- Israel informs Arab states it wants buffer zone in post-war Gaza Reuters
- Israel Wants ‘Buffer Zone’ In Gaza; Will Qatar, Egypt Agree To Squeeze Strip? I Details Hindustan Times
- Rejecting US stance, PM told Blinken that IDF will create buffer zone ‘deep’ into Gaza — report The Times of Israel
- Israel-Hamas war: Israel informs Arab states it wants buffer zone in post-war Gaza | WION WION
- Israel Moots Post-War ‘Buffer Zone Plan’; Will Qatar, Egypt Agree To Squeeze Gaza? I Details Hindustan Times
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: Informs
Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu informs Israeli president he has formed government
Jerusalem
CNN
—
Benjamin Netanyahu has officially informed Israeli President Isaac Herzog that he has successfully formed a government, his Likud party said Wednesday.
In what was a last minute announcement, Netanyahu tweeted 10 minutes before the deadline expired, “I have managed.”
Netanyahu, who had already served as prime minister for 15 years until being ousted last year, had until midnight local time (5 p.m. ET) Wednesday to form the government following elections on November 1.
The new Israeli government will likely be the most right-wing in Israeli history, including people appointed to ministerial positions who were once considered to be on the extreme nationalist fringes of Israeli politics.
Members of Netanyahu’s Likud party are expected to fill some of the most important cabinet positions of foreign minister, defense minister and justice minister.
Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of the Jewish Power party, will take on the newly expanded public security role, renamed national security minister, overseeing police in Israel plus some police activity in the occupied West Bank.
Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionist party, has been named minister of finance, although he’s also been given power to appoint the head of the Israeli military body, which among its duties handles border crossings and permits for Palestinians.
Aryeh Deri, leader of the ultra-Orthodox party Shas, is expected to serve as both Interior Minister and Minister of Health, while a representative from United Torah Judaism, the other ultra-Orthodox party in the five-party coalition, is expected to be minister of housing.
Not all ministerial positions had been announced as of Wednesday evening.
Special legislation needs to be passed in the coming days before Deri, Ben Gvir and Smotrich can be sworn in. Deri needs a law to be passed so he can serve as a minister despite his criminal conviction for tax offenses.
Ben Gvir needs legislation as his position expands the powers normally given to the public security minister, and Smotrich needs new legislation granting him ministerial power within the defense ministry.
All three pieces of legislation are seen as controversial and have had voices beyond Netanyahu’s political opposition speaking out against them, including security officials.
The new government must be sworn in within a week of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, being notified – likely before January 2.
Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu informs Israeli president he has formed government
Jerusalem
CNN
—
Benjamin Netanyahu has officially informed Israeli President Isaac Herzog that he has successfully formed a government, his Likud party said Wednesday.
In what was a last minute announcement, Netanyahu tweeted 10 minutes before the deadline expired, “I have managed.”
Netanyahu, who had already served as prime minister for 15 years until being ousted last year, had until midnight local time (5 p.m. ET) Wednesday to form the government following elections on November 1.
The new Israeli government will likely be the most right-wing in Israeli history, including people appointed to ministerial positions who were once considered to be on the extreme nationalist fringes of Israeli politics.
Members of Netanyahu’s Likud party are expected to fill some of the most important cabinet positions of foreign minister, defense minister and justice minister.
Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of the Jewish Power party, will take on the newly expanded public security role, renamed national security minister, overseeing police in Israel plus some police activity in the occupied West Bank.
Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionist party, has been named minister of finance, although he’s also been given power to appoint the head of the Israeli military body, which among its duties handles border crossings and permits for Palestinians.
Aryeh Deri, leader of the ultra-Orthodox party Shas, is expected to serve as both Interior Minister and Minister of Health, while a representative from United Torah Judaism, the other ultra-Orthodox party in the five-party coalition, is expected to be minister of housing.
Not all ministerial positions had been announced as of Wednesday evening.
Special legislation needs to be passed in the coming days before Deri, Ben Gvir and Smotrich can be sworn in. Deri needs a law to be passed so he can serve as a minister despite his criminal conviction for tax offenses.
Ben Gvir needs legislation as his position expands the powers normally given to the public security minister, and Smotrich needs new legislation granting him ministerial power within the defense ministry.
All three pieces of legislation are seen as controversial and have had voices beyond Netanyahu’s political opposition speaking out against them, including security officials.
The new government must be sworn in within a week of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, being notified – likely before January 2.
Starbucks informs workers at two stores of closures, union claims retaliation
A sign is seen as Activists participate in an event dubbed the Un-Birthday Party and picket line for Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz on July 19, 2022 in New York City. Activists gathered near Schultz’s West Village home on his 75th birthday to protest the treatment of Starbucks workers attempting to unionize, as well as Schultz’s recent announcement to permanently close 16 locations.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images
Starbucks has informed workers at two locations that their stores will be closing, a move that the coffee chain’s union says is retaliation for organizing efforts.
The company said the union activity isn’t the reason for the closures. It said a Kansas City, Missouri, location, where vote results are pending, is closing due to safety issues. It said a Seattle location, where workers voted to organize in April, will close and reopen, operated as a licensed location by a neighboring grocery store. Starbucks will engage in bargaining with the union to seek an agreement that gives workers there the opportunity to transfer to other stores.
“We continue to evaluate the partner and customer experience at all of our stores as a regular course of business,” Starbucks said in a statement Tuesday about the Seattle location, adding that its decision would help build on the location’s relationship with customers of the grocery store.
About 200 of Starbucks’ roughly 9,000 locations in the U.S. have voted to unionize.
Under interim CEO Howard Schultz, Starbucks has been focusing on the company’s reinvention and emphasizing priorities including store safety and advancement opportunities for workers. As part of the push, Starbucks closed more than a dozen stores over safety concerns, most of them on the West Coast. A letter sent to employees last month cited personal safety and mental health issues and drug use at some of the locations.
But the union maintains some closures are about more than safety, pointing to a list of 19 Starbucks locations that have closed or are closing, with eight of them having unionized, filed or started to organize.
“If Starbucks was serious about solving safety issues, they could work with partners and our union. Instead, Schultz and Starbucks have sent a message loud and clear — complain about safety, and we’ll close your store,” Starbucks Workers United said in a statement.
The latest moves by Starbucks come after the company asked the National Labor Relations Board to suspend all mail-in ballot union elections at its stores nationwide, alleging inappropriate actions during the voting process in the Kansas City area, and likely elsewhere. The company cited a whistleblower who approached it regarding the voting process and asked the labor board to halt elections until an investigation is complete.
Last month Chipotle permanently closed a store in Augusta, Maine, saying it could not fix staffing issues there. Workers seeking to organize that store filed a complaint with NLRB, claiming the move was retaliatory.
In an email to an attorney for Starbucks Workers United regarding the Seattle location, counsel for Starbucks said its goal is to get employees working in others stores as soon as possible so there is “no gap in their work lives.” The email, seen by CNBC, also says the company reserves the right to “seek a withdrawal of [union] certification” if misconduct is found in the store’s election.
As NFL draft approaches, Carolina Panthers GM Scott Fitterer informs Sam Darnold ‘there’s a pretty good chance we could add’ quarterback
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer met with Sam Darnold on Monday and told the No. 3 pick of the 2018 NFL draft “there’s a pretty good chance” the team will add a quarterback during the upcoming draft weekend.
Fitterer, in Tuesday’s pre-draft news conference, said there are two quarterbacks the team feels comfortable selecting with the sixth overall pick. Liberty’s Malik Willis and Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett consistently have been rated the highest among draft analysts.
Fitterer also said the team had options outside the draft for adding a quarterback. He didn’t mention Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns or Jimmy Garoppolo of the San Francisco 49ers by name since under league rules he’s not allowed to discuss players on other rosters.
But Fitterer re-emphasized that Carolina wants to “stabilize the quarterback position” and noted the best solution long-term is with a young player in the draft.
“I mean, you want to draft one and develop him and have him be your own,” he said. “There is cost-effectiveness that is involved with that. And also, why are some quarterbacks available that are out on the market? You have to ask yourself that.”
The Panthers have been trying to upgrade at quarterback since completing their second straight five-win season under Matt Rhule, who was not a part of the pre-draft news conference. They were willing to give the Houston Texans three first-round draft picks, players and other draft picks for Deshaun Watson.
Watson ultimately was traded to the Browns, who now are seeking to move on from Mayfield, the top pick in 2018. A league source told ESPN.com shortly after Cleveland secured Watson that Carolina was not interested in Mayfield at that time.
That could change depending on the deal and what happens in the draft, with multiple sources saying nothing will happen before the first round.
Garoppolo never has been high on the team radar because he’s not considered much of an upgrade from Darnold.
A league source told ESPN on Tuesday that it doesn’t appear the Browns will trade Mayfield this week.
The Panthers, even if interested in one of the veterans, don’t have the draft capital this year to realistically trade. After the sixth pick, they don’t pick again until No. 137 in the fourth round.
Fitterer also made it clear he doesn’t want to trade future draft picks, noting he’s had several- conversations with teams asking about giving up a second- or third-round pick next year “and my answer has been no, we want to protect those picks.”
The Panthers have a big gap between selections because a year ago this year’s second-round pick was part of the trade with the New York Jets for Darnold and the third-round pick was given up in a trade with Jacksonville for cornerback CJ Henderson.
As much as Fitterer would like to add second-day picks, he said repeatedly “we’re not going to move out of a pick just to acquire picks.”
Quarterback and offensive tackle are Carolina’s primary targets for the sixth pick. N.C. State’s Ikem Ekwonu, Alabama’s Evan Neal and Mississippi State’s Charles Cross are rated the top tackles in a deep class.
At least two of those are projected to be gone when Carolina picks at six.
Part of Fitterer’s offseason strategy has been rebuilding an offensive line to protect whoever is playing quarterback. He added guard Austin Corbett and center Bradley Bozeman in free agency.
That was part of his conversation with Darnold, who is guaranteed $18.9 million this season because Carolina picked up his fifth-year option after the trade a year ago.
“We need to help him out as well,” Fitterer said. “I think we’ve done a good job … surrounding him with talent where he doesn’t feel he has to make every play.
“But in our conversation I said, ‘Hey, we are going to add to this [quarterback] group through this weekend, there’s a pretty good chance we could add to this group,'” Fitterer said. “It’s open competition. It’s his spot right now, but whoever can take the spot and run with it, we’re going to do that.”
Davante Adams informs Packers he won’t play on franchise tag in 2022
The All-Pro wideout played out the remainder of his four-year, $58 million extension in 2021, finishing third in the NFL in receiving yards (1,553) and fifth in receiving touchdowns (11). His status has been a topic of discussion for nearly a year, starting with last offseason’s drama regarding Aaron Rodgers and the future of the most important Packers, and continuing with former Fresno State teammate and current Raiders quarterback Derek Carr stoking the fire by openly admitting he’d recruit Adams to join him with the Raiders in 2022.
As any wise franchise should, Green Bay wanted to prevent such a scenario and tagged Adams at around $20 million. But Adams’ refusal to play on the franchise tag makes things more complicated, however.
Just a week ago, the Packers just succeeded in avoiding another lengthy standoff with Rodgers, agreeing to terms with Adams’ quarterback to get him to return to Green Bay on a four-year, $200 million extension that decreases his cap number for the 2022 season. Rodgers’ lower cap hit on the new deal is notable because it was manufactured, in part, to make it easier to tag Adams or sign him to a new deal without going over the cap.
Now that Rodgers is on board for another run, the Packers need to figure out a way to make both quarterback and receiver happy enough to return. At 29 years old, Adams is understandably ready to cash in for perhaps the last time in his professional career.
Cowboys DC Dan Quinn informs team he will return in 2022
The Cowboys understood the rare person and coach Dan Quinn is.
And after a few interviews for head coaching gigs during the NFL’s latest coaching cycle, it turns out the Cowboys will be keeping their stalwart defensive coordinator.
A source tells The Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins on Thursday he intends to remain with the Cowboys next season.
Quinn interviewed with multiple teams this offseason — including the Bears and Broncos, who both reportedly made their decisions on new coach hires Thursday morning — but, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero who first reported the decision, Quinn ultimately wanted to return to Dallas to try and win a Super Bowl with the Cowboys.
The development also means the questions surrounding Mike McCarthy’s return for a third season as Cowboys coach may still linger.
Publicly, since his team’s 23-17 playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Jan. 16, owner Jerry Jones has been noncommittal about McCarthy’s future. If he made a change, retaining Quinn as the replacement would be the most logical pivot.
Quinn replaced Mike Nolan as coordinator last January. Players quickly bought into the former Atlanta Falcons coach, whose character and communication skills as a teacher and coach were appreciated.
Dallas forced an NFL-high 34 takeaways in the regular season, up from 23 in 2020.
Quinn evolved schematically from his time in Atlanta while clearly communicating his player-prototype vision to scouts. An emphasis on players with plus-length led to a fruitful free agency and draft.
“I think Q just found a way to touch everybody in our defensive room’s heart,” Micah Parsons said after the Cowboys’ season concluded. “I think he found a way for us all to want to fight for him, play for him. Some things is just more than football, and I think that’s what Q represents. It’s never just football with Q.
“I think if he could and he was 30 years younger, he would throw some pads on and fight with us every day of the week. I think that’s always special. He was a hands-on coach. He made sure you really understood everything that was going on. He didn’t let nothing go without being understood, so I think that’s what Q did to us.”
More to come on this story.
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Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai informs Olympic committee she is ‘safe and well’
Chinese tennis star Peng Shaui, whose disappearance from the public eye after she made a sexual assault allegation raised safety concerns, had a video call with top Olympic officials.
Peng had met in a 30-minute videoconference with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, or IOC, and two other IOC officials to discuss her safety, the organization announced Sunday.
It is unclear when the call took place. IOC’s statement coincided with the release of photos and video of Peng at a youth tournament in Beijing.
“She explained that she is safe and well, living at her home in Beijing, but would like to have her privacy respected at this time,” the IOC said. “That is why she prefers to spend her time with friends and family right now.”
Emma Terho, the chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, said Peng seemed to be “doing fine” during the call.
“She appeared to be relaxed,” Terho said. “I offered her our support and to stay in touch at any time of her convenience, which she obviously appreciated.”
Tennis stars around the world expressed concern for Peng over the last week, circulating the hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai across social media. They had feared for her safety after she alleged that Zhang Gaoli, a former vice premier in his 70s, sexually assaulted her during an otherwise on-off relationship while he was in office.
Peng made the accusation Nov. 2 in a post on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform similar to Twitter. It was quickly deleted, and social media debate appeared to be quashed by censors.
Zhang was once one of China’s most powerful officials under President Xi Jinping. He retired in 2018 and was not available for comment on the subject.
NBC News did not see the post before it was deleted from Peng’s account, which has more than half a million followers. It was not clear whether she deleted the post or whether it was deleted by China’s censors.
Last week, Chinese state television issued a statement in English attributed to Peng that retracted her accusation against Zhang.
Some of the biggest names in tennis raised the alarm after they noted that Peng had not been seen in public since then, including Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic.
The White House was “deeply concerned by reports that Peng Shuai appears to be missing,” press secretary Jen Psaki said at news briefing Friday. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson denied knowing about the outcry Friday.
Steve Simon, the chair of the Women’s Tennis Association, or WTA, said last week that he had received an email purportedly from Peng saying she was at home resting, not missing. But Simon cast doubt on the authenticity of the email, saying he had “repeatedly tried to reach her via numerous forms of communication, to no avail.”
“I have a hard time believing that Peng Shuai actually wrote the email we received or believe what is being attributed to her,” Simon said, adding that the world needs “independent and verifiable proof that she is safe.”
Simon said in a statement after the statement was released that the WTA’s relationship with China “is at a crossroads.”
“While it is positive to see her, it remains unclear if she is free and able to make decisions and take actions on her own, without coercion or external interference,” Simon said. “This video alone is insufficient.”
Peng is one of China’s biggest tennis stars of recent years, a former world No. 1 in doubles who won doubles titles at Wimbledon and the French Open in 2013 and 2014.
Her situation highlights a growing issue for sports organizations that are trying to balance China’s vast commercial opportunities with concerns about Beijing’s widely criticized record on human rights and censorship.
Simon told The New York Times last week that he would consider a WTA boycott of China unless he saw “appropriate results” in this case.
Cactus League Informs MLB Of Desire To Delay Start Of Spring Training
Less than a month before players are set to report to Spring Training, Arizona’s Cactus League has submitted a formal request to commissioner Rob Manfred asking that the start of Spring Training be delayed due to the Covid-19 infection rate in Maricopa County (Twitter link via Brahm Resnick of 12 News in Arizona). The Cactus League itself does not have the authority to delay the start of Spring Training, but its formal request figures to elicit a response from the commissioner’s office.
“Amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Cactus League has formed a task force to ensure that our 10 spring training facilities are prepared to host the 2021 spring training season in a manner that is safe for all involved,” executive director Bridget Binsbacher wrote in a letter co-signed by nine other key members of the Cactus League. “We stand ready to work with you on the final preparation and outcome to begin the season. … But in the view of the current state of the pandemic in Maricopa County — with one of the nation’s highest infection rates — we believe it wise to delay the start of spring training to allow for the Covid-19 situation to improve here.”
The county’s appeal, however, doesn’t figure to have an effect on policy unless the players change their position – and on this issue they have been clear. In response to the letter from the Cactus League, the MLBPA released its own statement, reiterating their desire (and insistence) to start on time. “Although we have not received any communication directly, the MLBPA is aware of a letter that has been distributed today by the Cactus League Association,” the letter begins. It goes on to say, “The letter correctly notes that MLB does not have the ability to unilaterally make this decision.”
In negotiating the rules and conditions for the 2021 season, the MLBPA has been staunch in their desire to play a full season, which logistically necessitates a regularly-scheduled spring session under most if not all scenarios under consideration. For there to be any movement on the players’ part, owners and the league would have to account for the money that players would lose by delaying and truncating the season. This may be the players’ greatest point of leverage, and it’s not one they appear willing to compromise without considerable concessions on the league’s part. For what it’s worth, the NHL is currently active in Glendale with fans in the stands, notes Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Glendale was one of the cities to sign the letter sent to the league.
There are basically two scenarios that could result in a delayed Spring Training. The first would be the local health crisis growing dire enough such that health officials mandate restrictions that conflict with the league’s ability to open camps. Considering the already-dire nature of the crisis at present, this isn’t considered a particularly likely outcome. The other possibility is the MLB and the MLBPA deciding together that a delay of camp is the proper course of action.