Qatar has categorically denied allegations that it interfered in Israeli elections or funded activities intended to influence the results. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari rejected accusations made by Israeli politicians and media outlets, describing them as a disinformation campaign aimed at dragging Qatar into Israel’s domestic political disputes. Abdulla Bandar al-Etaibi, Assistant Professor of International Affairs at Qatar University, told Al Jazeera that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies were attempting to deflect attention from their political setbacks and the government’s policies in Gaza and across the region. He argued that growing opposition to Netanyahu reflects public dissatisfaction with his leadership rather than foreign interference. Al-Etaibi also highlighted Qatar’s mediation efforts, including ongoing diplomacy between Iran and the United States, suggesting that the allegations could serve Netanyahu’s wider political objectives. He said any future Israeli government must address the humanitarian crises in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, stressing that lasting stability in Israel cannot be achieved at the expense of security elsewhere in the region.

Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe
Follow us on X: https://X.com/AJEnglish
Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera
Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/
Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/
Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.news/AJEMobile

#Qatar #IsraeliElections2026 #IsraelElection #BenjaminNetanyahu #MajedAlAnsari #QatarIsrael #IsraeliElectionInterference #Likud #IsraelElectionResults #AlJazeeraEnglish

The post Qatar rejects Israeli election interference claims as analyst questions Netanyahu’s motives appeared first on MASSIVE News.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. sales rose faster than expected in the third quarter, as more frequent menu launches and revamped loyalty offers help sustain a recovery that had been threatened by a food-illness scare. Bloomberg’s Michael Halen joins to discuss.

——–
Watch Bloomberg Radio LIVE on YouTube
Weekdays 7am-6pm ET
Saturday & Sunday 7am-10am ET
WATCH HERE: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF

Follow us on X: https://twitter.com/BloombergRadio

Subscribe to our Podcasts:

Bloomberg Daybreak: http://bit.ly/3DWYoAN
Bloomberg Surveillance: http://bit.ly/3OPtReI
Bloomberg Intelligence: http://bit.ly/3YrBfOi
Balance of Power: http://bit.ly/3OO8eLC
Bloomberg Businessweek: http://bit.ly/3IPl60i

Listen on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with the Bloomberg Business app:
Apple CarPlay: https://apple.co/486mghI
Android Auto: https://bit.ly/49benZy

Visit our YouTube channels:
Bloomberg Podcasts: https://www.youtube.com/bloombergpodcasts
Bloomberg Television: https://www.youtube.com/@markets
Bloomberg Originals: https://www.youtube.com/bloomberg
Quicktake: https://www.youtube.com/@BloombergQuicktake

The post Chipotle Sales Beat as New Chicken, Chips Bring Diners Back appeared first on MASSIVE News.

The government is feeling ever more sharply the blow back from a disgruntled electorate to which it can’t afford to give relief.

A frustrated Chalmers said early this week, in a podcast with Nine, “So for people who think we should cut much harder, they should nominate, I think, those areas that should be cut more substantially. But we have been finding savings, many more savings than our predecessors, and that’s because we take the hard yards of budget sustainability seriously.”

One question, as NSW moves towards its election, is whether voters – who usually distinguish between state and federal issues – might, if the Albanese government is still in the doldrums, use the opportunity to give the feds a kick over the cost of living.

But both he and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese refused to commit to these amounting to net savings. “We’ll continue to have those discussions […] in the cabinet, in the ERC [expenditure review committee]. That’s what we do,” Albanese said.

The Essential poll showed the disquiet among voters continues to grow. More than six in ten voters (61%) said they thought the country was on the wrong track, compared with 54% in January and 46% in October 2025.

If One Nation did become the official opposition in NSW, the most populous state, that would be a serious shock to, and realignment of, the political system in this country. It would have sweeping implications federally, notably diminishing both the Liberals and Nationals. It would surely shake the leadership of Angus Taylor, who is from NSW.

While the immediate focus is on One Nation’s performance at the Victorian election in late November, next year’s NSW contest will be a more important test for the insurgent party.

A good performance in Victoria obviously would be a fillip for One Nation, but the NSW election will be the big pointer for the future.

Meanwhile, responding to calls of “what would the Coalition do?” the opposition this week listed billion worth of cuts and other savings, focused on the climate bureaucracy, “corporate welfare”, the housing bureaucracy, and changes to the tobacco excise. It said these cuts would more than fund its promise to index income tax brackets.

This week’s high inflation figures, with the headline figure at 4.3% in the year to September (up from 4% in the year to August) and the underlying rate at 3.7%, have homebuyers bracing, given the high market expectations of another interest rate rise on Tuesday. That would be the fifth hike this year.

Reserve Bank officials, who have been out and about in recent days including at Senate estimates hearings, have been walking a delicate line. They are trying to get across the message that spending needs to be contained, while keeping within their own lane, which requires they are not seen to be telling the government how it should act.

But spending is part of the problem. And for the government, it is the present actual and political pinch point.

On Thursday, Albanese was asked if he could give people “a sense of when their lives are going to get easier and not harder.”

In the latest Essential poll, released this week, when people were asked (from a list) what was most responsible for the rising cost of living, 32% said government spending while 24% opted for global events, and 19% for supermarket price gouging.

Newman, formerly a trade bureaucrat who spent many years working in Japan, is a more credible figure than Pickering.

The Minns government, although in minority, should be in a strong position to win a second term. Minns, a pragmatist from Labor’s right, and a leader with a relatable style, has distanced himself from the Albanese government, which is still bogged in the problems from its controversial budget, with a now deeply unpopular prime minister.

On present indications, the best One Nation could do in Victoria would be to prop up a Coalition minority government – although there seems a fair prospect Opposition Leader Jess Wilson could get to a majority. There’s no chance of One Nation Victorian leader Warren Pickering becoming opposition leader.

The NSW opposition is weak. On current assessments, the Liberals are considered likely to lose metropolitan seats to Labor. The Nationals could face a near wipeout, with One Nation well placed to grab regional seats.

The latest Resolve Political Monitor NSW poll, published in September, has Labor on 29%, One Nation on 25% and the Coalition on 24%.

Despite this unease, the government was still ahead on economic management, with 32% of voters selecting Labor when asked which party they would trust to “ensure the economy works in the interests of everyday Australians”. But One Nation followed, on 29%, with the Coalition, which sees the economy as its favoured ground, on just 18%.

“These challenges won’t be solved overnight,” he said. It was a grim message.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns delivered an attention-grabbing prediction this week. “By any poll, by any measure, [One Nation leader] Mike Newman will either be the premier or the opposition leader after the 13th of March,” Minns said on Sydney radio.

Albanese won’t be on hand when the Reserve Bank delivers its decision on rates on Tuesday. He’ll be at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda. It had been thought the PM might skip it, given how many international meetings he has to attend during summit season. But King Charles made it clear he hoped to see him there.

While it continues to reject the argument that its own spending has contributed significantly to the high inflation, it is also responding to that argument. Treasurer Jim Chalmers this week was at pains to emphasise that the mid-year budget update due in December would contain a savings package.

Of course, government spending (which also includes state spending) is not entirely responsible for the inflationary problem. Although there was an issue before the Middle East conflict, the war is a major factor in accelerating inflation. The biggest increase in Wednesday’s inflation figures was in the cost of fuel. More generally, a surge in private sector investment from the AI boom, combined with supply constraints, adds to inflation.

The post Grattan on Friday: an embattled government tells Australians the pain they feel won’t end any time soon appeared first on MASSIVE News.