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Obama defends use of killer drones
Today
Saying military drone strikes are effective and legal, US President Barack Obama has defended the use of the unmanned aircraft, but added that in future Washington intends to reduce their widespread use.
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Renewed violence in Swedish capital
Today
The Swedish capital Stockholm has been hit by a fifth night of civil disturbances that started following a fatal police shooting .
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Tunisian female activist arrested
Today
A young women’s rights activist who was arrested at over the weekend while protesting against hardline Islamists in Tunisia has been charged with possessing pepper spray. The charge carries a maximum sentence of six month in prison.
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Chinese farmer develops affordable bionic arm
Today
A Chinese farmer has developed an affordable bionic arm that acts as a cheap alternative to the expensive prosthetic arms offered by local hospitals. Sun Jifa lost both of his hands in a fishing accident when explosives prematurely went off.
Six Jordanians said on hunger strike in Israel: At least six out of the 26 Jordanians detained in Israel are continuing the hunger strike they started on 2 May, demanding better conditions in jail, the right to family visits and medical attention provided by the Jordanian embassy in Tel Aviv
Israel allows civil defence squads to resume training: Following a report in Ma'ariv and against the background of growing tensions along the border with the Golan Heights, the IDF accepted the pleas of Golan residents and defence squads will now resume training to prepare for any scenario, including terrorist infiltration
Palestinian prisoner ends hunger strike: Palestinian prisoner Ayman Abu Daoud has decided to stop his hunger strike after signing a deal with Israeli authorities to release him to Gaza after three months, his family has revealed
Israel allows civil defence squads to resume training: Following a report in Ma'ariv and against the background of growing tensions along the border with the Golan Heights, the IDF accepted the pleas of Golan residents and defence squads will now resume training to prepare for any scenario, including terrorist infiltration
Palestinian prisoner ends hunger strike: Palestinian prisoner Ayman Abu Daoud has decided to stop his hunger strike after signing a deal with Israeli authorities to release him to Gaza after three months, his family has revealed
Golan Heights Druze seek Israeli citizenship
Syrian Druze living in the Golan Heights once burned identity cards offered by the Israeli government which annexed the area in 1981, however following nineteen months of civil war in Syria that has left an estimated 25,000 people dead many Druze residents are reconsidering the offer.
The Israeli Interior Ministry has said that recent requests for Israeli citizenship from Druze inhabitants of the Golan Heights has increased dramatically, despite a declaration by Druze leaders in 1982 that anyone seeking to become Israeli would be ostracized from their communities.
The Druze are a monotheistic religious community that incorporates elements of Islam, Judaism, Christianity and other philosophies, of the 2 million Druze worldwide, most live in Syria, Lebanon and Israel.
Of the 20,000 Druze believed to live in the Golan Heights only 10% have taken Israeli citizenship. Most of these are believed to be youths whose ties to Syria are generations distant, whilst others do not want to be associated with the Assad regime which many accuse of killing its own people.
The Druze have long been protected in Syria and many fear they will be persecuted if President Bashar al-Assad is deposed.
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Gefiltefest Food Festival
Here in North London JN1 was invited to attend the fourth annual Gefiltefest , and what fun it was, aside from the delicious food available, attendees were treated to live music and cookery demonstrations.
The food festival turned charity began by accident four years ago when Michael Leventhal won a competition. He decided to share the prize, a cookery class with his friends.
Michael Leventhal, Gefiltefest Founder:
"This year year for the first time we've got Silvia Nacamulli talking about the Jewish flavours of Tripoli from the Italian Jews that went to Tripoli. We've got an Ashkenazi versus Sephardi cook-off for the first time. We've got some of the favourite people back, some of the best speakers, but we try and give a platform to new speakers who aren't as well known, but some of the, you know, the most treasured speakers from the community as well".
The name of the festival is a play on gefilte fish, an popular Ashkenazi dish. For the past three years Gefiltefest has worked in partnership with the London Jewish Cultural Centre.
Louise Jacobs, Chief Executive Officer, London Jewish Cultural Centre:
"We're absolutely thrilled to be hosting it once again, we sold over three hundred tickets in advance, we expect many more people to be here on the day, over forty-five events both for adults and for children, and I think that the facilities, and the house and the garden here work very well for the event."
And for those daring enough, there was the opportunity to learn more about locusts. The edible insects have proved to be a popular snack for some people in several countries including Israel .
Rabbi Harvey Belovski, Golders Green Synagogue:
"One of the things that's wonderful about Gefiltefest is its an opportunity to explore and learn about unusual foods, and, locusts are something which most people in the West find to be a bit disgusting, but actually the Torah, the Jewish Bible permits at least some varieties and in some circumstances . You can fry them, or you can bake them. Through Yemenite tradition was to bake them very slowly and then to take the heads off, and serve them with sauce. What does it feel like to hold a locust?"
- I thought I'd be more afraid, but it's actually ok, it's, its not wriggling or trying to get out of my hand.
Rabbi Harvey Belovski, Golders Green Synagogue:
"I think if you prod it a little bit it might wriggle".
- Oh there we go.
Rabbi Harvey Belovski, Golders Green Synagogue:
"Yeah it's wriggling a little bit. It has a hard ex, it has a hard exoskeleton, so that's why it's a bit crunchy on the outside, but I think unless you press it very hard you won't hurt it".
And sessions like Jewish flavours of Tripoli and Indian kosher cookery explored how Jewish people have held on to their traditions, whilst experimenting with distinctive flavours.
Silvia Nacamulli, Italian-Jewish cooking expert:
"Jewish flavours of Tripoli is very much North African cooking with, keeping the Kosher rules, so making sure no mixture of meat and milk, no pork, no seafood, and a with a bit of an Italian addition to it. I made tershi which is a pumpkin dip, with homemade harissa; so I showed how to make a homemade harissa which is a very spicy chilli sauce".
Nikita Gulhane, Founder of the Spice Monkey:
"This particular recipe which comes from a Jewish hotel, or a house, which is owned by a Jewish man, is now called Koder House, this is a recipe from their restaurant kitchen there. It uses onions, basically they make a paste of onion and then they add cashew paste, and then you season it up, and then you add a lovely bit of kingfish, something like that. So the Jewish aspect is the use of onion".
And the fun-filled events also attracted VIP's including David Miliband.
David Miliband, Former UK Foreign Secretary:
"We were standing outside waiting for one of our kids to catch up, and the organisers saw us out there and invited us to come in and find out about it, so we did. The highlight is meeting Claudia Roden who is a great star of the cooking world, and who my mother tried to cook from, and did cook from her recipe books, so its nice to be able to meet her".
For more information on Gefiltefest and for future events go to www.gefiltefest.org.
Well today's certainly been a success, with a great turn out, and fantastic weather.
Celestina Olulode, JN1 , London
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Thousands attend wedding of Belz Rebbe family
The heir to one of the most important Jewish ultra-orthodox families, the Hasidic Belz Rebbe family, has married his bride in one of the largest weddings Jerusalem has seen.
The groom, 18-year-old Shalom Rokeach is the grandson of the Belz Rabbi, and he is expected to become leader of the community in the future, as he is the only male heir to one of the largest Jewish sects in the world. The bride is 19-year-old Hannah Batya Penet, who is also a member of the Belz Rebbe family, which is an ancient aristocratic family whose roots date back to 14 th Century Poland.
Police closed roads for the ceremony that attracted 25,000 guests from all over the world. Some stood so far away that they needed binoculars to see the ceremony.
The bride wore a traditional white dress, and was veiled throughout the entire ceremony. The male and female guests were kept separated.
The community gets its name from the town of Belz in Poland, which was home to 3,600 Jewish people before the Germans occupation in World War II. Belz Hassidism was almost eliminated during the Holocaust . Today there are thought to be more than 7,000 Belz Rebbe families.
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Israel prepares for massive military drill
Israel’s Home Front Command has said it is preparing to hold a massive nationwide military drill next week to focus on dealing with chemical weapons attacks which include the civilian population as well as military and emergency services.
The simulation will begin on 26 May when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces a week of national emergency preparedness. The drill will be the first time an entire network of early warning systems will be tested, including sirens, and alerts to civilians by text message , social networks, and television broadcasts. During the drill civilians will be asked to proceed to protected bomb shelters or remain inside for 10 minutes.
The simulated rocket attacks come at a time when tensions are rising over the civil war in neighbouring Syria after the Israeli Air Force (IAF) reportedly carried out airstrikes twice to eliminate advanced weaponry bound for Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The attacks, which were never officially claimed by Israel, prompted Syria to train advanced missiles on the Jewish State and vow retaliation if another strike occurred.
The commander of the IAF has said that Israel must be ready for a surprise war that could break out anytime, cautioning that the Bashar al-Assad regime could fall at any time, with many unfriendly elements looking to get their hands on Syria’s large chemical weapons stockpile.
Israel’s Home Front Defense Minister seems to agree with the general’s assessment warning that rockets raining down on densely populated areas in Israel “are only a matter of time” saying the question is not if but when.
Israel regularly distributes gas masks to its citizens as a precautionary measure and some 5 million people of the country’s 8 million strong population are said to have the protective head gear. After Israel was taken by surprise in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, it seems the nation is determined not to let such an attack happen again.