Haaretz Israel News
Wed, 26 Jan 2022 10:26:37 +02:00Serious COVID cases rise as Israel plans to nix kids' quarantine
Reversing course, the organization representing Israel’s pediatricians is urging postpone the plan to exempt from quarantine schoolchildren who came into contact with a COVID carrier
Wed, 26 Jan 2022 08:48:53 +02:00Jerusalem set for significant snow as Elpis winter storm descends on Israel
Elpis has already brought snow to northern Israel, after causing disruptions in Greece and Turkey
Wed, 26 Jan 2022 06:54:40 +02:00UN chief decries antisemitism, urges stand against hatred
At a Holocaust remembrance event, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says governments have a duty to teach about the Holocaust
Wed, 26 Jan 2022 06:03:08 +02:00Israel sees fivefold increase in homeschooling requests over last decade
Close to 1,900 kids in Israel receive homeschooling, with the coronavirus pandemic accelerating the number of applications by parents
Wed, 26 Jan 2022 06:02:18 +02:00Iran has a message to West on the nuke talks. Its messengers are the Houthis
Yemen's Houthis have stepped up their attacks on the UAE. Meanwhile, the more the U.S. is distracted by what is happening in Ukraine, the harder it is for Israel to continue applying pressure in the Iran nuclear talks
Wed, 26 Jan 2022 02:06:57 +02:00For a month, a Palestinian family watched over their mentally ill son. He escaped and hit a soldier with his car
A young father has been in a psychotic state for weeks, his doctor and relatives say. Since he ran away and hit a soldier with his car, he's been in detention without access to medication. The Shin Bet isn't involved in the investigation, yet he's al...
Wed, 26 Jan 2022 01:59:50 +02:00UNICEF says fears grow over fate of 850 children in besieged Syrian prison
Hundreds of children caught in the crossfire as Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces aided by U.S. troops attempt to storm the prison in after it was seized by militants last Thursday, leaving dozens dead
Wed, 26 Jan 2022 00:09:54 +02:00A concert of shame
Wed, 26 Jan 2022 00:02:30 +02:00Haaretz cartoon
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 23:23:14 +02:00Israel passes law curbing COVID-19 enforcement powers
The power to impose a lockdown, require schools to switch to remote learning or impose restrictions on people leaving the country will be limited to a state of emergency only
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 22:58:10 +02:00Partner arrested after woman's body found in Tel Aviv suburb apartment
No signs of violence were found on 27-year-old woman's body, leading the suspect's lawyer to suggest the cause of death was a ”medical complication” or that she had “used substances"
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 22:44:46 +02:00Robert F. Kennedy Jr. apologizes for comparing COVID rules to Holocaust
'My intention was to use examples of past barbarism to show the perils from new technologies of control,' anti-vaccine activist says after backlash
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 22:31:57 +02:00Israeli minister approves construction for Maccabiah Games on sea turtle habitat
Ayelet Shaked exploits a legal loophole to permit construction on Poleg beach, which connects two nature reserves and serves as an ecological corridor for wildlife
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 22:18:00 +02:00Palestinians have talked about the Tantura massacre, but a Jewish film made it fact
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 22:14:05 +02:00Netanyahu was right about the submarines after all
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 22:12:02 +02:00Netanyahu plea deal: Mercy, not exoneration
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 21:20:15 +02:00U.S. venture capital firm in talks to buy Israel's infamous spyware maker NSO
Negotiations with Integrity Partners, which seeks to acquire control of NSO in 2022-2023, are in advance stages. The plan: rebuilding NSO
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 20:59:43 +02:00Classified report calls for EU to halt support for Libya's coast guard over migrant abuse
Hundreds of thousands of migrants hoping to reach Europe have made their way through Libya, where a lucrative trafficking and smuggling business has flourished in a country without a functioning government
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 20:12:55 +02:00Why the author of ‘People Love Dead Jews’ is sorry her book is a huge hit
Dara Horn has connected with the broadest spectrum of Jews with her award-winning nonfiction book ‘People Love Dead Jews.’ She talks about its success and why she is tired of Jews being the canary in the coal mine
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 20:10:29 +02:00Israel's top Arab cop didn't 'secure' murder scene, evidence shows. He fled it
Following Haaretz's revelations, further footage and testimonies show that Jamal Hakhrush left the murder scene in Kafr Kana right after it happened, and returned 10 minutes later to escalation and a victim who had bled out
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 19:52:18 +02:00The Netanyahu era has dragged down Israel’s corruption ranking
When a prime minister who is accused of corruption uses his power against the judicial and law enforcement systems, it’s no wonder that Israel is slipping in its corruption score
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 19:06:42 +02:00Israeli president announces first UAE visit; Lapid teases Saudi, Indonesian ties
President Herzog is due to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed next week
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 18:29:34 +02:00Iran's cost-of-living squeeze belies Raisi's push for economic self-reliance
Refusing to link Iran's economy to nuclear talks, the president has instead promoted a 'resistance economy' in order to circumvent sanctions, the benefits of which not felt by everyday citizens
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 18:12:01 +02:00J Street 'pushes back' against AIPAC by announcing new fund for 2022 Congressional races
J Street's 'action fund' for progressive pro-Israel candidates comes fresh on the heels of AIPAC's move last month, and explicitly seeks to counter groups 'spending millions' to push candidates to the right
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 18:04:50 +02:00COVID-related deaths in Israel rise to 40 a day, serious cases overtake delta wave peak
A report by Israel's national coronavirus information center states COVID wards in hospitals across the country have reached 'all-time high' capacity
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 17:14:46 +02:00For a Dutch Jewish family nearly wiped out in the Holocaust, an unusual reunion
An immigrant to Israel from North Carolina got relatives of his Dutch-born wife to meet online and learn about their Jewish family that has been in the Netherlands for centuries
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 17:14:25 +02:00Art in temple of ‘Allah’s daughter’ reveals ancient super-camels, archaeologists say
Relief at temple of pre-Islamic goddess shows that Hatra, a buffer state between the Persian and Roman empires, created hybrid camels by mating species from Central Asia and Arabia
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 16:42:30 +02:00The surprising history of vegetarianism
Vegetarianism wasn’t born yesterday. Greek and Roman philosophers were among the earliest to practice a ‘green diet’ and to defend animal rights
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 15:50:13 +02:00All fun and games? Israel’s gaming industry is blowing up
Gaming in Israel is becoming as big as hi-tech. Local firms are rooted in online gambling, producing games designed to extract more and more money out of users
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 15:24:23 +02:00‘These comparisons are increasingly dangerous’: COVID-19 skeptics’ disturbing obsession with the Holocaust
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is just the latest high-profile figure to equate COVID restrictions with the Shoah. Holocaust experts warn it could lead to more antisemitic attacks and create a new wave of deniers
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 15:23:56 +02:00NSO chairman quits as cyber firm reels from Israeli police scandal
NSO’s Pegasus spyware was reportedly used by Israeli police to snoop on mayors and protesters without warrant, but chairman says he’s leaving for other reasons
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 15:08:04 +02:00‘When I told Pfizer about incidents of myocarditis they refused to believe me for four months’
Israel had the potential to be the first country in the world to detect side effects of the coronavirus vaccines. And it did detect two, almost by accident. But its disregard for more minor effects cost it public trust
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 14:57:07 +02:00'A French Jew who only arrived yesterday to Israel is more of a landlord than you'
'How can I know that tomorrow they won’t come to my village and throw me out of there?' asks Palestinian columnist and author Odeh Bisharat. Upon publication of his new novel, he talks about understanding Arab youth's anger bursts and his readers b...
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 14:34:41 +02:00Famed advertising executive, political consultant Reuven Adler dies at 78
Adler, who established what would become one of Israel’s largest advertising firms, was a close advisor to political leaders, including former Prime Ministers Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 13:59:43 +02:00Death toll from airstrikes on Yemen detention center rises to 91, says Houthi minister
As escalation grows, the Saudi-led coalition says the facility in Yemen's Saada was not included on a no-target list agreed with UN agencies
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 13:09:10 +02:00Former Israeli Supreme Court President Miriam Naor laid to rest in Jerusalem
Naor was part of several landmark rulings, including overruling a law to keep asylum seekers in detention, and she authored the ruling abolishing the draft exemption for yeshiva students
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 13:05:34 +02:00'The Queen’s File': How the Mossad got to King Hussein of Jordan’s mother
His grandfather was assassinated, his father incapacitated. Now Hussein was king of Jordan, and Israel needed a covert, deniable but direct line to the palace in Amman. Newly declassified, here's the surprisingly intimate route its agents took
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 13:00:27 +02:00Leading U.S. Jewish groups urge Israel to act against 'extremist' settler violence in West Bank
Seven U.S. Jewish organizations call on the Israeli government to take 'unequivocal action' against settler violence that has been 'increasing and intensifying over the past year'
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 12:51:39 +02:00Woman, Toddler injured in car explosion in central Israel
The 29-year-old pregnant woman and her one-year-old daughter were rushed to hospital in a serious to moderate condition. The hospital says the fetus is a stable condition
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 11:31:45 +02:00Yad Vashem launches website to commemorate Righteous Among Nations
77 years after Auschwitz was liberated, Yad Vashem releases several videos and launches a website to remember those who saved Jews during the Holocaust
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 11:11:58 +02:00Shas leader Dery convicted of tax offenses as part of plea deal
Arye Dery, who is accused of tax evasion and has resigned his Knesset seat, will pay a 180,000 shekel fine and receive probation time
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 09:27:10 +02:00Expert panel backs fourth COVID vaccine dose for Israelis 18 and over
The recommendation will expand Israel's fourth COVID dose rollout, previously limited to Israelis above 60 and at-risk adults, but still awaits the Health Ministry director-general approval before implementation
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 07:39:47 +02:00The Ukraine crisis could redefine America’s place on the world stage forever
Both Russia and China see the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, disengagement from the Middle East and its diminishing interest in intervening in crises as proof that the international system is ripe for change
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 06:03:05 +02:00‘Omicron won’t be the last variant’: Experts say pandemic’s end not yet in sight
Israeli health experts think it is too early to determine that omicron will make COVID endemic, and that antibodies from the less virulent variant won't necessarily provide long-term protection
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 05:15:25 +02:00Haaretz cartoon
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 02:47:56 +02:00Cop who abandoned dying man isn't worthy of his uniform
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 02:31:47 +02:00The all-consuming drive to oust Netanyahu has strangled us
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 02:12:38 +02:00Inquiry into Mount Meron disaster to be delayed after death of Israel's former Supreme Court President
Police Comissioner's testimony among those expected to be pushed back due to the death of Miriam Naor, former Supreme Court president and chair of the commission
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 00:59:06 +02:00Israel’s opposition to Iran nuclear deal will isolate it, think tank says
Institute for National Security Studies' annual report also cites domestic polarization and failure to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as major strategic threats to Israel
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 23:26:23 +02:00In Netanyahu corruption case, the 'system' is also trying to sidestep trial
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 23:10:56 +02:00Fewer Jewish high-schoolers taking Arabic language matriculation exam
The number of Jewish students in Israel taking the exam has dropped by a third over the past five years
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 22:26:09 +02:00Police brass ignored that Israel's top Arab cop didn't help stabbing victim
Brig. Gen. Hakhrush offered no assistance to the victim, who died of his wounds, and an investigation found that senior police officials were aware of the incident but disregarded it
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 21:39:54 +02:00Three Palestinians reportedly wounded as settlers hurl stones in West Bank
In a video of the incident, soldiers are seen standing at the side of the road and a military jeep is seen driving behind the settlers' vehicles
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 20:23:16 +02:00Fourth COVID vaccine unlikely for most people, Israeli health minister says
Israel started administering a fourth COVID dose to most vulnerable groups as omicron surged
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 20:16:49 +02:00Israel has a lot to lose from a Russia-Ukraine war
As one of the few countries to have close diplomatic ties with both Kyiv and Moscow, Israel will be aiming to stay on the sidelines if the two sides go to war
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 20:15:01 +02:00Israel's Arab and Jews united in their fight against a power plant
Following clashes between Jews and Arabs across Israel during May’s Gaza war, the campaign by residents of the Tel Aviv suburbs of Kafr Qasem and Rosh Ha'ayin waned, but it has since been revived
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 19:35:24 +02:00Netanyahu pours cold water on plea deal, rejects moral turpitude demand
Netanyahu’s announcement comes after his lawyers received a message from AG Mendelblit that negotiations with him would not be possible and that they would have to wait for the appointment of his successor
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 19:01:18 +02:00Syrian Kurds say Islamic State militants surrendered after prison raid
At least 180 inmates and militants and 27 security forces have reportedly died since ISIS fighters attacked the jail in Hasaka last week in a bid to free their members
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 17:48:33 +02:00Ex-minister says he didn't know Israel Police used NSO spyware
Police use of NSO's spyware was never 'brought to my attention,' former minister Amir Ohana says ■ Public security minister orders staff to look into existing wiretapping laws
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 17:09:27 +02:00'JewFace' faces backlash: 'What's offensive is the idea that there's such thing as Jewish character traits'
Acclaimed Israeli filmmakers Joseph Cedar and Hagai Levi respond to the uproar over 'JewFace,' the term coined by comedian Sarah Silverman for non-Jewish actors being cast as Jewish characters
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 16:17:52 +02:00Discovery of millet in Bronze Age Mesopotamia changes understanding of early farming
Not only were the Mesopotamians growing millet, a thirsty summer crop, before the Neo-Assyrians introduced irrigation: They were early adopters of multi-cropping at least 3,500 years ago
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 15:45:45 +02:00Taliban hold first talks in Europe since Afghanistan takeover
With about 23 million people, more than half the country, facing severe hunger and nearly 9 million on the brink of starvation, the Taliban is expected to demand the release of $10 million in frozen assets
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 15:31:18 +02:00How a plea bargain for Netanyahu could rock Israeli politics: LISTEN
As Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin dissect Bibi's latest legal drama, listen in as Omer Benjakob discusses the latest NSO scandal, all with host Allison Kaplan Sommer
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 15:02:52 +02:00Most Nazi war criminals got away with murder – but not this one
Andrei ‘Andrusha’ Sawoniuk was the only Nazi collaborator to stand trial in a British court for his crimes. A gripping new book tells the remarkable story of how justice was finally served, 50 years late
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 14:58:57 +02:00Baby, mother shot in southern Israel during family feud
Police say shots were fired during a brawl in the Bedouin village of Sawa
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 14:39:41 +02:00Istanbul Airport suspends operations as winter storm sends chills across Mediterranean
Turkey and Greece face frigid temperatures and heavy snow, as Israel braces for winter storm Elpis
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 14:38:33 +02:00The Tunisian regime's new version of democracy: 'Your opinion, our decision'
The Tunisian president claims that the new political system he is proposing would provide the public with better representation, but his real goal is to assume more powers for himself
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 14:09:08 +02:00If you're reading this story on your smartphone, you'll probably forget it
Having difficulty remembering information? Size might matter for you. Larger pictures are remembered better than small ones, regardless of resolution, Israeli researchers discover. Size might also affect the way we remember texts
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 13:41:25 +02:00Iran blames U.S. for slow pace of nuclear talks, rejects any preconditions
'Iran has never accepted any preconditions by the United States,' Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman says after U.S. lead negotiator says nuclear deal unlikely if Iran does not release American hostages
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 13:34:33 +02:00Winter storm Elpis heads to Israel, after battering Greece, Turkey
Elpis, which will bring 'a significant drop in temperatures' on Wednesday, is the fifth storm to be assigned a moniker by the newly formed East Mediterranean Storm Naming Group of Greece, Cyprus and Israel
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 13:28:28 +02:00Israel’s gas industry is dying a death by a thousand cuts
America’s decision to withdraw its support for the EastMed pipeline, upsetting Greece and to Turkey's delight, is due partly to confused climate change politics
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 13:21:45 +02:00U.K. to probe Conservative lawmaker's claim she was fired over Muslim faith
Nusrat Ghani’s claim has deepened the rifts roiling Johnson’s governing party, which is being wracked by allegations of lockdown-breaching parties in the prime minister’s office
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 13:14:46 +02:00Syrian and Russian start joint patrols over Golan Heights
The patrol over Syria's borders, which involved fighter, fighter-bomber and early warning and control aircraft, will occur regularly, Moscow says
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 13:05:37 +02:00What if this dead 80-year-old Palestinian was your grandfather?
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 12:33:22 +02:00Lebanon's cabinet meets for the first time in months to discuss budget
The 2022 draft budget is expected to include tax increases in a country struggling to deal with soaring poverty levels and hyperinflation, also proposing deficit spending which critics charge will further hyperinflation
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 12:29:55 +02:00NSO in Israel: Would you let the police handle uranium?
NSO-Israel Police affair proves we need to rethink the way we oversee surveillance technologies. The solution: Israel needs a privacy czar
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 12:19:59 +02:00NATO on standby as EU readies 'never-seen-before' sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine
Tensions in Ukraine have been climbing for months after the Kremlin massed some 100,000 troops near its border, in what Western countries see as preparation for war to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 12:02:59 +02:00Hariri suspends role in politics ahead of Lebanon election
The leading Sunni Muslim politician's announcement comes as Lebanon suffers an economic meltdown which the World Bank has described as one of the sharpest ever globally
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 11:58:44 +02:00'Even in Hitler's Germany you could hide': Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says vaccine mandates harder to escape than Nazi persecution
In Nazi Germany, 'You could hide in an attic like Anne Frank did,' anti-vaccine activist says on public health policies – triggering strong backlash, including from Auschwitz memorial museum
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 11:39:06 +02:00Police evict 12 Tel Aviv working class families for new light rail
Some residents of the southern Tel Aviv neighborhood of Kfar Shalem have refused to leave until they receive adequate compensation for their evictions, meant to make way for construction of a new light rail
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 11:15:14 +02:00Why is Germany appeasing Putin on Ukraine?
Like a terrorist, Putin is holding Ukraine hostage to extort ransom demands from the West. So why is Germany backing the autocrat in the Kremlin who is so actively working towards a ‘Greater Russia’?
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 11:12:28 +02:00Israel, Jewish groups discuss airlifting Ukraine's Jews if Russia invades
As threat of Russian invasion looms, top officials examine possibility of emergency evacuation for up to 75,000 Ukrainians thought to be eligible for Israeli citizenship under Law of Return
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 10:55:56 +02:00Former Israeli Supreme Court President Miriam Naor dies at 74
Naor has been part of several landmark rulings, including overruling a law to keep asylum seekers in detention, and authored the ruling abolishing the draft exemption for yeshiva students
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 08:18:10 +02:00U.S. orders diplomats' families to leave Ukraine, weighs sending in troops
'Military action by Russia could come at any time,' the U.S. Embassy said in a statement as tensions in Ukraine rise
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 07:13:49 +02:00UAE intercepted two ballistic missilles over Abu Dhabi, state media reports
Missile fragments fell harmlessly over the capital, the state news agency said, a week after Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed an attack on the capital that killed three people
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 06:04:56 +02:00Israel's top Arab cop trips over victim, leaves murder scene
Brig. Gen. Jamal Hakhrush, who headed the administration to improve police services to the Arab community, offered the victim no aid, and didn't try to stop the suspect ■ Police announce investigation, Hakhrush on leave
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 06:04:07 +02:00Submarine probe is a chance for Israel to rethink how it buys arms, spyware
Even if the inquiry approved by the government doesn’t incriminate Netanyahu, as many of its supporters ardently believe it will, evidence has accumulated about the rot in the defense establishment’s procurement system
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 06:02:55 +02:00In rare move, Israel's top court cuts Palestinian's detention without charges
Maher Anati, arrested last April, was suspected of attempting a knife attack in the West Bank, but was released and immediately placed under administrative detention
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 06:02:16 +02:00Omicron has yet to peak in Israel, experts predict, as serious COVID cases keep rising
The current COVID wave is expected to peak in the coming week, with as many as 100,000 confirmed cases a day, and in early February herd immunity will lead to a 'significant decline' in figures
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 06:01:39 +02:00Torn Bennett is missing in action in decision to probe Netanyahu-era submarine case
For a prime minister like Bennett, sitting on the fence isn’t a model of leadership. Meanwhile, Netanyahu has another big (and expensive) problem that he has brought on himself
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 03:18:09 +02:00Iran nuclear agreement unlikely without release of U.S. prisoners, says top U.S. envoy
'It is very hard for us to imagine getting back into the nuclear deal while four innocent Americans are being held hostage by Iran,' Special Envoy Robert Malley said, as eighth round of indirect negotiations continue
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 02:20:01 +02:00Israel's new surrogacy ruling is more just, but still discriminatory
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 01:01:29 +02:00Haaretz Cartoon
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 00:30:01 +02:00Investigate Israeli veterans' testimonies, commemorate mass Palestinian grave
Mon, 24 Jan 2022 00:02:05 +02:00Israelis' silence has given way to violation of rights. No more
Sun, 23 Jan 2022 23:59:34 +02:00Person of the year? Islamist leader has no real influence on Israel's strategy
Sun, 23 Jan 2022 23:10:47 +02:00For Israel’s settlers, it’s war. Their target: Palestinian land – and bodies
Most violent attacks by West Bank settlers are not random acts of hooliganism. They are harnessed to a strategy, a political objective wholehearted endorsed by sections of the current Israeli government
Sun, 23 Jan 2022 23:03:57 +02:00Israel to add two Arabs to committee for naming towns, sites following criticism
The Israeli cabinet had made earlier changes amid demands for diversity, but it was particularly slow to add Arab Israelis
Sun, 23 Jan 2022 22:42:30 +02:00French Auschwitz survivor Raphael Esrail, Jewish member of Resistance, dies at 96
Esrail forged passports and identity documents, helping many avoid death at the hands of the Nazis, before being sent to Auschwitz and forced to walk in a death march
Sun, 23 Jan 2022 22:33:05 +02:00Israel's Lapid meets with Palestinian civil affairs minister
Israeli source says ministers discuss initiatives to improve the Palestinian economy ■ Lapid recently also met with the head of Palestinian intelligence services