London – Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Wednesday for a national election on Oct. 15, saying it was the only way out of Britain’s Brexit impasse after lawmakers moved to block his plan to leave the European Union next month without a divorce deal. But Parliament delivered Johnson his third defeat in two days and […]

Jerusalem – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will serve as welfare minister in the wake of the resignation of Haim Katz over charges of fraud and breach of trust. Netanyahu adds the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, generally known as welfare, to three other ministries he now leads: defense, health and Diaspora affairs. Katz […]

Jerusalem – While many Israelis might already feel fatigued by the upcoming elections on Sept. 17, former justice minister Ayelet Shaked, who heads the newly formed right-wing Yamina Party, is both making history and surging in the polls. “I am the first female to head a right-wing political party in Israel’s history,” she told JNS. […]

Washington – Climate change moved squarely to the center of the Democratic presidential race Wednesday in a marathon series of televised town halls that gave candidates a chance to carve out some distance from one another on an issue of heightened importance to their party’s liberal base. All 10 of the candidates participating in the […]

Berlin – The U.S. ambassador to Germany says “now is not the time for business as usual with China” as Chancellor Angela Merkel prepares to make her 12th visit to the country as German leader. Merkel is due to visit Chinese leaders in Beijing on Friday. She will travel with a business delegation. In comments […]

Washington – Defense Secretary Mark Esper’s decision to shift $3.6 billion from military construction projects to build 175 miles of President Donald Trump’s wall along the Mexican border drew sharp pushback Wednesday from some Democrats. Pentagon officials did not announce which 127 projects will be affected but said members of Congress were being notified about […]

Hong Kong – Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced Wednesday the government will formally withdraw an extradition bill that sparked months of demonstrations, bowing to one of the protesters’ demands in the hope of ending the increasingly violent unrest. But lawmakers warned that the bill’s withdrawal was not enough to end the turmoil, which […]

London – On a day of humiliating setbacks, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered a major defeat in Parliament on Tuesday night as rebellious lawmakers voted to seize control of the Brexit agenda, prompting the embattled leader to say he would call for a new general election. The 328 to 301 vote, made possible by […]

Washington – Joe Biden entered the Democratic primary promising “from day one” to reject campaign cash from lobbyists. “I work for you — not any industry,” he tweeted. Yet hours after his April campaign kickoff, the former vice president went to a fundraiser at the home of a lobbying executive. And in the months since, […]

Washington – Congressional Republicans are waiting for the White House to chart a path forward on gun violence legislation, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday, effectively putting the burden on President Donald Trump to decide the GOP’s legislative response to the spate of mass shootings that included another deadly attack in Texas over the […]