Netanyahu made it categorically clear that there is no other way to destroy or eliminate Hamas than the ground operation.

Tel AvivAmid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear on Wednesday that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) will continue the ground operation in Rafah despite global pressure, adding that he has told US President Joe Biden about the the same, the Times of Israel reported.

“We have a disagreement with the Americans over the need to enter Rafah,” Netanyahu told the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday.

“Not about the need to eliminate Hamas – the need to enter Rafah. We see no way to eliminate Hamas militarily without destroying these remaining battalions. We are determined to do it,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu made it categorically clear that there is no other way to destroy or eliminate Hamas than the ground operation.

“I made it clear to the president in our conversation in the clearest way that we are determined to complete the elimination of these battalions in Rafah,” Netanyahu said. to the ground.”

Biden effectively ruled out any possible support for a major Israeli ground offensive in Rafah, which borders the Egyptian border at the southern tip of Gaza, during a phone call with Netanyahu on Monday, as reported by the Times of Israel.

“A major ground operation would be a mistake. It would lead to more innocent civilian deaths, worsen an already dire humanitarian crisis, deepen anarchy in Gaza and further isolate Israel internationally,” said US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

Netanyahu added in his call with Israeli lawmakers that the two leaders agreed on a mechanism through which the Americans could share their ideas on humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians, a concern he said Israel shares.

“We must complete the military elimination of Hamas,” he said. “There is no substitute for that, you cannot avoid it, you cannot say, ‘We will destroy 80 percent of Hamas, we will [leave] 20 percent’, because that 20 percent will reorganize and retake the Gaza Strip, and of course they will pose a renewed threat to Israel, and of course it will also be a victory for the broader axis that threatens us – the Iranian axis,” Netanyahu added to.

Meanwhile, the White House said Biden’s call to Netanyahu said the former had warned about the operation in Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have taken refuge.

Biden and Netanyahu agreed to have their teams meet soon in Washington to exchange views and discuss “alternative approaches” that would target key elements of Hamas and secure the Egypt-Gaza border without a major ground operation in Rafah, the White House said.

Biden asked Netanyahu to send a senior team of military, intelligence and humanitarian officials to Washington to discuss an alternative approach that would target Hamas in Rafah and secure the Egypt-Gaza border without a major ground invasion.

(With inputs from ANI)

Metro Bank is ending the seven-day operation that set it apart from its rivals – with 1,000 job cuts.

The lender – which was rescued in a £925 million rescue deal last October – will no longer be open on Sundays and public holidays.

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Half of the 76 branches will also be closed on Saturdays as this looks to save £50m.

It also usually closes at 5 p.m., instead of 8 p.m., which was attractive to customers who wanted to stop by after work.

Boss Daniel Frumkin stressed the changes reflect demand as the bank struggled to hire Sunday staff. He claimed the bank “will still be open more hours than other high street competitors”.

Additional cost savings will “come from colleague costs”, with almost a quarter of the 4,000-strong workforce set to be made redundant.

Mr Frumkin ruled out branch closures and said he still planned to open 11 more branches in the north to help small businesses.

Metro Bank was founded in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. American entrepreneur Vernon Hill wanted it to look more like a retailer with ‘shops’, bright signage and free dog treats.

But it has struggled to gain scale against rivals, not helped by the recent deals between Nationwide and Virgin Money and Barclays and Tesco Bank.

Fear surrounding the bank’s financial situation health had caused the shares to crash and some customers to withdraw their money. Investors subsequently approved a bailout deal for Colombian tycoon Jaime Gilinski Bacal, who is now majority shareholder and board director.

The lender yesterday reported £30.5 million in pre-tax profits, compared with a loss of £70.7 million last year.

Last year, a record number of 246,000 new accounts were opened, including 52,000 in the last quarter. But Mr Frumkin admitted it had been a costly exercise as some savings clients were on “unsustainably high interest rates”.

The bank’s shares fell a further 4.4 per cent to 32.8p yesterday, valuing the lender at just £221m.

It’s Yeezy, come on, take it easy

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Adidas has suffered its first loss in thirty years due to its ill-fated collaboration with Kanye West.

The German sportswear giant signed a blockbuster deal with the rapper, who now goes by Ye, to produce his range of highly sought-after Yeezy sneakers.

But Adidas cut ties with the star after he made a series of anti-Semitic comments. It now expects to sell the remainder of its Yeezy inventory at cost.

Adidas reported a £50 million loss last year, compared with £217 million profit in the previous 12 months. The company lost £427 million in revenue as a result of the fallout, despite the classic Gazelle and Samba trainers enjoying a renaissance.

Insurer rejects new offer

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Direct Line has rejected a takeover bid from its Belgian rival, rejecting a £3.2 billion bid yesterday.

The FTSE 250 insurer, which also owns the Churchill brand, confirmed it had received another cash and share tender from Aegeas, valuing it at 237p per share.

The improved offer was only three percent more than Aegeas’ previous offer.

The British insurance giant rejected that proposal on February 28.

Direct Line said the new offer was still “uncertain, unattractive and significantly undervalued” for the company and its prospects.

Shares fell almost six per cent to 212p after the offer was rejected.

New boss Adam Winslow, who has only been in office for two weeks, is tasked with turning around the insurer while fending off an opportunistic bidder.

It’s a loss for Mor

Morrisons made a £1 billion loss last year after taking over private equity.

The Bradford-based retailer faced £735 million in interest costs after being piled on debt by Clayton Dubilier & Rice, which bought the grocer for £7 billion in 2021.

Its parent company, Market Topco, made a pre-tax loss of £1.1 billion in 2023, while turnover fell from £18.7 billion to £18.4 billion.

New boss Rami Baitieh is said to be drawing up plans to “revive” the supermarket.

Fashion company reaches new heights

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Zara owner Inditex has achieved its biggest ever turnover as it continues to maintain its lead retail rivals.

The world’s largest fashion retailer, which also owns Bershka and Pull & Bear, said sales rose 10.4 percent to £30.7 billion last year, while profits rose 30 percent to £5.9 billion.

It closed 1,200 stores following pandemic lockdowns as it ramped up its online business, but shoppers have returned to the high street and its 5,700 stores worldwide.

The company plans to reopen stores in war-torn Ukraine after two years. Inditex said demand for its spring and summer collections was “very strong”.

Victoria Scholar, an analyst at Interactive Investor, said the retailer is still outpacing its biggest rival H&M and newer online competitors.

She added: “It deftly keeps pace with the latest high-end trends, rapidly increasing the range of popular items.”

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Britons stuck to their New Year’s fitness resolutions, says Gym Group, which has seen sales rise 16 percent since the start of the year.

Turnover in 2023 increased by 18 percent to £204 million. Losses fell to £8.3 million. It plans to open 50 locations over time next one three years.

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‘Land rental a problem’

The competition watchdog yesterday stepped up criticism of ‘problematic’ leasehold clauses that often trap homeowners in their properties.

The Competition and Markets The Authority welcomed government intervention and said the lease is neither “legally nor commercially necessary”.

The government has limited the leasehold clauses in a new framework houses but it is not regulated for existing properties.

The CMA yesterday said it had secured agreement from eight companies to release 500 homes from leasehold clauses.

It came as new figures from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors suggested life had returned to the housing market and more sellers were confident mortgage rates for buyers would not skyrocket.

A day after President Biden claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel was “hurting Israel more than helping Israel,” Mr. Netanyahu dismissed that claim as “wrong,” escalating the increasingly public dispute between the leaders.

Mr Netanyahu, in a interview with Politicschallenged Mr. Biden’s assessment of Israel’s military strategy in the Gaza Strip, saying his policies represented what the “overwhelming majority” of Israelis wanted.

“I don’t know exactly what the president meant, but if he meant that I am pursuing private policies against the majority, the wishes of the majority of Israelis, and that this is detrimental to Israel’s interests, then he is wrong. on both counts,” Mr. Netanyahu said.

He added: “It is a policy that is supported by the overwhelming majority of Israelis. They support the action we are taking to destroy Hamas’ remaining terrorist battalions.”

Mr Netanyahu was responding to comments Mr Biden made on Saturday in a interview with MSNBC. Mr Biden reprimanded Mr Netanyahu over the rising number of civilian casualties in Gaza, while reaffirming US support for Israel.

“He has the right to defend Israel, the right to continue to pursue Hamas, but he must, he must, he must pay more attention to the innocent lives that are being lost as a result of the actions taken,” Mr. Biden said.

“In my opinion, he is hurting Israel more than he is helping Israel,” Mr. Biden said, appearing to refer to Mr. Netanyahu’s military strategy. “It goes against what Israel stands for, and I think it’s a big mistake. That is why I want to see a ceasefire.”

When asked by the interviewer, Jonathan Capehart, whether he had a “red line” that Mr. Netanyahu should not cross, such as a ground invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza, Mr. Biden gave a muddled answer, but said that “the defense of Israel still critical.”

“He cannot allow another 30,000 Palestinians to be killed as a result” of his pursuit of Hamas, the president said, referring to Mr. Netanyahu.

“There are other ways to deal with the trauma caused by Hamas, to achieve it,” he added.

Mr. Biden provided no details. The Gaza Health Ministry has said more than 31,000 people have been killed in the enclave since Israel started the war in response to Hamas attacks on October 7.

But the president’s comments once again underscored the delicate position the United States finds itself in: arming Israel while providing humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Mr Biden has been more forceful in recent days about the plight of civilians in Gaza, urging Mr Netanyahu not to go ahead with his stated plans to launch a major ground offensive in Rafah without a plan to kill those who shelter there to protect. More than a million Gazans have sought refuge in the city, many of whom have been displaced by orders from the Israeli army to move to so-called safe zones.

In the interview with Politico, Mr. Netanyahu reiterated that Israel still plans to invade Rafah: “We are going there. We’re not leaving. You know, I have a red line. You know what the red line is: October 7 will not happen again. It will never happen again.”

When asked about Mr Biden’s comments, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz declined to say what they suggested about the US-Israel relationship.

“I try to distinguish between rhetoric and essence: the objectives of the war and the State of Israel are simple – they are to release all hostages and dismantle Hamas’s military and leadership power,” Mr. Katz told Kan, the Israeli public. radio network on Sundays. “The United States supports these goals, as Biden emphasized yesterday.”

He added that Israel had said there would be a plan to evacuate civilians from Rafah before a ground invasion, and reiterated that his country’s army “has not deliberately harmed civilians.”

The push toward Rafah has prompted warnings from the United States and other allies about the potential humanitarian costs. The United Nations has said a ground invasion of Rafah could have “huge consequences for all of Gaza, including the hundreds of thousands at high risk of starvation and famine in the north.”

Under Mr. Biden, U.S. military cargo planes have dropped food, water and other aid into Gaza a handful of times in recent days. The last airdrop took place on Monday, when said the US military it dropped more than 27,000 “meal equivalents” and nearly 26,000 bottles of water in northern Gaza.

Additionally, the Biden administration has announced plans to build a floating pier off the coast of Gaza to deliver more supplies to the enclave.

But U.S. officials have acknowledged that cutting off air aid and building a pier will not be as effective as delivering supplies by land, an option that Israel has largely blocked.

Gabby Sobelman reporting contributed.

By Freddy Pawle for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 11:36 PM EST, March 4, 2024 | Updated: 00:15 EST, March 5, 2024

As many as 120 horses taking part in the Cheltenham Festival have been tested for drugs in Ireland as part of a major joint anti-doping operation.

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) have teamed up to tackle the use of banned substances just days before the start of the festival.

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In recent days, top officials from Great Britain and Ireland have visited 14 stables unannounced and taken more than 250 samples from potential festival runners.

Among those who took part in the surprise operation were James Give, the former racehorse trainer who is now the BHA’s director of horse regulation, and a senior British vet.

They took the samples together with their Irish colleagues, with horses from the stables of Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott almost certainly among those tested.

The samples will be processed at a specialist laboratory in Newmarket and results are expected next week – with any adverse findings likely to lead to disciplinary action.

Given said: “The BHA welcomes the partnership with the IHRB to demonstrate to stakeholders and the public that horses running from both sides of the Irish Sea in each other’s races do so under the same level of supervision.

“It’s not just our Medication Control and Anti-Doping Team (MCAD) that will have access to more information about visiting horses.

“But there will be opportunities for our wider team to share ideas and best practice in other areas of our work.

“Like the IHRB, this is in line with our objectives in international cooperation, responding to racecourse accidents and generally improving the safety and welfare of horses.”

IHRB Chief Veterinarian Lynn Hillyer added: “The IHRB Strategy 2024-2027 commits us to working closely with international horse racing organizations and benchmarking ourselves against best international practice.

“This new venture shows stakeholders and the racing public that we work together as professionals on both sides of the Irish Sea.

“Sharing best practices and resources and demonstrating equally rigorous regulatory processes and standards to the extent that our anti-doping and drug monitoring programs are interoperable.

“We are delighted to be working with our BHA colleagues in this way and see it as a positive step forward.

“It reinforces the point that in both jurisdictions there is no room for anything other than the highest standards of integrity and welfare.”

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Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Sets time and money limits before playing
• Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
• Never chases their losses
• Does not gamble when upset, angry or depressed
• Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
• Gamble consciously – www.begambleaware.org

By Olivia Day for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 2:49 PM EST, February 19, 2024 | Updated: 3:49 PM EST, February 19, 2024

By Richard Eden

Published: 5:00 PM EST, February 9, 2024 | Updated: 7:33 PM EST, February 9, 2024