An Aeroflot flight to Israel from New York via Russia was canceled without the airline informing the passengers, who were delayed for seven hours at the airport.
Behadrei Haredim reported that the families received notice that they had no way to reach their destination the Passover holiday, which begins on Friday night. Their only option is an alternative flight with El Al in the evening at a price of $2,000 per ticket, far less than the company is willing to reimburse the stranded passengers. According to the company the plane experienced a technical failure and cannot take off.
Read more at Arutz Sheva.
{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration is reimposing limits on the amount of money Cuban Americans can send to relatives on the island and ordering new restrictions on U.S. citizen, nonfamily travel to Cuba, national security adviser John Bolton said Wednesday.
The new measures, outlined by Bolton in a Miami speech, follow an announcement by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that the administration will lift restraints that have prevented lawsuits from U.S. citizens seeking compensation for property expropriated by the Cuban revolutionary government that seized power there more than six decades ago.
Bolton also announced new sanctions against Venezuela and Nicaragua that will bar parts of their banking systems from U.S. dollar transactions.

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the passing of R’ Refoel Dovid Shonek z”l. He was 30 years old.
R’ Dovid was a walking miracle, having undergone a double lung transplant and endured numerous medical nisyonos that were beyond comprehension. R’ Dovid battled with remarkable emunah and bitachon, being mechazeik all those who wished to strengthen him.
R’ Dovid, who lived in Lakewood and served as a rosh chaburah at Bais Medrash Govoah, was a choshuve ben Torah and ben aliyah, and a devoted son, father and husband. As one adam choshuv said, R’ Dovid was purified by the tribulations he underwent.
R’ Dovid is survived by his wife, his children, his parents, Rabbi and Mrs. Chaim Shonek, and numerous friends and admirers who will miss him dearly.

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President Reuven Rivlin on Wednesday evening entrusted MK and current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the task of forming the next government.

President Donald Trump reportedly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the latter’s visit at the White House last month that Israel could jeopardize its security cooperation with the United States if it doesn’t reduce its ties with China.
Channel 13 and Axios reported the development, citing Israeli officials.
The Trump administration has repeatedly warned Israel about forging close ties with the Chinese, including criticizing an agreement between the Jewish state and China to allow the latter to manage the Haifa port.
US concerns over the Haifa port deal have come from National Security Advisor John Bolton and US Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette.

Yahadut HaTorah which dropped from eight seats to seven, regained its eighth seat by uncovering a small but significant error.
According to Kikar Shabbos, the moment the Likud party received its 36th seat at the expense of UTJ’s eighth seat, party activists began working to prove that the drop had been caused by typing errors.
Senior figures in the Central Elections Committee did not believe that correcting the errors would change the results, but UTJ activists working around the clock proved otherwise, resulting in an extra seat in the new Knesset.
Read more at Arutz Sheva.
{Matzav.com}

Israel Defense Forces demolished the home of Salah Omar Barghouti on Wednesday morning.
Barghouti was a prime suspect in a shooting attack that injured seven, including a pregnant woman, Shira Ish–Ran, on December 8th, 2018. Ish–Ran was taken to hospital, and her baby, who had to be delivered in emergency, died four days later. Hamas later claimed Barghouti as one of their operatives.
The attack at Ofra, and a copycat attack carried out by Barghouti’s brother at a junction near the settlement of Givat Assaf just days later, led to a massive manhunt for Salah Barghouti, 29, which ended with him being killed by Israeli forces in a coordinated operation.

Following the failed lunar landing of the Israeli spacecraft Beresheet, preliminary findings point to a technical malfunction in one of the built-in measurement gauges that led to the engine shutdown during the final descent.
According to the initial investigation of the Israeli spacecraft Beresheet’s landing maneuver, following a malfunction in the IMU (inertial measurement unit), a command was uploaded to the spacecraft, which ultimately caused the main engine to turn off as communication with the vessel was lost.
The SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) team is continuing its investigation of the mission and will release the final findings in the coming weeks.