The biggest protests in Israel's history - What's going on?; and who is Hamza Yousaf, Scotland’s new 37-year-old leader of Pakistani origin?

Market Watch

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Netanyahu puts judicial overhaul on hold amid biggest protests in Israel’s history: What led to this?

Faced with the “biggest protests in Israel’s history” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has now put his contentious judicial reforms plan on hold.

Of note: Israel has no written constitution and is governed only by a set of basic laws, making the country's Supreme Court extremely powerful. The SC is also the only body that can overrule decisions of the Knesset - Israel's Parliament.

The background: Israel has had 5 elections in 4 years, and none of them provided a decisive picture of who won.

• Netanyahu, facing corruption charges and the prospect of being arrested, put together a coalition and won the last election in the country. His coming to power was seen as a “get out of jail free card.”

The proposed reforms: Netanyahu and his allies believed the SC did not represent the interest of the country, and proposed sweeping changes to its mandate - that would give the cabinet the power to overrule the court. Among the most prominent changes proposed are the following:

• Changing the make-up of the 9-member committee that selects judges - giving the parliament control of the committee;
• Giving parliament the power to overturn SC judgements;
• Rescinding the power of the SC to declare a Prime Minister unfit for duty.

The protests: Israel has been seeing protests against these reforms for several months.?

• However, things became serious when the country’s military reservists joined the protests - potentially transforming a political crisis into a security crisis. Even members of Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad were against the reforms.
• The country’s defence minister called for a halt to the reforms saying the protests had a bearing on national security. He was sacked on Sunday.

What now? Netanyahu has now announced “a timeout for dialogue” to avoid “civil war,” and that the government would wait for parliament to reach a consensus on the matter when it reconvenes on April 30.

From Pakistan to Scotland: Meet Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s 37-year-old new leader

Thirty-seven-year-old Humza Yousaf has been voted the leader of the Scottish National Party, paving the way for him to become the country’s new First Minister.

Who he is: Yousaf was born in Glasgow; his grandparents immigrated to Scotland in 1962 from Punjab in Pakistan.

• In 2011, he made history by becoming the youngest-ever member of Parliament at the age of 25, and, a year later, became the first Scottish Asian and Muslim to be appointed as minister.
• He served as the external affairs minister, justice secretary, transport minister and international development minister before becoming the health secretary in 2021.
• After Nicola Sturgeon announced she would step down, Yousaf won 52.1% of votes in the second round of the leadership contest, defeating conservative rival Kate Forbes.

Between the lines: Yousaf is seen as the “continuity Sturgeon” candidate and has vowed to preserve the party’s progressive values.

• He holds liberal views on matters of immigration as well as gender and has also advocated for same-sex marriage and the right of trans people to self-identify.
• The leader is a firm advocate of Scottish independence and believes the country should ditch the monarchy.
• Beyond independence, the SNP leader has promised to focus on the high cost of living, educational opportunities, and access to the National Health Service.

The challenges: Yousaf has directly faced criticism for the performance of ScotRail and the long hospital wait times during the pandemic. SNP advisors have revealed the party does not see him as their “leader for the next 10 years” or believe “he’ll win independence.”

Of note: With Indian-origin Rishi Sunak as the PM of the UK, and Pakistan-origin Humza Yousaf (with a pro-independence stance) in Scotland, it appears that Britain has now come full circle from 1947.

ICYMI

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• China has banned Uyghur Muslims from fasting during the holy Islamic month of Ramzan and placed them under surveillance.
• The Brand Trust Report (BTR) 2023 lists the most trusted brands in the country this year.
• Data from the National Crime Records Bureau shows that nearly one-third of reported crimes against women from 2016 to 2021 in India involved cruelty by the husband and/or his relatives.
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