The German newspaper Bild reported new details about the arrest of the 53-year-old Afghan man suspected of espionage for Iran, who allegedly planned attacks against Jewish targets in Germany. According to the report, the Mossad was the one who tracked down the man, a Danish citizen of Afghan origin and an operative of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force. He arrived in Berlin with his wife and daughter to seek out Jewish targets for attack on behalf of Iran. Germany’s Federal Public Prosecutor said that the detainee, Ali S., was apprehended with the help of Danish police last Thursday in Aarhus, Denmark’s second-largest city. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office reported that the man was recruited by an Iranian intelligence agency earlier this year to gather information on Jewish sites and specific Jewish individuals in Berlin. In June, he spied on three locations in the capital for this purpose. However, it appears that the security authorities were already following him at that time. According to German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, the suspect spied on Jews in Berlin on behalf of an Iranian secret service, and the information about him came from a “friendly foreign intelligence agency.” The German magazine Der Spiegel quoted German authorities as saying that a special unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued orders to prepare attacks against Jews in Berlin. The suspect was recruited and had photographed several Jewish-affiliated buildings in June. The suspect went so far as to attempt to hire people to carry out attacks on Jews. The crucial information regarding his activity came from the Mossad, but the Interior Minister said that several other foreign agencies cooperated on the matter. The president of the Central Council of Jews, Josef Schuster, stated, “The German government must take action against the Iranian regime—there can be no other consequence for this planned terrorist attack. It is a wake-up call to those who continue to downplay the hatred and annihilationist ideology of the mullah regime toward Israel and Jews around the world.” Iran’s plans “show the terrorist nature of this regime,” Green Party politician Volker Beck, president of the German-Israeli Society, said. For years, Iran has targeted Jews and Jewish sites in Germany. According to intelligence information about Iran’s list of potential targets, several well-known Jews in Germany receive police protection. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Major crime across New York City continued its downward trend in the second quarter of 2025, with murders, burglaries, robberies, and felony assaults all showing declines, according to new NYPD data released Tuesday. Overall, the seven major crime categories declined by 3.46% compared to the same period last year, with murders down nearly 14%, burglaries falling 7.8%, robberies down 7.1%, and felony assaults dropping 2.3%. Transit crime also declined, dipping 6.4% year-over-year in June and 1.1% for the quarter. “So far this year, we’ve had 100 fewer shootings compared to the same period last year,” Mayor Eric Adams told reporters. “And when you compare this six-month period to the same period in 2021, right before we came into office, shootings are down astronomically — 54%.” June alone saw citywide shootings fall nearly 30%, down to 75 incidents from 107 in June of last year. Shooting incidents in the second quarter declined 22.4% year-over-year, dropping from 255 to 198. “In the first six months of the year, New York City saw the lowest number of shooting victims and shooting incidents in recorded history,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement. “Records like this don’t happen by chance — they happen because of strategy, precision, and the relentless work of your NYPD officers.” Mayor Adams noted the summer months traditionally bring challenges for crime prevention and described the department’s “summer safety plan” as a critical component of maintaining progress. “Everyone knows when you’re into summer, you’re dealing with a whole summer safety plan,” Adams said. “You’re dealing with a whole shift in policing. We’re all concerned about the month of June.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
HaGaon HaRav Moshe Shternbuch spoke about Israel’s war with Iran in a recent sicha to members of the Teshuvos V’Hanhagos kollel. “The Arabs are now launching many rockets at Eretz Yisroel, causing destruction and devastation to several buildings, with some people killed and others wounded,” the Rav began. “But it’s important to understand: this is not, Chas V’shalom, a coincidence. Anyone who understands knows that this is the voice of Hashem—“קול דודי דופק פתחי לי אחותי רעייתי.” “In every generation, during times of crisis, our ancestors gathered in shuls and Batei Midrash to daven, cry out, and search their hearts to see what needed to be corrected within them. “The Torah says, ‘אם תלכו עמי קרי, והלכתי עמכם בחמת קרי.’ This means that if people say these events are just coincidences, Hashem will show us what it truly looks like when we are left to ‘coincidence’. “The Rambam says that if during times of trouble, people do not cry out but instead say, ‘this is just the way of the world,’ this is cruelty—and such a response will cause even more suffering.” “Hashem’s ways are hidden from us. We have never truly known what lies ahead—not even during the good times. Some people think they understand Hashem’s ways, and that’s why they suddenly have questions when bad things happen. But we know: if we have questions, that doesn’t mean there’s no meaning—it means we accept that nothing happens unless it’s declared from above, even the smallest movement. “We must not panic! We need faith in Hashem. As HaRav Schneider, zt’l would quote during a war: “Every bomb has an address.” A rocket doesn’t fall randomly—Hashem directs it exactly where it lands. And throughout all generations, this has been the way we survived Galus: with faith, without questions. “The Passuk says: “תאמר בלבבך רבים הגויים האלה ממני איכה אוכל להורישם, לא תירא מהם” That our duty now is not to fear them. The truth is that when people believe that the Yeshua comes from natural means this endangers us. Because the only true path to Yeshua is through trust in Hashem. “In Tehillim it says, “מאין יבוא עזרי.” The deeper meaning is only when we realize that our situation is one of absolute helplessness מאין—only then, when we no longer turn to human beings for help, will “יבוא עזרי.” “This is the time of Chevlei Mashiach—the labor pains before the arrival of Mashiach. The Mishnah in Sotah says, “ואין לנו על מי להישען אלא על אבינו שבשמים.” That is, at the end of Galus, we will come to understand that we have no one to lean on but Hashem. Only then will the Galus come, because we’ll finally recognize that we can do nothing on our own—it’s all the will of Hashem. “The Sefarim explain that the reason Hashem brings so many hardships upon us is to bring us to the realization that we desperately need His salvation. “This is clearly expressed in שירת האזינו: “כי ידין ה’ עמו ועל עבדיו יתנחם, כי יראה כי אזלת יד.” It means that Hashem will return to have mercy on us only when we recognize that, according to the laws of nature, there is no hope. As long as we continue to fool ourselves into thinking salvation can come through natural means, we cannot […]
Three senior leaders at the English hospital where nurse Lucy Letby was convicted of murdering seven babies and trying to kill seven others were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, police said Tuesday. The unnamed suspects being investigated for gross negligence manslaughter were arrested after a corporate manslaughter probe was expanded following Letby’s 2023 convictions for the infant deaths at the Countess of Chester Hospital in northwestern England, said Detective Superintendent Paul Hughes of the Cheshire Constabulary. The three were released on bail. “This focuses on senior leadership and their decision-making to determine whether any criminality has taken place concerning the response to the increased levels of fatalities,” Hughes said. Letby, 35, is serving multiple life sentences after being convicted of seven counts of murder and attempting to murder seven other infants between June 2015 and June 2016 while working as a neonatal nurse at the hospital. Prosecutors said she harmed babies in ways that left little trace, including injecting air into their bloodstreams, administering air or milk into their stomachs through nasogastric tubes, poisoning them with insulin and interfering with breathing tubes. Experts dispute evidence against the nurse Letby, who testified that she never harmed a child, has continued to proclaim her innocence and support for her has grown as legal and scientific experts have questioned the circumstantial and statistical evidence used at her trial. A panel of international medical experts disputed the evidence against her and her lawyer said she was wrongly convicted. A judge who oversaw a public inquiry seeking accountability of staff and management at the hospital is expected to publish her findings this fall. Justice Kathryn Thirlwall said at the outset of the inquiry that she would not review Letby’s conviction, but take a deeper look into how failures led babies to repeatedly be harmed at the hospital. As that inquiry was underway earlier this year, an independent panel of more than a dozen medical experts issued a report that found no sign of a crime and concluded natural causes or bad medical care led to the demise of each of the newborns. “In summary, then, ladies and gentlemen, we did not find any murders,” Dr. Shoo Lee, a retired neonatologist from Canada, said at a London news conference in February. Letby’s lawyers and three former executives at the hospital unsuccessfully petitioned Thirlwall to halt the public inquiry after the medical panel released its findings. They argued that if the convictions are overturned, the inquiry might reach the wrong conclusions and waste more than 10 million pounds ($13.8 million) in taxpayer funds. Letby, who lost two bids to appeal her convictions, now has her case before the Criminal Case Review Commission, which reviews possible miscarriages of justice and could lead to one another shot at an appeal. The Crown Prosecution Service has said two juries convicted Letby and three appellate judges had rejected her arguments that the prosecution expert evidence was flawed. While the medical panel said there was no evidence Letby intentionally harmed any babies, they did find that medical workers at the hospital were not properly skilled in resuscitation and inserting breathing tubes, lacked an understanding of some basic procedures, misdiagnosed ailments and acted slowly in treating acutely ill babies. (AP)
President Trump on Tuesday threatened to arrest New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani if he refuses to cooperate with federal immigration authorities seeking to detain undocumented immigrants. Trump’s comments come as he has repeatedly attacked Mamdani, labeling him a communist and suggesting he would pull federal funding from the city if Mamdani were to win the general election. During a press briefing, Trump was asked about Mamdani’s vow — made during his primary victory speech — to block Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from conducting deportations in New York City. “Well then, we’ll have to arrest him,” Trump said. “We don’t need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I’m going to be watching over him very carefully on behalf of the nation,” he added. “We send him money. We send him all the things that he needs to run a government.” Mamdani, who won the Democratic primary last week, pledged to use his office to prevent what he described as “masked ICE agents” from deporting New Yorkers. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Two Australian nurses who threatened to murder Israeli patients in a widely circulated video earlier this year have been barred from working under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) for the next two years, officials announced. The pair, identified as Ahmad Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh, were suspended from their roles in February after the shocking footage emerged and provoked outrage across Australia and around the world. Both now face federal charges and are scheduled to appear in court on July 29. The incident came to light after Israeli social media influencer Max Veifer published a video chat with the two nurses on February 12. During the conversation, after Veifer revealed he was Israeli, Nadir told him, “I’m so upset that you’re Israeli… eventually you’re going to get killed and go to [hell].” Abu Lebdeh went further, declaring she would refuse to treat Israeli patients and instead would kill them. Nadir, gesturing menacingly, claimed he had already sent numerous “Israeli dogs” visiting the hospital to “Jahannam,” using the Arabic word for Islamic hell. The threats drew swift condemnation from Jewish organizations, medical associations, and Australian politicians, who denounced the nurses’ conduct as dangerous, hateful, and incompatible with their professional oaths. Under the ban, neither individual may provide any medical or disability-related services funded through the NDIS, which covers Australians under 65 living with significant or permanent disabilities. Federal prosecutors confirmed that both defendants have been separately charged with offenses relating to threats of violence and hate speech. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Saudi Arabia is pressing Israel to fully dismantle Hamas’s rule in Gaza as a non-negotiable condition for advancing a historic normalization agreement, a source close to the Saudi royal court told i24NEWS. “Without removing Hamas, there will be no peace,” the source reportedly told Middle East correspondent Ariel Oseran, underscoring Riyadh’s firm line as regional and U.S. negotiators push to expand the Abraham Accords framework. According to the report, Saudi leaders envision the Palestinian Authority, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, stepping back into power in Gaza once Hamas is ousted. The revelation signals that any premature cease-fire or negotiated settlement with Hamas still in place could jeopardize not only Israel’s goals in Gaza but also its hopes of forging broader ties with Arab and Muslim countries — a central pillar of the Trump administration’s regional strategy. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Lululemon has filed a lawsuit against Costco that accuses the wholesale club operator of selling lower-priced duplicates of some of its popular athleisure clothing. Lululemon Athletica claims in its lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California that Costco has “unlawfully traded” on its reputation, goodwill and sweat equity by selling unauthorized and unlicensed apparel that uses knockoff, infringing versions of its patents. Lululemon alleges that Costco is known to use manufacturers of popular branded products for its private label Kirkland brand, but that the company and the manufacturers don’t tell consumers of the connection between them for many of the Kirkland-branded products. Because of this, Lululemon claims this leads at least some shoppers to believe that Kirkland-branded products are made by the authentic supplier of the “original” products. Lululemon claims Costco doesn’t try to dispel the ambiguity. “As an innovation-led company that invests significantly in the research, development, and design of our products, we take the responsibility of protecting and enforcing our intellectual property rights very seriously and pursue the appropriate legal action when necessary,” a Lululemon company spokesperson said in a statement. Some of the products Lululemon says Costco is making duplicates of include its popular Scuba hoodies, Define jackets, and ABC pants. Lululemon claims one of the duplicates that Costco sells is the Hi-Tec Men’s Scuba Full Zip, with the lawsuit showing a screenshot image of Costco’s website showing the item priced at $19.97. Lululemon sells several men’s jackets that cost more than $100 each. Costco, based in Issaquah, Washington, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. Lululemon is requesting a jury trial and wants Costco to stop selling the products that it considers to be duplicates. It is also seeking an unspecified amount in monetary damages. Lulemon was in a similar legal dispute with Peloton in 2021. Two years later the companies announced a five-year partnership that included Lululemon becoming the primary athletic apparel partner to Peloton. (AP)
I am filled with admiration and respect for the askonim and baalei battim who have invested countless hours and significant resources to build two new halls in Lakewood, providing a valuable option for those who prefer affordable chassunas rather than spending exorbitant sums on a five-hour wedding. At the same time, it is only fair to acknowledge and express deep hakaras hatov to the existing halls and caterers in Lakewood who have been offering affordable chassuna packages for many years — far below the standard market rates. Foremost among them is Bais Faiga, together with Greenwald Caterers, who for the past 30 years have hosted thousands of weddings at unbelievably low prices. For most of those years, this was achieved without outside subsidies or wealthy donors. R’ Itche Meir Greenwald has been catering these weddings from the very beginning, operating on a minimal profit, motivated not by status or askonus, but by a desire to serve the community. It is also important to note that the Bais Faiga/Ateres Chana chassuna packages, as well as other affordable options in Lakewood, include music, photography, videography, beautifully arranged artificial flowers, and a kallah’s bouquet as part of their offerings. In closing, I want to extend my heartfelt wishes of hatzlacha to the new halls and a sincere tizku l’mitzvos to everyone involved. My greatest hope is that the mosdos who rely on the rental of their chassuna halls to make their mortgage payments will not be negatively impacted by these new initiatives. Signed, A.S. The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of YWN. Have an opinion you would like to share? Send it to us for review.
A ceasefire between Iran and Israel has not ended the threat of cyberattacks from hacking groups supportive of Tehran, the FBI and federal cybersecurity officials warned Monday. In a public bulletin, the authorities warned that hacking groups affiliated with or supportive of Tehran may still seek to disrupt or disable critical infrastructure systems in the U.S. such as utilities, transportation and economic hubs. Hackers may also target defense contractors or other American companies with ties to Israel, the agencies said. “Despite a declared ceasefire and ongoing negotiations towards a permanent solution, Iranian-affiliated cyber actors and hacktivist groups may still conduct malicious cyber activity,” the agencies warned. The warning of continued cyberthreats after a halt to conventional warfare reflects the often opaque nature of cyber conflict. Hacking groups may have only loose ties to a nation state, and may seek to retaliate as an alternative to traditional military action. The bulletin outlined recommendations, including the use of regular software updates and strong password management systems to shore up digital defenses. Hackers backing Tehran have targeted U.S. banks, defense contractors and energy companies following American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities — but so far have not caused widespread disruptions. While it lacks the technical abilities of China or Russia, Iran has long used its more limited capabilities to steal secrets, score political points or frighten opponents. Analysts have tied some of these activities to groups working on behalf of Iran’s military and intelligence agencies. But in other instances, the groups appear to act independently. (AP)
A line of thunderstorms is bringing torrential rain – and flooding – to Lakewood, with people getting creative to avoid getting soaked, including this fellow outside BMG’s Bais Aharon bais medrash.
“The American people will remember the Republican betrayal and Americans will pay the price for this perfidy for generations.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer held a press conference after Pres. Trump’s megabill passed in the chamber.
After 14 years of civil war in Syria and a devastating earthquake, mountains of rubble clog the streets of Aleppo, hindering reconstruction and threatening public health
Trump on the One Big Beautiful Bill: “I felt the Senate was going to be tougher than the House — we got there. We got pretty much what we wanted. It’s the biggest bill ever passed if we get this done… This bill has something for everybody… We’re happy with the results.”
NEW: Pres. Trump says he wants Lara Trump to run for North Carolina Senate seat “She’s a great person, Lara Trump. That would always be my first choice.”
Trump’s megabill squeaks through Senate, but House can still reject final version The Senate passed its version of President Donald Trump’s megabill after days of tense negotiations in the upper chamber. The House now has the reins on Trump’s domestic policy package, where questions remain about whether enough lawmakers will vote for it. Trump has repeatedly insisted that he wants the bill on his desk by July 4.
JUST IN: Trump announces Iowa event Thursday “to kick off the very beginning of our exciting Celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary…” “You are going to be very happy with what I say.”
A federal judge on Monday questioned when the Trump administration will try to enforce its birthright citizenship executive order and asked if the government would attempt to deport U.S.-born children of people who are in the country illegally or temporarily before restrictions on birthright citizenship might take effect in late July. Justice Department attorney Brad Rosenberg told U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman that the administration doesn’t intend to deport any children covered by President Donald Trump’s executive while the Supreme Court has suspended its enforcement for 30 days. He called it a “hypothetical” question. The judge gave Rosenberg until Tuesday to submit a written summary of what the administration believes it “can and can’t do” after last Friday’s Supreme Court ruling. She asked if the government would be “seeking to deport babies” before July 26. The judge said her question referred to children who were born after Feb. 19 and are covered by Trump’s executive order but aren’t plaintiffs in litigation challenging the order. “No,” Rosenberg said. “I just want to be clear. I am responding to the court’s characterization of what it believes the United States might do after 30 days from the date of the Supreme Court’s decision. But, again, I would note that (federal agencies) have all been tasked with developing guidelines for implementation of the executive order. So I view that as a hypothetical.” “I take the government at its word that the United States does not intend to do that and it is not doing that,” Boardman said. Plaintiffs’ attorney William Powell said their clients are experiencing “incredible stress, anxiety and fear” after the Supreme Court’s decision. “They’re not lawyers. It is confusing to them exactly what these things mean,” Powell told the judge. “We can’t really assure them, ‘Oh, no, the order is fully blocked,’ because it’s not.” Powell said deportation isn’t the only “irreparable harm” that plaintiffs’ attorneys are concerned about. “We’re obviously also concerned about other potential ways in which the (executive) order could be enforced to deprive newborns of potential rights,” he said. Boardman, who sits in Greenbelt, Maryland, isn’t the only district court judge grappling with how to tailor their orders to comply with the Supreme Court decision written by Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Judges in Massachusetts and Washington state have issued a a separate orders on birthright citizenship, as has a judge in New Hampshire, though that order applied more narrowly and wasn’t nationwide. New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin, who along with other states and cities brought a case in Massachusetts federal court, said in a letter Monday he was seeking a hearing on whether a nationwide order blocking the president is warranted. Platkin said the nationwide injunction in New Jersey’s case doesn’t run afoul of the Supreme Court’s recent opinion but added the high court offered “alternative forms of relief” while leaving debate over what those could be to lower courts. The high court’s majority ruled that federal judges lack the authority to grant nationwide injunctions, but the decision left unclear whether Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship could soon take effect in parts of the country. Birthright citizenship automatically makes anyone born in the United States an American citizen, including children born to mothers in the country illegally. The right was enshrined soon after the Civil […]
The Royal Train will soon leave the station for the last time. King Charles III has accepted it’s time to decommission the train, whose history dates back to Queen Victoria, because it costs too much to operate and would have needed a significant upgrade for more advanced rail systems, Buckingham Palace said Monday. “In moving forwards we must not be bound by the past,’’ said James Chalmers, the palace official in charge of the king’s financial affairs. “Just as so many parts of the royal household’s work have modernized and adapted to reflect the world of today, so too the time has come to bid the fondest of farewells, as we seek to be disciplined and forward-looking in our allocation of funding.’’ The train, actually a suite of nine railcars that can be hitched to commercial locomotives, will be decommissioned sometime before the current maintenance contract expires in 2027. That will bring to an end a tradition that dates back to 1869, when Queen Victoria commissioned a pair of special coaches to accommodate her travels. The decision was announced during the palace’s annual briefing for reporters on the royal finances. The royal family will for the fourth consecutive year receive public funding of 86.3 million pounds ($118 million), including 34.5 million pounds to fund the remodeling of Buckingham Palace, in the 12 months through March 2026. This money comes from a mechanism known as the Sovereign Grant, which sets aside 12% of the net income from the Crown Estate to fund the official duties of the king and other members of the royal family. The Crown Estate is a portfolio of properties that are owned by the monarch during his reign. The properties are professionally managed and the king cannot dispose of the assets. The Crown Estate is one of the many relics of Britain’s feudal past. King George III, who ruled during the American Revolution, surrendered management of the crown lands to Parliament in 1760 in return for a fixed payment from the Treasury. The royal finances remain a topic of public debate, with Charles pledging to slim down the monarchy and cut costs as he seeks to ensure the institution’s survival. Buckingham Palace was quick to point out that while the Sovereign Grant has been unchanged for the past four years, inflation has eroded its value. If the grant had increased in line with inflation, it would have been about 106 million pounds this year, the palace said. The basic grant was supplemented with 21.5 million pounds ($29.5 million) of income generated by properties outside the Crown Estate. This income increased by 1.7 million pounds, driven by a record year for visitors to Buckingham Palace and special tours of the newly renovated East Wing. Craig Prescott, a constitutional law expert at Royal Holloway, University of London who focuses on the political role of the monarchy, said funding for the royals is relatively small when compared to the overall cost of the British state and it provides tangible benefits for the country. “It’s something that puts Britain on the world stage in a way that few other things do,’’ he said, noting that Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral was the largest gathering of world leaders in history and the coronation was broadcast around the world. “It’s one of those things […]
