Skip to main content

Posts

The two-state solution has been a diplomatic failure. It’s also still the best answer we’ve got | Chris McGreal

The real obstacle has been Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been in power for nearly half the time since the idea was floated The two-state solution could do with a rebrand. The optimism that greeted the Oslo peace accords between Israel and the Palestinians three decades ago has long since given way to eye rolling and grimaces among politicians and diplomats at any mention of the “peace process”. For years, they have been obliged to pay lip service to the vision while, in practice, many were resigned to the two-state solution as a byword for failure and a cover for inaction. Mostly they tried to avoid talking about it at all. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/uUGA3CK

Novak Djokovic denies Grigor Dimitrov to claim seventh Paris Masters crown

World No 1 prevails 6-4, 6-3 to earn his 40th Masters ATP title Unseeded Dimitrov fails in bid to win his first title in six years Novak Djokovic cruised to a record-extending seventh Paris Masters title, and became the first player to claim 40 Masters ATP 1000 titles, after beating Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-3 in the final on Sunday. The world No 1’s sixth trophy this season helped him to extend his lead over the second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz in the race to the year-end top spot. Djokovic will now head to the ATP Finals in Turin, primed to seal the deal after emerging triumphant from a series of close matches this week. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/DyCZ9zV

Max Verstappen wins São Paulo sprint race while Lewis Hamilton struggles

World champion dominates ahead of Lando Norris Sergio Pérez is third but Hamilton finishes seventh Max Verstappen won the sprint race for the São Paulo Grand Prix with a superb drive for Red Bull at Interlagos. The world champion made the difference in the opening seconds of the race to take the lead into turn one. Once out front he was in control confidently beating the McLaren of Lando Norris into second and his teammate Sergio Pérez into third at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were in fourth and seventh for Mercedes, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc fifth. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/h9XSe3K

The moment I knew: We shared our first kiss on a seedy couch – then didn’t spend a night apart for 18 months

In the theatre world, ‘showmances’ aren’t uncommon. But from the beginning Lucy Maunder knew this one was different Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email During my first week of rehearsals for Grease the Musical in 2013 we had a performance at the Sydney Opera House. On one of our breaks I was lazing in the green room with a bag of chips I’d bought from the vending machine when a cast member I had barely met sauntered up and grabbed them right out of my hand. I thought: “That’s bold.” It was only the beginning of the cheekiness I would come to expect of Jaryd. The following week, I was texting with a friend who was keen for all the gossip on who I was working with, specifically if anyone was “gorgeous”. I found myself mentioning this chip thief and how he’d literally rolled into rehearsals on a skateboard, wearing a flamingo print tank top, a diamond stud in his nose. Cute as he was, I told my friend I was pretty sure he wasn’t interested in women. Continue reading... fr

Judge in fraud trial extends gag order to Trump’s legal team

Arthur Engoron forbids Trump’s lawyers from discussing ‘confidential communications’ between him and his staff The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s $250m fraud trial moved to gag Trump’s lawyers from talking about “confidential communications” between him and his staff on Friday. Judge Arthur Engoron has already fined Trump $15,000 for attacking his clerk on social media and threatened to jail the former president if the attacks continue. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/XCajD9z

Israel and Palestine: a complete guide to the crisis

A compendium of answers about the roots of the conflict, what is happening now and some of the parties involved Occupied territories, two-state solution, apartheid, peace process, proscribed terrorist organisations, the Nakba, proxy militias, disproportionate force. The decades-long crisis in Israel and Palestine has gripped the world but it has a tangled history that can feel overwhelming – and terminology that many find confusing. Below are Guardian explainer articles that aim to answer the deeper questions and give historical context, as well as provide some simple definitions. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/bq5UoPm

The Guardian view on the Covid-19 inquiry: a week that has probed deep | Editorial

The absence of national planning for the pandemic and Boris Johnson’s shameful leadership are in the spotlight Lady Hallett has been holding hearings of the UK Covid-19 inquiry for much of the past two months. It is only this week, however, that the hearings have forced their way to the top of the news. There is no mystery about the reason. The evidence to the inquiry by senior civil servants, government advisers and health chiefs this week has been extraordinary and shocking. For most of us, the shock has been the graphic reminders from those at the heart of government of how poorly the UK state was prepared for the Covid pandemic, of how indecisively the government responded, and of the bitter rivalries between some of those taking life-and-death decisions at the top. Among the multiple serious issues that have been aired in the past four days, two in particular stand out: the absence of any national planning for the pandemic and the inadequacy of Boris Johnson’s leadership. Cont