Jnews Roundup III

I am still looking for someone to write this on a regular basis.

Israeli Supreme Court orders rabbinate to authorize Heter Mekhirah produce (Arutz Sheva, Haaretz)

Israel remembers Yitzchak Rabin (Arutz Sheva, Haaretz, Ynet, Jerusalem Post)

Israeli woman assaulted by youths for refusing to change her seat on a bus(JPost, JTA, Haaretz)

Iran forbids PDAs -- Public Displays of Affection (Ynet)

Study in the journal of the American Psychiatric Association says that 26% of Orthodox women suffer sexual abuse (Jewish Week)

The latest in the battle for control of the Satmar community (Jerusalem Post)

Gary Rosenblatt opposes the search for the "Big Idea" as being an attempt at a quick fix to all of our problems (Jewish Week)

Jason Maoz expresses hesitations about Bibi Netanyahu's political comeback (Jewish Press)

Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks publishes new book (links in this post)

Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel R. Shlomo Amar visits Yeshiva University (Commentator) and the RCA (Forward)

Editorial about the influence of Israeli rabbis on American halakhic rulings (Forward) which I think touches on the important issue of the recent lack of confidence among American rabbis, although conversion might be an inappropriate example because of its global implications.

A mi-she-beirakh blessing for the Colorado Rockies (Intermountain Jewish News)

R. Yair Hoffman asks whether Starbucks is kosher and answers (Five Towns Jewish Times):

So what can be ordered at Starbucks? While there are no guarantees here, it has been told to this author that the regular coffee and the espresso (even the triple one) are generally washed separately and therefore would not present a problem of kashrus.

(UPDATE: The OU on Starbucks: link)