Steve McGookinDiplomacy To Address Gaza Crisis
The still-uncertain ceasefire in Gaza is set to give way to a new round of diplomacy, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expected to visit the region this coming week after pledging that the Biden administration is committed to dealing with the “grave humanitarian situation”.
More than 240 people, including more than 60 children, were killed in Gaza during the recent violence, which represents the new President’s first major foreign policy challenge. Meanwhile, Sen Bernie Sanders moved this week to block a $735m US arms deal with Israel.
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Could Israel Bid Farewell To Bibi?
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Belarus Forces Plane To Land, Arrests Dissident
Criticism of the government of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko was growing on Sunday night after a Ryanair jet with 123 passengers flying from Athens to Vilnius in Lithuania – two Nato capital cities – was forced to land in Minsk under an apparent pretext of having a bomb on board.
An opposition journalist, Roman Protasevich, was removed from the plane before it was allowed to continue on to Vilnius, where it arrived seven hours after its original schedule.
Politicians around the world expressed concern at Belarus’s actions. EU leaders will discuss a response, including possible sanctions, at a meeting on Monday.
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Covid’s Global Inequalities Continue
From Sunday night, Germany is to bar travelers from the UK unless they are German citizens or residents, amid concerns about contagious Covid-19 variants. France, meanwhile, is “considering slightly tougher” measures on UK visitors over control of the so-called “Indian variant.”
Spain, on the other hand, is easing many restrictions on British travelers from Monday.
With parts of Japan still under a Covid-related state of emergency, opposition continues to grow to the nation hosting the Olympic Games, which are due to begin on 23 July. A new poll released this week showed 83 per cent opposed to the Games going ahead, an increase of 14 percentage points from the previous poll in April.
In New York on Sunday night, the biggest crowd to gather in the city since the pandemic lockdown began welcomed the Knicks back to Madison Square Garden in the first round of the NBA playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks. There will also be full capacity in Atlanta as the series shifts south for Game Three on Friday.
The outlook appears to continue to improve across the US, with numbers of both new cases and deaths falling to their lowest levels for a year. Globally, however, the recovery from the pandemic continues to be uneven.
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Life Is Harder Right Now, We Should Be Kinder To Ourselves
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No 10 Braced For Cummings Testimony
Boris Johnson’s former adviser Dominic Cummings is set to give evidence to MPs on Wednesday, with the government’s pandemic response expected to be at the centre of his appearance before the Commons Health Select Committee. In an epic Twitter thread over the weekend, Cummings said he has possession of a “crucial historical document from Covid decision-making” and is expected to claim that ministers had initially supported a controversial policy of “herd immunity”.
In Northern Ireland on Thursday, the DUP is set to confirm Edwin Poots as its new leader – in the wake of what must be disappointing results from the latest Lucid Talk poll.
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Rethinking: Mandatory Coalition
Is It The End Of The DUP’s Safe Seats? (2019)
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Nul Points / Love Minus Zero
The Eurovision Song Contest returned on Saturday night with an extravagant production in Rotterdam in front of 3,500 fans. Italian rockers Måneskin won with their song Zitti e Buoni and were then almost immediately caught up in online speculation about an incident backstage.
Britain’s entry finished last, receiving no votes from either the national juries or the public.
In an altogether different musical world, Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan turns 80 on Monday.
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