TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — An Israeli parliamentary committee on Thursday approved new funding for Benjamin Netanyahu and his family, giving the prime minister a boost in personal spending at a time when he is facing mass protests over his policies and as the economy is on shaky ground.
The committee voted to approve public funds to cover expenses incurred by the Netanyahus at their private homes in Jerusalem and the exclusive seaside town of Caesarea, as well as an increase of thousands of dollars a year in clothing expenses for both Netanyahu and his wife, Sara.
The approved funding is bound to compound what critics say is the Netanyahus’ reputation for being out of touch with regular Israelis.
“The shekel is crashing, investors are fleeing, interest rates are soaring, hundreds of thousands of citizens can’t make ends meet but the finance committee approved the Netanyahu family’s request to fund two residences at the expense of taxpayers,” the opposition Yesh Atid party said.
“Another reason Netanyahu is out of touch with the people. Another reason for preferring themselves at our expense,” it added.
Thursday’s development comes as the country is deeply divided over a plan by Netanyahu’s government to overhaul the judicial system and as the economy faces new challenges, with inflation rising and the shekel weakening against the dollar.
Leading economists say the legal changes, which aim to weaken the authority of the Supreme Court, will exacerbate the country’s economic problems by driving investors away.
The official prime minister’s residence is undergoing renovations. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also faced criticism for a pricy upgrade of his private home while the official residence was unavailable. Bennett said the changes were required by security officials and approved by the country’s attorney general.
The Netanyahus have repeatedly been embroiled in scandals over their spending and expensive tastes.
The prime minister has long been saddled with an image as a cigar-smoking, cognac-drinking socialite, while his wife has come under scrutiny for alleged abusive behavior toward staff.
Netanyahu is on trial for corruption, including one affair in which he allegedly accepted champagne and cigars from wealthy associates. He was also lambasted for advancing a costly plan to outfit a plane for his official trips.
The couple has come under fire for spending at their homes in the past. In 2015, Israel’s state comptroller, an official watchdog, cited large sums of public money spent on food, furniture, cleaning and gardening at the couple’s official and private residences. It also said they pocketed proceeds from recycling bottles that had been purchased for entertaining official guests.
TORONTO – Strength in the base metal and technology sectors helped Canada’s main stock index gain almost 100 points on Friday, while U.S. stock markets also climbed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 93.51 points at 23,568.65.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 297.01 points at 41,393.78. The S&P 500 index was up 30.26 points at 5,626.02, while the Nasdaq composite was up 114.30 points at 17,683.98.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.61 cents US compared with 73.58 cents US on Thursday.
The October crude oil contract was down 32 cents at US$68.65 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was down five cents at US$2.31 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$30.10 at US$2,610.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents US$4.24 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says wholesale sales, excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain, rose 0.4 per cent to $82.7 billion in July.
The increase came as sales in the miscellaneous subsector gained three per cent to reach $10.5 billion in July, helped by strength in the agriculture supplies industry group, which rose 9.2 per cent.
The food, beverage and tobacco subsector added 1.7 per cent to total $15 billion in July.
The personal and household goods subsector fell 2.5 per cent to $12.1 billion.
In volume terms, overall wholesale sales rose 0.5 per cent in July.
Statistics Canada started including oilseed and grain as well as the petroleum and petroleum products subsector as part of wholesale trade last year, but is excluding the data from monthly analysis until there is enough historical data.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 150 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in the base metal and energy sectors, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 172.18 points at 23,383.35.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 34.99 points at 40,826.72. The S&P 500 index was up 10.56 points at 5,564.69, while the Nasdaq composite was up 74.84 points at 17,470.37.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.55 cents US compared with 73.59 cents US on Wednesday.
The October crude oil contract was up $2.00 at US$69.31 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up five cents at US$2.32 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$40.00 at US$2,582.40 an ounce and the December copper contract was up six cents at US$4.20 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
