Russian scientists have belatedly published first results from early trials into the experimental Sputnik V vaccine, which received government approval last month but drew considerable criticism from experts, as the shots had only been tested on several dozen people before being more widely administered. In a report published in the journal Lancet on Friday, developers of the vaccine said it appeared to be safe and to prompt an antibody response in all 40 people tested in the second phase of the study within three weeks. However, the authors noted that participants were only followed for 42 days, the study sample was small and there was no placebo or control vaccine used.

An Arab terrorist attempted to stab IDF soldiers at the Ariel Junction in the Shomron on Sunday. The terrorist approached the soldiers, pulled out a knife and attempted to stab the soldiers but was unsuccessful and fled the scene. He was pursued and neutralized by Israeli security forces. Fortunately, there were no injuries to Israeli security forces. The terrorist, who was shot in the leg, was arrested. He received medical treatment and was transferred to security forces for interrogation. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Daniel Prude appeared to be spiraling into crisis in the hours before police handcuffed him on a city street in March, then pinned the naked man face down. The 41-year-old had been thrown off a train the day before for disruptive behavior. He was sent to a hospital for a mental health evaluation after he was said to have expressed suicidal thoughts. Prude apparently stopped breathing as police in Rochester, New York, were restraining him and died when he was taken off life support a week later. Prude’s death and the actions of the police officers — who covered the man’s head with a “spit hood” during the confrontation — have intensified the debate over whether police should be responding to calls about people suffering mental health crises.

Mail balloting in the presidential election began Friday as North Carolina started sending out more than 600,000 ballots to voters — responding to a massive spike in requests that has played out across the country as voters look for a safer way to cast ballots during the pandemic. The 643,000 ballots requested in the initial wave in North Carolina were more than 16 times the number the state sent out at the same time four years ago. The requests came overwhelmingly from Democratic and independent voters, a reflection of a new partisan divide over mail voting.

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com By this time, most Yeshivos, Bais Yaakovs and Jewish day schools have had their pre-semester staff meetings.  In many of these meetings, the menahelim pointed out to teachers and Rebbeim that the new protocols that are initiated to protect students from COVID can be very depressing for the students.  To address these issues, many of the menahelim asked Rebbeim and teachers to think of creative ways to instill greater ruach within the classrooms.

As the infection rate soars in Israel’s Arab sector, coronavirus czar Prof. Ronni Gamzu said over the weekend that there could be hundreds of coronavirus fatalities in Israel’s Arab communities within weeks if the infection rate in the sector continues to rise. “Hundreds of Arab citizens may die of COVID-19 in the coming weeks,” Gamzu said on a visit to the Arab town of Daliyat al-Karmel. “There are about 750 new infections in Arab communities every day and it will increase to 800.” “This is not a scare attempt, it’s simply the coronavirus. It’s impossible to continue living as usual,” Gamzu asserted.

Dear Parents,  If your son\daughter Struggles with reading difficulties in Hebrew, especially in reading without nekudos, and consequently reads slowly and sometimes doesn’t daven properly… …your son struggles with difficulties in Gemara learning in general, has a hard time understanding the Gemara text inside or preparing a page of Gemara on his own… …who is very talented but confused about his abilities, lacks self-confidence, feels depressed about himself and has given up on ever being able to understand the Gemara… …who therefore suffers from gaps in his learning and consequently does not enjoy learning, is unmotivated, can and is frustrated because he gets no satisfaction from learning… …and you are concerned that his low level of spiritual satisfaction may eventually lead him to t

The opportunity to save a life doesn’t come to everyone, but for Lechaim it’s routine. Nobody wants to go on an oncology journey but, if they need it, the sooner they start, the better. Early diagnosis drastically improves outcomes. Unfortunately, under the UK’s National Health Service, rapid access to testing isn’t always possible and it can take weeks or even months to get a diagnosis and begin treatment. Fortunately for the Jewish community in Manchester, since Lechaim’s inception in 2018, there’s no need to wait. Lechaim facilitates early access to tests and investigations by funding them privately. In a situation where every day makes a difference, this undoubtedly saves lives, not to mention saving people the agonies of waiting and worrying.

President Donald Trump announced Friday that Serbia and Kosovo have agreed to normalize economic ties as part of U.S.-brokered talks that include Belgrade moving its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem, and mutual recognition between Israel and Kosovo. After two days of meetings with Trump administration officials, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti agreed to cooperate on a range of economic fronts to attract investment and create jobs. The announcement provided Trump with a diplomatic win ahead of the November presidential election and furthers his administration’s push to improve Israel’s international standing. “I’m pleased to announce a truly historic commitment,” Trump said in the Oval Office, standing alongside the two leaders.

Israel’s Health Ministry reported 2,349 new coronavirus cases on Motzei Shabbos. There are currently 26,283 active cases, with 439 seriously ill patients, of whom 128 are ventilated. Fourteen additional fatalities were recorded on Shabbos, raising the death toll to 1,007. Israeli has now reached the grim milestone of being the 49th country in the world to suffer over 1,000 coronavirus fatalities. There are currently 877 coronavirus patients hospitalized in Israel’s hospitals. Israel’s largest city of Jerusalem passed its own grim milestone on Friday when it became the first city to pass over 20,000 coronavirus infections. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)