WASHINGTON (AP) — As the first round of COVID-19 vaccinations trickled out across the United States, many members of Congress lined up at the Capitol physician’s office to get inoculated. President-elect Joe Biden got vaccinated, too, as did Vice President Mike Pence. Both rolled up their sleeves live on television to receive their shots. For […]

ABU DHABI (VINnews) — Israeli Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef, who is visiting the UAE this week, visited the Yemenite Jews who escaped from Yemen to the UAE a few months ago. Rabbi Yosef prayed with the Yemenite Jews, who wear traditional dress and pray in their accustomed manner.

TORONTO (AP) — Canada’s health regulator authorized a second COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he will extend the suspension of flights from the United Kingdom because of a new variant there, calling the situation “very serious.” Health Canada said the vaccine from U.S. biotech firm Moderna is safe for use in […]

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s Health Ministry agreed Wednesday to cut the size of a study of a domestically developed coronavirus vaccine and to stop the enrollment of volunteers. The decision comes a week after developers said enrollment of study volunteers has slowed since Russia began giving out the Sputnik V vaccine while the late-stage study […]

NEW YORK (AP) — Verena Kansog hasn’t visited her mother in a year, fearing her work as a New York City paramedic would expose her to the coronavirus. But after a grueling separation, Kansog is headed home for the holidays after becoming one of the first members of the city’s fire department to receive the […]

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Only 53% of secular Israelis are amenable to living near Chareidim, according to a survey by the “Living Together” association published by Yisrael Hayom. However when asked whether they were willing to live near Arabs, 69% answered positively and 62% were willing to live near Bedouin. The troubling survey also revealed that […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is assailing the bipartisan $900 billion pandemic relief package that Congress just passed and is suggesting that he may not sign it. Trump complained in a video that he tweeted out Tuesday night that the bill delivered too much money to foreign countries, but not enough to Americans. The […]

LONDON (AP) — France has relaxed its coronavirus-related ban on trucks from Britain after a two-day standoff that had stranded thousands of drivers and raised fears of Christmastime food shortages in the U.K. French authorities, who had imposed the ban to fend off a new variant of the coronavirus circulating in southeast England, said drivers […]

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Jerusalem Faction, a splinter group of Lithuanian charedim who are opposed to any form of contact between yeshiva students and army officials, demonstrated and closed the main entry to Jerusalem Tuesday in protest over the arrest of a draft dodger. Police attempted to disperse the thousands of demonstrators who converged on […]

CALIFORNIA (AP) — Can employers make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory? Yes, with some exceptions. Experts say employers can require employees to take safety measures, including vaccination. That doesn’t necessarily mean you would get fired if you refuse, but you might need to sign a waiver or agree to work under specific conditions to limit any risk […]