Wednesday Briefing: The U.K. May Recognize a Palestinian State

New York Times

7 days ago

The U.K. will recognize a Palestinian state if there's no cease-fire
Britain's prime minister, Keir Starmer, announced yesterday that the country would recognize the state of Palestine in September if Israel did not agree to a cease-fire with Hamas and halt a war that has brought starvation to Gaza.
In addition to a cease-fire, Starmer said the Israeli government would have to agree not to annex the occupied West Bank and commit to a peace process that would result in a Palestinian state. Israel is highly unlikely to accept these demands.
Starmer's government has faced political pressure as the British public has recoiled from images of starving children in Gaza. 'The situation is simply intolerable,' he said.
Aid chaos: The desperation on the ground in Gaza can be seen from orbit. A satellite captured an image of hundreds of people crowding around an aid convoy in Khan Younis
More Gaza news:
A U.N.-backed food security group said that 'the worst-case scenario of famine is playing out in Gaza,' and Gaza's health ministry announced that the death toll from the war had surpassed 60,000.
Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's far-right finance minister, said that the country was 'closer than ever' to rebuilding settlements in Gaza.
China and the U.S. will continue trade talks
Top officials from the U.S. and China said yesterday that they had not reached a deal to avert a trade war after two days of intensive negotiations in Stockholm. But they agreed to continue discussions about extending a trade truce that is set to expire on Aug. 12.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that 'nothing is agreed until we speak with President Trump,' but added that if the president approved a pause on higher tariffs for Chinese goods it most likely would be for another 90 days. Trump said that he would consult his top advisers and 'either approve it or not.' Stocks wobbled on the news.
For more: After deals with Japan and the E.U., Trump is winning his trade war. But what will that mean for the U.S. economy?
Russian strikes on Ukraine killed at least 22 people
Hours after Trump gave the Kremlin a new deadline to end the war, Russia launched a wave of strikes that killed at least 22 people, according to Ukraine.
At least 16 people were killed in an attack just before midnight on Monday on a prison in Zaporizhzhia, and a missile struck a hospital with a maternity ward in the Dnipro region, part of a wave directed at 73 cities and villages.
In Moscow, officials largely waved off Trump's threat to impose new sanctions on Russia unless it took steps to end the war in about 10 to 12 days.
China: Beijing was left reeling after days of torrential rains there and in surrounding areas led to the deaths of at least 38 people.
India: The home minister said that security forces had killed three Pakistani nationals accused of a deadly attack in Kashmir in April.
Southeast Asia: Thai and Cambodian military commanders endorsed a cease-fire deal reached by their leaders to de-escalate their border conflict.
New York City: A gunman who killed four people in a Manhattan office building may have targeted the National Football League. We have live updates.
Ozempic: Shares of Novo Nordisk, the Danish company behind the weight-loss drug, plummeted more than 20 percent after a profit warning.
Diplomacy: North Korea signaled that it might be open to talks with the Trump administration, but that it would not abandon its nuclear arsenal.
Cycling: Here are key takeaways from the Tour de France and a look ahead at the 2026 edition.
Soccer: Euro 2025 showed how much the women's game has changed.
Swimming: Katie Ledecky won gold in the 1,500-meter freestyle at the world championships in Singapore.
The small city of Iten, Kenya, has long produced world-class running talent. Its high altitude and red dirt roads are a training ground for thousands of Kenyans trying to run their way out of poverty.
But Iten is also the center of a doping crisis. Some of Kenya's highest-profile runners, like the women's marathon world-record holder, Ruth Chepngetich, have been suspended from competition for doping.
Goop to the rescue: An A.I. company enlisted Gwyneth Paltrow to help defuse a kiss-cam scandal at a Coldplay concert.
Tread carefully: Finns trying to enjoy beaches this summer have run into an obstacle: mountains of goose poop.
English nuptials: Eve Jobs, Steve Jobs's daughter, got married in the Cotswolds, a hot spot for lavish weddings.
Coke vs. Pepsi: The race to become the first soda in space drew in NASA and the White House.
The Booker Prize nominees are out, and Kiran Desai is back
Kiran Desai shot to fame when her first novel, 'The Inheritance of Loss,' won the Booker Prize in 2006. But she struggled to write a follow-up.
Almost two decades later, Desai has been nominated for the Booker again, this time for the novel she grappled with for all those years, 'The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny.' The 13 titles nominated for the British literary award, which were announced yesterday, also include books by David Szalay, Maria Reva and Claire Adam. Here's the list.
Make: Quality olive oil helps make this farro salad stellar.
Watch: 'Sweet Dreams' is one of the best international movies to stream right now.
Plank: Here's an in-depth guide to a great core exercise.
Listen: A classical pianist has been experimenting with performances out in nature.
Test yourself: Take this week's Flashback history quiz.
Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.
That's it for today. See you tomorrow. — Dan
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