Israel goes to polls for the fifth time in three years

Israel goes to polls for the fifth time in three years

• For the fifth time since 2019, Israelis were voting in national elections on Tuesday, hoping to break the political deadlock that has paralysed the country for the past three and a half years. 
• Again, the vote centres around former premier and far right leader Benjamin Netanyahu’s fitness to lead while he faces corruption charges. 
• Mr. Netanyahu’s mainrival is the man whohelped oust him last year, the centrist caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who has warned against the nationalist alliance that would emerge should Mr. Netanyahu return to power.

Elon Musk announces $8 monthly charge for verified Twitter account

• Twitter Inc will charge $8 for its blue service, which includes its sought-after “verified” badge, new boss Elon Musk said on Tuesday, in his push to monetize the service and make the social media network less reliant on ads.
• “Twitter’s current lords & peasants’ system for who has or doesn’t have a blue check mark is bullshit. Power to the people! Blue for $8/month,” Musk said in a tweet, adding that the price will be adjusted by “country proportionate to purchasing power parity”.
• Musk’s comments follow media reports that the Tesla boss was looking at the process of profile verification and how the blue ticks were given out.
• Twitter use to hand out blue ticks to note-worthy profiles based on its own criteria.