14 groundwater sites were contaminated by hazardous pollutants due to the activities of Israel’s Defense Industries, and IMI (now Elbit Systems Land) in particular.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Israel's defense industry behind pollution of natural water sources - state comptroller
Bnei Brak food scene and historic Japanese Valleys
The Jerusalem Post Podcast - Travel Edition Episode 19
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Bnei Brak food scene and historic Japanese Valleys
Bill preventing Netanyahu from returning as PM drafted by Sa'ar
According to Sa'ars new bill anyone under a serious indictment would be prevented from forming a government.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Bill preventing Netanyahu from returning as PM drafted by Sa'ar
Colin Powell was a true friend of Israel – editorial
Colin Powell represented a unique breed of US supporters for Israel, who had an emotional understanding of what makes Israel unique and what the country means in historic terms for the Jewish people.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Colin Powell was a true friend of Israel - editorial
Grenade targets Taliban vehicle in Afghan capital: Officials
A grenade was thrown at a Taliban vehicle in the Afghan capital on Wednesday morning, wounding two fighters and four nearby school children, government officials said.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“This morning a grenade was thrown at a mujahideen vehicle in Deh Mazang, wounding two mujahideen,” Taliban interior ministry spokesman Qari Sayed Khosti told AFP.Another official said: “Our initial information shows four school students wounded.”The explosion happened just before 8am (0330 GMT) during rush hour in the Deh Mazang district in the west of the capital, a witness told AFP.“I was on my way to work, it was 7.55am and I heard this very big explosion on the road. I managed to escape,” said Amin Amani.“I saw a lot of smoke in the mirror of the car and I saw people running,” the 35-year-old translator said.Images shared on social media showed plumes of smoke and dust rising into the air on the streets of the capital.Read more: Several people killed and injured in Damascus bus explosion: ReportAt least 32 killed, 53 injured in mosque blast in Afghanistan’s KandaharExplosion, fire at Kuwait’s Mina al-Ahmadi Refinery result in minor injuries
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Grenade targets Taliban vehicle in Afghan capital: Officials
Riyadh Season 2021 kicks off in Saudi Arabia’s capital
Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season 2021 events kicked off Wednesday in the Kingdom’s capital, as opening ceremony tickets sold out within one hour of going on sale, according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).“Instead of traveling the world, we brought the world to you in one place,” Riyadh Season said on its website.The events will begin with a first-of-its kind parade in the region, with more than 1,500 performers, and the use of 2,760 drones, as well as a dance performance.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Riyadh Season will host several entertainment events and performances suited for attendees of all age groups. Fireworks will light up the capital’s sky across different locations for the event.The season includes fourteen zones: BLVD RUH City and Via Riyadh, Combat Field, Riyadh Winter Wonderland, Riyadh Front, al-Murabaa, Riyadh Safari, al-Athriyah, Riyadh Oasis, The Groves, Nabd al-Riyadh, Zaman Village, al-Salam Tree, and Khalooha.Winter WonderlandStarting October 26 and lasting until the end of March 2022, Winter Wonderland will include more than 103 games and six areas: Dreamland Carnival, Snow Forest, Magic Box, Horror Adventures, Wonder Road, and Winter Festival.Compared to the previous season, Winter Wonderland will have 40 percent more space during this year’s Riyadh Season, with added games, activities, and shows for all age groups.ConcertsMusic concerts do not exceed two percent of the total activities planned for the second edition of Riyadh Season, the head of Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Entertainment Turki Al al-Sheikh announced earlier this month.“The concert of the international singer Pitbull will be the most prominent event in the opening evening of the season this year,” SPA reported.Read more: Riyadh Season ads featuring Messi spotted in London, Newcastle, DubaiPSG matchFrench football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) is set to participate in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season Cup in January 2022. The one-match tournament will feature a football game between PSG and star players from al-Hilal SFC and al-Nasr FC, two of the GCC region’s biggest football clubs.The Kingdom signed French football manager Arsene Wenger to coach the Saudi football teams al-Hilal and al-Nasr for the match.RUSH festival“RUSH,” a festival for video games, is also set to launch during Riyadh Season this month, according to SPA. The festival will take place from October 22 - 26 in the capital Riyadh’s Front area.RUSH will host electronic games competitions and challenges, and will include games such as Tekken 7, Peggy, Overwatch, FIFA 2022, Call of Duty, and others, with prizes amounting to $266,598 (one million Saudi riyals).Easing COVID-19 restrictionsLast week, Saudi Arabia began easing COVID-19 restrictions, allowing gatherings and lifting some mask mandates for those who have received both vaccine doses, the interior ministry announced.Masks in open spaces will no longer be mandatory for fully vaccinated people, although members of the public must still wear them in closed spaces and areas that are not monitored by the Tawakkalna tracing app, the ministry added in a statement carried by SPA.Social distancing regulations have also been dropped and public places, transport, restaurants, cinemas, and other gatherings monitored by Tawakkalna will be allowed to operate at full capacity once again.Read more:Riyadh Winter Wonderland back in Saudi Arabia, 40 pct larger than previous seasonSaudi Arabia signs Arsene Wenger to coach Saudi football clubs for PSG Riyadh matchRiyadh Season ads featuring Messi spotted in London, Newcastle, Dubai
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Riyadh Season 2021 kicks off in Saudi Arabia’s capital
Taliban promise cash rewards, plots of land to ‘heroic’ suicide bombers’ families
The Taliban is gifting a plot of land and cash rewards to the family members of “heroic” suicide bombers who died after targeting US and Afghan forces, a spokesman for the group’s interior ministry said on Twitter.Writing on social media, Taliban spokesman Qari Saeed Khosty quoted an announcement made the previous day by acting interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, who described the “martyred” bombers who died for “jihad and sacrifices” as “heroes of Islam and the country.”For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Haqqani, the acting interior ministry who has a $10 million US bounty on his head as a “specially designated global terrorist”, met the families at a ceremony at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, which was itself targeted by suicide bombers in 2018.Official photographs of the meeting on Tuesday were posted on social media.“In his speech, the minister praised the Jihad and sacrifices of the martyrs and Mujahidin and called them heroes of Islam and the country,” Khosty said in a statement on Twitter. “He called them heroes of the believing nation.”“The advent of the Islamic system is the result of the blood of our martyrs. Now you and I must refrain from betraying the aspiration of our martyrs.”Families of the suicide bombers were given clothing, 10,000 afghani ($111) and promised plots of land, spokesman Khosti said.Haqqani took over from his father Jalaluddin Haqqani as head of the Haqqani network, an extremist group affiliated with the Taliban that was blamed by Western intelligence services for some of the bloodiest suicide attacks of the war.He is wanted for questioning by the FBI in connection with an attack on another hotel in Kabul in 2008 in which six people including an American citizen were killed.Following the Taliban’s victory over the Western-backed government which collapsed in August, ISIS fighters have carried out a series of suicide bombings against mosques and other targets, killing hundreds of civilians.With ReutersRead more:Grenade targets Taliban vehicle in Afghan capital: OfficialsTaliban agree to new polio vaccination across AfghanistanTaliban get aid promise but not recognition on eve of Moscow talks
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Taliban promise cash rewards, plots of land to ‘heroic’ suicide bombers’ families
Saudi Arabia postpones return of in-person learning for students under age of 12
Saudi Arabia has postponed the return of in-person learning for students under the age of 12, the official Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.Previously, school attendance for students under the age of 12 was set for October 31.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.It “will be postponed until the completion of studies related to the epidemiological risks for this category, in order to preserve their safety and the safety of their families,” SPA said.The Kingdom’s education ministry will continue to provide distance learning for this age group, a ministry spokesperson said.“He pointed to the integration of efforts between the Ministries of Education and Health in the regularity of the educational process for middle and secondary students who completed receiving two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, and the implementation of the precautionary measures and health protocols approved by the ‘Wiqaya’ application which contributed to the protection of students and maintaining their safety,” SPA reported.In August, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education published general guidelines for schools operating in the academic year in the Kingdom.The education ministry, in coordination with the Ministry of Health, announced that all students and school staff members must be fully vaccinated before the school year starts.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.The guidelines state that schools must adhere to rules and protocols put in place by the Saudi Ministry of Health, and that students and staff members should continue to practice and apply COVID-19 precautionary measures. Sanitization of classrooms and facilities must be done before and after students enter and exit.Read more:Saudi Arabia outlines rules for resumption of in-person school learningSaudi Arabia to grant COVID-19 infected students 10 days offSaudi Arabia approves Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for ages 12 and above
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia postpones return of in-person learning for students under age of 12
Saudi Arabia continues COVID-19 social distancing measures at mosques
Mosques in Saudi Arabia must continue to apply social distancing measures between worshippers but checking the “Tawakalna” app is no longer required, as the country eased COVID-19 rules last week, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.The Kingdom eased COVID-19 restrictions, allowing gatherings, and lifting some mask mandates for those who have received both vaccine doses, the interior ministry announced.The Public Health Authority recommended to continue with social distancing measures in mosques as they are now open to receive worshippers of all ages without checking the vaccination status, SPA cited the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance as saying.SPA added that the ministry is constantly following up with the concerned authorities on all instructions regarding COVID-19 precautionary measures and is working to implement them in order to ensure the safety of worshippers.Read more:Saudi Arabia to begin lifting some COVID-19 restrictions from Sunday: MinistrySaudi Arabia allows full capacity at Mecca’s Grand Mosque as COVID-19 rules easedSaudi Arabia’s new COVID-19 vaccination rules come into effect
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia continues COVID-19 social distancing measures at mosques
Egypt detains artist robot Ai-Da before historic pyramid show
Sculpture and its futuristic creator held for 10 days, possibly in fear she is part of spying plot..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Egypt detains artist robot Ai-Da before historic pyramid show