Bogorodsky, Russia - Vandals painted swastikas and Stars of David on 15 gravestones in the Bogorodsky district of Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region. The vandals knocked over 10 gravestones and smashed an additional five. Police are investigating the incident, the latest in a series of acts of antisemitic vandalism in the Nizhny Novgorod region...

Queens, NY - Shots being fired from a BB gun at vehicles passing on the Belt Parkway and Cohancey Street, the area of the 106th & 102nd Pct's. NYPD Chief of Department Joseph Esposito's vehicle was also shot at and a single pellet shattered the front windshield of his SUV and wounded the his driver in the elbow, but didn't break the skin. The chief was not injured. Police are requesting...

Liberty, NY - Hatzolah on the scene at 140 Upper Ferendale Road in front of Camp Agudah, for two pedestrians that were struck, requesting Medics to respond on a rush. Chopper on stand by...

Melbourne - A new group that registers door-to-door collectors in the Orthodox community wants to increase awareness about bogus operators. Businessman Shimon Allen, a member of the Chabad community in Melbourne, said the new group, Chesed, would attempt to ensure that all collectors for overseas Jewish organisations carry a certificate identifying themselves and their cause. The campaign...

San Francisco, CA - A jury has convicted a 24-year-old man of accosting Holocaust survivor and scholar Elie Wiesel (vee-ZEHL') in a hotel elevator. Jurors convicted Eric Hunt of false imprisonment with a hate crime allegation. Hunt also was convicted of battery and elder abuse. The 79-year-old Wiesel testified he thought Hunt was trying to kidnap him when he was forcefully pulled off an...

Washington DC - ABC's 20/20 launched an investigation into the sale of outdated tires. They found that many stores, including big names like Sears and Goodyear, were selling old tires as new. The case began when a Newtown, PA., man bought his son "new" tires. On a road trip, the tread separated, the car swerved, and the boy died. The dad found out that the Sunoco dealer from whom he bought the...

Beijing, China - The Chinese government is making it difficult to set up kosher food restaurants at next month's 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. According to British-born Rabbi Levi Brackman, who currently lives in the United States, the strict Chinese regulations on visas and on imports may prevent restaurateurs from making kosher food available at the Games. Writing in his weekly...

New York - The price of a gallon of Cholov Yisroel (higher standard kosher milk) reached $6.40 a gallon in some places in New York State last week. The soaring prices for kosher milk are part of the steadily rising prices for kosher foods in general. While the average price for a ½ gallon of the special kosher milk was just under $3.00, it was as high as $3.20 in the Catskills, partially...

Los Angeles, CA - A Gardena man who pleaded guilty for his role in a violent terrorist plot against U.S. military and Jewish targets was sentenced today to 12 1/2 years in federal prison. Gregory Patterson, 24, issued a tearful apology at the Santa Ana federal courthouse to all citizens, especially the Jewish and Muslim communities, as well as the government and his family for what he called...

Israel - A senior Knesset official on Monday said fear of offending ultra-Orthodox MKs led the institution to exclude women singers from the parliamentary choir at a special session in honor of visiting British Prime Minister Gordon Brown earlier in the day. Two-thirds of the Knesset choir, headed by MK Zevulun Orlev (National Union-National Religious Party Chairman), were missing when the...

Greenwich, CT - A swimming pool company president was charged today with manslaughter in connection with the drowning of a 6-year-old boy whose arm was trapped by the suction of a powerful drain pump. Shoreline Pools President David Lionetti was released on $25,000 bail. Police said Lionetti, 53, of Stamford, "recklessly caused the death" of Zachary Cohn by failing to have his company...

Israel - The State Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment against former CEO of the Heftsiba Construction Company, Boaz Yona, with the Jerusalem District Court. The indictment includes counts of conspiracy to commit a crime, fraud, receiving of fraudulent benefits, falsifying corporate records, aggravated larceny, forgery, executive theft, use of falsified documents, and illicitly use of...

New York City - An Islamic group plans to blitz 1,000 subway cars with advertisements this September in a campaign being promoted by a Brooklyn imam whom federal officials have linked to a plot to blow up city landmarks. The group says its mission is to explain the true nature of Islam to non-Muslims who believe the religion is bent on acts of violence - but Siraj Wahhaj, the inflammatory...

Monroe, NY - A motor vehicle accident on the westbound lanes of Route 17 at Exit 130A between a cement truck and a car that overturned after the driver fell asleep, with two people now trapped inside semi conscious, has NY State Police closing down all lanes going westbound and eastbound. EMS on the scene requested 2 choppers. One Chopper, Stat Flight Air-2 responding will land on the westbound...

New York - Tax auditors more than doubled the number of letters asking residential filers to justify state tax refund claims, saying they cracking down on hundreds of millions of dollars in tax fraud. The state tax department sent about 182,000 letters to personal income tax filers - almost 2 percent of all residential filers - informing them that their tax returns are under review. The...