Yeshiva World News

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio refuses to directly agree that Vladimir Putin is a war criminal.

Israel’s Supreme Court of Justice ruled in a verdict published on Wednesday evening that the government’s decision to terminate the tenure of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar was made in an “improper and unlawful” process. In addition, the decision stated that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had a conflict of interest given the investigations into his aides as part of the Qatargate affair, and that the dismissal decision was made without a factual basis and without a proper hearing. The decision was reached despite the fact that the distrust between Bar and Netanyahu since the October 7 massacre was public knowledge, well before the launch of the Qatargate investigation. The decision has no practical bearing since Bar already announced his intention to end his term on June 15. The decision was reached by a majority of two – liberal justices President Yitzchak Amit and Daphne Barak-Erez, with Justice Noam Sohlberg dissenting. Justice Noam Sohlberg stated in a minority opinion that there is an inherent tension between the Shin Bet’s subordination to the government’s authority and its obligation to implement its policies, and the Shin Bet’s obligation to act only “in a stately manner.” Sohlberg wrote that it was not appropriate to rule on the matter: “It is not necessary and it is not appropriate to decide on the issue nor to elaborate on it –  in general, according to the rules of public law – and all the more so in the current procedure, which touched on deep disagreements in Israeli society.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

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IDF and Israel Police arrested 25 suspects overnight, including the Al Funduq attack mastermind, five ISIS-linked individuals in Qabatiya, and Road 60 attackers in al-Khader, seizing 250,000 shekels, weapons, and ammo.

German police on Wednesday arrested five teenagers accused of involvement with a right-wing extremist group calling itself “Last Defense Wave” that allegedly aimed to destabilize the country’s democratic system by carrying out attacks on migrants and political opponents. The early-morning arrests in various parts of Germany were accompanied by searches at 13 properties, federal prosecutors said in a statement. Four of those arrested — identified only as Benjamin H., Ben-Maxim H., Lenny M. and Jason R., in line with German privacy rules — are suspected of membership in a domestic terror organization. The fifth, Jerome M., is accused of supporting the group. Two of the arrested also are accused of attempted murder and aggravated arson. All are between the ages of 14 and 18. Prosecutors said they are also investigating three other people, ages 18 to 21, who are already in custody. All the suspects are German citizens. According to the prosecutors, the group was formed in mid-April 2024 or earlier. They said that its members saw themselves as the last resort to defend the “German nation” and aimed to bring about the collapse of Germany’s democratic order, with attacks on homes for asylum-seekers and on facilities associated with the left-wing political spectrum. Two of the suspects set a fire at a cultural center in Altdöbern in eastern Germany in October, prosecutors said, adding that several people living in the building at the time escaped injury only by chance. In January, another two suspects allegedly broke a window at a home for asylum-seekers in Schmölln and tried unsuccessfully to start a blaze by setting off fireworks. They daubed the group’s initials and slogans such as “Foreigners out,” “Germany for the Germans” and “Nazi area,” as well as swastikas, prosecutors said. Also in January, three suspects allegedly planned an arson attack on a home for asylum-seekers in Senftenberg, but it never came about because of the earlier arrests of two of the men. Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said it was “particularly shocking” that all of those arrested Wednesday were minors at the time the group was allegedly founded. “This is an alarm signal and it shows that right-wing extremist terrorism knows no age,” Hubig said in a statement. In a separate case a week ago, German authorities banned a far-right group called “Kingdom of Germany” as a threat to the country’s democratic order and arrested four of its alleged leaders. In an annual report released Tuesday, the Federal Criminal Police Office said that the number of violent crimes with a right-wing motivation was up 17.2% last year to 1,488. That was part of an overall increase in violent politically motivated offenses to 4,107, an increase of 15.3%. (AP)

The Arab who spat on an IDF officer in Ramat Gan earlier this week is led off by Israeli police officers after being caught.

Israel’s High Court ruled Wednesday that the government acted illegally in firing outgoing Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar. The decision follows the government’s reversal of the dismissal after Bar announced he would step down on June 15.

Activists from the Tzav 9 and The Reservists movements held a protest at the Kerem Shalom crossing on Wednesday morning, blocking access to humanitarian aid trucks on their way to Gaza. The protest took place a day after 93 trucks of aid entered the Strip on Tuesday, following Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s decision earlier this week to resume aid to the Strip.

The DOJ has opened an investigation into Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson after he bragged about discriminating against white people in city hiring.

The world’s sources of critical minerals are increasingly concentrated in just a few countries, most notably China, leaving the global economy vulnerable to supply cutoffs that could disrupt industry and hit consumers with higher prices, a report said Wednesday. The Paris-based International Energy Agency’s report looked at the availability of minerals and metals that may be small in quantity — but large in impact when it comes to shifting the economy away from fossil fuels toward electricity and renewable energy. It found that for copper, lithium, cobalt, graphite and rare earth elements, the average market share of the three top producing countries rose to 86% in 2024 from 82% in 2020. China is the leading refiner for 19 out of 20 strategic minerals studied in the report, and has an average share of around 75%. Indonesia showed strong growth in nickel, a key component in making steel and batteries for electric vehicles. The current trend toward export restrictions and trade disputes increases concerns, the IEA said. “Critical mineral supply chains can be highly vulnerable to supply shocks, be they from extreme weather, a technical failure or trade disruptions,” said IEA executive director Fatih Birol. ”The impact of a supply shock can be far-reaching, bringing higher prices for consumers and reducing industrial competitiveness.” Birol cited the energy crisis in Europe after Russia cut off natural gas supplies over the invasion of Ukraine. Another cautionary tale is the global shortage of silicon-based computer chips during and after the pandemic, which disrupted auto production. “The golden rule of energy security is diversification,” Birol told The Associated Press in an interview. “And it goes beyond energy security, it is also economic security.” Market forces are important in developing new sources but won’t be enough. “There is a need for well-designed government policies” in the form of financing and other measures, he said. China is a massive global source of critical minerals required for a wide range of goods that includes computer chips, robots, electric autos, batteries, drones, and military equipment. It also dominates the refining and processing of many of these critical minerals, including lithium, cobalt, graphite and more. China has placed export limits of many of these key products and tightened controls on others as President Donald Trump’s trade negotiations escalate, stifling U.S. industry and the nation’s ability to find quick alternatives. Without access to China’s significant reserves, U.S. manufacturers have a harder time competing amid mounting global supply tensions. Trump has made reducing U.S. dependence on foreign critical minerals a core tenet of his first 100 days back in office as part of a national security and economic resilience agenda. This goes beyond China; the Trump administration finalized a rocky deal with Ukraine granting American access to the nation’s vast mineral resources earlier this month. Trump is also looking to expedite deep-sea mining in international waters, much to the chagrin of environmental groups. He called for a boost in the domestic copper industry in a February executive order alongside other calls for the federal government to fast-track new mine permits; has reviewed a minerals proposal from Congo, a conflict-riddled nation also rich with mineral reserves; and attempted to strong-arm Greenland into providing more of its minerals to the U.S. The IEA report said that global markets were well supplied at the moment […]

Michael Weingarten, a Biology Honors major with a 4.0 GPA, has been named the 2025 valedictorian of the men’s division of Touro University’s Lander College of Arts & Sciences (LAS) in Flatbush. Weingarten is driven by a lifelong desire to care for others—an ambition inspired by the chesed-centered home he grew up in, and by the example of his father, a physician assistant. “I vividly remember the countless Shabbosim and Yomim Tovim when people in need would knock on our door, seeking his help,” Michael said. “Watching the impact he had, providing care and comfort, left a lasting impression on me and inspired me to follow in his footsteps.” That sense of purpose led him to Touro in Flatbush where he was drawn by the school’s dual emphasis on academic rigor and religious commitment. “I chose Touro because of its unique commitment to academic excellence and its supportive structure, which allowed me to continue my Torah learning in yeshiva while simultaneously pursuing my bachelor’s degree in science,” he said. At LAS, Michael maximized his opportunities. He earned a Lander Honors Scholarship, became a tutor for chemistry and physics, and published an article in the Touro College Science Journal, later serving as an associate editor. He also conducted research at HASC Diagnostic and Treatment Center for individuals with special needs, exploring how diabetes medications affect individuals with mental illness. Michael’s not the first in his family to graduate from Touro; His father is also a Touro graduate, and both of his older brothers attended Touro Flatbush for their pre-med studies before matriculating into Einstein Medical School and Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. Raised in Brooklyn, Michael attended Yeshiva Toras Emes Kaminetz in Flatbush for high school and continued his Torah studies at Yeshiva Gedola of Elkins Park and Yeshiva Torah Vodaath. He credits his yeshiva background with helping him develop the discipline and perspective necessary to balance rigorous academics with meaningful personal growth. Michael plans to apply to medical school this summer and matriculate in 2026, and in five years he hopes to be well into his medical training, continuing the journey he began at home and nurtured at Touro: a life of service, scholarship, and compassion. “Michael is an outstanding student and a shining Ben Torah who, as a caring and compassionate physician, will create a kiddush Hashem in all his interaction,” said Dr. Robert Goldschmidt, Vice President and Executive Dean of Touro’s Lander College in Flatbush.

The Pentagon releases footage of it testing its Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile – the second such test this year.

Spanish authorities said that an adviser to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was shot dead on Wednesday when gunmen targeted him outside the American School of Madrid. Andrii Portnov, 51, was identified as the victim by Spain’s Interior Ministry. He was shot at 9:15 a.m. local time (0715 GMT), authorities said, after apparently dropping his children off for class. Witnesses reported that Portnov was shot “several times” in the head and body by more than one gunman when he was getting into his car, a black Mercedes Benz, police said. The assailants then fled on foot. Madrid’s emergency services said that he was found dead when medics arrived with at least three shots to his body. Portnov is a former Ukrainian politician closely tied to Yanukovych, having served as deputy head of the presidential office from 2010 to 2014. During Yanukovych’s presidency, Portnov was widely viewed as a pro-Russia political figure and was involved in drafting legislation aimed at persecuting participants of the 2014 revolution in Ukraine. Luis Rayo, 19, who lives in a building next to the school, said that he was sleeping when he heard the sound of gunfire. “I heard five bullets and then came here to see what happened,” Rayo said. A school in shock Police cordoned off a crime scene in a parking lot around 150 meters (500 feet) outside the gate of the American School of Madrid, located in the upscale Pozuelo de Alarcón neighborhood north of the city center. Parents told The Associated Press that Portnov had children studying at the private school. The school declined to confirm whether his children were enrolled. Timur Ayaokur, 17, said he was 20 minutes into his first class of the day when he and his classmates heard of the shooting. After a few minutes, the school’s administrators told students that a man had been shot and pronounced dead outside. “I thought it was a drill,” Ayaokur, who is in 11th grade, said of the initial announcement. “I was worried because at first I thought it might be a parent of someone I know.” His mother Elina Ayaokur, originally from Azerbaijan, said she knew the victim through the Russian community though she did not know him well. “I didn’t know there were Ukrainian politicians there,” Ayaokur said, adding that the victim had a son in the 4th grade. “I was in shock, like how is it possible that this happens here?” Ayaokur said. Portnov’s past After fleeing Ukraine in 2014, Portnov reportedly lived in Russia in 2015 before relocating to Austria. It wasn’t immediately clear when he moved to Spain. In 2018, Ukraine’s Security Service, or SBU, opened an investigation against him on suspicion of state treason, alleging his involvement in Russia’s illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. The criminal case was closed in 2019. In 2021, the United States imposed personal sanctions on Portnov, designating him as someone “responsible for or complicit in, or (who) has directly or indirectly engaged in, corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or bribery.” (AP)

IDF troops fired warning shots into the air near a European diplomatic delegation visiting Jenin after the group strayed from the agreed-upon route and entered a restricted area, prompting the IDF to intervene to push them back.

An Israeli drone strike in Ain Baal, near Tyre, Lebanon, killed Hezbollah operative Hussein Nazih Barji, a key figure in the group’s weapons research and development, who the IDF described as a “significant source of knowledge” in weapons production, the military announced today.

Donald Trump Jr. says “maybe one day” when asked if he’ll run for president when his father’s term is over. He has previously denied any interest in becoming commander-in-chief.

U.S. Rep. Gerald “Gerry” Connolly, an outspoken Democrat who sought key reforms in the federal government while bringing transformational development to his populous Virginia district, died Wednesday. He was 75. Connolly, who most recently held a prominent position as the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, served in Congress for more than 16 years. He died at home in the company of family members, his family said in a statement. Connolly announced in 2024 that he had esophageal cancer and said a few months later that he planned to retire from Congress. A fixture of Virginia politics for three decades, Connolly was first elected to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 1995. On the county board, he steered the transition of northern Virginia’s Tysons Corner from a traffic-heavy mall area to a downtown business hub. In 2003, Connolly was elected board chairman, and he continued pushing for transportation investment that had been debated among officials for decades. Connolly sought billions in state and federal dollars to develop the regional rail system’s Silver Line connecting the national capital region to Tysons Corner. Connolly’s dream was realized with the Silver Line’s opening in 2014, and eight years later, the rail line was extended an extra 11 miles (18 kilometers) to reach Dulles International Airport. As the extension opened in 2022, Connolly said: “Doing big things is difficult — the world is filled with naysayers.” Connolly’s local government experience launched his congressional career. He was elected in 2008 after flipping an open Republican-held seat by nearly 42,000 votes. In his victory speech, Connolly said he would use his position to ensure the federal bureaucracy is “a responsive, accountable instrument for the people we serve.” “If we insist the government must work for all of our citizens again, we cannot fail,” Connolly said. The spirited and at times bullheaded Fairfax Democrat became known for his voluble nature and willingness to engage in spirited debates. In one hearing, he accused Republicans of engaging in a witch hunt against the IRS, asking a witness if they ever read Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible.” Connolly got his first taste of Congress while working as a staffer for the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in the 1980s. Decades later, Connolly became a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. He also served as a member of the House Oversight Committee and led Democrats on subcommittees on government innovation and information technology. Connolly cosponsored the 2010 Telework Enhancement Act, which requires federal agencies to allow a portion of their employees to telework at least one day a week. In 2014, he cosponsored another bill that reformed federal IT management and has since saved the government billions of dollars, according to the Government Accountability Office. He also closely followed the financial burden of the slowing U.S. Postal Service, becoming a prominent voice accusing President Donald Trump and former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy of seeking to winnow the postal service to suppress mail-in ballots during the 2020 presidential election. Connolly reached a new milestone late last year as he was chosen ranking member of the House Oversight Committee. He defeated Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for the position. The victory came shortly after Connolly announced late last year that he had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer and would undergo chemotherapy […]

The IDF on Wednesday confirmed the elimination of Mohamed Sinwar, commander of the military wing of the Hamas terror organization and brother of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. The commander of the Rafah Brigade, Muhammad Shabana, a battalion commander, and 10 other terrorists, including Hamas company commanders, were eliminated along with Sinwar in a tunnel under the European Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

A pack of veterinarians clambered over hefty metal crates on Tuesday morning, loading them one by one onto a fleet of semi-trucks. Among the cargo: tigers, monkeys, jaguars, elephants and lions – all fleeing the latest wave of cartel violence eclipsing the northern Mexican city of Culiacan. For years, exotic pets of cartel members and circus animals have been living in a small animal refuge on the outskirts of Sinaloa’s capital. However, a bloody power struggle erupted last year between rival Sinaloa cartel factions, plunging the region into unprecedented violence and leaving the leaders of the Ostok Sanctuary reeling from armed attacks, constant death threats and a cutoff from essential supplies needed to keep their 700 animals alive. The aid organization is now leaving Culiacan and transporting the animals hours across the state in hopes that they’ll escape the brunt of the violence. But fighting has grown so widespread in the region that many fear it will inevitably catch up. “We’ve never seen violence this extreme,” said Ernesto Zazueta, president of the Ostok Sanctuary. “We’re worried for the animals that come here to have a better future.” Cartel factions battle Violence in the city exploded eight months ago when two rival Sinaloa Cartel factions began warring for territory after the dramatic kidnapping of the leader of one of the groups by a son of notorious capo Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán who then delivered him to U.S. authorities via a private plane. Since then, intense fighting between the heavily armed factions has become the new normal for civilians in Culiacan, a city which for years avoided the worst of Mexico’s violence in large part because the Sinaloa Cartel maintained such complete control. “With the escalating war between the two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, they have begun to extort, kidnap and rob cars because they need funds to finance their war,” said security analyst David Saucedo. “And the civilians in Culiacan are the ones that suffer.” Zazueta, the sanctuary director, said their flight from the city is another sign of just how far the warfare has seeped into daily life. This week, refuge staff loaded up roaring animals onto a convoy as some trainers attempted to sooth the animals. One murmured in a soft voice as he fed a bag of carrots to an elephant in a shipping container, “I’m going to be right here, no one will do anything to you.” Veterinarians and animals, accompanied by the Mexican National Guard, began traveling along the freeway to seaside Mazatlan, where they planned to release the animals into another wildlife reserve. The relocation came after months of planning and training the animals, a move made by the organization in an act of desperation. They said the sanctuary was caught in the crossfire of the warfare because of its proximity to the town of Jesús María, a stronghold of Los Chapitos, one of the warring factions. ‘No safe place left these days’ During intense periods of violence, staff at the sanctuary can hear gunshots echoing nearby, the roar of cars and helicopters overhead, something they say scares the animals. Cartel fighting regularly blocks staff off from reaching the sanctuary, and some animals have gone days without eating. Many have started to lose fur and at least two animals have died due to the situation, Zazueta said. Complicating matters is the fact that an increasing […]