SAO PAULO (AP) — A confident Croatia is ready to spoil Brazil’s party in their World Cup opener and continue a long tradition of first match upsets at the tournament. With all the pressure on the host team, Croatia coach Niko Kovac said Wednesday that his team can deliver a “historic result” in Thursday’s match in Sao Paulo. Kovac acknowledged … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — After two decades of hosting “The Tonight Show,” Jay Leno says his transition into retirement has been seamless. Without the daily grind of hosting NBC’s popular late-night show, Leno said he feels “liberated” to travel and invest more in his standup routines. “Write joke. Tell joke. Get check. It’s pretty simple. It’s not a hard plan,” he … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — More than 20,000 Maccabi Tel Aviv fans thronged a central square in the Israeli city on Monday to celebrate the team’s stunning victory in the European basketball championship, capping a national outpouring of joy that went far beyond the boundaries of sports. The upset victory over Real Madrid was the talk of the town Monday, … Read More
BNEI BRAK, Israel (AP) _ Moshe Prigan starts his day off just like many other men in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak with his morning prayer. It’s only later that the routine takes an unexpected twist, when he puts on his air force uniform and heads to the Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv. The 30-year-old captain doesn’t just … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Among those vying to become Israel’s next president are a former defense minister, a former foreign minister, a former finance minister, a respected long-serving lawmaker and a Nobel Prize winner. Amazingly, the man they all seek to replace has held all of those titles and more during a legendary 65-year political career. Shimon Peres, the … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — In an annual ritual, Israel will come to a standstill Monday morning for the country’s official Holocaust remembrance day. Air raid sirens will wail across the country as pedestrians stop in their tracks and drivers exit their vehicles and bow their heads to honor the six million victims of the Nazi genocide of World War II that … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Jerusalem’s bustling open-air Mahane Yehuda market offers a dizzying assault on the senses. Vendors compete with screams over the prices of their produce as the smell of spices and fresh fish wafts through the air. From old-school vegetable stalls, bakeries and boutique wine and cheese bars to fish and chip or falafel stands and sit-down restaurants of … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — As a city regularly ranked the most expensive in the Middle East, you are going to have a hard time enjoying Tel Aviv’s plethora of hopping clubs, swanky bars and mouthwatering restaurants without making a major dent in your wallet. But if you are ready to pack a lunch, use your legs and lose yourself … Read More
NETANYA, Israel (AP) — At the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, a young Mordechai Shpigler curled a mighty left-foot strike into the back of the net to secure a 1-1 draw for Israel against Sweden. The goal became a seminal moment in Israeli sports and turned Shpigler into a national icon. To the frustration of Israeli fans, it also remains … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — With the United States irked at Israel over its settlement policies and the lack of progress in peace talks, an obscure diplomatic classification has emerged as a new sticking point between the two close allies. To ease the travel of its citizens, Israel is pressing to join 38 other countries in the U.S. Visa Waiver … Read More
NETANYA, Israel (AP) — When 18-year-old Israeli beauty queen Linor Abargil was crowned Miss World in 1998, the tears streaming down her cheeks appeared to be the overwhelming joy of a young woman fulfilling a childhood dream. Few knew the painful truth behind them — that just six weeks earlier she had been raped at knifepoint. Unlike most victims of … Read More
EILAT, Israel (AP) — Israel’s prime minister on Monday triumphantly toured a display of dozens of rockets that navy commandos intercepted in the Red Sea last week, alleged to be on their way from Iran to the Gaza Strip, and accused the international community of ignoring Iranian support for militant groups and falling victim to a charm offensive by the … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli naval forces raided a ship in the Red Sea early Wednesday and seized dozens of advanced rockets from Iran destined for Palestinian militants in Gaza that would have considerably boosted their ability to strike Israeli citizens, the military said. The ship, the KLOS C, was carrying Syrian-made M-302 rockets and was intercepted more than 1,000 miles (1,600 … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — David O. Russell’s crime drama “American Hustle” could be a big winner at Sunday’s Academy Awards. But for the movie’s many international fans, it may take a little longer to realize it. In their country, there is simply no word that captures the true essence of “Hustle.” So in Israel the film is known in Hebrew as … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — In the Holy Land, the state of Palestine does not yet exist. But in Hollywood, it already has an Oscar finalist. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ announcement that “Omar,” one of this year’s candidates for best foreign language film, hailed from “Palestine” has raised eyebrows in these parts, where Israelis and the Palestinians are engaged … Read More