Beijing says it will meet with American officials to discuss trade, but warned Washington against using the engagement to ratchet up pressure on China.
As 133 cardinals were sequestered in the Sistine Chapel where they would vote for a new leader of the Catholic Church, the faithful and the curious gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
The Weekly’s cover focuses on the US president, who has at last been feeling the pull of domestic political gravity. Trump’s chaotic first 100 days in office – marked last week – have featured a blitz of sweeping and vengeful changes to America that have been hard to fully compute. But as the US economy falters and his poll ratings sink, David Smith asks whether the seemingly unchallengeable president is showing some signs of vulnerability.
Five essential reads in this week’s edition
Spotlight | Russia’s new sabotage campaign in Europe Moscow’s intelligence services have launched a new type of attack on the west, violent but piecemeal and hard to prove, writes Shaun Walker
Spotlight | Palestinians face difficult decisions over future in Gaza As Israel’s aid blockade rumbles on and humanitarian zones disappear, fears of a ‘second Nakba’ are being realised. Bethan McKernan reports
Feature | How Ticketmaster ate the live music industry From grassroots gigs to stadium shows, there’s no escaping the ticketing giant, making billions from increasing prices (and whacking on fees). Dorian Lynskey investigates who is really to blame for the great rock’n’roll rip-off
Opinion | We recall the joy of VE Day. My worry is what we forget In 1945, Sheila Hancock’s street party tea was a muted celebration, full of uncertainty. Then, as now, we faced a long struggle towards a better world
Culture | Black Sabbath on reconciling for their final gig Heavy metal’s godfathers are preparing a star-studded farewell – but will Ozzy Osbourne be well enough to perform? In their first interview for two decades, the original lineup talk to Alexis Petridis
The treatment, which aimed to block production of a mutant protein, reduced the frequency of infant’s seizures, but did not improve neurological impairments.
Jubilation and bittersweet tears greeted the end of hostilities in 1945, reports Octavia Pollock.
Mrs Olga Hopkins, Second World War veteran, takes centre stage on this week’s Frontispiece.
The carver, the baker and fancy shoemaker
Jane Wheatley meets some of the craftspeople enhancing the Cotswolds’ standing as a hive of creativity.
‘I am the Marquis of marmite’
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen is applying his trademark swagger to a new passion for painting, reveals James Fisher.
Nothing lasts forever
Laura Parker reveals in those ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ moments that only Nature can provide.
The Cotswolds never disappoints (above)
Penny Churchill showcases glorious country houses for sale in two ‘golden triangles’.
All set for the Chelsea chop?
This it the time to prune our late-flowering herbaceous perennials — join John Hoyland in wielding the secateurs.
Martina Froth’s favourite painting
The Yale Centre for British Art Director chooses a work tinged with a melancholy sadness.
An estate made public
John Goodall investigates the gradual architectural revolution of Bowood in Wiltshire, a house that boasts a remarkable history.
The legacy
Kate Green pay tribute to Alan Turing, the code cracker who curtailed the Second World War.
The Badminton A-Z (above)
From amateur riders to Zaragoza, Kate Green guides you through the world-class eventing action.
New series: Winging it
The elegant hobby is capable of snatching swallows in flight — Mark Cocker is rapt by raptors.
The good stuff
Hetty Lintell is wowed by watches.
Interiors
Restful bedroom furniture and accessories, with Amelia Thorpe.
London Life
Rosie Paterson reveals how bees are creating a buzz in the capital, our writers have all your need to know this month and Selina Cadell shares her on-stage experiences of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
A soft touch
Tiffany Daneff marvels at the flower-filled paradise of Hampnett House in Gloucestershire.
Travel (above)
Emma Love has an eye for adventure, Mark Hedges goes wild on safari in Botswana, Rosie Paterson hits the walking trail in Sri Lanka and Pamela Goodman hail’s Giubbilei’s gardens.
Art and antiques
Simon Finch tells Carla Passino he will not part with his £1 note signed by a Great Train Robber.
One king to rule them all
Mary Miers explores the artistic and cultural legacy of James I.
Officials and witnesses said that at least two Indian aircraft had crashed after India struck Pakistani targets, escalating the conflict between the nuclear powers.
The effect of Israel’s total siege has become “catastrophic,” doctors say. Food, water and medicine shortages are prompting a surge of preventable illnesses, and deaths.
More cardinals from more countries than ever will gather in the Sistine Chapel starting Wednesday to choose a new pope at a precarious time for the church.
Sydney Towle’s videos have drawn an enormous audience on TikTok, where her followers praise and support her. On Reddit, an army of skeptics was determined to paint her as a fraud.
This is the first significant personnel overhaul of top White House aides, and the kind of shake-up President Trump has sought to avoid in his second term.
New details deepen questions about the deportations, showing that El Salvador’s president pressed for assurances that the migrants were really members of the Tren de Aragua gang.
New details revealed by The Times show that the failures on Jan. 29 before an Army helicopter crashed into a jet near Reagan National Airport were far more complex than previously known.
Federal Judge Strikes Down Trump’s Use of Alien Enemies Act to Deport Venezuelans
The ruling, which is limited to the Southern District of Texas, prohibited the administration from using the wartime law because the president’s claims about a Venezuelan gang do not add up to an “invasion.”
News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious
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