Netanyahu to 'form Israeli government'

JERUSALEM // The right-wing leader Benjamin Netanyahu will be asked to form the next Israeli government, the office of President Shimon Peres said in a statement today. The announcement comes 10 days after a parliamentary election provided no clear winner. The Likud party chief was due to meet the head of state to receive a formal invitation to head the next administration, the statement said. Mr Netanyahu, who was prime minister in the 1990s, would then have six weeks to forge a coalition cabinet.

Mr Peres met separately earlier in the day with Mr Netanyahu and the centrist Kadima party head Tzipi Livni to try to persuade them to form a unity government, a presidential spokeswoman said. Both lay claim to the premiership after an inconclusive election on Feb 10 gave Kadima 28 seats in the 120-member parliament to 27 for Likud, but also handed a majority of seats to right-leaning parties. Ms Livni hinted after her meeting with Mr Peres that her position had not changed - she is not prepared to join a national unity coalition with the Likud leader unless she is prime minister.

It would be "a coalition that doesn't allow me to pursue my path, the path of Kadima as we promised the voters", she said. "A large government has no value if it does not have a path. The decision is now in the president's hands." Asked if she was ready to go into opposition she said: "If necessary, certainly". The strong showing for right-wing parties in parliament put Mr Netanyahu in a better position to form a government. But the Likud leader has said he prefers a governing coalition with centrist Kadima and the left-leaning Labour Party.

*Reuters

Reputation

Taylor Swift

(Big Machine Records)

Museum of the Future in numbers

78 metres is the height of the museum
30,000 square metres is its total area
17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
Dh145 is the price of a ticket

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What is Reform?

Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.

It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.

Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.

After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.

Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.

The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.