Democratic candidates Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff are neck-and-neck in the Georgia Senate runoff races against Sen. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue. Georgia officials began counting the final votes of the nation’s turbulent 2020 election season on Tuesday night as polls closed in two critical races that will determine control of the U.S. Senate and, in turn, the fate of President-elect Joe Biden’s legislative agenda. The two Senate runoff elections are leftovers from the November general election, when none of the candidates hit the 50% threshold. Democrats need to win both races to seize the Senate majority — and, with it, control of the new Congress when Biden takes office in two weeks.

A video showing Florida governor Ron DeSantis blasting a CNN reporter while she tries to ask about the state’s coronavirus vaccine rollout has been viewed millions of times in just 14 hours. The clip shows the moment CNN’s Rosa Flores tries to ask DeSantis about why some elderly patients had to join long queues and even sleep out overnight in order to get their vaccine in some parts of Florida. Watch the video below: (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israel’s Health Ministry approved the coronavirus vaccine of US biotech company Moderna, the company stated overnight Monday. There have been differing reports about when the Moderna vaccines will be shipped to Israel, with the company and some health officials saying that the first shipment will arrive in approximately two weeks, two months ahead of the scheduled delivery in March. Other reports said that the vaccines won’t arrive until March with the exception of about 100,000 doses. Health Minister Yuli Edelstein confirmed the latter report on Tuesday afternoon, saying that the ministry has no indication that the Moderna vaccines will arrive earlier than March.

The attached video is simply shocking. The total disregard for not only vehicle and traffic law, but the total disregard for the lives of children is appalling. This occurred in Boro Park on 18th Avenue and 55th Street. The bus driver blocked both directions of traffic and had his red lights flashing, as a young child is seen running to the bus. That’s precisely when not one – but two vehicles blow past the bus speeds fast enough to kill a child. See the video below: JOIN THE TENS OF THOUSANDS WHO ALREADY ARE ALERTED OF BREAKING NEWS LIKE THIS IN LIVE TIME: YWN WHATSAPP STATUS UPDATES: CLICK HERE to join the YWN WhatsApp Status. YWN WHATSAPP GROUPS: CLICK HERE to be added to an official YWN WhatsApp Group. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Health Ministry data on Tuesday illustrates a frightening reality of the infection rate in the Chareidi sector in Israel, with infections at a record high, and the positivity rate in the sector at 19.5%, as compared to 7.7% in the general sector. The highest infection in the country rate is in Beitar Illit, with a 25.80% positivity rate, and Modiin Illit, with a 17.69 positivity rate, followed by Elad, Telzstone, Bnei Brak and Rechasim. A senior health official told Kikar H’Shabbos on Tuesday that “the British variant is spreading at a dizzying rate. We’re at the height of a wave worse than the first and second waves. We see this in the number of seriously ill patients and fatalities.

Health Minister Yuli Edelstein told other ministers on Monday that if Israel doesn’t take severe steps immediately, Israel will become “like Italy” soon. Israel’s Health Ministry confirmed 8,308 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday morning, the highest number of new cases since September, with tests showing a positivity rate of 7.7%. There are currently 56,223 active virus cases, including 837 seriously ill patients, of whom 183 are ventilated – a number that now surpasses Israel’s red flag number of 800 seriously ill patients that its health system can adequately treat without undue strain. A total of 98 fatalities were recorded in the past four days alone, an average of 25 deaths a day – raising the death toll to 3,448.

For the first time in Israeli history, the Jewish population of the country has dropped below 74 percent.  According to reports which appeared in Israeli media outlets on Sunday, the drop came as a result of the natural growth of the Arab population and the “other” populations of Israel, while at the same time, there was a drastic decline in the number of Jewish immigrants into the country over the past year. At the end of 2019, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) of Israel, the Jewish population numbered 74.1 percent of the total population of the country. Now, in a recent report by the Israeli Immigration Policy Center (IPC), the number dropped by 0.2 percent to 73.9 percent, thus falling below 74 percent for the first time ever.

HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky and HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein instructed the public on Monday to strictly adhere to health regulations in light of the alarming rise in coronavirus cases in recent days. In a letter published on Monday, the Gedolei Yisrael wrote: “Due to the increase in coronavirus infections and in order to prevent risk and illness and prevent the cancellation of Talmudei Torah and Tefillah B’Tzibur, everyone should be extremely stringent on adhering to health regulations.” The letter continued with the following instructions: A. Those who are older or at-risk and everyone that is able to should be makpid not to stay in enclosed places and should even make efforts to daven in courtyards or other open areas. B.

Rosh Yeshivas Chevron and member of Degel’s Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah HaRav Dovid Cohen tested positive for the coronavirus after being vaccinated about a week and a half ago. The Rosh Yeshivah apparently caught the virus in yeshivah as there has been an outbreak there recently and in many other yeshivos following Chanukah vacation. HaRav Cohen and Chevron Yeshivah have been known for having been extremely stringent on adhering to health regulations and unlike most other yeshivas in Israel, this was the first coronavirus outbreak it suffered. HaRav Cohen has been mapkid to always wear a mask and has been barely leaving his house except to go to the yeshivah.

The United Arab Emirates thwarted a planned terror attack by Iranian operatives that was to take place on the anniversary of Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani’s death on Sunday, Israel’s Channel 12 News reported. Emirati intelligence forces arrested members of an Iranian terror cell in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The attack reportedly involved a tourist destination favored by Israelis and business districts in Dubai. Emirati authorities are investigating the question of whether the planned attacks targeted the thousands of Israeli tourists and businesspeople currently in the United Arab Emirates. The Iranian suspects are being questioned and the UAE is reportedly sharing the information with its allies.