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Despite Retail Slump, Woolrich Clothing Expands in SoHo

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With all due respect to the much-ballyhooed Retail Apocalypse, Woolrich, the upscale outdoor clothing and workwear brand, says it has reached an agreement that will allow it to expand its SoHo retail location.

As reported by Bloomberg News, Woolrich, Inc. — founded in 1830 by John Rich and Daniel McCormick, and the oldest manufacturer of outdoor wear in the United States — will more than double its size on Wooster Street, taking a nearly 8,000-square-foot store next to its current location.

“Its new spot at 121 Wooster St., which has nearly 4,100 square feet on the ground floor and 3,700 square feet of selling space in the basement, will allow the company to showcase a growing collection of apparel and products,” Bloomberg said.

“They have a new investment firm involved in their business and the brand has been on the upswing in terms of consumer interest,” said Joel Isaacs, the founder of Isaacs and Company, who represented Woolrich in the lease. ”They want to capitalize on that and they needed more space to show the breadth of their line.”

Woolrich also announced that it has signed a lease for an approximately 6,500-square-foot office at 121 Varick St. and has plans to transform it into a showroom dedicated to wholesale marketing.

In yet another announcement, the company said recently that it will be closing its woolen mill in Woolrich, PA. The fabric manufacturing operations will cease by the end of the year and will affect up to 40 employees in the mill.

Nick Brayton, president of Woolrich Inc, said in a statement, “The decision to close the Mill was made following a comprehensive review of our overall woven fabric business and the considerable capital improvements needed to modernize and maintain viable operations. Unfortunately, due to higher manufacturing costs, eroding margins and continued unprofitability within the Mill, it is no longer economically feasible to continue our Pennsylvania based Woolen Mill operation.”

The mill opened in 1845 and is the oldest, continuously operated mill in the United States. Woolrich was founded in 1830. The only other two woolen mills in operation in the U.S. are the Pendleton Woolen Mill at Portland, OR and the Faribault Woolen Mill in Faribault, MN, according to www.lockhaven.com.

The company was founded for the purpose of manufacturing fabric for the wives of hunters, loggers and trappers. Later, it also outfitted clothing supplies to the American Civil War and Richard E. Byrd’s 1939–1940 Antarctic expedition.

The company bought 300 acres at Chatham’s Run in nearby Pine Creek Township in 1834 and built a sawmill. Rich bought out McCormick’s interest in 1843, and by 1845 the company moved to a new mill at the Chatham’s Run location.

Facebook Privacy Info Booth Set To Pop Up At Bryant Park Winter Wonderland

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Bryant Park provides a nice little escape from the city that’s smack in the middle of midtown. It’s probably not the place someone would expect to be reminded of Facebook and the never ending privacy issues and implications of the modern world.

Bryant Park visitors will soon see a new pop-up kiosk premier in the park, alongside food and more traditional retail pop-ups, at the end of the week, The New York Post reports. Curious passersby and those with specific privacy concerns alike can stop by the booth and learn about a range of issues related to privacy, like understanding what Facebook is doing to help with privacy and how users can take advantage.

“It’s been a tough year, and people have a lot of questions,” Khaliah Barnes, who works for Facebook as a privacy and public policy manager, said to The New York Post. “We wanted to have the opportunity to connect with people face to face.”

Bryant Park sets up a Holiday Market in the winter, with the free ice skating rink as its centerpiece, and now Facebook will fit into that picture. Don’t worry if it’s a particularly chilly day because Facebook will provide free hot chocolate while explaining the intricacies of its privacy improvements, according to The New York Post.

This type of pop-up has never been set up before in this country, and there will only be one chance to see it before it’s gone. It opens this Thursday at 11 a.m., but it closes for good just 10 hours later. There aren’t any plans to go national.

The Jewish Voice has reported on Facebook and its string of troubles and public relations debacles that set up the need for this Bryant Park pop-up. The British Parliament has used their legal powers to obtain a set of internal Facebook documents the social media giant has fought for months to stop from being made public, according to Facebook and a lawyer involved in a suit against the company, as was reported by CNN.

The Guardian of London has reported that the move by the UK legislative body was an attempt to hold Facebook accountable after its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg repeatedly declined to provide response to questions posed to him by members of parliament.

The paper reported that the cache of documents may contain evidence about Facebook decisions on data and privacy controls that led to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. It is claimed they include confidential emails between senior executives, and correspondence with Zuckerberg.

CNN has reported that the documents stem from a lawsuit in California that outlines a litany of allegations against Facebook, including claims about the company’s alleged disregard for user privacy and the claim that Zuckerberg devised a scheme that forced Facebook’s rivals, or potential rivals, out of business.

What is Behind the Price Drop at NYC’s Elite Buildings?

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Most New Yorkers frankly don’t give a hoot about the status of New York City’s most elite buildings. But for those who do: it is sinking.

The New York Post’s Christopher Cameron took time recently to analyze the situation, and reported that “many of the old-guard Good Buildings have seen better days. After floundering on the market since 2012, a spacious two-bedroom apartment seeking $2.3 million at 550 Park failed to find a buyer, despite a 36 percent price decrease. Luxury co-ops, once the most stable block of inventory in New York, have seen their prices fall 20 percent from 2014 to 2018, according to top real-estate appraiser Jonathan Miller.”

At 740 Park, Cameron chronicled, “ceaseless publicity, a fire and a crumbling facade have driven choosy oligarchs elsewhere. Susan Gutfreund, the owner of the best apartment in 834 Fifth (widely considered Fifth Avenue’s foremost), can’t find a buyer for her 22-room, 12,000-suqare-foot duplex. Its asking price is down from $120 million to $68 million. River House (which famously gave both Richard Nixon and Gloria Vanderbilt the finger) was reduced to allowing actress Uma Thurman to purchase a 12-room spread at an $8.5 million discount.”

Recently built luxury condos with tasteful design elements (such as limestone facades instead of glass) and vastly superior amenities have displaced many of the old guard. “What’s more, condos don’t have intrusive co-op boards, which dissect an applicant’s financials to an embarrassing degree,” the Post noted. “Now the trader who wants to live in his business rival’s building doesn’t have to pull his pants down to get in.”

One of the grand old edifices the Post looked at was 834 Fifth Avenue, a luxury residential housing cooperative in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It is located on Fifth Avenue at the corner of East 64th Street opposite the Central Park Zoo in Central Park. The limestone-clad building was designed by Rosario Candela, a prolific designer of luxury apartment buildings in Manhattan during the period between World War I and World War II. 834 Fifth Avenue is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious apartment houses in New York City. It has been called “the most pedigreed building on the snobbiest street in the country’s most real estate-obsessed city” in an article in the New York Observer newspaper. This status is due to the building’s overall architecture, the scale and layout of the apartments, and the notoriety of its current and past residents. It is one of the finest buildings designed by Rosario Candela, according to The New York Times.

Noted Cameron of the building, “After being rejected from 740 Park, Ukrainian billionaire Leo Blavatnik dropped a record $77.5 million on Jets owner (and current ambassador to the UK) Woody Johnson’s former spread at 834 Fifth. But the largest and best unit in the building — Susan Gutfreund’s 22-room spread — just can’t seem to find a buyer. She’s slashed her asking price from $120 million to $68 million.”

Futuristic Park Known as Diller Island Now Rising in the Hudson River

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There is something new, green and expensive rising in the Hudson River. Along the West Side of Manhattan, the much-talked-about plans are beginning fruition. The pilings for Diller Island, the futuristic park and performing arts venue, are being built. The dream is being sponsored by Barry Diller, the entertainment mogul, and his wife, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg. With a hefty price tag of $250 million, the local formerly known as Pier 55, is slated to open in spring of 2021. The estimate budget jumped from a mere $35 million, mainly because of the design complexity and legal battles. The project struggled against seven years of planning and bureaucratic maneuvering while wrangling with an environmentalist opposition group, due to the protected status of the river.

The cornerstone was laid this week, with workers installing a distinctive system of concrete supports. The park, named after Mr. Diller, will feature a performing arts center, with a 700-seat amphitheater for music, dance and theater productions. As reported by the NY Times, British designer Thomas Heatherwick, is creating a 2.4-acre platform which will seem to rise out of the river like a green Neverland. The supports surrounding the perimeter will appear as clusters of Champagne-glass-shaped planting pots seemingly sprouting from pilings beneath the riverbed. The addition of two walkways, which will connect the park to the shoreline and make it part of Hudson River Park, are also already underway.

Brian Aronne, Senior Vice President at Hunter Roberts Construction Group, is coordinating the construction. He says, much of the work will be regular concrete slabs, but the park will “rest” on 132 planted pots, especially made from its own custom-sculpted foam mold. Each pot is about 30 feet tall and weighs over 90 tons. The dock workers will use shackles and cables to keep the pot level and position it precisely on top of the narrow concrete pilings. “It’s all once-in-a-lifetime kind of stuff,’’ Mr. Aronne said. “It’s all never been done before.’’

Last year, the whole project was almost discarded as Mr. Diller’s project couldn’t seem to gain ground against the opposition led by the real estate developer Douglas Durst, who called the venture an environmental threat. The plans were only revived thanks to Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, who brokered an agreement to help settle the dispute.

“It was a gift to the city and the people of New York, and then to have it opposed by what turned out to be narrow reasons not having to do with the public interest, it was devastating,” Mr. Diller said, noting that both Gov. Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio support the park.

Amazon’s Planned HQ2 is Heating Up LIC Real Estate

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 By: Bert R. Dweck (President of the “Young Journalist Initiative” at The Jewish Voice)

New buildings and high rises were already starting to change the look and skyline of Long Island City, the growing Queens neighborhood right across the river from Manhattan. Amazon’s announcement that it plans to build part of its second headquarters in Long Island City has only further spurred the real estate market that’s already been hot, which is leaving some possible condo purchasers nervous about supply running out quickly, according to The New York Post.

The New York Post explains that “though the East River-front campus at Anable Basin won’t be completed until 2022, the e-commerce giant will lease 1 million square feet at One Court Square, also known as the Citigroup building, in the interim,” which the paper said is already affecting real estate markets.

Because sales slowed down in the neighborhood while construction continued thriving, potential stakeholders were excited at the potential opportunities, but Amazon’s HQ2 could change everything.

“There was still obviously [buyer] interest, but there was no sense of urgency,” Corcoran broker Lauren Renee Bennett said in an interview.

Now residents and businesspeople like Bennett must weather the Amazon storm if they still want a piece of the Long Island City real estate market. The opportunities spurred by Amazon could leave some much better off than others.

Bennett saw interest in the neighborhood take off after a slow start to the year.

“It changed overnight,” she said while also describing a bidding war she just witnessed as a result of increased real estate interest after the Amazon announcement.

“You started hearing rumblings that [LIC] was a finalist for HQ2, and it seemed to be kind of close to a sure thing,” Andrew Panico said, who owns a condo.

The Jewish Voice has reported about Amazon’s decision to open a second headquarters. It sparked controversy from the beginning, angering people who felt the online retail behemoth could afford to open a new headquarters without forcing a town to fork over business and tax incentives.

After all of the competing towns went through the dog-and-pony show of trying to persuade Amazon to come to their town, Amazon decided to split its second headquarters and move to New York and the Washington metropolitan area., which further angered opponents of corporate welfare.

Some Amazon detractors got fed up and took an artsy but illegal approach at making their voices heard. Long Island City, where the new headquarters will be located, was sprayed in graffiti with anti-Amazon messages, according to The New York Post.

The administration is in the process of creating what is recognized as a general project plan to rezone a 20-acre site near the Anable Basin on the Long Island City waterfront territory to facilitate the development of a sprawling office and mixed-use campus.

Bert R  Dweck- President of the Young Journalists Initiative 

Marlboro Cigs Maker Dives into Cannabis Market with $2.4B Investment

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One of the world’s largest tobacco companies is leaping into the cannabis business with a $2.4 billion investment. Maker of Marlboro cigarettes, Altria Group Inc., is acquiring a 45 percent stake in Cronos Group, a leading medical and recreational marijuana provider. On Friday December 7th, Cronos Group, headquartered in Toronto, Canada, announced the deal, as reported by VIN News. The deal will advance the company into the new customer base, which it believes will grow rapidly over the next decade, as its core business of tobacco cigarettes sees a decline in the United States. “Investing in Cronos Group as our exclusive partner in the emerging global cannabis category represents an exciting new growth opportunity for Altria,” said Howard Willard, Altria’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We believe that Cronos Group’s excellent management team has built capabilities necessary to compete globally, and we look forward to helping Cronos Group realize its significant growth potential.”

Moreover, Cronos said that Altria will also pay an extra $1.4 billion for warrants that if exercised, would up Altria to a 55 percent majority ownership stake. The massive investment by Altria sends a big signal that legalized pot is poised to be the next major market. Similarly, in August, Constellation Brands, which makes Corona beverages, spent $4 billion acquiring shares of Canopy Growth Corp., another Canadian cannabis producer. As legalization expands in the U.S., social norms will change. On Tuesday, ultra-conservative Utah succumbed becoming the latest state to legalize marijuana use for medical purposes. According to Arcview Market Research, a cannabis-focused investment firm, consumers are expected to spend $57 billion annually across the globe on legal cannabis by 2027. In North America, spending is projected to grow from $9.2 billion in 2017, to $47.3 billion in 2027.

Altria, which also owns Philip Morris USA as well as Sherman Group Holdings, operates worldwide and is headquartered in Henrico County, Virginia, near the city of Richmond. As of 2017, the company had ‎8,300 employees, a net income of $10.227 billion, and 25.58 billion in revenue.

Following the announcement on Friday, share prices of Cronos Group jumped 31 percent, coming close to its all-time high. “Altria is the ideal partner for Cronos Group, providing the resources and expertise we need to meaningfully accelerate our strategic growth,” said Mike Gorenstein, Cronos Group’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. “The proceeds from Altria’s investment will enable us to more quickly expand our global infrastructure and distribution footprint, while also increasing investments in R&D and brands that resonate with our consumers. Importantly, Altria shares our vision of driving long-term value through innovation, and we look forward to continuing to differentiate Cronos Group in this area.”

Josh Pruzansky Appointed ALEH’s Director of Development for North America

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Israel’s network of care for children with severe complex disabilities, is pleased to announce the appointment of Josh Pruzansky as its Director of Development for the US and Canada. After an extensive selection process, Mr. Pruzansky was the unanimous choice of ALEH’s search committee and International Board of Directors.

An impressive and respected advocate and connector, Mr. Pruzansky will oversee ALEH’s fundraising and community engagement efforts in the United States and Canada, including the development of strategic partnerships, the organization of local and national events, and the cultivation of large and small donors through large-scale educational campaigns and community events highlighting ALEH’s unparalleled medical, rehabilitative and educational offerings for Israel’s disability community and its starring role in the promotion of disability inclusion and equity in Israel and around the world.

“We are so excited to welcome Mr. Pruzansky to the ALEH family. The incomparable dedication of our professional staff members and international volunteers is world renowned, and Mr. Pruzansky’s drive, optimism and commitment to the growth of Jewish education and the promotion of Jewish values make him the perfect addition to our team. These traits will serve him well as he spreads the word about ALEH across North America,” said ALEH’s Director General Rabbi Yehuda Marmorstein.

A resident of New Jersey, Mr. Pruzansky began his 29-year career as the Executive Director of the Yeshiva of the Telshe Alumni in Riverdale, NY, where he was involved with the growth and expansion of the Yeshiva’s campus for nine years. He subsequently served as the Executive Director of Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva in Edison, NJ, where he retooled the fundraising structure and created a wildly successful Day Camp, which is now entering its third decade. In 2005, Mr. Pruzansky co-founded Yeshiva Me’On HaTorah, now located in Monsey, NY, and continues to serve as a member of its Board of Directors. Most recently, as the New Jersey Regional Director of the OU’s Advocacy Center, he championed the efforts to secure much-needed funding for the area’s nonpublic schools, securing more than 65 million dollars for his constituents over the course of a six-year tenure. An appointee of Governor Chris Christie, he is also a member of the New Jersey-Israel Commission, whose mission is to foster economic, scientific, educational and cultural ties with the State of Israel, one of New Jersey’s most important trading partners.

“It is my privilege to be working with and supporting ALEH’s incredible medical, rehabilitative and special education professionals in Israel, who are achieving miraculous results with Israeli children with severe complex disabilities,” said Mr. Pruzansky. “I look forward to sharing the warmth and wonder of ALEH with Jewish communities across North America, our partners in ensuring the best possible care for and inclusion of Israel’s disability community.”

Since its establishment in 1982, ALEH has provided Israeli children with severe complex disabilities with the best available care and the opportunity to develop to their fullest potentials. Thanks to ALEH’s continuum of loving care from infancy and childhood through adulthood, residents advance well beyond their initial prognoses and live happy, dignified, and meaningful lives. Day after day, ALEH’s professional medical and rehabilitative staff and dedicated volunteers work tirelessly to help the residents reach individualized goals, instill them with self-confidence and pride, and restore hope to their families.

To learn more about ALEH and to donate, please visit www.ALEH.org.

Landmark Theaters Purchased by Billionaire Film Fan, Charles Cohen

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The country’s biggest theater chain, dedicated to marketing and presenting independent and foreign films, is officially in new hands. Billionaire real estate developer and film enthusiast, Charles Cohen, has just closed a deal to purchase Landmark Theatres. As reported by The Real Deal, the chain of art-house cinemas was sold for an undisclosed price on December 4th. The portfolio had been for sale on and off for the past several years. An estimate from Deadline Hollywood values the theaters at roughly $175 million.

Since 2003, Landmark Theatres had been co-owned by Mark Cuban, from “The Shark Tank” who also owns the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and Investor Todd Wagner. Over the summer, there was plenty of talk that Amazon was in negotiations to purchase the cinema chain.

Landmark Theatres includes 52 theatres, as of 2018, in 27 cities, including locations in San Francisco, L.A., New York, Denver, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Seattle, St. Louis, and Washington DC. There are three locations in L.A., along with its flagship location at the Westside Pavilion. The chain started out in 1974, founded by Kim Jorgensen, and was then known as Parallax Theatres. Aside from specializing in Indie and foreign films, the theatres also feature 3Ds, and mainstream movies. Of late, by partnering with Netflix movies, the company also screened their global streaming debut.

In 2008, Cohen formed Cohen Media Group (CMG), which has restored hundreds of films, and distributes art-house films through Amazon’s Cohen Media Channel and also on discs through Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The company’s well-known titles include, award-winning “The Salesman” and “Timbuktu.” Two of his other films were also nominated for Academy Awards, earlier in the year. Cohen’s CMG also has purchased other theaters in New York, including Quad Cinema in Greenwich Village.

“Anyone who knows Charles knows he is an avid lover of art and cinema, and this deal to purchase Landmark serves so many of his true passions and interests,” Ted Mundorff , CEO of Landmark, said in a statement. “By acquiring our chain, he as supercharged and scaled his distribution footprint in the arthouse sector.” Mundorff will reportedly keep his position as CEO, and for now there are expected to be very minimal changes in the company’s management, as per Media Play News. “As we complete the sale, we expect the transition between owners to be smooth and seamless with little or no impact to customers,” Wagner and Cuban said in a joint statement confirming the deal.

Paris is Burning!! – 4 Dead, 11 Wounded in Terror Attack in Strasbourg; French Call for Macron to Resign

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A shooting in Strasbourg, France, on Tuesday killed four people, wounded 11 others and is being treated as an act of “terror,” police and government officials said, adding that the gunman is on the run.

As was reported by Fox News, the suspect opened fire in downtown Strasbourg on Orfevre Street around 8 p.m. local time, government authorities Préfet de la région Grand-Est et du Bas-Rhin revealed on Twitter.

The gunman is known to police and has a criminal record, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner told reporters.

The suspect was shot and wounded before fleeing the scene, police officials told The Associated Press. Authorities attempted to arrest the individual ahead of the shooting, a police official said, but it wasn’t immediately clear why.

Part of the incident took place in a Christmas market at Rue des Grandes Arcades and unfolded on different streets in the city, Strasbourg Mayor Roland Ries said. Military forces were helping the police, according to the mayor.

“There were gunshots and people running everywhere,” one local shopkeeper told BFM TV. “It lasted about 10 minutes.”

The Interior Ministry instructed people in Strasbourg to stay inside due to a “serious security event” taking place, according to an AP report. Government officials in the region also took to Twitter about an incident, saying there was an “event underway in Strasbourg” and cautioned against spreading “false rumors.”

“Avoid the area around the police station,” the Préfet de la région Grand-Est et du Bas-Rhin tweeted.

That area is located near the city’s Christmas market, according to the AP report. Strasbourg’s well-known market is set up around the city’s cathedral during the Christmas period and becomes a gathering place.

The European Parliament, which meets in Strasbourg, was closed and nobody is permitted to leave, according to Jaume Duch, the institution’s director general for communication and spokesperson.

President Emmanuel Macron was informed of the shooting and was being updated as events unfurled, an Elysee Palace official said. Castaner was on his way to Strasbourg, which lies on the border with Germany.

A spokesman for the European Parliament said the building had been shut down and staff ordered to stay inside.

“My thoughts are with the victims of the Strasbourg shooting, which I condemn with the utmost firmness,” tweeted Jean-Claude Juncker, head of the European Commission, the EU executive. “Strasbourg is an excellent symbol of peace and European Democracy. Values that we will always defend.”

European security agencies have feared for some time that Islamist militants who left Europe to fight for Islamic State in Syria and Iraq would return after the jihadist group’s defeat, with the skills and motivation to carry out attacks at home.

In 2016, a truck ploughed into a Bastille Day crowd in Nice, killing more than 80 people, while in November 2015, coordinated Islamist militant attacks on the Bataclan concert hall and other sites in Paris claimed about 130 lives. There have also been attacks in Paris on a policeman on the Champs-Elysees avenue, the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and a kosher store.

Almost exactly two years ago, a Tunisian Islamist rammed a hijacked truck into a Christmas market in central Berlin, killing 11 people as well as the driver.

In a related development, the Jewish Voice reported on Saturday night that French police arrested hundreds of protesters associated with the so-called Yellow Vest movement as France is now dealing with more fallout from a failed set of carbon taxes designed to tackle climate change.

Police arrested more nearly 1000 people Saturday morning in Paris and 135 people had been injured, including 17 police officers. Police searched protesters for items like the now-famed yellows vests they wear to signify allegiance to the country’s working class. Four people have died and scores more wounded during the weeks-long protests, which began in mid-November.

Protesters attempted to set a drugstore ablaze on the Champs-Élysées, placing burning Christmas trees against the building. French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said Saturday that violent outbreaks in Paris were “under control” despite ongoing disorderly acts he declared “totally unacceptable.”

French police supported by armored vehicles fired tear gas at yellow-vested protesters on the Champs-Elysees. The demonstrators were protesting France’s high cost of living. Castaner estimated 10,000 demonstrators had taken to Parisian streets and were among 125,000 protesters throughout the country.

Bracing for a fourth week of violent protests, France closed the Eiffel Tower and other tourist landmarks and mobilized tens of thousands of security officers. Many shops in Paris were boarded up before Saturday’s planned protests to avoid being smashed or looted, and police cordoned off many of the city’s broad boulevards.

Despite what Castaner said were “exceptional” security measures, protesters still smashed store windows and clashed with police. More than 89,000 police were being deployed nationwide, an increase from 65,000 last weekend, when protests over rising taxes turned into a riot that left more than 130 people injured.

Police in central Paris removed any materials from the streets that could be used as weapons or projectiles during the demonstrations, including street furniture at outdoor cafes.

President Emmanuel Macron made an unannounced visit Friday night to a group of anti-riot security officers outside Paris to thank them for their work. The protests erupted in November over a fuel tax increase, which was part of Macron’s plan to combat global warming.

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe called for new talks Saturday with representatives of the “yellow vest” movement. He vowed the government would address their concerns about rising living costs.

On Monday, it was reported that French President Emmanuel Macron spoke publicly for the first time on the anti-government protests that have shaken the country.

“I take my share of responsibility. I might have hurt people with my words,” Macron said in a nationwide broadcast speech Monday night.

He also said he recognizes that a proposed tax hike on pensions was “unjust.”

But Macron called the anger that has boiled over in the past weeks the result of what he describes as a 40-year-long “malaise,” especially among rural French.

The president declared an “economic and social state of emergency.”

Along with cutting the tax on pensioners, there will be a government-funded $113 boost in the monthly minimum wage, taxes on overtime pay will be scrapped, and large businesses have been asked to give workers a tax-free, end-of-the-year bonus.

But Macron stood firm against the street protesters, saying there will be “no indulgence” for those who smash windows, loot stores and attack police.

He also showed no signs of giving in to one of the demonstrators’ top demands — his resignation.

Macron has already canceled a fuel tax hike that sparked the protests nearly a month ago.

President Donald Trump tweeted Saturday that the Paris Agreement, a global effort to reduce global warming beginning in 2020, “isn’t working out so well for Paris” and that “People do not want to pay large sums of money … in order to protect the environment.”

Since the unrest began in November, four people have been killed in protest-related accidents. While Macron has since abandoned the fuel tax hike, protesters have made new demands to address other economic issues hurting workers, retirees and students.

Some are worried that the Yellow Vest movement could spread elsewhere. Police used extraordinary means to put down copycat protests in Belgium, another country seeking to enact stiff taxes on carbon. About 100 people were arrested as the police used tear gas and water cannons against Belgium protesters.

            (VOA & FOX)

Australia’s Morrison Gov’t is Expected to Recognize J’slm as Israel’s Capital

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Australia’s Morrison government is expected to formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital following a cabinet meeting Tuesday, according to The Australian news site.

Australia’s Conservatives website heralded the decision as “another great result for the Conservative Party which has been running a petition for recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital,” reported it was “unclear” if the government would only recognize the western part of Jerusalem or settle on a broader definition. .

A decision on moving Australia’s embassy from Tel Aviv may be delayed, however, the site reported.

“Sources confirmed that it was likely a consular office would be established in Jerusalem as a sign of support for Israel until the full embassy was relocated,” the Conservatives site said.

On October 15, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison revealed the possibility of moving the embassy in a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I’m very thankful to him for this. We will continue to strengthen ties between Israel and Australia,” Netanyahu tweeted.

Morrison received criticism from Palestinians and several Muslim countries, with Indonesia reportedly warning that if Australia moved its embassy to Jerusalem it could harm trade negotiations between the two countries.

If Australia moved its embassy it would join a growing list of countries that have done so, starting with the United States in May.

The Conservatives website said, “Conservative Party leader Cory Bernardi has told Paul Murray Live on Sky News the embassy move makes sense.”

Prime Minister Morrison took office in late August after the ruling Liberal Party turned on his predecessor, Malcolm Turnbull, over frustration in the party’s conservative wing with his leadership.

Shortly after he entered office, it was reported that Morrison was weighing the possibility of recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, as well as the relocation of the Australian embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The report Tuesday states that the Australian government approved recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital Monday night, though the cabinet is only expected to ratify the decision sometime Tuesday night.

While Australia will recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, sources told The Australian that the embassy will not be relocated in the immediate future, due to the $200 million estimated cost of moving the facility.

Instead, Australia is reportedly planning to open a consular facility in the Israeli capital in lieu of an embassy move.

If Australia does recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, it will join a small but growing number of countries to do so, including the United States, Guatemala, the Czech Republic, and Honduras.

            (WIN & INN)

Pregnant Mother Wounded in Arab Drive-By Shooting is Recovering

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The condition of the pregnant woman critically wounded in Monday’s terror attack is improving.

Shira Ish-Ran, the 21-year-old pregnant woman seriously wounded in a drive-by shooting on Sunday evening, is recovering, doctors at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem said Tuesday morning.

Ish-Ran, together with six others, including her husband, were wounded while waiting at a hitchhiking stop near the town of Ofra in Samaria.

The drive-by was caught on camera as gunfire opened up from a passing white sedan, sending those waiting running for cover. Some hid behind a stone memorial for a man killed by terrorists at the same spot a year ago.

Ish-Ran and the other wounded were rushed to Shaare Zedek. She was one of the worst injured and initially listed in critical condition.

“She lost a lot of blood, received blood transfusions, was stabilized and was taken to the operating room for urgent emergency surgery. She underwent a caesarean section and then surgery to treat her injuries,” said Dr. Alon Schwartz, a senior surgeon at Shaare Tzedek.

Ish-Ran was seven-and-a-half months pregnant. The baby boy was taken to the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit. He is still in critical condition.

Shira and her husband Amichai were visiting his parents in Ofra and were on their way home to their town of Elon Moreh.

On Monday, Shira’s father Chaim Silverstein told the media, “She opened her eyes and asked for Mom, so we rushed in. She got teary-eyed when she saw us. She got so emotional that we had to leave, because her pulse went up too much.”

He said that the family had not yet told her about the critical condition of her baby, who was delivered nearly two months early following the attack. She has asked about the child.

“Shira woke up a few minutes ago and this is the first time they met when she was conscious, they held hands and smiled but could not talk,” the father said. “We have no words to describe this joy, even though her condition is still difficult, but her life was saved and we welcome this miracle.”

Silverstein added, “The baby’s condition has not changed since yesterday. His life is still in danger and he is fighting for it, a small baby who was born prematurely along with a great trauma, and he started his life in a very difficult situation and we pray that he will survive.”

“We do not want to let her get too excited,” he said. “We consult with psychologists and social workers, and hope that we will know how to deal with this difficult situation.”

Liora, Shira’s mother, said, “She opened her eyes and tried to talk. It’s hard for her to have the tubes, but she calls and asks us to come and hold our hands and cry and smile.”

The husband’s father, Raphael Ish-Ran, said that when the shooting started, “Amichai started running along with everyone else, but then he looked around and saw his wife wasn’t with him. He ran to her and saw her on the floor. He stopped her bleeding with his hands until help arrived.”

Raphael Ish-Ran believes the terrorists targeted his daugther-in-law, adding, “Apparently, the terrorists studied the habits of settlers and they approached, as we’ve seen in videos, slowed down and then fired. They saw a pregnant woman and thought, ‘Great, that’s what we should hit’ and fired.”

            (WIN)

Meretz Demands Criminal Investigation Against Yair Netanyahu

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Left-wing party demands A-G investigate PM’s son for calling leftists “traitors.”

The left-wing Meretz faction asked the attorney general to open a criminal investigation against Yair Netanyahu, the son of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, after he called leftists “traitors.”

“The identification of such enemies by a person with a broad public presence, on a platform in which the audience of the person in question is particularly large, raises a real concern for violence against left-wing activists and activists in Israel,” the faction wrote.

Yair Netanyahu wrote on his Facebook account: “It’s so beautiful that now that you can finally use that word. I’ll say what everyone in the country thinks.”

“Left-wing organizations financed by foreign governments and hostility, politicians on the left and media people who always support the enemy side and always against the Jewish interest. Their hearts are full of contempt the victims of terrorism or the victims of the infiltrators, and on the other hand their hearts are full of compassion for every Palestinian rioter who is wounded on the Gaza border.

“It’s time to tell the simple truth. According to every basic human standard and agreed upon every nationality in history, they are traitors to all intents and purposes,” added the prime minister’s son.

Prime Minister Netanyahu responded: “I reject the use of the term ‘treason’ on any side of the political debate.”

“Since the investigation of the Submarine Affair, which Prime Minister Netanyahu has never been suspected of being involved in, Ehud Barak, the leftist demonstrators and others have accused Prime Minister Netanyahu of “treason,” Netanyahu’s office said.

Several weeks ago, INN reported that Yair Netanyahu, the son of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, published a “reminder” to MK Ahmed Tibi (Joint List) after Tibi published a Facebook post against Yair.

“Ahmed Tibi, the best friend of the greatest murderer of Jews since Hitler, Yasser Arafat, wrote a post about me. That’s very exciting and flattering,” wrote Yair Netanyahu.

“I want to remind Ahmed that all the Arab communities in Israel without exception sit on the ruins of ancient Jewish communities, and often preserve the previous Jewish name,” he continued.

The son of the prime minister added, “For example, the village of Battir sits on the spot where the last battle of Bar Kokhba and the Romans took place – Beitar. The Arabs themselves call the archaeological hill in the village Khirbat el-Yahud (meaning ‘ruin of the Jews’ -ed.). The Tibi family came to Israel from Syria. We are called Jews because we came from this country–Judea. And you are called Arabs because you came from another country–the Arabian Peninsula.”

On Friday, Netanyahu’s son criticized the police and wrote on Facebook that they do not enforce building laws in the Arab sector.

“In the Galilee, the Negev and the Triangle, there is a big problem that the Israeli police simply do not enforce the building laws in the Arab sector,” he wrote, attaching to the post an aerial photo of the Arab village of Tamra.

“Take, for example, the village of Tamra in the Western Galilee. The village itself is shown in the yellow circle. The red circle shows the area on which the illegal construction of the village was built. The area of ​​expansion and takeover is more than two times larger than the entire village of Tamra itself! For comparison, Akko is shown in a green circle,” noted Yair Netanyahu.

(INN)

Agreement To Bring Up To 1K Filipinos To Work In Israel’s Hotel Industry

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Tourism Minister Yariv Levin and Philippines Labor and Employment Minister Silvestre Bello signed a bilateral agreement Tuesday that will bring up to 1,000 Filipino nationals to work in Israel’s burgeoning tourism sector. Photo by Oded Karni / Courtesy Tourism Ministry on 11 December, 2018

Tourism Minister Yariv Levin and Philippines Labor and Employment Minister Silvestre Bello signed a bilateral agreement Tuesday that will bring up to 1,000 Filipino nationals to work in Israel’s burgeoning tourism sector.

A statement put out by the Tourism Ministry said the increase in manpower quotas was in order to cope with rising demand for hotel accommodation, due to the significant increase in the number of incoming tourists to Israel.

Employing workers from the Philippines joins an agreement already in place to employ Jordanian citizens working in hotels in the Eilat area and the workers will be designated to hotels in the Dead Sea area, which will receive top priority, followed by the Tel Aviv and Central regions and, finally, Jerusalem and the North.

“Incoming tourism to Israel continues to rise and break records, the hotels are full, and as a result of the concessions and grants given by the Tourism Ministry for hotel construction, we are also seeing unprecedented momentum in the number of hotel rooms being built after years of stagnation,” said Tourism Minister Yariv Levin. “The main obstacle that the ministry has had to contend with is the shortage of manpower. Therefore, today the government signed an agreement to increase the quota of foreign workers for the hotel industry, thus providing a solution to the labor shortage in both cleaning and housekeeping.

“The agreement signed today is the first round of cooperation and we have no doubt that this will directly affect the lowering of prices,” he added.

Philippines Labor and Employment Minister Bello said: “This is a welcome cooperation between the two countries and I am certain that this will lead to additional agreements, in the field of tourism and manpower, and of course in other areas as well.”

Incoming tourism to Israel is expected to reach an all time high of 4 million by the end of 2018. There is currently a shortage of some 1,500 non-skilled employees in the hotel industry with around 1,600 jobs to be filled by professional workers such as cooks and waiters.

In other news, the start-up nation is turning increasingly towards its Arab sector to support high tech industry initiatives and integrate their potential in the high tech industry, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority, Aharon Aharon, said Tuesday speaking at a conference on high-tech in the Arab sector in Nazareth.

“We believe in the Arab sector’s enormous potential to further integrate into the high-tech industry, both as employees and as entrepreneurs.” he said. “Support for entrepreneurs from the Arab sector is vital for economic and social development and further facilitates the creation of jobs in the periphery. This dedicated program, intended to encourage more research and development within the Arab community, helps promote innovative technological initiatives and helps them recruit funds from private investors,” he concluded.

   (TPS)

Israel Joins FATF Anti-Terror Financing Organization

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Israel has become the 38th full member of The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global inter-governmental body that combats money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system, Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked announced Monday.

Shaked said the access of the State of Israel as a full member of FATF will influence policy against regional enemies, money laundering and terror financing.

“The accession of the State of Israel as a full member of FATF is a strategic international achievement. In terms of the scale of the achievement, it is parallel to our joining of the OECD,” Shaked said. “Being member of the organization places the State of Israel in line with a limited number of countries, most of them the G20 countries, which lead the global fight against money laundering and financing of terrorism and set international standards, enabling us to take an active role in shaping global policy in the fields of combating terrorism financing and money laundering.”

Shaked also said that being part of FATF will strengthen Israel’s economy and improve cooperation between Israel and other countries on the financial intelligence and legal fronts.

“Joining the organization also significantly advances the interests of the Israeli economy – it will improve the ability of our financial sector to operate in the international economic arena, will help the economy and the financial and business sectors, will position Israel as a safe and attractive place for investments and will improve cooperation between Israel and other countries on the economic level,” she said.

Shaked added that Israel is the first country that has succeeded in being accepted by the organization at the first time of asking.

“The State of Israel is at the forefront of countries committed to the global fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism and is a source of knowledge and leading expertise. In a short time the State of Israel has reached a place of world leadership – we are the first country to succeed in joining the organization in the first and third place in the world in terms of effectiveness of the regime, immediately after the United States and England.

Israel became an observer to the FATF in February 2016. Until then it had already been closely involved in the work of the FATF through its participation in the FATF-style regional body MONEYVAL.

FATF President Billingslea applauded Israel new membership to the organization:

“I congratulate Israel on becoming a FATF member,” Billingslea said in a statement.

“Israel has undergone a rigorous assessment of its measures to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. During this demanding process, the country demonstrated its commitment to protect the integrity of the financial system. Israel has established a robust anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing framework that is achieving good results in identifying and responding to the risks the country is facing. As a member of the FATF, the country’s experience and perspective will make a valuable contribution to our work to prevent the misuse of the financial system.”

The decision to include Israel as a member follows the publication of a report by the FATF which found that Israel is among the leading countries in the fight against money laundering and terror financing.

“Due to its geographic location, Israel faces a particularly high terrorist financing risk from sources outside Israel, while fraud, tax offences, organized crime, public sector corruption and the use of cash are among the sources of money laundering risk for the country. Israel has successfully identified and understood these risks, which is reflected in the country’s anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing (AML/CFT) policies and activities,” according to the assessment.

            (TPS)

PepsiCo Seals $3.2B Acquisition Of SodaStream, Commits To Remaining In Israel

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PepsiCo announced last Wednesday afternoon that it has completed its $3.2 billion acquisition of Israeli-based SodaStream.

In August, the snack and drinks company confirmed it was buying out the Israeli carbonated drinks company for $144 per share.

Following the completion of the acquisition Sodastream CEO and director Daniel Birnbaum said that the company was “thrilled to become part of PepsiCo and join its diverse and talented team. “SodaStream was founded to bring healthy, convenient and environmentally friendly beverage options to consumers around the world – and PepsiCo will help us deliver and expand on this mission,” he said last Wednesday. “With some of the world’s leading marketing and R&D teams, and access to new markets and channels, we are excited to grow hand-in-hand with PepsiCo in the months and years to come.” Photo Credit: United With Israel

In a statement released last Wednesday, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said they he couldn’t be “prouder or more excited” to welcome SodaStream to the “PepsiCo family.”

He made it clear that SodaStream would remain based in Israel for at least 15 years, “if not indefinitely,” adding that it is planning to open a further manufacturing facility in Israel following the closure of the deal.

“With its customizable options, SodaStream empowers consumers to personalize their preferred beverage in an environmentally friendly way and provides PepsiCo with a significant presence in the at-home marketplace,” Laguarta said. “Together with SodaStream, I’m confident we can accelerate progress on our shared goal of curbing plastic waste and building a more sustainable future.”

With the acquisition completed, SodaStream will be delisted from the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq.

Following the completion of the acquisition Sodastream CEO and director Daniel Birnbaum said that the company was “thrilled to become part of PepsiCo and join its diverse and talented team.

“SodaStream was founded to bring healthy, convenient and environmentally friendly beverage options to consumers around the world – and PepsiCo will help us deliver and expand on this mission,” he said on Wednesday. “With some of the world’s leading marketing and R&D teams, and access to new markets and channels, we are excited to grow hand-in-hand with PepsiCo in the months and years to come.”

Prior to the deal, SodaStream shares had risen by 85% since the beginning of the year

The deal is expected to close by January 2019.

    (TPS)

US Amb to Israel David Friedman Celebrates Chanukah with Yeshiva Aish HaTorah

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Following the Menorah lighting ceremony at the Western Wall on the 5th night of Chanukah with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US Ambassador David Friedman, Aish HaTorah hosted the Ambassador, the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff, Yoav Horovitz, and Senior Advisor to Ambassador Friedman, Aryeh Lightstone, along with their families for a festive dinner. The ceremony at the Kotel marked one year since the US officially recognized Jerusalem as the Capitol of Israel.

At the dinner, Ambassador Friedman toasted the special partnership between the US and Israel. The Ambassador also addressed 300 Aish HaTorah yeshiva students at the annual Chanukah party and reminded them to include in their prayers of thanksgiving during this auspicious time of gratitude and praise for the Almighty, the United States of America, “a moral country and a moral people” who has been “good to Israel and good to the Jewish people.” He added that we all must pray for the United States, noting that everything that happens in this world is ordained by the Almighty.

Rabbi Steven Burg, CEO of Aish HaTorah said, “It was an honor for Aish HaTorah to once again host the US Ambassador, David Friedman, on this historic occasion of his lighting the Menorah at the Western Wall in the eternal capital of the Jewish people, Jerusalem. Like the Maccabees of the Chanuka story, Ambassador Friedman has fought hard on behalf of the Jewish Nation and we are eternally grateful to him and to the United States of America.”

Aish HaTorah operates about 35 full-time branches on five continents, providing seminars, singles events, executive learning groups, Shabbat and Jewish holiday programs, and community building.

In Jerusalem, the Aish HaTorah yeshiva offers both beginners’ drop-in classes and full-time, intensive study programs for Jewish men and women of all backgrounds and levels of knowledge. It has a high-tech main campus and outreach center that features a rooftop vista overlooking the Temple Mount, and the Kirk Douglas Theatre, which houses a dramatic film presentation of the Jewish contribution to humanity. Aish HaTorah runs the Discovery Seminar. The four-hour seminar reviews Jewish history, Jewish philosophy, and Jewish philosophy questions.

David Friedman served as an advisor to President Trump during his successful presidential campaign. In December 2016, President-elect Trump’s transition team announced that Friedman was Trump’s nominee for ambassador. He was confirmed by the full Senate on March 23, 2017, with a 52–46 vote, officially sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence on March 29th and presented his credentials on May 15th.

(This article was provided by Aish.com)