JPost.com - Headlines

Israel to hold nationwide chemical warfare drill

2013-05-26T05:49:00

Israel will hold a nationwide chemical warfare drill on Sunday, Israel Radio reported.

The drill will test homefront readiness to an unconventional weapons attack, the level of communication between civilians and authorities and municipalities' preparedness for emergency.

On Monday, drill sirens will be heard nationwide.

Report: Russia backs out of S-300 missile sale to Syria

2013-05-26T04:33:20

Russia has reportedly backed out of a deal to sell Syrian President Bashar Assad advanced S-300 anti-aircraft missiles, The Sunday Times reported on Sunday.

The paper quotes a senior Russian official as saying Moscow has been convinced by Israel that if the missiles fall into the wrong hands, they could be used to attack civilian aircraft at Ben Gurion airport.

The official adds that, in return, Russia expects Israel to refrain from future air strikes on Syria.

Suspect in stabbing shot after threatening to slaughter cop

2013-05-26T03:23:29

Police shot a man in his early 20s and seriously wounded him on Saturday night, after he threatened to slaughter a police officer, Army Radio reported.

The man was suspected of stabbing another young man, and was being pursued by police as a consequence. During the chase, he turned around and told one of the police officers, "I will slaughter you," while holding a knife.

The suspect was shot after ignoring police orders to stop.

Magen David Adom paramedics evacuated the suspect in critical condition to the Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Campus in Petah Tikva.

1 killed, 2 moderately injured in car crash on Highway 6

2013-05-26T02:07:09

One person in his 40s was killed and two others also in their 40s were moderately and lightly injured on Saturday evening when a car rolled down into a ditch on Highway 6, Magen David Adom spokesman said.

The injured were evacuated to Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot.

Gas protesters move demonstration to TA auditorium

2013-05-26T01:33:12

Protesters demonstrating over the government's intention to approve the export of natural gas from Israel moved their protest to the Charles Bronfman Auditorium in Tel Aviv after police dispersed the crowds in front of Energy and Water Minister Silvan Shalom's residence, Army Radio reported.

The protesters demanded the decision on whether or not to approve the export of natural gas from Israel should be moved to the Knesset and not be kept in the government's hands.

Kerry says aid to Egypt depends on economic reform

2013-05-26T01:21:06

ADDIS ABABA - US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Egypt to act swiftly on economic reforms to secure a $4.8 billion International Monetary Fund loan, saying the measures were needed to get further aid from the US Congress, an American official said.

Kerry met Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi for about an hour on the sidelines of an African Union summit on Saturday, discussing Syria's civil war, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, human rights in Egypt and the country's faltering economy, the official said.

Egypt's Islamist-led government has been resistant to introducing the austerity measures needed to win the IMF funding, including raising taxes and cutting fuel subsidies, fearing such painful reforms could provoke social unrest.

However, an IMF deal could help shore up investor and donor concerns after two years of political instability since the overthrow of former president Hosni Mubarak in early 2011. The instability has depressed tourism, a crucial industry for Egypt.

The US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Kerry had made the argument that the reforms were necessary to persuade American lawmakers to proceed with further economic support for the country, which borders US ally Israel.

British police arrest three more over killing of soldier

2013-05-26T00:00:28

LONDON - British counter-terrorism police arrested three men on Saturday on suspicion of conspiracy to murder over the killing of a soldier near a barracks in London.

Police arrested two men, aged 24 and 28, at a house in the south of the capital, the city's police force said. A third man, aged 21, was detained in southeast London.

Two men are recovering in hospital after being shot and arrested by police on suspicion of the murder of soldier Lee Rigby in London on Wednesday.

One dead, one injured in car accident on Highway 6

2013-05-25T23:41:32

One man was killed and another was moderately injured Saturday night in a two vehicle accident on Highway 6 near Kiryat Gat.

Magen David Adom EMS pronounced the man dead at the scene of the accident and treated the injured man.

At least five killed as Guinea protests escalate

2013-05-25T23:29:20

CONAKRY - At least five people were killed on Saturday when security forces in Guinea opened fire on protesters in opposition strongholds in the capital, medical sources and witnesses said.

The violence brings to 11 the number of people killed since Thursday in unrest that began over election preparations but has frequently degenerated into looting and clashes between ethnic groups.

Palestinian film 'Omar' takes prize at Cannes

2013-05-25T22:35:25

A tragic love story between two Palestinians living under Israeli occupation received an award for Un Certain Regard 'Jury' prize at the Cannes film festival on Monday and broke new ground as the first film fully funded by the Palestinian cinema industry.

"Omar" by director Hany Abu-Assad, known for the 2005 award-winning film "Paradise Now", is a political thriller interwoven with a story of trust and betrayal as two lovers are torn apart by Israel's secret police and Palestinian freedom fighters.

Omar, a baker, is in love with Nadia, the sister of his friend Tarek who is a Palestinian fighter on the West Bank.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Police close road outside MK Shalom's house in Ramat Gan

2013-05-25T22:05:38

Israel police on Saturday night closed Jabotinsky Street from East to West following demonstrations near the house of Energy and Water Minister Silvan Shalom.

They advised commuters to take alternative routes.

Bomb in Yemeni military vehicle kills two, injures six

2013-05-25T21:32:58

ADEN - A remotely-detonated bomb planted in a military vehicle killed a soldier and a civilian and injured six other soldiers in the Hadramaut region of eastern Yemen on Saturday evening, a local security official said.

The explosion took place in the town of al-Shehr as the vehicle drove along a main road, the official said. He added Islamist militants were suspected of the bombing.

Islamist militants seized control of swathes of south and east Yemen during the political chaos of the Arab Spring in 2011. They instituted Islamic law in captured towns and allied with al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, seen in the West as the movement's most dangerous wing.

Yemeni armed forces and pro-government tribal militias backed by the U.S. ousted Islamists from major towns last year, but fighting persists.

Stability in lawless, impoverished Yemen is a priority for Washington, which wants to prevent al Qaeda using it as a base to plot international attacks.

'Between 180-200 French militants have fought in Syria'

2013-05-25T21:16:27

PARIS - Between 180 and 200 French citizens have traveled to Syria in the past year to join a two-year-old rebellion against President Bashar Assad, Le Monde reported on Saturday, citing figures from France's internal DCRI and external DGSE security services.

That number, which is higher than a previous estimate of about 50, includes fighters who took up arms with rebel groups like the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front. About two dozen have already returned to France, Le Monde said.

The newspaper also quoted security sources as saying France was worried about the risk of attacks by those returning home from the conflict.

New fighting in central Sudanese state

2013-05-25T20:46:44

KHARTOUM - New fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and rebels in a central state where insurgents launched a major attack last month, both sides said on Saturday.

The government is grappling with an umbrella of rebel groups trying to move its fight to topple President Omar Hassan al-Bashir from remote regions in Darfur in the west and the eastern Blue Nile state bordering Ethiopia closer to Khartoum.

United Nations' aid chief Valerie Amos said earlier this week that about 300,000 people have fled their homes due to a surge in fighting in the Darfur region this year and are now living in terrible conditions and short of food.

Police: French soldier stabbed in neck in Paris

2013-05-25T20:20:18

PARIS - A French soldier patrolling a business area of western Paris was stabbed in the neck on Saturday by a man who quickly fled the scene and was still being sought, a police source said.

The soldier, patrolling as part of France's Vigipirate anti-terrorist surveillance plan, was injured in the stabbing around 1800 p.m. but would survive, the source said.

French daily Le Parisien cited police sources as saying the suspected attacker was a bearded man of North African origin about 30 years old, and was wearing an Arab-style garment under his jacket.

Measles outbreak in Orthodox community in New York

2013-05-25T20:05:08

Public health officials discovered a case of measles at a kosher grocery store in the Orthodox community of Spring Valley, New York.

The Rockland County Health Department advised anybody who was at the store, Hatzlacha Grocery Store located at 80 West Spring St., between 1:30 and 4:30 P.M. on Wednesday to contact their doctor.

High-risk groups for measles include pregnant women, infants less than 6 months old, immunocompromised individuals or anyone who has not been vaccinated against the disease.

Spring Valley is one of several densely populated Orthodox towns in the county, which is located approximately 45 minutes north of Manhattan.

Erdan: 52% of TA residents have no missile shelters

2013-05-25T19:24:31

"Fifty-two percent of Tel Aviv residents have no missile shelter," Home Front Security and Communications Minister Gilad Erdan told Channel 2 news on Saturday.

Referring to the Syrian crisis, Erdan warned that Tel Aviv was unprepared for a chemical attack, but reassured that there was a probability of Syria's chemical weapons being used against Israel.

Egypt court rejects election law, poll delays expected

2013-05-25T19:02:39

CAIRO - Egypt's highest court ruled on Saturday that parts of a revised election law setting out terms for a parliamentary election were unconstitutional, casting fresh doubt over a poll that has already been delayed.

The Islamist-dominated upper house of parliament had approved the law last month and sent it to the Supreme Constitutional Court to check the legality of the voting procedures for a new lower house.

Opposition politicians had denounced the text of the revised election law approved by parliament and repeated threats to boycott the vote.

Firefighting teams attempt to quell Galilee forest fire

2013-05-25T18:55:24

Six firefighting crews and four planes are attempting to gain control of a fire that erupted on late Saturday afternoon in the western Galilee, Army Radio reported.

According to the report, the fire is spreading quickly due to high winds.

Lapid reassures Yesh Atid voters progress underway

2013-05-25T18:35:54

With the heavy lifting for the state budget done, Finance Minister Yair Lapid reassured his voters that he was making promise on the major issues of his campaign: equality of service, lowering the cost of living, bringing down housing cosrs, improving education, and reducing the number of ministers in the government.

"We ran in the elections under the banner 'We came to make changes.' Now we are making changes," he wrote to Yesh Atid supporters in a Friday night e-mail. "It's not bad for two months, but is it enough? Certainly not. Many of these changes are just the beginning."

First and foremost, Lapid touted the progress of the Peri Committee for draftng haredim into the army.

"The decisions of the equality of the burden commitee, upon which the the vote will take place on Sunday, is a huge political victory for Yesh Atid, but much more so for for the state of Israel," he wrote.

Within three years, 70% of haredim will be conscripted, 28,000 more haredim will enter the labor market, and they will only be allowed to delay their service until 21, and even then only with the IDF's consent, Lapid said.

Lapid called the haredi draft a "bleeding wound in Israeli society. "Instead of succumbing to various sectors, the state is returning to act like a sovereign standing his ground."