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First Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Miffed over anti-Israel stance, largest reconstructionist synagogue quits movement in US
The synagogue's departure reflects a growing divide within religious and academic communities regarding Israel read more The largest Reconstructionist synagogue in the United States has decided to leave the movement, citing concerns over what it perceives as an allowance of anti-Israel hostility. The decision highlights growing tensions within religious communities regarding attitudes toward Israel, particularly in the wake of recent events. The details emerged in a report by the Times of Israel. Key takeaways Departure from Reconstructionist Movement: The synagogue, the largest within the Reconstructionist stream of Judaism, has formally withdrawn from the movement. This decision underscores significant disagreements over the handling of Israel-related issues and the broader political climate within the Reconstructionist community. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Concerns over anti-Israel hostility: A central reason for the synagogue's departure is its belief that the Reconstructionist movement has, to some extent, permitted or failed to adequately address anti-Israel sentiment. This concern likely stems from debates and discussions within the movement regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and related issues. Student experiences and isolation: The decision also reflects broader tensions experienced by pro-Israel students on campuses. Reports indicate that after forming a pro-Israel student group following October 7, these students faced isolation and hostility from their peers, as noted by JTA. This campus climate may have influenced the synagogue's perspective on the wider movement's stance. Harvard report on anti-Semitism: A final report from Harvard University's Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias, released in April 2025, highlights the challenges faced by Jewish students. The report includes data on students' experiences, broken down by affiliation, religion, and race, further contextualizing the environment in which these tensions have arisen. The synagogue's departure reflects a growing divide within religious and academic communities regarding Israel. As institutions grapple with these complex issues, the decision by the largest Reconstructionist synagogue to leave its movement marks a significant moment, according to the Times of Israel.
Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
After a decade on probation, Chandigarh teachers to go on hunger strike tomorrow
Written by Amanpreet Thakur and Nivedita Ten years after joining service, teachers recruited in 2015 under the Chandigarh Education Department are still awaiting confirmation. With no progress despite favourable court orders, the Joint Teachers Association (JTA) on Monday announced a hunger strike on Guru Purnima (July 10), calling it a symbolic protest for 'dignity and justice'. At a press conference held at the Chandigarh Press Club, JTA president Ranbir Jhorar said, 'we're raising our voices here because no one else is listening. When any employee is exhausted by the struggle, the media becomes the only hope'. The teachers were recruited in 2015, but a paper leak in Punjab led to a criminal investigation. While 49 names surfaced, only six were charge-sheeted. 'The SIT cleared the rest, and yet the department continues to treat the entire batch as suspect,' Jhorar said. He added that three challans were filed between 2017 and 2021, effectively closing the investigation for most. Though the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) quashed the government's 2018 cancellation of the recruitment and the high court upheld that order in 2019, the administration filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court. 'But there's no stay,' Jhorar pointed out, adding, 'why are we being punished when there is no legal bar'. He called the never-ending probation 'the biggest torture,' stating that government rules allow probation to be extended only once, up to a maximum of two years. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) also mandates confirmation after successful completion of the probation period. 'There's no written communication of misconduct or failure, so what's the justification for the delay,' he asked. The JTA also raised concerns about 2023 recruits under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) not being given 7th Pay Commission (CPC) benefits. 'They joined after April 1, 2022, when central pay rules were already in force, but are still stuck on outdated pay scales,' Jhorar said. He blamed the delay on the DoPT's failure to issue cadre-specific orders. In addition, the association highlighted that deputationist teachers from Punjab and Haryana working in Chandigarh schools were not being given due seniority, despite a 1999 Supreme Court ruling (Roop Lal vs. Lt. Governor). 'This violates Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution,' the JTA chief said. The teachers plan to escalate their protest if their demands are ignored. 'This is not a fight against the department, but for the enforcement of rules and court orders,' Jhorar said. The association has submitted detailed representations up to the Chief Secretary and even secured political support, with BJP Chandigarh president Jatinder Malhotra writing to Union Home Minister Amit Shah in March. 'Even IAS and IPS officers whose cases are pending in court are serving in regular roles. Why are rules applied differently to us?' Jhorar asked, concluding, 'if rules exist, they must apply equally — not be bent at will.' The writers are interns with The Indian Express
Forbes
08-07-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Beep Launches NAVI Fully Autonomous Public Transit System In Florida
One of Beep's fourteen autonomous robo-shuttles operating in Jacksonville, Florida. Earlier this month Beep, Inc., a leading provider of autonomous shared mobility solutions, announced it has begun operating the Jacksonville Transportation Authority's (JTA) autonomous vehicle service, called NAVI (Neighborhood Autonomous Vehicle Innovation). Beep states that NAVI is the first fully autonomous public transportation system in the U.S. Backed by a five-year O&M contract, Beep will operate and maintain the NAVI service, which is part of the JTA's groundbreaking Ultimate Urban Circulator (U2C) program. In this first phase of the JTA's U2C program, Beep will operate and maintain a customized fleet of fourteen electric, autonomous, Buy America and ADA compliant Ford E-Transit vehicles integrated with automated driving system (ADS) capability from Oxa. Beep's proprietary technology will facilitate both vehicle deployment and command center operations from the JTA's new Autonomous Innovation Center (AIC). The company says that the AIC is a first-of-its-kind for autonomous transit. "Beep is proud to improve safety, expand access, and optimize public transit in Jacksonville with the first fully autonomous system in the nation. Building this system is a significant milestone to achieve fully sustainable, smart cities," said Kevin Reid, Chairman of the Board and newly appointed CEO of Beep. 'Our strong, long-term partnership with the visionary leaders at the JTA has laid the groundwork for the transformation of mobility and accessibility across the nation.' Beep is all about the next generation of shared mobility services with driverless, electric, multi-passenger vehicles designed to serve both public and private communities, in rural as well as urban settings. Beep's AV-agnostic supervision and management platform (AutonomOS™) enables operators and agencies to deliver transit-integrated AV mobility services at scale, providing for vehicle and cabin supervision, fleet orchestration, and integrated workflow management. With data from many deployments leading up to this point, Beep has been able to utilize artificial intelligence insights and data learnings to enhance and advance the safety, rider experience, and operating capabilities of autonomous transportation platforms. First and Last Mile Services The City of Jacksonville is geographically large with low-density; therefore, the addition and integration of new NAVI vehicles aims to enhance efficiency and safety, offering more reliable first- and last-mile services and expanding access to more destinations and riders. "The goal of the Ultimate Urban Circulator is to provide multi-modal transit options that improve the city's health, economy, and environment," said JTA CEO Nat Ford. 'The launch of NAVI is a crucial step toward a smarter, more accessible, better-connected Jacksonville – a city that is defining the future of mobility.' The vehicles will be deployed along the Bay Street Innovation Corridor, a 3.5-mile route in downtown Jacksonville with twelve stops from the Central Business Core to the Sports and Entertainment District. The routing aims to encourage downtown revitalization. The NAVI autonomous transit system in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. New Funding and New Leadership Beep has also announced the closing of a $52.7M funding round co-led by Intel Capital and Blue Lagoon Capital. The company notes that this new financing brings Beep's total capital raised to $97.7M. Funding will support expansion further into key markets. Additionally, Beep's Chairman of the Board, Kevin Reid, will succeed Joe Moye as Beep's CEO. Reid is a longtime technology investor and executive with over two decades of experience building strong companies, teams, and leadership. "Our continued investment in Beep reflects our confidence in their vision for building the next generation of public transit systems that reduce traffic congestion, improve rider safety, and expand accessibility," said Mark Rostick, Senior Managing Director at Intel Capital. 'As the company's longtime chairman, Kevin brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the CEO role and is well-equipped to lead the Jacksonville program and Beep's future expansion into new communities.' Early Players Find A Niche As noted above, Beep is relying on Oxa for autonomous driving. Oxa was one of the early players in fielding autonomy. Veterans of the autonomy space will remember Oxbotica, which was founded in the U.K. back in 2014 by professors at Oxford University's Mobile Robotics Group. Their first autonomous passenger rides occurred in 2019 as part of the DRIVEN project. The company rebranded to Oxa in 2023. The Way Forward For Public Transit and Autonomous Rides According to Beep, NAVI represents the first fare-generating fixed-route application of shared AVs in the U.S. transit industry. The multi-year service is fully compliant with all transit-related specifications and fully integrated with all relevant public transit agency functions at the federal, state, and local levels. The company emphasizes their uniqueness in focusing on autonomous public transit rather than single passenger rides, asserting the company 'is uniquely positioned to eliminate congestion by managing, monitoring, and tasking autonomous vehicles more safely and efficiently.' For years, robo-shuttle deployments around the world have been temporary research and demonstration pilots. They were great for a mayor or city council aiming to position their town as tech-forward. In some cases, the pilots produced insights on safety performance and/or user satisfaction. Across a crowded space, Beep has been front and center in the process, managing 38 autonomous shuttle deployments across nine states. Others have had success in recent years as well, notably May Mobility. May deployed safety-driver based services as early as 2021 and began driverless operations in the Sun City, Arizona in 2023. With four sites across the U.S., the company has since transitioned operations in other areas to driverless. A deployment in Tokyo is in the works. More recently, the VW-owned MOIA autonomous ridepooling service began small-scale driverless services in Hamburg – a major milestone for the European space. They are also conducting tests in Munich and Austin. Whether Beep has scored an industry-first or not would require some hair-splitting in the arcane world of public transit. In the end, what matters is that autonomous shared-ride services have turned a corner through the establishment of fully funded multi-year contracts for moving people through cities. If robo-shuttles are able to provide greatly enhanced service (cost, convenience, personal safety) compared to today's transit systems, we could see significant uptake by citizens and improvements in traffic flow and energy consumption. Nevertheless, the number of deployments remain small. Watch the pace of expansion to assess how real this transition is within the stodgy world of public transit.
GMA Network
20-06-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
Marcos meets with Japanese tourism sector
President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. met with Japanese tourism partners on Friday as part of his working visit in Japan. In a meeting with tourism stakeholders, Marcos was given an overview of key interests and opportunities for Philippine tourism in Japan. The stakeholders represent important areas of tourism, including industry associations, travel and tour companies, airlines and airports. Those part of the meeting were the Japan Tourism Agency (JTA), Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) Kansai / JTB West Japan Area Representative, Japan Philippines Tourism Council (JPTC), Kansai Regional Division, HIS Co., Ltd., Nippon Travel Agency, Hankyu Travel International Co., Ltd., Kansai Airports, Philippine Airlines (PAL), and Cebu Pacific. According to Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, Marcos highlighted his prioritization of tourism development through the help of infrastructure. She said the President mentioned the development of airports in the metro and in other regions. ''This was received very well by our Japanese stakeholders, especially considering that our data shows that Japanese travelers favor Cebu, Palawan, Boracay, Bohol, and are also very interested in other emerging island destinations across the country,'' she said. The President also gave his commitment as regards the Philippine government's continued prioritization of connectivity, Frasco said. Marcos also mentioned the Department of Tourism's Philippine Experience Heritage, Culture, and Arts Caravans. Meanwhile, Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene Garcia-Albano said Marcos wants to show his appreciation to all those who worked together in producing the Philippine Pavilion at the World Expo Osaka 2025. She also described relations between the Philippines and Japan as robust, with many sectors being active as a result of an exchange of high-level visits from both countries in recent months and years. — Anna Felicia Bajo/RSJ, GMA Integrated News
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
St. Johns River Ferry back on the water after weeks out of service for repairs
For the first time in close to six weeks, the St. Johns River Ferry opened up for people looking for a quicker trip to and from work, home or a weekend trip. Action News Jax told you the first week of May when the ferry service went offline after the Jacksonville Transportation Authority said it hit the boarding ramp, leaving the Mayport Village side. JTA originally said inspections and repairs could take up to 12 weeks, but the authority says it was able to get the ferry back on the water two weeks ahead of schedule. 'I don't like to really go over the Dames Point. I take it every day. So if I have a chance to take the ferry or a nice scenic route, I'm definitely on board,' said Max, one of the riders taking the ferry from Mayport Village to Fort George for work. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Riders tell Action News Jax that having the ferry service suspended led to many more hours of driving over the last few weeks than they would have normally done. For some, it meant having to go onto I-95 and over the Dames Point Bridge as their way of getting across the St. Johns River and into Mayport. 'It's a 45-minute drive to go around everything,' said one of the riders after Action News Jax boarded the ferry. 'Having the ferry back open is very convenient and it's a nice environment.' Even though the ferry was away for more than a month, there's work being done to bring another boat on board. Action News Jax told you last fall, that JTA received a $15.6 million federal grant to buy a hybrid diesel-electric ferry to add to its St. Johns River service. JTA tells Action News Jax it's on schedule to be on the water by fall 2028. JTA says the ferry is now back on its regular schedule. To find the hours it's running and how much you have to pay to get on board, you can click the link here. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
