abroad during the Lunar New Year holiday period that starts later this week.A report by London Imperial College's MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis estimated that by Jan. 12 there were 1,723 cases in Wuhan City with onset of related symptoms. Chinese health authorities have not commented directly on the report.CONTAINMENT EFFORTSAuthorities around the globe, including in the United States and many Asian countries, have stepped up screening of travelers from Wuhan. Outside China, two cases have been reported in Thailand and one in Japan, all involving people from Wuhan or who recently visited the city.The virus belongs in the same family of coronaviruses as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed nearly 800 people globally during a 2002/03 outbreak that also started in China.Its symptoms include fever and difficulty in breathing, which are similar to many other respiratory diseases and pose complications for screening efforts.China's National Health Commission said on Sunday it will step up prevention efforts, but acknowledged it still doesn't know the source of the virus.Shares in pharmaceutical firms and mask makers in China surged Monday because of the outbreak.The outbreak was one of the top trending topics on Chinese social media platform Weibo, where many users expressed concerns about their safety."Who knows how many people who have been to Wuhan may be unaware that they have already been infected?," one user said.China's Global Times, published by the ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily newspaper, said in an editorial the government needs to disclose all information and not repeat the mistakes made with SARS. Chinese officials covered up the SARS outbreak for weeks before a growing death toll and rumors forced it to reveal the epidemic."Concealment would be a serious blow to the government's credibility and might trigger greater social panic," the editorial said.