Tag: Bennett

Tony Bennett, last of classic American crooners, dead at 96

NEW YORK, July 21, 2023 (AFP) – Tony Bennett, the last in a generation of classic American crooners whose ceaselessly cheery spirit bridged generations to make him a hitmaker across seven decades, died Friday in New York. He was 96. Raised in an era when big bands defined US pop music, Bennett achieved an improbable second act when he started winning over young audiences in the 1990s — not by reinventing himself but by demonstrating […]

Israeli parliament advances bill to dissolve, hold new elections

JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — A panel of Israeli lawmakers on Tuesday approved draft legislation to dissolve parliament, a key legislative step that pushes Israel closer towards its fifth election in less than four years. Members of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s outgoing coalition and the opposition led by ex-premier Benjamin Netanyahu have been sparring in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, since last week over a dissolution bill. The coalition said it wanted quick approval of the law […]

Israel lawmakers hold first vote on bill triggering early election

JERUSALEM, June 22, 2022 (AFP) – Israeli lawmakers were holding a first vote Wednesday on a government bill to dissolve parliament and call an early election, after Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said his eight-party coalition was no longer tenable. The government has said it wants to fast-track the bill but the opposition led by ex-premier Benjamin Netanyahu will attempt to block its passage in a bid to form a replacement government without the need for […]

Israeli PM vows more Ukraine talks, even if prospects ‘not great’

  JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel’s premier said Sunday his country had a “moral obligation” to help stem fighting in Ukraine even if chances of success were “not great”, after shuttle diplomacy that saw him visit the Kremlin. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met for three hours with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Saturday, before flying to Berlin to meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The Israeli premier, acting after Kyiv requested him to launch a […]

Ukraine steps up pleas for warplanes and other military aid

by Paul HANDLEY Ukraine on Saturday urged the West to amp up military assistance to the besieged country, including warplanes, as Russian President Vladimir Putin escalated warnings against NATO. “The highest demand that we have is in fighter jets, attack aircraft, and air-defense systems,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told a small group of journalists on the Poland-Ukraine border. “If we lose the skies, there will be much more blood on the ground,” he said […]

Naftali Bennett: hard-right tech millionaire and Israel’s new PM

  JERUSALEM (AFP) — Naftali Bennett, a multi-millionaire former tech entrepreneur who made his political name with hardline religious-nationalist rhetoric, will be Israel’s new prime minister after parliament approved a new government on Sunday. The 120-member Knesset voted in favour of an improbable coalition put together by centrist Yair Lapid, with a razor-thin majority but enough to end veteran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12 unbroken years at the helm. The coalition deal sees Bennett, an […]