Thousands of Israelis protested outside the prime minister’s official residence on Saturday night, as summer-long demonstrations against Benjamin Netanyahu kept their momentum.
Thirty of the demonstrators were arrested after outbreaks of violence, with three due to appear in court, Israeli police said on Sunday.
"During the protests three policemen were injured by protesters," police said.
The protesters want the embattled Mr Netanyahu to give up his post while he is on trial on corruption charges. The government’s mishaps in handling the coronavirus crisis after relative success in its early stages have also fuelled the demonstrations.
The protest came before Tuesday’s deadline where the coalition government must agree on a budget plan or trigger a fourth general election in just over a year.
Ignoring police suggestions for alternative routes, the protesters marched from several parts of Jerusalem along main roads in an effort to reach Mr Netanyahu’s residence on Balfour Street.
Outside, they hoisted giant balloons depicting smeared heads of Mr Netanyahu and his rival-turned-coalition partner, Benny Gantz, of the centrist Blue and White party, waved Israel flags and the black flag of one of the grassroots protest movements.
One sign read “Balfour is in our hands,” while others called on Mr Netanyahu to quit, and a placard described him as “Crime Minister”.
Israeli police said they arrested seven protesters on suspicion of violating public order and assaulting police officers.
Mr Netanyahu rejected calls to step down while he is on trial and claimed leftists and the media were responsible for the protests.
Israel appeared to contain the pandemic in its first phase last spring, but the quick reopening of the economy led to a spike in cases. More than 100,000 Israelis have tested positive for the virus. The pandemic has sent unemployment to about 20 per cent.
Mr Netanyahu was charged last year with bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three long-running corruption investigations. In January, the trial will move to a witness phase with three sessions a week.
Meanwhile, members of Israel's ruling coalition were trying to negotiate a last-minute deal on Sunday to push back the looming budget deadline and avoid another general election. By law, if the government does not pass a national budget by 90 days after its formed, the Knesset automatically dissolves. The deadline expires on Monday night.
After three deadlocked elections, Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gantz reached a power-sharing agreement in April to form a government to address the coronavirus crisis. As part of their coalition deal, Mr Netanyahu's Likud party and Mr Gantz's Blue and White agreed to pass a two-year budget.
But Mr Netanyahu now insists on passing a budget to cover only the remainder of 2020, saying it will provide immediate assistance to the economy. Mr Gantz is adamant that the government honour its agreement and pass one for 2020 and 2021.
The Knesset’s finance committee was to convene on Sunday to discuss a bill to postpone Monday’s deadline by 100 days, until December 3. If the committee approves the deferral, it must pass two rounds of voting in parliament before Monday night’s deadline.
Story%20behind%20the%20UAE%20flag
%3Cp%3EThe%20UAE%20flag%20was%20first%20unveiled%20on%20December%202%2C%201971%2C%20the%20day%20the%20UAE%20was%20formed.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIt%20was%20designed%20by%20Abdullah%20Mohammed%20Al%20Maainah%2C%2019%2C%20an%20Emirati%20from%20Abu%20Dhabi.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EMr%20Al%20Maainah%20said%20in%20an%20interview%20with%20%3Cem%3EThe%20National%3C%2Fem%3E%20in%202011%20he%20chose%20the%20colours%20for%20local%20reasons.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThe%20black%20represents%20the%20oil%20riches%20that%20transformed%20the%20UAE%2C%20green%20stands%20for%20fertility%20and%20the%20red%20and%20white%20colours%20were%20drawn%20from%20those%20found%20in%20existing%20emirate%20flags.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Oscars in the UAE
The 90th Academy Awards will be aired in the UAE from 3.30am on Monday, March 5 on OSN, with the ceremony starting at 5am
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet
Price, base: Dh429,090
Engine 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 510hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 700Nm @ 1,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.2L / 100km
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
* Agence France Presse
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
The specs: 2018 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy
Price, base / as tested Dh97,600
Engine 1,745cc Milwaukee-Eight v-twin engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 78hp @ 5,250rpm
Torque 145Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.0L / 100km (estimate)
