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☆ Israelis protest against planned judicial overhaul for 11th week
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] An aerial view shows women wearing red clothes during a demonstration as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's nationalist coalition government presses on with its contentious judicial overhaul, in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 18, 2023. REUTERS/Oren AlonTEL AVIV, March 18 (Reuters) - Israelis packed city streets on Saturday in nationwide demonstrations now in their 11th week against plans by the hard-right government to curb the Supreme Court's powers, which critics see as a threat to judicial independence. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who says his aim is to balance out branches of government, wields a parliamentary majority along with his religious-nationalist coalition allies but his planned judicial overhaul has sparked concern at home and abroad. "I'm here to demonstrate with the people of Israel, against the revolution, against the changing of our state," said Dalia Yosef, 72, also at the Tel Aviv demonstration. Reporting by Emily Rose, Rami Avichay, Akiva Gaffin Editing by Frances Kerry and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Speaking alongside Netanyahu after talks in Berlin, Scholz said he hoped that a compromise on the reforms suggested by Israel's President Isaac Herzog was not off the table. Netanyahu visited Germany while protests erupted once again in Israel over the reforms by his far-right government that have triggered mass unrest in recent weeks. Netanyahu called criticism of the plans "absurd", assuring Scholz that "Israel will remain a liberal democracy". Netanyahu wanted the meeting with Scholz to focus on efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges that he denies, says the judicial changes will strengthen democracy and boost business.

☆ Israeli protesters paint 'red line' leading to Supreme Court after Netanyahu spurns compromise
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, March 16 (Reuters) - Jerusalem woke on Thursday to the sight of a long red line painted by protesters along roads leading to Israel's Supreme Court, hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a compromise deal for his government's planned judicial overhaul. Drone footage showed a small group of people in protective suits spraying a wide red stripe along mostly deserted roads leading from a police and magistrate's compound up to the Supreme Court in central Jerusalem. A slogan stencilled in red onto the road in Hebrew, Arabic and English by the side of the road read: "Drawing the line." The hard-right government's drive to limit Supreme Court powers while increasing its own power in selecting judges has caused alarm in Israel and abroad about the country's democratic checks and balances as protests have swelled for weeks. His nationalist-religious coalition says the Supreme Court too often overreaches and intervenes in political matters it has no mandate to rule on.

☆ Nike is facing a PR nightmare as Kyrie Irving, Ja Morant, and now Tom Sachs face scandals – but experts say partnerships with celebs and athletes will never go away
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Curbed published a blistering story about Tom Sachs, a Nike collaborator, this week. As long as companies have partnered with celebrities, some endorsement deals have run aground, said Coresight Research CEO and founder Deborah Weinswig. Longtime sportswear industry analyst Matt Powell, who recently founded Spurwink River, said endorsement deals are "fraught with peril." "I thought for a while that brands were moving away from real celebrity endorsements," he told Insider. "We're talking about a very, very small percentage of celebrities who get endorsement deals who have that halo effect," Herzog said.

☆ Mass protests against Israeli judicial overhaul enter 10th week
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] People hold Israeli flags during a demonstration as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's nationalist coalition government presses on with its contentious judicial overhaul, in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 11, 2023. "It's not a judicial reform. The protests were mostly peaceful, though Reuters witnessed some injuries and arrests among protesters when police moved in against attempts to block traffic. Netanyahu, who returned to office for a sixth term in late December, says the demonstrations are aimed at toppling him. "I am here to protest against the reform in the law, and to protest our prime minister, who we call 'Crime Minister'," said demonstrator Miri Lahat, 63.

☆ Israel’s President Condemns Netanyahu’s Proposed Judicial Overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

JERUSALEM—Israeli President Isaac Herzog criticized a proposal to overhaul the country’s justice system as wrong and destructive in a speech on Thursday evening, telling coalition lawmakers that the current legislation “must pass from this earth.”A plan by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to weaken Israel’s top court has divided the country and drawn hundreds of thousands to rallies opposing the move. Demonstrators filled the streets of Tel Aviv on Thursday for the 10th straight week to protest the judicial overhaul, which opponents say would deal a fatal blow to Israel’s democratic character.

☆ Two Israels face off as justice overhaul deepens the divide
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

For them, weakening the Supreme Court would undermine the bedrock of Israel's democracy and could set the country on the path to becoming a corrupt and religiously coercive state. In 2020, the Supreme Court struck down a law that had retroactively legalised homes built by settlers on land owned by Palestinians, like Amona. Settlers driven by ideology see themselves as pioneers redeeming land that was promised by God and many feel betrayed by Supreme Court rulings against settlements. The Supreme Court did not respond to a request for comment. "The Supreme Court has challenged parliament time and again, playing politics, not nicely."

☆ Israel president says judicial compromise 'closer' as protests escalate
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

JERUSALEM, March 6 (Reuters) - Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday said a compromise in the government's judicial overhaul plan could be imminent even as protests against the reform continued to spread. In a statement late on Monday, Netanyahu criticised the threats to refuse military service, which he said endangered Israel's existence. "There is room for protest, there is room for disagreements, for expressing opinions, but there is no room for refusal." Herzog last month floated a compromise plan to spare the country what he described as a "constitutional collapse". The judicial overhaul plan, which has already received initial parliamentary approval, would give the government greater sway on selecting judges and limit the power of the Supreme Court to strike down legislation.

☆ Israel president says judicial compromise "closer", markets jump
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, March 6 (Reuters) - Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday said a compromise over the government's plans to overhaul the judicial system, which has led to mass protests, is "closer than ever", sending financial markets sharply higher. There are agreements behind the scenes on most things," Herzog said in a statement, without giving details. The judicial overhaul plan, which has already received initial parliamentry approval, would give the government greater sway on selecting judges and limit the power of the Supreme Court to strike down legislation. Proponents say the changes are needed to curb what they deem an activist judiciary that interferes in politics. But analysts said optimism over a compromise sent the shekel up 2% on Monday to 3.59 per dollar - its strongest level since Feb. 21.

☆ Israeli protesters block highway as government presses on with judicial overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, March 1 (Reuters) - Israeli protesters blocked the main highway from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on Wednesday, as lawmakers were set to plough ahead with a contentious judicial overhaul that opponents see as a threat to democracy. "Israel is not a dictatorship, Israel is not Hungary," the protesters called, waving blue and white Israeli flags. Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he would not allow a "mutiny", or "anarchists" to block roads. In parliament on Wednesday, the Knesset's Constitution, Justice and Law Committee was set to give initial approval to more proposals in the plan. Ambassador Tom Nides said at Tel Aviv University's conference of the Institute for National Security Studies late on Tuesday.

TEL AVIV, Israel, March 1 (Reuters) - Israeli police fired stun grenades and scuffles broke out in Tel Aviv on Wednesday during a nationwide "day of disruption", raising the intensity of weeks of protests against a contentious government plan to shake up the judiciary. In images not seen in Tel Aviv demonstrations in years, police on horseback tried to stop demonstrators breaching barricades as traffic piled up. [1/6] Israelis demonstrate as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's nationalist coalition government presses on with its contentious judicial overhaul, in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 1, 2023. Ambassador Tom Nides said at Tel Aviv University's conference of the Institute for National Security Studies on Tuesday. Reporting by Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem; Rami Amichay and Amir Cohen in Tel Aviv; Editing by Sharon Singleton, Nick Macfie and Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Israeli PM Netanyahu says 'Let's talk' as heat rises on judicial plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Tuesday for a dialogue with opponents of his proposals to overhaul the judiciary which have drawn mass protests and criticism from around the world. But as opposition grew on Tuesday, a day after a preliminary vote in parliament on part of the package, he offered to talk to critics to reach a consensus. "So I stand up and I call from here: Let's talk - here and now - without preconditions," he said in a video statement circulated on social media. Opinion polls show a majority want the reforms slowed to allow for dialogue with critics or shelved altogether. Reporting by James Mackenzie in Jerusalem Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Protesters "fight for Israel's soul" as parliament readies judicial overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Polls have found that most Israelis want the reforms slowed to allow for dialogue with critics - or shelved altogether. Ahead of the afternoon reading, protesters posted online videos of themselves trying to prevent lawmakers from Netanyahu's coalition leaving for the Knesset. "Demonstrators who talk about democracy are themselves bringing about the end of democracy when they deny elected delegates the fundamental right in a democracy - to vote," Netanyahu said in a statement. Opposition leader Yair Lapid tweeted that demonstrations would mount "in the fight for the soul of the nation". Israel's head of state, President Isaac Herzog, has repeatedly urged the government and opposition to hold compromise talks.

☆ 'Pump the brakes', U.S. envoy tells Netanyahu on judicial changes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Feb 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. envoy to Israel said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should slow progress on a contentious judicial overhaul that could make it harder for Washington to help him promote ties with Saudi Arabia or deal with Iran. "The Prime Minister wants to do big things, okay? He tells us he wants to do big things," Nides said. "I said to him, to the prime minister, a hundred times, we can't spend time with things we want to work on together if your backyard's on fire." There was no immediate response from Netanyahu but Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli told Israel's public broadcaster Kan: "I tell the American ambassador, you pump the brakes.

☆ Goldman Sachs says these stocks are too attractive to ignore in an uncertain economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Goldman Sachs unveiled a slew of stocks this week that could have major upside throughout 2023. Howmet Aerospace Goldman Sachs is standing by its buy rating on the aerospace products company. "Howmet remains well positioned in the commercial aerospace growth market, delivering critical components, taking market share, generating strong margins and cash ﬂow," he said. Howmet remains well positioned in the commercial aerospace growth market, delivering critical components, taking market share, generating strong margins and cash ﬂow. The quarter was one of progress on multiple fronts, including margins, market share, and cash flow.

☆ Israeli President Appeals for Changes to Netanyahu’s Judicial Overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Michael Amon | Dov Lieber | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s job is largely ceremonial, but his words can carry weight in a deeply divided country. TEL AVIV—Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Sunday asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to delay making changes to the judicial system and appealed for a compromise with opponents who say the plans threaten the country’s democracy. Mr. Netanyahu’s recently sworn-in government is advancing plans that would give the ruling coalition control over appointing judges and allow a simple majority of lawmakers to override decisions by the country’s Supreme Court. The plan would also limit which cases the court can hear.

☆ Israeli parliament in uproar over Netanyahu plans for judiciary
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Israeli lawmakers engaged in a shouting match on Monday in a parliamentary committee deciding on government plans to overhaul the judiciary, a move President Isaac Herzog has warned risks tipping the country into "constitutional collapse". The plans, which would give rightist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greater control of appointments to the bench and weaken the Supreme Court's ability to strike down legislation or rule against the executive, have triggered widespread protests. Morning trains from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem were packed with people, many carrying Israeli flags and protest signs, heading to the demonstration. U.S. President Joe Biden has urged Netanyahu to build consensus before pushing through far-reaching changes, saying in comments published by the New York Times on Sunday that an independent judiciary was one of the foundations of U.S. and Israeli democracy. Additional reporting by Hannah Confino; Writing by James Mackenzie, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Explainer: Uproar over Israel judicial changes - what's it all about?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Many among Israel's right-wingers say the Supreme Court is left-leaning, elitist and overreaches into the political sphere, while often putting minority rights before national interests. The government has been pushing for changes that would limit the Supreme Court's powers to rule against the legislature and the executive, while giving lawmakers decisive powers in appointing judges. Critics fear Netanyahu wants to leverage the judicial push to freeze or cancel his trial, which he has denied. The left-wing opposition also says his nationalist allies want to weaken the Supreme Court to establish more settlements on land the Palestinians seek for a state. Some of the coalition's proposed changes now sit with the Knesset's plenum, where they await a first reading out of three needed to be written into law.

☆ Explainer: Uproar over Israeli judicial changes - what's it all about?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The government has been pushing for changes that would limit Supreme Court powers to rule against the legislature and the executive, while giving coalition lawmakers more power in appointing judges. Netanyahu has been formally barred from involvement in the initiative because he is on trial on corruption charges, which he denies. Critics fear Netanyahu wants to leverage the judicial push to freeze or void his trial. The opposition also says his nationalist allies want to weaken the Supreme Court to establish more settlements on land the Palestinians seek for a state. Some of the coalition's proposed changes have been approved at the Knesset's plenum in the first of three readings required for ratification.

☆ Israeli President Isaac Herzog Urges Benjamin Netanyahu to Delay Legal Overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s job is largely ceremonial, but his words can carry weight in a deeply divided country. JERUSALEM—Israel’s president on Sunday appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to delay a contentious plan to overhaul the country’s judicial system and instead seek a compromise with his political opponents. President Isaac Herzog issued the appeal in a prime-time nationwide address a day before Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition is to take its first steps toward implementing the plan in parliament.

☆ Take a look inside this $11.5 million penthouse in London's financial hub that features a spiral staircase and a hidden garden
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

The penthouse is located in Canary Wharf, one of London's financial hubs, and is a short walk from JPMorgan and Citi's offices. Getty ImagesThe duplex apartments were designed by Pritzker-prize-winning practice Herzog & de Meuron, with fixtures and furniture by Tom Dixon's Design Research Studio. Canary Wharf is home to skyscrapers housing big banks such as Barclays, Citi, Credit Suisse, HSBC, JPMorgan, and Morgan Stanley. It's now a second financial hub in addition to the City of London, which has limited office space and restrictions on high-rise construction. The 244-meter skyscraper at One Canada Square, topped by a pyramid, was the first tower to be completed in 1990.

☆ Walter Mosley Thinks America Is Getting Dumber
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( David Marchese | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +17 min

Mamadi Doumbouya for The New York Times Talk Walter Mosley Thinks America Is Getting DumberWalter Mosley is best known as one of contemporary literature’s pre-eminent crime novelists, but he’s actually four or five different writers rolled into one. You have to tell stories about real people experiencing it and not real people with a Ph.D. People who are not stupid but ignorant, who don’t know things about the world. There are people who don’t know how to spell, they don’t know how to think. You have these people coming out into the world, and they don’t know what to do. That’s going to happen.

☆ Israeli judicial reform legislation won't be halted, justice minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Israel's justice minister said on Sunday he would not freeze "for even a minute" the legislative process for proposed judicial reforms that have drawn widespread condemnation both domestically and globally. Israel's Justice Minister Yariv Levin's comments to Hebrew media's Channel 13 followed a statement earlier in the day from Israeli president Isaac Herzog, calling for the process to be temporarily halted. The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the reforms are needed to curb overreach by judges. Critics say the proposed changes will politicize the judiciary and compromise its independence, foster corruption and harm Israel's legal protection abroad and its economy. The Israeli president, who was appointed and not elected, has previously called for all sides of the debate to defuse the tension and try to reach a common understanding.

☆ Israel's president became the first world leader to publicly use ChatGPT when he gave a speech partly written by the AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Isaac Herzog, the Israeli president, delivered a speech partly-written by ChatGPT on Wednesday. Herzog opened his speech with an intro written by ChatGPT. He then ended the speech with a ChatGPT generated "inspirational quote" about AI. During his speech, Herzog also emphasized that AI will not replace humans, despite using it to write part of it. The president also used ChatGPT to end his speech with an "inspirational quote," Sky News reported.

☆ Roche flags 2023 earnings decline on slump in Covid products
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A view of the Roche towers, designed by architects Herzog and de Meuron, the headquarters of the Swiss pharma giant Roche, in Basel. Roche warned of a decline in 2023 earnings, as revenue growth from new drugs including haemophilia treatment Hemlibra and multiple sclerosis drug Ocrevus would not make up for a steep demand drop for Covid treatments and diagnostic testing. Sales and core earnings per share were expected to decrease at a "low single-digit" percentage this year, the Swiss drugmaker said in a statement on Thursday. Last year, group revenue edged 1% higher to 63.3 billion Swiss francs ($69.78 billion), the company reported, beating market expectations of 63.2 billion francs, while core operating profit gained 1% to 22.2 billion Swiss francs, just shy of the average analyst estimate of 22.4 billion francs. The decline equates to 5 billion Swiss francs, in his estimate.

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