The partnership between India and Israel is fortified by shared problems, mentalities, and opportunities, and the friendship between the two nations is only set to grow in the future, a group of Indian political figures, entrepreneurs, activists, influencers, journalists, and commentators told The Jerusalem Post. “Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu, what they cemented during this visit was that we are civilizational partners,” said Vijeth Umbalagodu T

Amid attempts by some in Israeli society to prevent women from serving in combat roles in the IDF, the air force is quietly establishing a special commando unit, similar to the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit, composed entirely of female soldiers. An IDF official said that its creation represents a broader shift in the mindset of the IDF, and the air force in particular, toward integrating women into significant and complex combat roles. The air force noted that after the w

Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan gave the red-carpet treatment, with a military band, to EU Council chairman António Costa and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen for a first-ever EU-Armenia summit in Yerevan. They also signed a six-page declaration celebrating the “historic milestone” in relations and envisaging EU investment in solar energy, transport links, and the AI and digital sectors in Armenia. Pashinyan said the EU investment blueprint and legal

Brazil was set to join other Latin American countries that have shortened working hours after the lower house of the Brazilian parliament approved a constitutional amendment establishing a 40-hour, five-day workweek. Currently, Brazilians work five eight-hour days and four hours on a sixth day for 44 hours total. The amendment would end the six-day workweek without reducing pay for at least 37 million people and establish a 40-hour weekly work limit. It would guarantee two co

Hong Kong has overtaken Switzerland as the top global booking center for cross-border wealth, ‌a first that is unlikely to be reversed as hubs in Asia grow faster than the European safe-haven, Boston Consulting Group said. Wealth from China and an IPO boom in 2025 helped Hong Kong rise to a $2.95 trillion offshore behemoth for the world’s rich. Hong Kong is cementing its role as China’s gateway to global markets, though that same concentration ties its trajectory tightly to e

Germany has seen a rise in the number of people seeking German citizenship since it made it possible in mid-2024 for people to have passports from multiple countries and reduced the required time of residence to five years from eight. The statistics come from 14 of Germany’s 16 federal states, with data still lacking from the eastern states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Saxony-Anhalt, according to Welt am Sonntag. Several municipalities reported that naturalization numbers we

Nearly 80% of Gazans are interested in emigrating from the Gaza Strip, according to a recent survey the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) shared with senior Israeli officials. Since the war began following the October 7 massacre, more than 44,000 Gazans—including medical patients and individuals holding visas for third countries—have exited the Strip through the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings. -www.jpost.com, 18 May 2026 Commentary: According t

New research from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) uses C14 dating of preserved organic samples taken from one of two ancient fortresses in the Arava in southern Israel. The findings suggest they were built by the biblical kingdom of Israel almost 2,800 years ago, and not by the Assyrian empire decades later. With no systematic data or information to rely upon, the consensus among scholars was that the fortress, built over a perfect square measuring 100 meters (328 feet

Canada, the EU, EU-aspirant, and other European states have pledged closer alignment in the face of Russian and US geopolitical threats. “It’s my strong personal view that as the international order will be rebuilt, it will be rebuilt out of Europe. And so I’m very appreciative of the symbolism of this invitation,” said Canadian prime minister Mark Carney at a European summit in Yerevan. “We are the most European of non-European countries,” he added. The Yerevan summit of the

Israeli defense electronics company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has unveiled Storm Shield, a compact electronic warfare system designed to protect unmanned aerial vehicles operating in highly contested airspace and anti-access/area denial environments. With electronic warfare being widespread, and so many unmanned aerial vehicles, especially tiny ones, being activated, it is difficult to find a solution in the market. Therefore, Rafael created Storm Shield, which provides

A leading German media executive declared that he was “a goy” (non-Jew) and “a Zionist,” telling the World Jewish Congress in Geneva that the free world must confront antisemitism, anti-Zionism, and online radicalization before they undermine Western democracy itself. Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Axel Springer, the owner of Politico and Business Insider, delivered the remarks at a WJC (World Jewish Congress) Governing Board gathering marking 90 years since the organization was fou

China loves electric cars: making them, driving them and selling them to the rest of the world. But despite growing global interest in the innovative sector, Chinese electric cars remain out of reach for consumers in the world’s second-largest auto market, the United States. Advanced technology and affordable prices have driven the explosive success of Chinese electric vehicles such as BYD’s Sealion 06, a midsize SUV that “NBC Nightly News” took on a test drive in Beijing. Th

Russia test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile as part of efforts to modernize the country's nuclear forces, a launch hailed by President Vladimir Putin just days after his claim that the fighting in Ukraine is nearing an end. The Sarmat—designated “Satan II” by NATO—is meant to replace about 40 Soviet-built Voyevoda missiles. Its development began in 2011 and before now, the missile had only one known successful test and reportedly suffered a massive explosion du

An Israeli citizen said that the Belgian consulate denied her request to renew her long-held Belgian passport because she lives in the Pisgat Zeev neighborhood of Jerusalem, located beyond the Green Line. Annabelle Herciger-Tenzer told Channel 12 news that after submitting the request, she received the following response from the consulate: “After reviewing our population registry records, we found that you reside in a settlement that is not recognized under international law

Syria has selected an offshore location for its first deep-water oil and gas exploration project involving US energy company Chevron and Qatar’s UCC Holding, the Syrian Petroleum Company. Syria’s territorial waters in the eastern Mediterranean are considered strategically important due to major natural gas discoveries in recent years involving Egypt, Israel, Cyprus and Lebanon. According to Tawil, onshore oil production had previously served as a central source of state reven

China has issued a new proposal urging cities to integrate youth development into urban planning, housing, health care, education and public services, in a broader push to make urban life more supportive for young people, children and families. Authorities are trying to reverse China’s demographic decline after official data showed births fell to 7.92 million in 2025, with the birth rate dropping to a record low “By 2030, the concept of youth-development-oriented cities will

The rise of “walkaway wives” is a phenomenon that everyone from statisticians to lawyers has noticed. In recent years, around 63 percent of divorce petitions have been filed by wives, according to Stowe Family Law, and research released late last year by NOON for Mishcon de Reya and Julius Baer International found that nearly 56 percent of midlife women would end a marriage simply because they felt unhappy. The survey of 2,000 midlife women also revealed some other significan

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed the promulgation decree formalizing the entry into force of the Mercosur-EU trade deal—ending 26 years of negotiations between the two blocs and creating the largest South-South-North free-trade zone in modern history. Coverage: 31 countries (27 EU + 4 Mercosur), 720 million inhabitants, US$22 trillion combined GDP. Brazilian Senate ratification completed in March 2026. EU Commission applies the deal provisionally despite a

A choral concert fundraiser for the victims of the Bondi Beach terror attack at a Jewish event in Sydney has been canceled after local Greek singers opposed singing alongside their Jewish counterparts in the planned joint performance. In December, Naveed Akram, 24, opened fire along with his father Sajid on a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s ‌Bondi Beach, killing 15 people. Sajid Akram was killed in a confrontation with police during the shooting. Their attack was inspired by

Record growth in solar, especially in China and India, was a driving factor for clean energy sources surpassing the world’s strong demand for electricity in 2025, according to a new global power analysis. Last year also marked the first time this century that both China and India—historically major contributors of fossil power—saw declines in fossil fuel generation. In China, the decline was 0.9%, or 56 terawatt hours, and in India, 3.3%, or 56 terawatt hours. China led the g