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Prof. Yossi Shain, former head of department of government at Tel Aviv University and a former Knesset Member, said Israel is dragging its feet to put the conflict to an end at a time when US President Trump was closing deals all around. Speaking to reporter Arieh O’Sullivan, Shain said that Israel is currently in a trap due to indecision on the real objectives of the war He added that Israel has found itself out of the loop with not just the Iran nuclear talks, but relations with regional countries like Syria. (photo: Bandar Aljaloud/Saudi Royal Palace via AP) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

אלוהים איזה סיפורים מזמנת לנו המציאות. לא יצירות מופת. אלא סיפורים שדומים לטלנובלות מוונצואלה, ברזיל, קולומביה ומקסיקו מאשר ליצירות של סרוונטס או טולסטוי". כך כותב חתן פרס נובל לספרות הסופר הפרואני מריו ורגס יוסה בספרו "הרומנטיקן", שהוא טלנובלה, ספר מתח, שזור ביקורת חברתית, יחסים במשפחה, פערי מעמדות, אהבה ותשוקה. עינת טלמון וד"ר גבריאלה יונס אהרוני בשיחה על טלנובלה ספרותית, ויצירתו של ורגס יוסה. מראיינת ועורכת: רותי קרן קרדיט תמונה: APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Health Ministry is working towards registering psychologists in Singapore, focusing on those providing direct care, involving higher-risk assessments and interventions. This comes as the presence of psychologists beyond traditional clinical settings grows amid rising focus on mental health. A committee comprising practitioners, regulators and service providers from the public and private sectors has been established to oversee the implementation of the initiative. On this episode of Morning Shot, Dr Shawn Ee, Clinical Psychologist & Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist and Director at The Psychology Practice shares why it’s so important to regulate psychologists. Presented by: Emaad Akhtar & Audrey SiekProduced by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Photo credits: Lintao Zhang/Pool Photo via APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's Daily Briefing. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed on Monday to have twice attacked an American aircraft carrier group within 24 hours, calling it retaliation for deadly US strikes. How is Israel preparing for any retaliation as well? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar for an urgent meeting in his office yesterday evening and informed him that the cabinet would vote for his dismissal later in the week. The role of Shin Bet chief is one of the most important for Israel’s security. Fabian weighs in on how the upcoming dismissal could potentially shake the country’s deterrence or security standing and we hear who may be in the running to replace Bar. The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday detailed the identities of six Palestinian terror operatives it said were killed in airstrikes in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya on Saturday, including a terrorist who participated in the October 7, 2023, onslaught. According to Palestinian media, the strikes killed nine, including journalists. What is the IDF saying about these allegations? Israeli soldiers shot dead two suspects who crossed into Israel from Jordan near the northern town of Beit She’an shortly after midnight between Thursday and Friday. The two suspects were part of a group of at least eight who were trying to cross into Israel together. We hear what we know about the group's intentions in entering Israel. Amid the unrest in Syria, Israeli fighter jets on Thursday struck a residential building that the military said served as a Damascus headquarters for Palestinian Islamic Jihad to plan and carry out terror activities. Fabian delves into the IDF's current approach to nipping Palestinian terror groups in the bud in tumultuous Syria. The IDF has taken a platoon of reservists out of the Gaza Strip after a video posted to social media showed the troops opening fire during the reading of the Book of Esther. Yesterday, the reservists were sentenced. Does the punishment fit the crime? Please see today's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: Houthis claim 2 attacks on USS Truman; US strikes said to target seized Israel-linked ship Air Force on high alert for resumption of Houthi missile, drone attacks on Israel Netanyahu says he’ll fire Shin Bet chief Bar; AG says he can’t before legal review IDF: Oct. 7 terrorist and others ‘operating under guise of journalists’ killed in Gaza IDF troops shoot dead two suspects trying to cross into Israel from Jordan IDF strikes alleged Islamic Jihad nerve center in Damascus, said to be leader’s house IDF removes reservists from Gaza over video of them shooting during Purim scroll reading Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. IMAGE: Illustrative: Ronen Bar, chief of Israel's domestic Shin Bet security agency, attends a ceremony marking Memorial Day for fallen soldiers of Israel's wars and victims of attacks at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl military cemetery, May 13, 2024. (Gil Cohen-Magen/Pool photo via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China has urged an end to "illegal" sanctions on Iran. In a joint statement issued after talks with Iran in Beijing, China and Russia has also said that they welcomed Iran's reiteration that its nuclear programme was exclusively for peaceful purposes, and that Tehran's right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy should be "fully" respected. This comes just days after US President Donald Trump said there were two ways to handle Iran: by striking a deal or “militarily.” On this episode of Morning Shot, Ross Feingold, Research Director at Caerus Consulting shares his insights. Presented by: Emaad Akhtar & Audrey SiekProduced by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Photo credits: Lintao Zhang/Pool Photo via APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prof. Uzi Rabi, Director of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern affairs at Tel Aviv University, said that Iran was humiliated by US President Trump’s overture to open negotiations for a nuclear deal. He told reporter Arieh O’Sullivan that a weakened Iran was operating to bide its time till new reality rises. Regarding Syria, Rabi said that Israel’s strategy, including expanding its protection for the Druse of southern Syria, was aimed at keeping radical Islamists far from its borders. (photo: AP) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's Daily Briefing, which is a bonus episode of our weekly What Matters Now podcast series. At a Cairo summit of Arab leaders on Tuesday, a consensus of states adopted an Egyptian reconstruction plan for Gaza that would cost $53 billion and avoid displacing Palestinians from the enclave -- in contrast to US President Donald Trump’s “Middle East Riviera” vision. The over 100-page “Early Recovery, Reconstruction, Development of Gaza” plan envisions a Gaza Administration Committee, made up of independent technocrats, to manage an initial six-month transitional phase. It also urges elections in all Palestinian areas within a year, if conditions support such a move. The rub? The plan doesn’t explicitly tackle the issue of Hamas and how the terror group will be disarmed -- if at all. It also pushes for a Palestinian state before addressing any of the armed Palestinian factions. Rettig Gur dissects elements of the plan and weighs in on its seriousness. Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. IMAGE: In this photo provided by Egypt's presidency media office, Arab leaders pose during the emergency Arab summit at Egypt's New Administrative Capital, just outside Cairo, March 4, 2025. (Egyptian Presidency Media Office via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with ToI's senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur. At a Cairo summit of Arab leaders on Tuesday, a consensus of states adopted an Egyptian reconstruction plan for Gaza that would cost $53 billion and avoid displacing Palestinians from the enclave -- in contrast to US President Donald Trump’s “Middle East Riviera” vision. The over 100-page “Early Recovery, Reconstruction, Development of Gaza” plan envisions a Gaza Administration Committee, made up of independent technocrats, to manage an initial six-month transitional phase. It also urges elections in all Palestinian areas within a year, if conditions support such a move. The rub? The plan doesn’t explicitly tackle the issue of Hamas and how the terror group will be disarming -- if at all. It also pushes for a Palestinian state before addressing any of the armed Palestinian factions. Rettig Gur dissects elements of the plan and weighs in on its seriousness. And so this week, we ask Haviv Rettig Gur, what matters now. What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. IMAGE: In this photo provided by Egypt's presidency media office, Arab leaders pose during the emergency Arab summit at Egypt's New Administrative Capital, just outside Cairo, March 4, 2025. (Egyptian Presidency Media Office via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Film critic Jordan Hoffman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's Daily Briefing, a bonus episode of our weekly What Matters Now podcast series. Ahead of the 2025 Academy Awards on Sunday night, The Times of Israel’s film critic gives his predictions on which of the five films related to Israel or the Jews will have any chance of taking home a statue. We hear about how the ongoing war in Gaza is creating off-screen drama for a film, “September 5,” that has nothing to do with the current conflict but dares to show Israel as a victim after the country’s athletes were massacred in the 1972 Munich Olympics. Hoffman weighs in on the merits of “A Real Pain” and pronounces it an excellent addition to the pantheon of Jewish film. About “The Brutalist,” he has some reservations, although he applauds the film overall. We learn how the Bob Dylan biopic may not have anything really overtly Jewish about it, but that it’s not a slam to Members of the Tribe. And finally, Hoffman discusses the Palestinian/Jewish Israeli co-production that is hardly a coexistence project, but rather a “From the River to the Sea” production. And so this week, we ask Jordan Hoffman what matters now. Please see today's ongoing live blog for more updates. Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. IMAGE: Adrien Brody, left, and Guy Pearce in a scene from 'The Brutalist.' (Lol Crawley/A24 via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with film critic Jordan Hoffman. Ahead of the 2025 Academy Awards on Sunday night, The Times of Israel's film critic gives his predictions on which of the five films related to Israel or the Jews will have any chance of taking home a statue. We hear about how the ongoing war in Gaza is creating off-screen drama for a film, "September 5," that has nothing to do with the current conflict but dares to show Israel as a victim after the country's athletes were massacred in the 1972 Munich Olympics. Hoffman weighs in on the merits of "A Real Pain" and pronounces it an excellent addition to the pantheon of Jewish film. About "The Brutalist," he has some reservations, although he applauds the film overall. We learn how the Bob Dylan bio-pic may not have anything really overtly Jewish about it, but that it's not a slam to Members of the Tribe. And finally, Hoffman discusses the Palestinian/Jewish Israeli co-production that is hardly a coexistence project, but rather a "From the River to the Sea" production. And so this week, we ask Jordan Hoffman, what matters now. What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. IMAGE: This image released by A24 shows Adrien Brody, left, and Guy Pearce in a scene from 'The Brutalist.' (Lol Crawley/A24 via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jay Woods, CMT, Chief Global Strategist at Freedom Capital Markets shares his insights on the latest market action over the last 24 hours after President Donald Trump took office at the White House, the positive momentum in the markets right now and whether Trump's intention to ramp up drilling will affect the EV sector. He also weighs in on market action surrounding Netflix, Procter & Gamble, and what's on his radar ahead of WEF Davos. Presented by: Ryan HuangProduced by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg)Assistant Producer: Muhammad Nazirul Asrar Photo credits: Shawn Thew Pool photo via APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Efter Bashar al-Assads fald er Syriens mest berygtede fængsel, Sednaya, blevet billedet på hans regimes brutalitet.Fængslet er blevet beskrevet som et ”menneskeligt slagtehus”, og tortur og død har i årtier været en del af hverdagen for de syriske fanger.Natten til søndag blev de overlevende fanger befriet, og for første gang er fængslets rædsler blevet synlige for verdenspressen, mens syrere strømmer til Sednaya for at finde deres forsvundne familiemedlemmer.Jyllands-Postens mellemøstkorrespondent Heidi Plougsgaard har besøgt fængslet og talt med én af de mænd, der natten til søndag slap ud efter fire år i helvede.Dagens episode indeholder voldsomme beskrivelser. Gæst: Heidi Plougsgaard, mellemøstkorrespondent for Jyllands-PostenVært: Jacob GrosenTilrettelæggelse, klip og produktion: Mathias BondeFoto: Heidi Plougsgaard Der er lånt klip fra AP See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The importance of multilateral cooperation has come into focus amid a backdrop of rising geopolitical tensions, as several high-profile summits take place over last and this week, including the G20 Summit, APEC Economic Leaders' Summit, and COP29. But, as it becomes increasingly challenging to imagine how Washington and Beijing's relationship is set to turn as Donald Trump prepares for his second term in office, how is the future world order looking when it comes to geoeconomics? And how will smaller countries like Singapore fare? On this episode of Morning Shot, Dr Tan Khee Giap, Chairman, Singapore National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation shares his insights. Presented by: Audrey Siek & Ryan HuangProduced & Edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg)Photo credits: Leah Millis / Pool Photo via APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

כולם עוסקים בניואנסים הקטנים של המרוץ הצמוד בין האריס לטראמפ, אבל לניצחון של כל אחד מהשניים עשויות להיות השלכות דרמטיות לטווח הארוך. בשיחה עם ערן ניצן, לשעבר הציר הכלכלי של ישראל בוושינגטון, הוא מסביר מהו האתגר הכלכלי העצום שמחכה למנצח, איך יראו היחסים של ארה"ב עם סין בכל תרחיש ואיך זה ישפיע עלינו בישראל, ולמה הנשיא הבא עשוי להכריע את גורל האנושות. פרק מזווית קצת אחרת על הבחירות הדרמטיות בארה"ב מגיש: שאול אמסטרדמסקי; עורך: יונתן כיתאין; מפיקה: ליהיא צדוק; עורכת סאונד: רחל רפאלי; תמונה: AP    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Iran is keeping the region on edge with threats to strike Israel. But the attacks could come from the Shiite Iraqi militias who could fire drones at Israel from their territory. Seth Frantzman, Author of Drone War, adjunct fellow at the Foundation for Defense and Democracy, told reporter Arieh O'Sullivan that drones are cheap and easy to assemble and the Iranian-backed militias believe they could overcome Israeli air defenses.  (photo: AP) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan in ToI's Jerusalem office for today's episode. Yesterday, prosecutors announced that seven Israeli citizens were arrested last month on suspicion of spying for Iran for as long as two years, carrying out hundreds of tasks at the behest of the Islamic Republic. This morning, another Iranian espionage case was announced in which seven East Jerusalem residents have been arrested on suspicion of planning attacks in Israel, including the assassination of an Israeli nuclear scientist and a mayor in central Israel. Horovitz discusses these incidents and other similar Iranian efforts. The IDFs on Monday declassified intelligence on the Hezbollah terror group's finance hub, including a bunker hidden underneath a hospital in south Beirut that it said contains hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and gold. We observe the way this cynical use of a hospital played out in international media. The Israel Aviation Authority briefly halted and then resumed takeoffs at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport yesterday around the time in which the IDF said that helicopters and fighter jets intercepted and shot down five drones over the Mediterranean Sea, before they entered Israeli airspace. Horovitz speaks about Israel's increased isolation during this time of war. Almost a week after the elimination of Hamas head Yahya Sinwar, Horovitz weighs in on leaders' predictions that this is a turning point in the war. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Seven Jewish Israelis arrested for spying for Iran on security figures, IDF bases Air Force pounds Hezbollah's Beirut stronghold after civilians told to evacuate area IDF: Hezbollah hiding $500 million in gold, cash in bunker under Beirut hospital Ben Gurion briefly halts takeoffs as drones downed over sea; rocket lands near Tel Aviv British Airways suspends all Israel flights until March 2025 amid escalation fears Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. Illustrative image: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei listens to a speaker in a meeting in Tehran, Iran, October 2, 2024. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg on today's episode. Magid discusses the latest US administration comments regarding the uptick in Israeli strikes against Hezbollah, noting the carefully couched understanding of the escalation, given the continual Hezbollah missile attacks against Israel over the last year. He also reviews comments made by US officials to the Wall Street Journal about the lack of a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, and expectations that none would be forthcoming before the end of the Biden administration. Magid then talks about two talks given by former President Donald Trump to two Jewish groups in the US, and Trump's stance that he is the only candidate who can save Israel from the destruction that he says would take place under a Kamala Harris administration. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Blinken warns against ‘escalatory actions' in Mideast, cites risk to Gaza deal US: ‘Additional military ops' not the best way to prevent Israel-Hezbollah escalation US says it wasn't involved in or tipped off about Hezbollah pager detonations Senior US officials think Gaza ceasefire unlikely by end of Biden's term — report Trump: If I lose election, Jewish people will ‘have a lot to do with' it Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod Waves. IMAGE; US Secretary of State Antony Blinken exits a vehicle as he departs Egypt, taking off from Cairo, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, for meetings in Paris, France. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode. Magid says the Biden administration has a slightly more positive outlook regarding the hostage negotiations, indicating that Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement on some 90% of the issues in the potential hostage deal. The two thorniest remaining issues are the Philadelphi corridor and which Palestinian prisoners would be released, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said are two major issues. He also comments on Israeli negotiators telling mediators they still support a complete withdrawal of the IDF from the Philadelphi Corridor, and the prime minister's "wishywashy" comments and double-speak on that topic to the Israeli press, foreign press and Fox News in the last week, as the prime minister wants to "appear tougher." Magid turns to the US elections, and remarks made by presidential candidate Donald Trump questioning the continued existence of the state of Israel if Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, is elected. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: ‘It must serve as wakeup call': Hersh's family okays release of Hamas propaganda clip Blinken indicates mediators will present updated hostage deal offer to Israel, Hamas ‘in coming days' US: 2 issues holding up deal, Netanyahu comments on Philadelphi make things ‘difficult' Israel assured Qatar IDF would fully pull out of Philadelphi in ceasefire's 2nd phase Vote for me or Israel will be annihilated, Trump says in pitch to Republican Jews Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod Waves. IMAGE: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken gives a press conference at the end of his one-day visit to Haiti, at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (Roberto Schmidt/Pool photo via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. At a press conference to the foreign press last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu laid out his positions on the state of the war in Gaza, and particularly his focus on the Strip's border with Egypt, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, and his refusal to remove Israeli troops from there for a potential ceasefire-and-hostage release deal. Horovitz assesses whether there was different messaging coming out of the two languages and speaks about the Philadelphi sticking point and how other Israeli officials view it. August saw the most rockets fired from Lebanon amid the ongoing war, according to new data published by the Shin Bet security agency this morning. There are some 68,000 displaced people from the northern district from 43 settlements and their return is now a stated war goal. But, has Netanyahu given any indication of when? The first phase of a large-scale polio vaccination campaign in Gaza has concluded successfully, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, providing nearly 200,000 children in the center of the Strip with their initial dose. More than 500 teams, consisting of nearly 2,200 health and community outreach workers, took part in the campaign. Horovitz weighs in on what this cooperation may indicate. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Under Netanyahu, Israel is in existential danger ‘A step away from victory'? Netanyahu says his April claim was not intended literally Top Netanyahu aide doesn't rule out pullout from Gaza-Egypt border in deal's 2nd phase Hezbollah pounds Galilee with over 100 rockets, causing heavy damage but no injuries WHO hails success of polio 1st phase vaccination campaign in Gaza Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod Waves. IMAGE: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands before a map during a press conference at the Government Press Office in Jerusalem, Sept. 4, 2024. (Abir Sultan/Pool via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Zman Yisrael editor Biranit Goren and legal reporter Jeremy Sharon join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode. During a heated debate in the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice committee yesterday, bereaved parents echoed statements made last week by some lawmakers over the state funding the legal defense of Hamas terrorists. The committee is debating a bill to prohibit the Public Defender's Office from providing legal representation to those defined by law as illegal combatants. What does the current law require? Also yesterday, the High Court of Justice issued a provisional order against the state over the controversial Sde Teiman detention facility, where allegations have been made that camp guards severely abused captured unlawful Palestinian combatants held at the site, giving the state just 10 days to respond to petitions demanding it be closed. Sharon weighs in. Ultra-nationalist politician and former MK Michael Ben Ari was indicted on charges of incitement to racism for “dozens” of public statements during the years 2017 to 2023, in which he incited against Arab Israelis, the State Attorney's Office announced Sunday. What makes this case so resonant? Goren discusses what she sees as a concerted effort from the Prime Minister's Office to shift the narrative of the blame for October 7, including several members of the Netanyahu administration. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Outcry at Knesset as bereaved parents protest plans to fund legal defense of Hamas terrorists Justice and finance ministers refuse to fund legal defense for Hamas terrorists High Court gives state 10 days to answer petitions to close Sde Teiman detention site State attorney indicts former hard-right MK for incitement to racism against Arabs ‘A crybaby and a coward': Lapid slams Netanyahu for complaining about incitement Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.  IMAGE: This undated photo taken in the winter 2023 and provided by Breaking the Silence, a whistleblower group of former Israeli soldiers, shows blindfolded Palestinians captured in the Gaza Strip in a detention facility on the Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel. (Breaking The Silence via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. It is day 193 of the war with Hamas. Arab affairs reporter Gianluca Pacchiani and political reporter Sam Sokol join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. Today, Israel reassured Arab countries in the region that its response to Iran's attack will not place them in danger. One neighboring country, Jordan, which was a player in foiling the Iran strike Saturday night, is presented with an even more complicated situation with its large Palestinian population. Pacchiani weighs in. On Sunday, far-right members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government issued strident calls for Israel to react to Iran's attack on Israel with a show of force, while other moderate members of the coalition, including war cabinet Minister Benny Gantz, urged a balanced approach aimed at avoiding a spiraling escalation. Sokol explains who is currently calling for what. Yesterday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's far-right Otzma Yehudit party said that it was no longer bound by coalition discipline, following opposition by ultra-Orthodox coalition parties to an expansion of his authority. We hear what this expansion is and how the Haredim are play quid pro quo. We hear impressions from a long interview Pacchiani conducted with Gazan journalist Sami Obeid, who brings his thoughts on who should run the Gaza Strip after the war and life on the ground in Rafah right now. For the latest updates, please see The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Live blog April 16, 2024 Jordan's help against Iran shows relationship with Israel still strong, despite Gaza Shaken by daily mass protests on Gaza, Jordan accuses ‘infiltrators' of stoking unrest Should Israel launch an immediate retaliatory attack on Iran? Lawmakers are divided Ben Gvir says no longer bound by coalition discipline, in spat with Haredi factions Gazan journalist to ToI: We, the people of Gaza, are also living like hostages of Hamas THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.  IMAGE: Illustrative - Jordan's King Abdullah II speaks during a joint statement with French President Emmanuel Macron, February 16, 2024 at the Elysee Palace in Paris. (Yoan Valat, Pool via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prof. Eyal Zisser, an expert on Syria and Iran from Tel Aviv University, said that the killing - allegedly by Israel – of Iranian general Mohammad Reza Zahedi, along with his deputy, in Damascus was a message that Israel will go after Iranians anywhere in the world who encourage and support attacks on Israel. Zisser told reporter Arieh O'Sullivan that the Iranians don't have the military capabilities to strike Israel without Hizbullah or proxies like the Houthis in Eilat. (photo: SANA via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A plane carrying British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps had its satellite signal jammed as it flew near Russian territory, the government said Thursday.  The government said the Royal Air Force jet carrying Shapps, officials and journalists “temporarily experienced GPS jamming when they flew close to Kaliningrad” on a flight from Poland to the U.K.  The Times of London, whose reporter was onboard, said that for about 30 minutes mobile phones couldn't connect to the internet and the aircraft was forced to use alternative methods to determine its location.  Shapps visited Poland on Wednesday to see U.K. troops participating in a large NATO exercise, Steadfast Defender.  Kaliningrad is a Russian enclave bordered by Poland and Lithuania, home to the Russian Navy's Baltic Fleet.  Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesman, Dave Pares, said “the jamming didn't threaten the safety of the aircraft at any point.” He said it was not unusual for aircraft to experience electronic jamming near Kaliningrad.  Western officials say Russia has significant electronic warfare capabilities based in Kaliningrad.  Since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has engaged in GPS jamming in areas from Finland to the Black Sea. A regional Finnish carrier had to cancel flights on one route for a week as a result. - by Jill Lawless, APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Today is day 99 of the war. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for this one-on-one episode. Families of hostages are holding 24 hours of non-stop awareness-raising events to mark 100 days of captivity by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Last night, the Prime Minister's Office announced in a statement that an agreement has been reached that will see vital medications delivered to hostages, via the International Red Cross. What has changed that is allowing this gesture of "semi-good will"? Early today, the US military struck another Houthi-controlled site in Yemen that it had determined was putting commercial vessels in the Red Sea at risk, a day after the US and Britain launched multiple airstrikes targeting Houthi rebels. While at a Pennsylvania bookstore on Friday, President Joe Biden was asked by the traveling press pool whether he thinks the Houthis are a terrorist organization, despite delisting them in his first year in office. “I think they are,” he said. What's happening there? We learned last week that technical conversations between the US and Saudi Arabia about a potential normalization agreement with Israel have continued amid the Israel-Hamas war, according to two senior US officials and a senior Arab diplomat. Magid tells us more. For the latest updates, please look at The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Live blog January 13, 2024 Vital medications to be transferred to Gaza hostages in coming days, PM's office says US hits Houthi radar site in fresh strike after threats to Red Sea shipping Biden calls Houthis a terror group, as administration weighs reapplying designation Biden: I'm quietly working with Israel to ‘significantly' lower IDF presence in Gaza Saudi normalization still possible post-war, but price for Israel is higher — officials THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: File: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) during a Likud party meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on December 13, 2021; Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (left) speaks during the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 14, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90; Bandar Aljaloud/Saudi Royal Palace via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for an in-depth one-on-one episode. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is now in Turkey as part of his fourth visit to the region in three months. It comes amid worrying developments, including attacks from Lebanon on northern Israel by the Hezbollah terror group, and assaults in the Red Sea and Iraq by Iran-backed groups. Magid explains what Blinken is trying to accomplish this time. On Wednesday, the Biden administration tore into South Africa for filing an application at the International Court of Justice to begin proceedings to declare that Jerusalem was violating its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention in its war against Hamas following the Gaza-ruling terrorist group's murderous October 7 onslaught. What are we hearing from US officials about this? Last week, the US State Department on Tuesday called out far-right Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir for advocating the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza. What else are we hearing out of the US about this so-called “transfer” idea. War cabinet minister Benny Gantz signed on for and on Friday, because of this and other issues, Gantz warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to choose between unity or playing politics. What was Gantz referring to? For the latest updates, please look at The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Live blog January 6, 2024 Blinken starts Mideast tour in Turkey in bid to prevent escalation into regional war Blinken heads to Mideast for talks with Israel, Arab allies on war's ‘next phase' US lambasts ‘meritless' South African request for ICJ to charge Israel with genocide Gantz warns Netanyahu to choose unity or politics after cabinet attacks on IDF chief US slams ‘irresponsible' calls by Smotrich and Ben Gvir for emigration of Gazans THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives on the island of Crete, Greece, January 6, 2024 during his week-long trip aimed at calming tensions across the Middle East. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

01/03/23: Joel Heitkamp is joined on "News and Views" by Sandra Sanford, the Chair of the North Dakota Republican Party. They have a conversation about Representative Nico Rios, and the calls for him to resign. Chairwoman Sanford clarifies that she has not pushed for him to resign, and it's up to him and the voters now.    Photo: Body camera footage of Rep. Nico Rios taking field sobriety test (Williston Police Dept. via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Today is day 81 of the war. Senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's podcast. Yesterday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that before there is peace between Israel and the Palestinians, “Hamas must be destroyed, Gaza must be demilitarized, and Palestinian society must be deradicalized," which he also laid out in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. Rettig Gur delves into the remarks and posits who was the target audience. Also yesterday, in his first public message since the massacres of October 7, Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar spoke defiantly against Israel the "occupying force" and grossly inflated the terror group's achievements in the war. What was he really saying -- and why yesterday? Rettig Gur was among the hundreds who attended the funeral of IDF Master Sgt. (res.) Nitai Meisels, 30, on Monday, a day after he was killed in the Gaza Strip. Born in Baltimore during a family relocation to the US for his father's postdoctoral fellowship, Meisels was laid to rest in his hometown of Rehovot. We hear about the always-smiling man. For the latest updates, please look at The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Live blog December 26, 2023 PM: For peace, Hamas must be crushed, Gaza demilitarized, Palestinians deradicalized In first public message since Oct. 7, Sinwar says Hamas won't surrender ‘You will forever remain 30': Soldier Nitai Meisels, killed in Gaza, laid to rest THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: Left: Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas in Gaza, Gaza City, April 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) Right: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, December 10, 2023. (Ronen Zvulun/Pool Photo via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced visit to the West Bank on Sunday to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Blinken said that the PA would play a “key role” in the day after the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Dr. Harel Chorev, an expert on Palestinian affairs and senior researcher at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Tel Aviv University, said the role of the PA in the Gaza Strip would not come soon since the Palestinian Authority itself needed to undergo fundamental reforms in their education system and funding of terrorists. In any case, he told reporter Arieh O'Sullivan, for now the Palestinian Authority wants Israel to destroy Hamas. (photo: Jonathan Ernst/pool via AP) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eric Trump, one of two sons entrusted to run Donald Trump's real estate empire, today swore he was never involved with or aware of financial statements that New York state lawyers say fraudulently puffed up the ex-president's wealth and the worth of the family business. But when a state lawyer pulled up decade-old emails in which a fellow Trump Organisation executive asked him for information needed to complete one of his dad's financial statements, the irritated son strove to clarify. “We're a major organisation — yes, I'm fairly sure I understand that we have financial statements. Absolutely,” Eric Trump said. But, he insisted: “I had no involvement and never worked on my father's statement of financial condition.” Later, when told another Trump Organisation figure gave evidence about him being on a video call about his father's financial statement as recently as 2021, Eric Trump said he could not remember. “I'm on a thousand calls a day,” he said. Eric Trump followed brother Donald Trump Jr in giving evidence at the family's New York civil fraud trial, a prelude to their father's scheduled evidence on Tuesday. Both sons are Trump Organisation executive vice presidents. As court adjourned, with Eric Trump watching from the witness stand, the judge laid into the defence for dragging his law clerk into their complaints about his handling of the trial. The clerk was the target of a false and disparaging Trump social media post early in the trial, leading Engoron to impose a gag order barring parties in the case from smearing court staff. Engoron, raising his voice at times, raised the possibility of expanding the gag order but took no action. The judge said he suspected “a bit of misogyny” toward the clerk, who sits alongside him. Trump's lawyers denied the allegation. Trump lawyer Christopher Kise sparked Engoron's fury by calling out the clerk for passing notes to the judge. He said: “I feel like I'm fighting two adversaries” and said the defence team perceived there was “co-judging taking place.” New York Attorney General Letitia James is suing Donald Trump, his company and top executives including Eric and Donald Jr, accusing them of inflating the ex-president's net worth on annual financial statements that were given to banks, insurers and others to secure loans and make deals. The former president and other defendants deny wrongdoing. Donald Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, reiterated on his Truth Social platform that he sees the trial as “RIGGED,” a “Miscarriage of Justice,” and “Election Interference.” James and the judge who will decide the case, Arthur Engoron, are Democrats. “The Trump Organisation is Financially Strong, Powerful, Very Liquid, AND HAS DONE NOTHING WRONG,” Trump wrote. Eric Trump, as he started his evidence, said he “never had anything to do with the statement of financial condition,” didn't believe he'd ever seen one and “didn't know anything about it, really, until this case came into fruition.” “It's not what I did for the company,” said the son, who has insisted his interests lie mainly in “pouring concrete” — constructing and operating properties. He said that while he knew the company had financial documents, he “was not personally aware of the statement of financial condition”. State lawyer Andrew Amer then showed him 2013 emails from then-Trump Organization controller Jeffrey McConney. He explained to Eric Trump, then in a different role at the company, that he was “working on your father's statement of financial condition” and needed information on one of the company's properties. Eric Trump, second from left, appears at the fraud trial for his father, former President Donald Trump, at New York Supreme Court. In another email that year, McConney said he was “working on the notes to Trump's annual financial statement” and asked Eric and others for an update on any major construction work that had recently been started. “Yes, I know Jeff McConney does financial statements for my father,” Eric Trump said, shifting back in his chair. Soon after, he sprang into his answer about the company being a “massive real estate organisation”, his voice rising as he spoke. After pointing out emails and documents that indicated Eric Trump had answered McConney's requests, Amer asked the witness to concede that he was, in fact, “very familiar” with the financial statements. “I just don't think it would have registered,” Eric Trump said, portraying the messages as answering an accounting colleague's request for a property description. “I don't really care where it's being used. I care about providing them information from the department that I'm running.” Donald Trump Jr. earlier gave evidence that, despite James' allegations, he still believed his father's financial statements were “materially accurate.” His father has said that, if anything, the numbers listed on the documents low-balled his wealth. Echoing evidence from the previous day, Trump Jr insisted he dealt with the financial statements only in passing — signing off on them as a trustee for his father's trust and providing them to lenders to comply with loan requirements. He reiterated that he did so while relying on assurances from company finance executives and an outside accounting firm that the information was accurate. “If they assured me in their expert opinion that these things were fine, I would've been fine with that and signed off accordingly,” he said. Answering questions for a second day, Trump Jr also revealed that gaming giant Bally's recently paid their company $60 million to buy the right to operate a public golf course in New York City. The terms of the lease transfer for the former Trump Golf Links Ferry Point in the Bronx hadn't previously been disclosed. Outside the courthouse, Trump Jr told reporters he thought his evidence went “really well, if we were actually dealing with logic and reason, the way business is conducted.” “Unfortunately, the attorney general has brought forth a case that is purely a political persecution,” he said. “I think it's a truly scary precedent for New York for me, for example, before even having a day in court, I'm apparently guilty of fraud for relying on my accountants to do, wait for it: accounting.” - by Jennifer Peltz and Michael R. Sisak, APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sixty years after the onset of Beatlemania and with two of the quartet now dead, artificial intelligence has enabled the release next week of what is promised to be the last “new” Beatles song. The track, called “Now And Then,” will be available Thursday, Nov. 2, as part of a single paired with “Love Me Do,” the very first Beatles single that came out in 1962 in England, it was announced Thursday. “Now And Then” comes from the same batch of unreleased demos written by the late John Lennon, which were taken by his former bandmates to construct the songs “Free As a Bird” and “Real Love,” released in the mid-1990s. Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison worked on “Now And Then” in the same sessions, but technological limitations stood in the way. With the help of artificial intelligence, director Peter Jackson cleared those problems up by “separating” Lennon's original vocals from a piano used in the late 1970s. The much clearer vocals allowed McCartney and Starr to complete the track last year. The survivors packed plenty into it. The new single contains guitar that Harrison had recorded nearly three decades ago, a new drum part by Starr, with McCartney's bass, piano and a slide guitar solo he added as a tribute to Harrison, who died in 2001. McCartney and Starr sang backup. McCartney also added a string arrangement written with the help of Giles Martin, son of the late Beatles producer George Martin. As if that wasn't enough, they weaved in backing vocals from the original Beatles recordings of “Here, There and Everywhere,” “Eleanor Rigby” and “Because.” “There it was, John's voice, crystal clear,” McCartney said in the announcement. “It's quite emotional. And we all play on it, it's a genuine Beatles recording. In 2023 to still be working on Beatles music, and about to release a new song the public haven't heard, I think it's quite an exciting thing.” Harrison's widow, Olivia, said he felt in the 1990s that the technical problems made it impossible to release a song that met the band's standards. With the improvements, “he would have wholeheartedly” joined Paul and Ringo in completing the song now if he were still alive, she said. Next Wednesday, the day before the song's release, a 12-minute film that tells the story of the new recording will be made public. Later in the month, expanded versions of the Beatles' compilations “1962-1966” and “1967-1970” will be released. “Now And Then,” despite coming much later than 1970, will be added to the latter collection. The surviving Beatles have skillfully released new projects, like remixes of their old albums that include studio outtakes and Jackson's “Get Back” film, usually timed to appeal to nostalgic fans around the holiday season. This year, it's the grand finale of new music. “This is the last track, ever, that you'll get the four Beatles on the track. John, Paul, George, and Ringo,” Starr said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. - by David Bauder, APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lawyer Sidney Powell pleaded guilty to reduced charges on Thursday over efforts to overturn former US President Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 election in Georgia, becoming the second defendant in the sprawling case to reach a deal with prosecutors. Powell, who was charged alongside Trump and 17 others with violating the state's anti-racketeering law, entered the plea just a day before jury selection was set to start in her trial. She pleaded guilty to six misdemeanours accusing her of conspiring to intentionally interfere with the performance of election duties. As part of the deal, she will serve six years of probation, will be fined $6000 and will have to write an apology letter to Georgia and its residents. She also agreed to testify truthfully against her co-defendants at future trials. Powell, 68, was initially charged with racketeering and six other counts as part of a wide-ranging scheme to keep the Republican president in power after he lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden. Prosecutors say she also participated in an unauthorised breach of elections equipment in a rural Georgia county elections office. The plea deal makes Powell the most prominent known person to be working with prosecutors investigating Trump's efforts to overturn the election. Her cooperation in the case and participation in strategy talks threaten to expose the former president and offer insight on what he was saying and doing in the critical period after the election. Above all, the guilty plea is a remarkable about-face for a lawyer who, perhaps more than anyone else, strenuously pushed baseless conspiracy theories about a stolen election in the face of extensive evidence to the contrary. She also has important knowledge about high-profile events, including a news conference she participated in on behalf of Trump and his campaign shortly after the election and on a White House meeting she attended in mid-December of 2020 in which prosecutors say ways to influence the outcome of the election were discussed. John Fishwick, a former US attorney for the Western District of Virginia, called Powell's plea a “significant win” for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. “This is somebody who was at ground zero of these allegations and a lawyer who is pleading guilty,” he said. “This is very significant.” In this frame grab from video, Sidney Powell, former attorney for Donald Trump, attends a hearing with her attorney Brian Rafferty before Judge Scott McAfee on October 19 in Atlanta. Photo / AP Fishwick also said Powell's plea is helpful to Jack Smith, the Justice Department's special counsel. Powell is referenced, though not by name, as one of six unindicted co-conspirators in Smith's federal case charging Trump with plotting to overturn the election. That indictment notes how Trump had privately acknowledged to others that Powell's unfounded claims of election fraud were “crazy”, yet nonetheless he promoted and embraced a lawsuit that Powell filed against the state of Georgia that included what prosecutors said were “far-fetched” and baseless assertions. Barry Coburn, a Washington-based lawyer for Powell, declined to comment on Thursday. Powell gained notoriety for threatening in a Fox Business interview in November 2020 to “release the Kraken”, invoking a mythical sea monster when talking about a lawsuit she planned to file to challenge the results of the presidential election. Similar suits she filed in several states were promptly dismissed. She was about to go on trial with lawyer Kenneth Chesebro after each filed a demand for a speedy trial. Jury selection was still set to begin Friday for Chesebro to go on trial by himself, though prosecutors said earlier that they also planned to look into the possibility of offering him a plea deal. Chesebro's attorneys didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment on whether he would also accept a plea deal. A lower-profile defendant in the case, bail bondsman Scott Graham Hall, last month pleaded guilty to five misdemeanour charges. He was sentenced to five years of probation and agreed to testify in further proceedings. Steve Sadow, the lead attorney for Trump in the Georgia case, expressed confidence that Powell's plea wouldn't hurt his own client's case. “Assuming truthful testimony in the Fulton County case, it will be favourable to my overall defence strategy,” he said. Prosecutors allege that Powell conspired with Hall and others to access election equipment without authorization and hired computer forensics firm SullivanStrickler to send a team to Coffee County, in south Georgia, to copy software and data from voting machines and computers there. The indictment says a person who is not named sent an email to a top SullivanStrickler executive and instructed him to send all data copied from Dominion Voting Systems equipment in Coffee County to an unidentified lawyer associated with Powell and the Trump campaign. Trial dates have not been set for the 16 remaining defendants, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who was a Trump lawyer, and Mark Meadows, who was the Trump White House's chief of staff. Willis has faced some criticism over her wide-ranging indictment and use of the state's anti-racketeering law to charge so many defendants. Some people had speculated that, if her case did not go well, it could undermine Smith's case, Fishwick said. “This certainly shows that at least, as of today, it's not undermining it. In fact, it's strengthening his case,” Fishwick said. - APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chinese President Xi Jinping promised foreign companies greater access to China's huge market and more than $100 billion in new financing for other developing economies as he opened a forum Wednesday on his signature Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. Xi's initiative has built power plants, roads, railroads and ports around the world and deepened China's ties with Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Mideast. But the massive loans backing the projects have burdened poorer countries with heavy debts, in some cases leading to China taking control of those assets. At the forum's opening ceremony at the ornate and cavernous Great Hall of the People, Xi promised that two Chinese-backed development banks – the China Development Bank and the Export–Import Bank of China – will each set up 350 billion yuan ($47.9 billion) financing windows. An additional 80 billion yuan ($11 billion) will be invested in Beijing's Silk Road Fund to support BRI projects. “We will comprehensively remove restrictions on foreign investment access in the manufacturing sector,” Xi said. He said China would further open up “cross-border trade and investment in services and expand market access for digital products” and carry out reforms of state-owned enterprises and in sectors such as the digital economy, intellectual property rights and government procurement. The pledges of hefty support from Beijing come at a time when China's economy has slowed and foreign investment has plunged. Xi alluded to efforts by the United States and its allies to reduce their reliance on Chinese manufacturing and supply chains amid heightened competition and diplomatic frictions and reiterated promises that Beijing would create a fairer environment for foreign firms. “We do not engage in ideological confrontation, geopolitical games nor clique political confrontation,” Xi said. “We oppose unilateral sanctions, economic coercion and the decoupling and severance of chains,” a reference to moves elsewhere to diversify industrial supply chains. Reiterating Chinese complaints that such moves are meant to limit China's growth, Xi said that “viewing others' development as a threat or taking economic interdependence as a risk will not make one's own life better or speed up one's development.” “China can only do well when the world is doing well,” he said. “When China does well, the world will get even better.” Representatives from more than 130 mostly developing countries are attending the forum, including at least 20 heads of state and government. Russian President Vladimir Putin is attending, reflecting China's economic and diplomatic support for Moscow amid the isolation brought by its war in Ukraine. Addressing the forum right after Xi, Putin praised BRI as being “truly important, global, future-oriented, aimed at creating more equitable, multipolar world relations." “This is truly a global plan,” he said, adding that it aligns with Russia's plan “to form a large Eurasian space, as a space of cooperation and interaction of like-minded people, where a variety of integration processes will be linked.” He referred to other regional organizations, such as the security-oriented Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Eurasian Economic Union of former Soviet states. Several European officials including the French and Italian ambassadors to China and former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin walked out while Putin spoke and returned afterwards. On Tuesday, Putin met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who is the sole European Union government leader attending the forum. Their meeting was a rare instance of the Russian president meeting a European leader since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine in February 2022. Putin met with Xi after the opening ceremony. Also in attendance are the presidents of Indonesia, Argentina, Kazakstan, Sri Lanka, Kenya among other countries, as well as U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. Most Western European countries and U.S. allies sent lower level or former officials to the forum. Guterres highlighted the BRI's potential to bring development to neglected areas while stressing the need for projects to be environmentally sustainable. He said the initiative could help drive the transition away from reliance on fossil fuels. “Developing countries will need massive support for a fair, equitable and just energy transition toward renewables while providing affordable electricity to all,” Guterres said. He also called for an “immediate, humanitarian” ceasefire in the Israel-Palestine war after a strike killed hundreds at a Gaza City hospital on Tuesday. With the BRI, China has become a major financer of development projects on a par with the World Bank. The Chinese government says the initiative has launched more than 3,000 projects and “galvanized” nearly $1 trillion in investment. It has also attracted criticism from the U.S., India and others that China is engaging in “debt trap” diplomacy: Making loans Beijing knew governments would likely default on, enabling Chinese interests to take control of the assets. An oft-cited example is a port that the Sri Lankan government ended up leasing to a Chinese company for 99 years. Many economists say China did not make the bad loans intentionally. A key concern is whether the BRI can become more sustainable in terms of debt burdens, said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute in London. The initiative now aims to become smaller and greener after a decade of big projects that boosted trade but left big debts and raised environmental concerns. China will also “monitor the debt sustainability of BRI countries more closely,” Christoph Nedopil, director of the Asia Institute at Griffith University in Australia, wrote in a report. “Chinese financial institutions will likely limit their exposure to projects that do not have stable cash flows from within the project,” he added. “That being said, ‘beautiful' strategic projects, such as strategic railways or ports, will still find Chinese financial creditors.” - by Simina Mistreanu, APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploration into one key issue shaping Israel and the Jewish World — right now. It is nearly two weeks since parents Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg have heard from their son, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, missing since October 7, when Hamas terrorists descended upon the Supernova desert rave and proceeded to massacre at least 260 people, taking others captive. Goldberg-Polin was last seen in a field shelter where he and other partygoers had fled, trying to escape the falling rockets and Hamas gunmen. For the last 13 days, Hersh's parents have veered from horror and fear to a calm determination as they, assisted and supported by a cadre of family and friends, launched an international media campaign to find out every detail available about Hersh, and hopefully save him, and the other nearly 200 Hamas hostages. Times of Israel culture editor Jessica Steinberg, a personal friend of the family, visited their home -- turned into a campaign headquarters and war room in the drive to find any and all details about their son, Hersh. As news of the Hamas atrocities continues to unfold, we ask Rachel Goldberg, what matters now. What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on iTunes, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, PlayerFM or wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: This undated photo provided by Rachel Goldberg shows her with her son Hersh Goldberg-Polin. (Courtesy of Rachel Goldberg via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Armenia has urged the European Union  to sanction Azerbaijan for its military operation in the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave and warned that Baku could soon attack Armenia itself unless the West takes firm action. Azerbaijani forces took control of Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave on its territory populated by ethnic Armenians, in a lightning operation last month, triggering an exodus of more than 100,000 Armenians in less than a week. KAN's Mark Weiss spoke with Apo Sahagian, a resident of the Armenian quarter in Jerusalem's Old City, who is in the Armenian capital, Yerevan. (Photo: Gayane Yenokyan, AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than 100,000 people have fled the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Armenia says. It means that that almost the entire population of the ethnic Armenian enclave has left since Azerbaijan seized the region last week. Azerbaijan has said it wants to reintegrate the area and treat its residents as equals, but an Armenian spokesman said this was just a "lie". Nagorno-Karabakh - recognized as part of Azerbaijan - had been run by ethnic Armenians for three decades. KAN's Mark Weiss  spoke about the dramatic developments with Brenda Shaffer,  an expert on the region from the US naval Post Graduate school.  (Photo:Gayane Yenokyan,AP )See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trading in shares of heavily indebted Chinese property developer China Evergrande Group was suspended in Hong Kong on Thursday, according to a notice on the Hong Kong stock exchange. China Evergrande said in a notice on Thursday night that authorities had informed the firm that its chairman, Hui Ka Yan, had been subjected to “mandatory measures in accordance with the law due to suspicion of illegal crimes" and said that trading in the firm's shares was suspended until further notice. The company didn't elaborate on the crimes that Hui was suspected of. Evergrande is the world's most heavily indebted real estate developer and is at the center of a property market crisis that is dragging on China's economic growth. The group is undergoing a restructuring plan, including offloading assets, to avoid defaulting on $340 billion in debt. Shares of Evergrande closed at 32 Hong Kong cents on Wednesday. The company had resumed trading on Aug. 28 after a 17-month hiatus. Trading in two other units, China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group and Evergrande Property Services Group, was also halted Thursday. Last week, Evergrande said in a filing that it had to delay a proposed debt restructuring meeting with creditors as “sales of the group have not been as expected by the company.” On Friday, China's national financial regulator announced it had approved the takeover of the group's life insurance arm by a new state-owned entity. Earlier in September, police in Shenzhen, a southern Chinese city, said they had detained some staff at China Evergrande Group's wealth management unit. Evergrande ran short of cash after Beijing tightened controls in 2020 on corporate debt that the ruling Communist Party worries is dangerously high. Evergrande said it had more assets than debt but had trouble turning slow-selling real estate into cash to repay creditors. A series of debt defaults in China's sprawling property sector since 2021 has left behind half-finished apartment buildings and disgruntled homebuyers. Observers fear the real estate crisis may further slow the world's second-largest economy and spill over globally. In August, Evergrande applied for Chapter 15 bankruptcy protection filing in New York, which allows a U.S. court to halt litigation and other collection efforts in the U.S. in cross-border insolvency cases. - by Zen Soo, APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

House Republicans launched a formal impeachment hearing Thursday against President Joe Biden, promising to “provide accountability” as they probe the family finances and lucrative business dealings of his son Hunter and make their case to the public, colleagues and a skeptical Senate. The chairmen of the Oversight, Judiciary, and Ways and Means committees used the opening hearing to review the constitutional and legal questions involved with impeachment. They are trying to show what they say are links to Biden's son Hunter's overseas businesses, though key witnesses said they do not yet see hard evidence of impeachable offenses. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky, the Oversight chairman, said the lawmakers have “a mountain of evidence” that will show that the elder Biden “abused his public office for his family's financial gain.” Hours after the hearing wrapped, Comer issued subpoenas for additional banking records from the personal and business accounts of Hunter Biden and the president's brother, James Biden. He said the panel will continue to “follow the money and the evidence to provide accountability.” It's a high-stakes opening act for Republicans, taking place just before a potential federal government shutdown, as they begin a process that can lead to the ultimate penalty for a president, dismissal from office for what the Constitution describes as “high crimes and misdemeanors.” The White House pushed back with statements throughout the hearing saying nothing can distract from the Republicans' inability to govern as the shutdown loomed. Spokesperson Sharon Yang called the hearing a “baseless stunt” and said, “President Biden will always stay focused on the priorities of the American people — not these political games.” The more than six-hour hearing came as House Republicans face scattered resistance to an impeachment inquiry from their own ranks and deep reluctance in the Senate from Republicans who worry about political ramifications and say Biden's conviction and removal from office are unlikely. As the hearing began, Democrats displayed a screen showing the days, hours and minutes left until the government shuts down as Congress struggles to fund the government before Saturday's deadline. “We're 62 hours away from shutting down the government of the United States of America and Republicans are launching an impeachment drive, based on a long debunked and discredited lie,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the Oversight panel. Raskin questioned the legitimacy of the hearing since the House has not voted to formally launch the impeachment inquiry. He said Republicans are rehashing five-year-old allegations raised by Donald Trump, who is Biden's chief rival in 2024, during the former president's 2019 impeachment over Ukraine. “They don't have a shred of evidence against President Biden for an impeachable offense,” he said. The hearing Thursday did not feature witnesses with information about the Bidens or Hunter Biden's business. Instead, the panel heard from outside experts in tax law, criminal investigations and constitutional legal theory. A top Republican-called witness, Jonathan Turley, a George Washington University law professor who is an expert in impeachment issues, said he believed the House had passed the threshold for an inquiry but the current evidence was not enough for charges. “I do not believe that the current evidence would support articles of impeachment,” Turley said. Democrats, who decry the investigation as a political ploy aimed at hurting Biden and helping Trump as he runs again for president, brought in Michael Gerhardt, a law professor who has also appeared as an expert in previous impeachment proceedings. In detailing the reasons Republicans say they have to impeach Biden, Gerhardt concluded: “If that's what exists, as a basis for this inquiry, it is not sufficient. I say that with all respect.” Still, questions remain as Republicans dig into the Biden family finances and the overseas business dealings of Hunter Biden, who has acknowledged being a drug user during much of the time under scrutiny. The president's brother, James, was also involved in some work with Hunter. Republicans have been investigating Hunter Biden for years, since his father was vice president. And while there have been questions raised about the ethics around the family's international business, none of the evidence so far has proven that the president, in his current or previous office, abused his role, accepted bribes or both. One former business partner of Hunter Biden has told House investigators the son was selling the “illusion of access” to his father. Turley told the lawmakers the question remains, “Was the president involved?” In the run-up to the hearing, Republicans unveiled a tranche of new documents and bank records that detail wire transfers from a Chinese businessman to Hunter Biden in 2019. Hunter Biden had listed his father's address on the wire transfer form, which Republicans say provided a clear link to the president. Abbe Lowell, an attorney for Hunter Biden, said the address on the wire transfer, which he says was a loan, was listed to the president's Delaware home because it was the address on Hunter Biden's driver's license and "his only permanent address at the time.” “Once again Rep. Comer peddles lies to support a premise — some wrongdoing by Hunter Biden or his family — that evaporates in thin air the moment facts come out,” Lowell said in a statement. House Republicans are also looking into the Justice Department investigation into Hunter Biden's taxes and gun use that began in 2018. Two IRS whistleblowers came forward to Congress in the spring with claims that department officials thwarted their efforts to fully investigate Hunter Biden and that they faced retaliation when they pushed back. The claims have since been disputed by the Department of Justice, the IRS and FBI agents who worked on the case. “The Biden Justice Department protected the Biden family brand.” said Rep. Jason Smith, a Missouri Republican and Ways and Means chairman. What Smith did not mention was that the discussions occurred during the Trump Justice Department and were likely in keeping with the agency's practice of avoiding overt investigative steps concerning political candidates in the immediate run-up to an election. But Republicans have pointed to a failed plea deal over the summer as proof that Hunter Biden received preferential treatment because of who his father was. “They tried to put together this sweetheart deal,” said Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the Judiciary chairman. The impeachment inquiry hearing is taking place as the federal government is days away from what is likely to be a damaging government shutdown that would halt paychecks for millions of federal workers and the military and disrupt services for millions of Americans. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced the impeachment inquiry this month, egged on by Trump and with mounting pressure from his right flank to take action against Biden or risk being ousted from his leadership job. Trump is the only president to be twice impeached, first over accusations he pressured Ukraine to dig up dirt on Biden and later over accusations that he incited the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol. He was acquitted in both cases by the Senate. The hearing Thursday is expected to be the first of many as House Republicans explore whether or not they will pursue articles of impeachment against the president. It's unclear if McCarthy has support from his slim Republican majority to impeach Biden. If Biden was impeached, the charges would then be sent to the Senate for a trial. - by Farnoush Amiri, Lisa Mascaro and Eric Tucker, APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The allegation of India's involvement in the killing of a Sikh Canadian is based on surveillance of Indian diplomats in Canada, including intelligence provided by a major ally, a Canadian official told The Associated Press on Thursday. The official said the communications involved Indian officials and Indian diplomats in Canada and that some of the intelligence was provided by a member of the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing alliance, which includes the U.S., Britain, Australia and New Zealand, in addition to Canada. The official did not say which ally provided intelligence or give details of what was contained in the communications or how they were obtained. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation first reported the intelligence. The revelation came as India stopped issuing visas to Canadian citizens and told Canada to reduce its diplomatic staff as the rift widened over allegations by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of suspected Indian involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a 45-year-old Sikh separatist. Ties between the two countries have plunged to their lowest point in years after Trudeau told Parliament Monday there were “credible allegations” of Indian involvement in the assassination on Canadian soil. Nijjar, a plumber who was born in India and became a Canadian citizen in 2007, had been wanted by India for years before he was gunned down in June outside the temple he led in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver. Speaking Thursday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Trudeau acknowledged the complicated diplomatic situation. "The decision to share these allegations on the floor of the House of Commons was not done lightly,” he said. “There is no question that India is a country of growing importance and a country that we need to continue to work with." “We are not looking to provoke or cause problems but we are unequivocal around the importance of the rule of law and unequivocal about the importance of protecting Canadians.” The bombshell allegation set off an international tit-for-tat, with each country expelling a diplomat. India called the allegations “absurd.” Canada has yet to provide public evidence to back Trudeau's allegations, and Canada's U.N. ambassador, Bob Rae, indicated that might not come soon. “This is very early days,” Rae told reporters Thursday, saying that while facts will emerge, they must “come out in the course of the pursuit of justice.” "That's what we call the rule of law in Canada,” he said. Meanwhile, the company that processes Indian visas in Canada announced services had been suspended. Canadians are among the top travelers to India, with 277,000 Canadian tourists visiting the country in 2022, according to India's Bureau of Immigration. Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi blamed the visa suspension, which includes visas issued in third countries, on safety issues. “Security threats being faced by our High Commission and consulates in Canada have disrupted their normal functioning,” Bagchi told reporters. He gave no details on the alleged threats. The announcement quickly rippled across Canada, especially among people with ties to India. Maitreyi Bhatt, a 27-year-old Indian citizen whose partner is Canadian and needs a visa, was distraught because her wedding is scheduled for late October in India, when he was to meet her family for the first time. “I've been crying all day,” she said. “It's so difficult. I was just so excited for him to meet my family.” She said the venue is booked and the couple has non-refundable flights. She said her partner went to the Indian Consulate in Toronto but was escorted out by security. “People like me are just caught up in this and it's just not fair,” she said. Sukhwinder Dhillon, a 56-year-old grocery store owner in Montreal, said he had a trip planned to India to see family and sort out his deceased father's estate. Dhillon, who came to Canada in 1998, makes the trip every two or three years and has lost two family members since he was last home. “My father passed, and my brother passed,” Dhillon said. “I want to go now. ... Now I don't know when we'll go.” Bagchi, the Indian foreign ministry spokesman, also called on Canada to cut its diplomatic corps in India, saying they outnumbered Indian diplomats in Canada. The Canadian High Commission in New Delhi said Thursday that its consulates in India were open and continue to serve clients. It said some of its diplomats had received threats on social media, adding that Canada expects India to provide security for its diplomats and consular officers working there. On Wednesday, India warned its citizens to be careful when traveling to Canada because of “growing anti-India activities and politically condoned hate-crimes.” India's security and intelligence branches have long been active in South Asia and are suspected in a number of killings in Pakistan. But arranging the killing of a Canadian citizen in Canada, home to nearly 2 million people of Indian descent, would be unprecedented. India has criticized Canada for years over giving free rein to Sikh separatists, including Nijjar. New Delhi had accused him of links to terrorism, which he denied. Nijjar was a local leader in what remains of a once-strong movement to create an independent Sikh homeland, known as Khalistan. A bloody Sikh insurgency shook north India in the 1970s and 1980s until it was crushed in a government crackdown in which thousands of people were killed, including prominent Sikh leaders. While the active insurgency ended decades ago, the Indian government has warned that Sikh separatists are trying to stage a comeback and pressed countries like Canada, where Sikhs comprise over 2% of the population, to do more to stop them. At the time of his killing, Nijjar was working to organize an unofficial Sikh diaspora referendum on independence from India. New Delhi's anxieties about Sikh separatist groups in Canada have long been a strain on the relationship. In March, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government summoned the Canadian high commissioner in New Delhi, its top diplomat in the country, to complain about Sikh independence protests in Canada. Signs of a broader diplomatic rift emerged at the summit of the Group of 20 leading world economies hosted by India earlier this month. Trudeau had frosty encounters with Modi, and a few days later Canada canceled a trade mission to India planned for the fall. A trade deal between the two is now on pause. - by Rob Gillies, APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former President Donald Trump repeatedly declined in an interview aired Sunday to answer questions about whether he watched the Capitol riot unfold on television, saying he would “tell people later at an appropriate time.”  Trump, the current front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, refused to say on NBC's “Meet the Press” how he spent Jan. 6, 2021, once the insurrection began and whether he made phone calls as his supporters stormed the seat of American democracy.  “I'm not going to tell you. I'll tell people later at an appropriate time,” Trump told moderator Kristen Welker after she asked if he spent that afternoon watching the attack on television in a dining room at the White House.  Trump's former aides have said he sequestered himself in the room off the Oval Office to watch, at times even rewinding and rewatching some parts.  In the interview, taped Thursday at Trump's golf club in New Jersey, Trump refused to say who he called as the violence unfolded. “Why would I tell you that?” he said.  Trump said in response to Welker's pressing him about his public silence during the violence that he had made “beautiful statements" on the day of the attack.  Trump's supporters, fueled by his lies about the 2020 presidential election, stormed the building as Congress prepare to certify the victory of Democrat Joe Biden. Trump is facing federal criminal charges for his efforts to overturn his loss in that election but he is not facing charges related to the insurrection.  Trump said he might consider pardoning some of the rioters charged for their actions that day.  More than 1,000 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Jan. 6 riot and more than 600 have pleaded guilty or been convicted.  “I'm going to look at them, and I certainly might if I think it's appropriate" to pardon them, the former president said.  Trump also said he would consider pardoning former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison orchestrating a failed plot to keep Trump in power. Trump said Tarrio was treated “horribly," according to a full transcript of the NBC interview, which included parts that were not aired.  Trump is facing 91 criminal charges across four cases in federal and state courts related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, the mishandling of classified documents and charges related to allegations of hush-money paid to cover up extramarital affairs. He has denied wrongdoing.  Trump was asked if he fears going to jail.  “No, I don't really. I don't even think about it. I'm built a little differently I guess,” he said.  As he pushed to overturn the election, Trump relied on a band of outside allies who undertook what federal prosecutors have called a “criminal scheme” to fraudulently overturn the 2020 results instead of relying on the advice of attorneys in the White House who urged him to accept his loss to Biden.  Trump was asked in the interview why he didn't listen to those lawyers.  “I didn't respect them,” Trump said.  “In many cases, I didn't respect them. But I did respect others. I respected many others that said the election was rigged.”  Trump said he was listening both to his instincts and “different people” to guide his actions around the election's results.  The NBC appearance was Trump's first broadcast network interview since leaving office and marked Welker's debut show as host.  Trump also said he was pleased to hear Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent remarks praising Trump for suggesting that he were elected to the White House again, he would negotiate an end to Russia's war in Ukraine. Putin on Tuesday said Trump's statements were “good” and brought “happiness.”  “Well, I like that he said that. Because that means what I'm saying is right,” Trump said on NBC.  Trump said he had had a good relationship with Putin, something he has said several times before, and denied that any deal he would seek in Ukraine would be a win for Russia and allow it to keep territory it has seized.  “That's something that could have been negotiated,” Trump said. He went on and said, “They could have made a deal where there's lesser territory right now than Russia's already taken, to be honest.”  Trump repeatedly declined to say whether he would support a federal ban on abortion and he criticized a ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy that was signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, one of Trump's top rivals in the presidential primary.  “I think what he did is a terrible thing and a terrible mistake," Trump said.  Trump said he did not care whether abortion was ultimately banned at a federal level or settled by laws in each state. The U.S. Supreme Court, with the support of three justices appointed by Trump, last year overturned the federal right to an abortion.  “From a pure standpoint, from a legal standpoint, I think it's probably better” to be handled at the state level, Trump said.  “But I can live with it either way. It's much more important, the number of weeks is much more important.”  - by Michelle L. Price, AP See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday. Zman Yisrael editor Biranit Goren and senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's episode. Ahead of next week's High Court hearing, Justice Minister Yariv Levin told the High Court of Justice on Wednesday that only he has the right to convene the Judicial Selection Committee and that the court has no authority to order him to do so. At the same time, Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana seems to be suggesting an alternative court system. What is going on here? On Tuesday, Rettig Gur published an in-depth oped titled, "Neither coalition nor High Court respects Basic Laws. Urgently needed: A constitution.” Both guests weigh in on why Israeli institutions deserve to learn the real "rules of the game." Discussed articles include: TOI Webinar: No vote, no voice? Diaspora Jews' influence on Israel's judicial overhaul crisis Levin tells court: ‘Only I have authority to convene Judicial Selection Committee' Neither coalition nor High Court respects Basic Laws. Urgently needed: A constitution Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin attends the weekly cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, March 5, 2023. (Gil Cohen-Magen/Pool via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday. Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman and heath reporter Renee Ghert-Zand join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's episode.  With the uptick in fighting in Ethiopia's Gondar region, Israel extracted some 200 citizens and local Jews from conflict zones in Ethiopia Thursday. Today at 11 there is set to be a protest by veteran immigrants, including members of Knesset, saying this is just a drop in the bucket. How was the operation carried out? Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Jordan presented his credentials on Saturday to begin also serving as Riyadh's first-ever non-resident ambassador to Palestine. Is this nod to the PA is basically checking the list before relations with Israel? The US and Iran reached a tentative deal in which Iran will release five American detainees in exchange for the release of several billion dollars in frozen Iranian assets. What did Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have to say about this? On Thursday, Netflix's dropped a six-episode limited series, “Painkiller,” which focuses on the prescription opioid crisis in the United States. On the same day, the US Supreme Court temporarily blocked a nationwide settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma that would shield members of the Sackler family who own the company from civil lawsuits over the toll of opioids. According to “Painkiller,” what was the family's knowledge of how addictive OxyContin really is? A collaborative team of researchers from several Israeli institutions has created an itsy bitsy beating heart from stem cells that is the size of a third of a grain of rice. We hear more about this and other human organoids. Discussed articles include: Israel rescues some 200 citizens and Jews from Ethiopia conflict region Saudi Arabia appoints its first ever non-resident ambassador to Palestine PM scorns US-Iran deal unfreezing Iranian assets in exchange for release of prisoners Netflix's ‘Painkiller' is mesmerizing drama about Sackler role in ongoing opioid crisis US Supreme Court blocks OxyContin bankruptcy deal that would shield Sacklers Created from stem cells, Israeli researchers grow tiny, beating model of human heart Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: In this file photo provided by Saudi Press Agency, SPA, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman chairs the Arab summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, May 19, 2023. (Saudi Press Agency via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prof. Anna Geifman, an expert on Russian affairs at the political science department at Bar Illan University, says that the worse thing Russians fear is uncontrolled civil war which could explain the dramatic pace of events that went from tens of thousands of soldiers marching on Moscow to the disbanding of the force in just a few hours. She said that the pace of events in Russia were dominated by randomness and irrationally. Prof. Geifman helped us understand the mentality that drives Russian governance. (photo: AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday. Editor David Horovitz and diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's episode. This morning, activists opposed to the proposed judicial overhaul demonstrated outside the Tel Aviv home of Opposition Leader Yair Lapid in what seems to be a new tactic. What are they asking for? Over the weekend, New York hosted its annual Israel parade and the anti-judicial overhaul protestors were there, too. Horovitz shares what were some of the scenes there as opposed to what we've been seeing in Jerusalem. The US again appears receptive to restarting nuclear talks, in what many are calling a “less for less deal.” What would the new deal likely involve -- and how could it benefit Israel? Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana is set to visit Morocco tomorrow in the first official visit by a Knesset speaker to the parliament of a Muslim country. Why else is it significant? Horovitz interviewed comedian Dan Ahdoot, who is wrapping up a tour of Israel with Comedy for Koby. We hear about the rising star who charmed audiences throughout the country.Discussed articles include: ‘No compromise': Anti-overhaul protesters rally outside Lapid's home Anti-overhaul protesters disrupt Economy Minister Barkat's speech at NY conference On 22nd week, anti-overhaul protests enjoy bump in turnout amid anger at police Echoes of the Judean People's Front: Monty Python's in Jerusalem, and it isn't funny Iran unveils claimed hypersonic missile, says it is able to beat air defenses Casting wary eye on IAEA, Israel fears US laying groundwork for new Iran deal Knesset speaker Amir Ohana set to visit Morocco's parliament this week Comedy for Koby's Dan Ahdoot: Why Falafel Phil and over-tipping hold the keys to peace Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: In this picture released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a ceremony commemorating the death anniversary of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, shown in the poster at top right, at his mausoleum just outside Tehran, Iran, June 4, 2023. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday. Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman and military correspondent Emanuel Fabian join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode. Israel awoke to news of another murdered woman, this time, alongside two of her very young children, in the northern town of Taibe. Fabian explains what we know so far and puts these murders into context with the troubling increase of murders in Israel's Arab community. Speaker of the US House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy is in Israel and even before his planned Knesset plenum session and press conference, he's grabbing headlines with an "invitation" to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayhu to speak in Congress. Berman breaks this down. Over the past week and a half, amid a rise in intelligence surrounding the potential of violent terrorist attacks, the Israel has imposed heavy restrictions on movement in and out of the West Bank city of Jericho. Fabian explains happened there early this morning. Arab foreign ministers from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Syria will gather in Jordan today to discuss Syria's long-running conflict. This will effectively end Damascus's diplomatic isolation in the region. Looking at it from Israel's standpoint, is this a positive step? At Thursday's protest in support of the judicial overhaul, an IDF officer with the rank of major who was filmed at the event. Fabian discusses why his subsequent punishment is somewhat controversial. Discussed articles include: Mother and two baby sons found stabbed to death in Taibe US House Speaker McCarthy: If Biden doesn't invite Netanyahu to DC soon, I will Ahead of Knesset address, US House Speaker McCarthy calls Israel ‘blessed nation' Palestinian teen killed, six others hurt during IDF raid near Jericho Jordan to host Arab regional discussion on way forward with Syria IDF officer ousted from his position for attending pro-overhaul rally in uniform Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy attends a bilateral meeting with his Israeli counterpart, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, at the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, in Jerusalem, Israel, April 30, 2023. (Amir Cohen/Pool Photo via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NCAAMBKB – Men's College Basketball Last Night Michigan State 80, Nebraska 67 Toledo 99, Central Michigan 65 Bowling Green 88, Eastern Michigan 68 Miami (OH) 77, Western Michigan 62 Michigan State 80, Nebraska 67 – Spartans hit 12 3s in second half to overcome Cornhuskers Joey Hauser, Tyson Walker and Jaden Akins combined for 14 of Michigan State's 16 3-pointers and the Spartans roared back from a frigid first half to beat Nebraska 80-67. In the second half, the Spartans hit 12 of 17 from the arc and shot 68% overall in outscoring the Cornhuskers 54-29. Hauser had six 3-pointers and 20 points, Walker 19 points and three 3s and Akins 17 points with five 3s. A.J. Hoggard added 10 points and a career-high 14 assists. Keisei Tominaga had 20 points with four 3s to lead the Cornhuskers, who had a four-game win streak snapped. Toledo 99, Central Michigan 65 – Millner scores 32 as Toledo beats Central Michigan 99-65 Setric Millner Jr.’s 32 points led Toledo over Central Michigan 99-65 on Tuesday night.  The Chippewas (10-20, 5-12) were led by Reggie Bass, who posted 27 points and four assists. Bowling Green 88, Eastern Michigan 68 – Bowling Green wins 88-68 over Eastern Michigan Samari Curtis’ 25 points helped Bowling Green defeat Eastern Michigan 88-68.  Orlando Lovejoy led the Eagles (8-22, 5-12) in scoring, finishing with 15 points. Miami (OH) 77, Western Michigan 62 – Lairy scores 21, Miami knocks off Western Michigan Mekhi Lairy had 21 points in Miami of Ohio’s 77-62 victory against Western Michigan on Tuesday night.  Lairy also added five rebounds for the RedHawks (12-18, 6-11 Mid-American Conference). Tray Maddox Jr. finished with 25 points and three steals for the Broncos (7-23, 3-14). Owen Lobsinger added 11 points and six rebounds for Western Michigan. Tonight (25) Pittsburgh at Notre Dame, 7:00 p.m. NHL – National Hockey League Last Night Ottawa Senators 6, Detroit Red Wings 1 Arizona Coyotes 4, Chicago Blackhawks 1 Senators 6, Red Wings 1 – Sens’ 4-goal burst in 1st period fuels sweep of Red Wings Tim Stutzle scored on a penalty shot in the first period and had two assists, and Austin Watson scored twice as the Ottawa Senators beat Detroit 6-1 and completed a two-game sweep of the Red Wings. Claude Giroux, Alex DeBrincat and Brady Tkachuk also scored for Ottawa. Mads Sogaard stopped 16 shots. With their four-goal outburst in the first period, the Senators are the first team in NHL regular-season history to score a power-play goal, a short-handed goal, an even-strength goal and a penalty shot goal in a period. Dominik Kubalik scored for the Red Wings. Ville Husso made 21 saves. Coyotes 4, Blackhawks 1 – Vejmelka, Coyotes beat Blackhawks 4-1 after Kane trade Nick Schmaltz had a goal and an assist, Karel Vejmelka stopped 23 shots and the Arizona Coyotes beat the Patrick Kane-less Chicago Blackhawks 4-1. The Blackhawks came out flat after their star player was traded to the New York Rangers in a three-way deal that included Arizona earlier in the day. The Coyotes took advantage with first-period goals by Travis Boyd and Barrett Hayton. Jack McBain scored in the second and Vejmelka was sharp after allowing six goals in a loss to Calgary his last start. Andreas Athanasiou scored late in the third period and Alex Stalock allowed four goals on 33 shots for Chicago. NHL – Rangers acquire star winger Patrick Kane from Blackhawks The New York Rangers have acquired Patrick Kane in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Rangers sent a conditional second-round draft pick and a future fourth-rounder to Chicago and a third-rounder in 2025 to Arizona to complete the deal. Kane joins the Rangers after waiving his no-movement clause to leave the only NHL organization he has played for. The 34-year-old won the Stanley Cup three times with the Blackhawks and was playoff MVP in 2013. Getting Kane is the latest big move by New York in the team’s pursuit of its first championship since 1994. NBA – National Basketball Association Last Night Toronto Raptors 104, Chicago Bulls 98 Indiana Pacers 124, Dallas Mavericks 122 Raptors 104, Bulls 98 – Raptors beat Bulls 104-98 for 8th victory in 10 games Pascal Siakam scored 20 points, Gary Trent Jr. had 19 and the Toronto Raptors beat the Chicago Bulls 104-98 on Tuesday night for their eighth victory in 10 games. O.G. Anunoby added 17 points and Jakob Poeltl had 14 to help the Raptors win their fourth straight at home. Nikola Vucevic led Chicago with 23 points points and Zach LaVine had 17. DeMar DeRozan scored 13 points against his former team as Chicago fell to 10-21 on the road. The Bulls had won back-to-back home games after losing six straight before the All-Star break, holding both Brooklyn and Washington below 90 points, but couldn't keep that streak going north of the border. Pacers 124, Mavericks 122 – Haliburton scores 32, Pacers hold off Doncic, Mavs, 124-122 Tyrese Haliburton scored 32 points and won a duel of birthday boys with Luka Doncic, leading the Indiana Pacers to a 124-122 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Doncic had 39 points and nine rebounds on his 24th birthday. He fell to 1-4 in games with Kyrie Irving since the superstars were paired in a deal with Brooklyn before the trade deadline. Irving scored 16 points, but his 3-pointer just before the buzzer was the last of five misses in the final two minutes with Dallas trailing by two. The 23-year-old Haliburton was born on Feb. 29. Myles Turner scored 24 points with several big fourth-quarter buckets against his hometown team. Tonight Chicago Bulls at Detroit Pistons, 7:00 p.m. MLB – Major League Baseball – Spring Training Yesterday Toronto Blue Jays 6, Detroit Tigers 4 Chicago White Sox 4, Arizona Diamondbacks 1 Milwaukee Brewers 6, Chicago Cubs 3 Today Pittsburgh Pirates at Detroit Tigers, 1:05 p.m. Cleveland Guardians at Chicago White Sox, 3:05 p.m. Seattle Mariners at Chicago Cubs, 3:05 p.m. NCAAWBKB – Hokies’ Kitley, Irish’s Ivey lead ACC season honors Virginia Tech's Elizabeth Kitley has been named Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year for the second straight season while Notre Dame's Niele Ivey has been named coach of the year. The league announced its award winners Tuesday, with Kitley repeating after averaging 18.8 points and a league-best 10.7 rebounds. The 6-foot-6 senior also became the program's all-time leading scorer last week in a game that ended with her hitting a jumper at the buzzer to win at No. 18 North Carolina. Ivey led the 10th-ranked Fighting Irish to the regular-season title. NFL – Bears hire Luke Steckel as assistant offensive line coach The Chicago Bears have hired longtime Tennessee Titans assistant Luke Steckel as assistant offensive line coach. Steckel spent the past two seasons as the Titans tight ends coach and had served in a variety of roles on their staff after being hired in 2013. The move comes three weeks after Tennessee announced he was moving to run game analyst, with Tony Dews switching from coaching running backs to tight ends. Steckel interviewed for the Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator opening, but that job went to Kellen Moore last month. NCAAFB – NCAA football panel out to shorten games; player safety goal College football administrators are looking at ways to reduce the number of plays in games in the name of player safety. A tweak in clock operating procedures is likely the first step. The NCAA Football Rules Committee is meeting in Indianapolis this week and recommendations it forwards and approved in the spring would take effect next season. The average number of plays per game in the Bowl Subdivision has hovered at 180 the past three seasons. NFL games average 154. The NCAA rules committee is looking at keeping the clock moving when a team makes a first down. MCCAA – Junior College Athletics Last Night Women's Basketball Southwestern Michigan College 59, Lake Michigan College 35 Kalamazoo Valley Community College 84, Glen Oaks Community College 69 Men's Basketball Southwestern Michigan College 62, Lake Michigan College 59 Kalamazoo Valley Community College 85, Glen Oaks Community College 79 MHSAA – High School Sports Last Night Boys Basketball (regular season) Grand Haven 65, St. Joseph 57 After trailing 15-10 after the first quarter, host Grand Haven took the lead in the second quarter and withstood a late comeback by St. Joe in a 65-57 win over the Bears.  Chase Sanders led the Bears with 19 points, while Joron Brown had 13 and Luke Lehner had 12. Harrison Sorelle had 31 points to lead the Buccaneers. Lakeshore 59, Battle Creek Lakeview 58 – OT Lakeshore got a career high 29 points from Jack Carlisle as the Lancers defeated Battle Creek Lakeview 59-58 in overtime.  Jackson Bushu added 10 for Lakeshore. Benton Harbor 84, Coloma 40 Michigan Lutheran 42, Bridgman 41 Ty Johnson led Michigan Lutheran with 13 points, while Micah Herbst and Adam Conrad had 10 each in the Titans 42-41 win over Bridgman. Riley Gloi had 15 to lead the Bees. Holland Black River 70, Our Lady of the Lake 68 – OT Owen McLoughlin had a game high 40 points, but Our Lady of the Lake fell at Holland Black River 70-68 in overtime.  Will Lage added 24 points for the Lakers. Wyoming Lee 76, Countryside 50 Berrien Springs 66, South Haven 59 – 2 OT Portage Central 65, Caledonia 64 Holt 62, Mattawan 59 Muskegon 67, Kalamazoo Central 60 Gull Lake 67, Parchment 60 Three Rivers 62, Constantine 53 Niles 74, Dowagiac 35 Brandywine 55, Edwardsburg 53 Otsego 43, Coldwater 38 Lawton 64, Paw Paw 54 – 2 OT Schoolcraft 65, Plainwell 45 Galesburg-Augusta 55, Zion Christian 44 Hopkins 62, Delton-Kellogg 33 Fruitport Calvary Christian 90, Saugatuck 67 Muskegon West MI Christian 55, Martin 41 Wyoming Tri-Unity 63, Fennville 40 Bloomingdale 58, Bangor 48 Cassopolis 59, Centreville 37 Comstock 64, Decatur 49 Lawrence 56, Hartford 44 Christian Smith scored 23 points to lead Lawrence to a 56-44 win over Hartford. White Pigeon 72, Marcellus 34 Tonight Girls Basketball – District Semifinals Division 2 at Edwardsburg Niles vs. Dowagiac, 5:30 p.m. Benton Harbor vs. Edwardsburg, 7:00 p.m.    News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM Division 1 at Portage Northern Mattawan vs. Kalamazoo Central, 5:30 p.m. Lakeshore vs. Portage Central, 7:00 p.m. Division 1 at Battle Creek Lakeview Coldwater vs. Battle Creek Central, 5:30 p.m. Gull Lake vs. Battle Creek Lakeview, 7:00 p.m. Division 2 at Vicksburg Three Rivers vs. Olivet, 5:30 p.m. Vicksburg vs. Marshall, 7:00 p.m. Division 2 at Parchment Otsego vs. Paw Paw, 5:30 p.m. Plainwell vs. Parchment, 7:00 p.m. Division 3 at Bloomingdale Hartford vs. Gobles, 5:30 p.m. Watervliet vs. Bloomingdale, 7:00 p.m. Division 3 at Lawton Delton-Kellogg vs. Kalamazoo Christian, 5:30 p.m. Lawton vs. Schoolcraft, 7:00 p.m. Division 3 at Constantine White Pigeon vs. Centreville 5:30 p.m. Bronson vs. Union City, 7:00 p.m. Division 3 at Coloma Coloma vs. Brandywine, 5:30 p.m. Buchanan vs. Cassopolis, 7:00 p.m. Division 4 at Michigan Lutheran New Buffalo vs. Michigan Lutheran, 5:30 p.m. Our Lady of the Lake vs. River Valley, 7:00 p.m. Division 4 at Decatur Martin vs. Zion Christian, 5:30 p.m. Lawrence vs. Kalamazoo Hackett, 7:00 p.m. Division 4 at Mendon Howardsville Christian vs. Mendon, 5:30 p.m. Colon vs. Marcellus, 7:00 p.m.Chicago Blackhawks left wing Boris Katchouk tries to gather the puck after falling down in the second period during an NHL hockey game against the Arizona Coyotes, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)FILE – Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) skates against the Colorado Avalanche during the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022, in Denver. The New York Rangers acquired Kane in a trade with the Blackhawks on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, reuniting the star winger with former teammate Artemi Panarin and stamping the Blueshirts as a Stanley Cup contender in the loaded Eastern Conference. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File)Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (43) is fouled by Chicago Bulls guard Patrick Beverley (21) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday. Editor David Horovitz and diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's episode. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is now in Israel. We begin by discussing his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blinken's advice for Israel's leader. Both during Blinken's meeting with Netanyahu and with Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, Blinken also seemed to urge Israel to expand its security support for Kyiv. Is it possible that Israel will begin providing security support to Ukraine? Blinken arrived to the region on Sunday, with a first stop in Egypt where he met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi. Could the US see Egypt as playing a potentially larger role in brokering the increasing armed conflict in the West Bank? Yesterday, in a resounding 89-8 vote, a bill to revoke the Israeli citizenship or residency of terror convicts who receive financial support for their acts from the Palestinian Authority passed its first reading. At the same time, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said Monday he would advance legislation allowing Israel to impose the death penalty for certain terror offenses. Do either of these measures counter Israel's founding principles? For the past several weeks, The Times of Israel has played host to an animated series called “Whispered in Gaza.” Horovitz reminds listeners what this project is and where they can find it. Discussed articles include: As Netanyahu talks Iran, Blinken makes US concerns over judicial shakeup clear Diplomatically but firmly, Blinken advises Netanyahu not to harm Israeli democracy Bill to strip Israeli citizenship from terror convicts paid by PA passes 1st reading Ben Gvir to push for death penalty bill in wake of Jerusalem attack Darkest tragedy, unrealized dreams: ‘Whispered in Gaza,' the final interviews Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, center, meets with Israeli emerging leaders at 'Feel Beit,' an Israeli-Palestinian art and culture collective in Jerusalem, January 31, 2023. (Ronaldo Schemidt/Pool via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday. Knesset correspondent Carrie Keller-Lynn and environment reporter Sue Surkes join host Amanda Borschel-Dan. Yesterday, new Speaker of the Knesset Yariv Levin made an announcement. What was it? As the clock winds down for incoming prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, what is happening with the pieces of legislation that his coalition partners and Likud wanted to pass before the swearing in? Surkes recently wrote about how Israeli scientists are trying to revolutionize the egg industry and have produced hens that are the first in the world to lay eggs that only produce females. Also on the theme of waste reduction, we hear about OPA and its 100% recyclable take-out bowls now hitting Tel Aviv. And finally, space, the final frontier: A US-born Israeli academic has designed a conceptual plan to rig the moon with solar panels. Why in the world did Emeritus Professor Jeffrey Gordon of Ben-Gurion University turn to this particular problem? Discussed articles include: Netanyahu government set for swearing-in Thursday, but hurdles remain Days before coalition is to take power, law clears path for ministers Deri, Smotrich In first, Israeli scientists program hens to lay eggs that carry only female chicks Start-up offers reusable, 100% recyclable bowls for takeout food Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: In this photo provided by NASA, the Earth and its moon are seen from NASA's Orion spacecraft on November 28, 2022. (NASA via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday. Political correspondent Tal Schneider and health reporter Nathan Jeffay join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's episode. This morning, Australia said it would no longer recognize West Jerusalem as Israel's capital, reversing a 2018 decision by the previous conservative government. Schneider gives background. Yesterday, former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to step onto a stage during a Simchat Torah event in Kfar Chabad until far-right MK Itamar Ben Gvir stepped down so as to avoid being photographed with the number two on the Religious Zionism-Otzma Yehudit faction list, a member of Netanyahu's right-wing bloc. What's going on here? Israeli scientists are holding trials on an even newer method of screening for fetuses and say it could provide all the information received from an amniocentesis without the risks. How is this different from the NIPT screening already on the market? Relatedly, there are rumors running around Israeli social media that the country's hospitals are running out of the medicines used in epidurals. Jeffay updates. Discussed articles include: Join us in Jerusalem for a live pre-elections event in which you set the agenda Lapid assails Australia for dropping recognition of Jerusalem; ambassador summoned Australia officially drops recognition of West Jerusalem as Israeli capital Netanyahu refuses to get onstage at holiday event until Ben Gvir steps down – report Israeli needle-free alternative to amnio can detect thousands of mutations Doctors scramble to avert possible epidural shortage in Israel as stock dwindles Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: In this image taken from video, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong speaks during a press conference, October 18, 2022, in Canberra, Australia (Australia Pool via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.