Rabbi Mordechai Eliezer Balla | Jun. 12, 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

The logo of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is seen through signboards, in Tokyo
Olympics-Japan may keep some virus curbs until Games start -paper

Jun. 12 - The Japanese government is considering ending a state of emergency in Tokyo and several other prefectures as scheduled on June 20, but keeping some curbs such as on restaurant hours until the Olympics start in July, the Mainichi daily reported.

New coronavirus infections in Olympics host Tokyo have inched down during the last month of emergency restrictions although authorities remain concerned about the spread of variants and the continued strain on medical resources.

On Friday, the head of Japan's main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Yukio Edano, called for the Games to be postponed or cancelled, saying there was an "extremely high risk" of an explosive outbreak in August and September if they went ahead.

The Mainichi newspaper reported on Friday the government would ask restaurants to keep shorter hours and impose other curbs under the targeted quasi-emergency measures. Bars and restaurants are now asked to close by 8 p.m. and are banned from serving alcohol.

A final decision is expected late next week, a few days before the end of the current emergency state, which also covers the northern island of Hokkaido, host of the marathon event.     more

Rabbi Mordechai Eliezer Balla at the biennial convention of the Conference of European Rabbis 
Germany’s 1st post-WWII military rabbi aims to open door to more Jewish recruits

The son of a Holocaust survivor, Rabbi Mordechai Balla says one of the most important aspects of his new job is educating non-Jewish soldiers while ministering to all faiths’ needs

Jun 12 - Shortly after assuming power in 1933, Adolf Hitler banned rabbis from administering to Jewish conscripts in the German military. Later this month, the German government will install the first chief military rabbi since the ban, with more Jewish clergy set to bolster the lines in the near future. It has been 76 years since the conclusion of the Holocaust, and nearly 90 years since a rabbi has served in this capacity.

The appointee, Budapest-born Rabbi Mordechai Eliezer “Zsolt” Balla, told The Times of Israel that his goal isn’t only to provide religious resources for soldiers, but to normalize German military service for all prospective Jewish inductees...     more

German soldiers at a press presentation on May 26 in Frankenberg

German army appoints first chief rabbi in a century

Jun. 4, 2021

Rabbi Mordechai Eliezer (Zsolt) Balla says he 'will help all Jews live Jewish life'
For the first time in 100 years, and 76 years after the end of the Holocaust, a chief rabbi has been appointed to the German army.

Rabbi Mordechai Eliezer (Zsolt) Balla's appointment ceremony will take place in Leipzig in three weeks, according to several reports. At least ten other rabbis will also be appointed to various posts in the German army.

"It is a great responsibility. We have to help all Jews live a Jewish life, if they are looking for kosher food and the opportunity to pray," Balla told Kan public broadcaster Thursday .

Germany has reportedly allocated € 5 million to establish the army's new chief rabbinate.

The German army does not record the religious affiliations of its members. But an estimated 300 Jews, 1,400 Muslims and 94,000 Christians make up the armed forces of the Bundeswehr, German media reported. 

In 2019, the German government approved a bill to allow rabbis to serve in the German military, a further sign, it said, meant to show that Jewish life is an integral part of the country...     more

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美英签新“大西洋宪章”难昔日重来 美俄峰会前互下“猛料” 20210611 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Jun 12, 2021

The New Atlantic Charter

JUNE 10, 2021•STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

Today, the President of the United States and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom reaffirm their commitment to work together to realise our vision for a more peaceful and prosperous future.

Our revitalised Atlantic Charter, building on the commitments and aspirations set out eighty years ago, affirms our ongoing commitment to sustaining our enduring values and defending them against new and old challenges. We commit to working closely with all partners who share our democratic values and to countering the efforts of those who seek to undermine our alliances and institutions...    more

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White House News (白宮消息) | Mar. 12, 2021

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 The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021  is a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package passed by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, 2021, to speed up the United States' recovery from the economic and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing recession.   ​​ Wikipedia



H.R.1319 - American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
This bill provides additional relief to address the continued impact of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) on the economy, public health, state and local governments, individuals, and businesses.     quoted from

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On Wings of Eagles: The Inspiring True Story of One Man's Patriotic Spirit--and His Heroic Mission to Save His Countrymen

#1 bestselling author Ken Follett tells the inspiring true story of the Middle East hostage crisis that began in 1978, and of the unconventional means one American used to save his countrymen. . . . 

When two of his employees were held hostage in a heavily guarded prison fortress in Iran, one man took matters into his own hands: businessman H. Ross Perot. His team consisted of a group of volunteers from the executive ranks of his corporation, handpicked and trained by a retired Green Beret officer. To free the imprisoned Americans, they would face incalculable odds on a mission that only true heroes would have dared. . . quoted from

美轰炸机再飞中东 以升级作战计划 伊朗如何反击？20210309 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Mar 11, 2021

An oil tanker off the coast of Tartus, Syria
Israel targeted some 12 tankers headed for Syria, US officials say -WSJ
The report alleged that since 2019, Israel has been using naval weapons, including water mines, to strike vessels which were either Iranian, or carried Iranian cargo, as they made their way to Syria.

Mar. 12 - US and regional officials have accused Israel of targeting "at least a dozen" tankers bound for Syria and mostly carrying Iranian oil due to concerns that petroleum profits were funding extremists, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

The report alleged that since 2019, Israel has been using naval weapons, including water mines, to strike vessels which were either Iranian, or carried Iranian cargo, as they made their way to Syria.

The report said that while most of the tankers carried oil, some of the targeted vessels have made efforts to move other cargo, including weaponry.

According to Greenpeace, Iranian oil tankers routinely violate trade embargoes on Iran and Syria to smuggle oil into Syria through the Suez Canal. The organization said that the practice of turning off tracking systems is also commonly done such vessels, to avoid detection for violating the trade embargo.

 
The practice is so common in fact, that between August of 2018 and July of 2019, Syria received around 17 million barrels of crude oil from Iran this way.

The WSJ report added that other ways that these ships avoid international scrutiny is through the declaration of false destinations, transferal of oil from one ship to another at sea, or through the use of old, rusted tankers which are harder to detect.
The report comes after Israel's Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel accused Iran of "eco-terrorism," blaming the country for a recent oil spill which likely came from an Iranian tanker. 

Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that the Israeli defense establishment had no evidence to suggest that Iran deliberately caused the oil spill.     source from

四国峰会 美日2+2 美拉帮结伙搅局亚太？20210310 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Mar 11, 2021

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
US secretary of state to invite Taiwan to democracy summit

mar. 15 - ​TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Wednesday (March 10) that he will invite Taiwan to a democracy summit hosted by President Joe Biden.

The House Committee on Foreign Affairs on Wednesday invited Blinken to a hearing to discuss Biden’s foreign policy priorities. Representative Young Kim told the diplomat that the U.S. should invite Taiwan to participate in its planned Summit for Democracy and initiate free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with the East Asian nation, saying, "I hope you can promise to work hard on this issue."

The representative stressed that Taiwan is a valuable security and global health partner of the U.S., has a strong democratic system, and has contributed much to the international community. She said Taiwan should therefore be granted a place at institutions such as the World Health Organization.

​Blinken agreed, praising Taiwan for its democracy and status as an important technology hub. He added: “It is also a country that can contribute to the world, not just to its own people. COVID-19 is a good example of this."     more to read

Quad alliance of US, Japan, India and Australia is part of Biden's plan to contain China. But some experts aren't so sure

Mar. 12 - Hong Kong (CNN)US President Joe Biden's administration entered the White House this year aiming to unite allies in efforts to contain China's territorial claims across the Indo-Pacific.

On Friday, Biden takes his biggest step toward that goal so far, bringing together a virtual gathering for leaders of the Quad -- the loose alliance of the United States, Japan, India and Australia that Beijing has called emblematic of a "poisonous" Cold War mentality.

Washington said Covid-19, economic cooperation, and the climate crisis will be topics of discussion on Friday, while New Delhi said its Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, would be discussing a "free and open Indo-Pacific" with Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

​Absent from those statements was any mention of China. But it was the rise of the Asian economic and military superpower that led to the Quad's revival in 2017 -- and it's Beijing's power plays that keep the bloc's four leaders up at night heading into the summit.

The Quad, or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, is an informal strategic forum, featuring semi-regular summits, information exchanges and military drills. While not a formal military alliance like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), it is seen by some as a potential counterweight to growing Chinese influence and alleged aggression in Asia-Pacific.

While members have emphasized the more benign aspects of the relationship, such as recent cooperation on the coronavirus pandemic, the potential for military encirclement by the Quad countries has not gone unnoticed by Beijing.

And it's no wonder.

US Navy Adm. Philip Davidson, the head of the US military's Indo-Pacific Command, on Tuesday called the Quad grouping a "diamond of democracies" in the Indo-Pacific.

Davidson said Tuesday he hoped the organization could "build into something bigger."
​
"Not in terms of security alone, but in terms of how we might approach ... the global economy, critical technologies like telecommunications and 5G, collaboration on the international order. Just much to be done diplomatically and economically," he said.     more details

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White House News (白宮消息) | Mar. 5, 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

Alan Stuart Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American comedian, former politician, media personality, and author who served as a United States senator from Minnesota from 2009 to 2018. He became well known in the 1970s and 1980s as a staff writer and performer on the television comedy show Saturday Night Live. After decades as a comedic actor and writer, he became a prominent liberal political activist, hosting The Al Franken Show on Air America Radio.

Franken was first elected to the United States Senate in 2008 as the nominee of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL, an affiliate of the Democratic Party), defeating incumbent Republican Senator Norm Coleman by 312 votes out of nearly three million cast (a margin of just over 0.01%). He won reelection in 2014 with 53.2% of the vote over Republican challenger Mike McFadden. Franken resigned on January 2, 2018, after several allegations of sexual misconduct were made against him.
​
In September 2019, Franken announced he would be hosting The Al Franken Show Saturday mornings on SiriusXM radio. It covers topics such as global affairs, politics, the 2020 presidential election, and entertainment.[1]     source from Wikipedia

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Double standard? Gillibrand in spotlight after Cuomo scandal

Mar. 5, WASHINGTON (AP) — Kirsten Gillibrand was the first Democratic senator to call for her colleague Al Franken’s resignation in 2017 as he faced allegations of sexual misconduct, building a profile as a leading advocate for women that became the centerpiece of her 2020 presidential bid.

But the New York senator is taking a different approach when it comes to sexual harassment allegations hitting closer to home, those against her state’s Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo.

In a series of statements, Gillibrand has said accusations of offensive behavior by Cuomo are “serious and deeply concerning” and that the three women “who have come forward have shown tremendous courage.” She has said that the claims against Cuomo are “completely unacceptable” and called for a full investigation — but stopped short of demanding his resignation.     continue to read

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Al Franken, Giant of the Senate

The Plea to “Stop Al Franken-ing” Cuomo Is Exactly What We Don’t Need
The New York governor is not the former Minnesota senator. He’s worse

Mar. 3 - On Monday, a third woman came forward with accusations of sexual harassment and predatory behavior against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Anna Ruch, a former member of the Obama administration, told the New York Times that Cuomo had approached her during a wedding in September 2019 and asked, “Can I kiss you?” The question allegedly took place shortly after she brushed his hand away as he touched her back—she had been wearing a dress with an open back design. A photograph, taken by a friend, showed Ruch looking visibly tense as Cuomo held her face in his hands, apparently at the moment when he had asked to kiss her.
Ruch’s story comes after two former aides detailed allegations of sexual harassment against Cuomo: On Saturday, Charlotte

Bennett accused him of sexually suggestive behavior—which included repeated questions about her views on monogamy and older men—and, perhaps most disturbingly, expressed an unsettling interest in her experience as a sexual assault survivor. Earlier last week, Lindsey Boylan, a former special adviser to the governor, accused Cuomo in a Medium post of forcibly kissing her and overseeing a toxic work climate in which, she wrote, “sexual harassment and bullying is so pervasive that it is not only condoned but expected.” 

Since the second allegation surfaced, calls for Cuomo to resign have gained momentum. But these serious and credible allegations have been countered by what, at the moment, appears to be an even larger sentiment to stop “Al Franken-ing him,” an exhortation that has since exploded on social media. Al Franken has been trending on Twitter ever since.

The warning refers to the former Democratic senator from Minnesota who, in 2017, was forced to resign amid allegations of groping and sexual harassment.     continue to read

澳反潜巡逻机首入东海 我海军多海域密集演兵 20210303 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Mar 4, 2021

《查理布朗  第 零上  一上  二上  三上  四上  五上  六上  七上  八上 九 十 集》
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​查理布朗老鼠

《花生漫畫》西元1953年三月/"Peanuts" on Mar. 8, 1953
​查理布朗 第零集 - Vol. Zero (weebly.com)
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