Entertainment
What would wider recognition of Palestine mean for Palestinians and Israel?
Several more countries have formally recognised Palestinian statehood at a world summit by France and Saudi Arabia, a day after Australia, Britain, Canada and Portugal took the step, angering Israel.
Status of Palestinian statehood
The Palestine Liberation Organisation declared an independent Palestinian state in 1988, and most of the global South quickly recognised it. Today, about 150 of the 193 UN member states have done so.
Israel’s main ally, the United States, has long said it supports the goal of a Palestinian state, but only after the Palestinians and Israel agree on terms for a two-state solution at negotiations. Until recent weeks, the major European powers shared this position.
However, no such Israeli-Palestinian negotiations have been held since 2014, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has now said there will never be a Palestinian state.
A delegation representing the State of Palestine has observer status at the UN — but no voting rights. No matter how many countries recognise Palestinian independence, full UN membership would require approval by the Security Council, where Washington has a veto.
Palestinian diplomatic missions worldwide are controlled by the Palestinian Authority, which is recognised internationally as representing the Palestinian people.
The PA, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, exercises limited self-rule in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank under agreements with Israel. It issues Palestinian passports and runs the Palestinian health and education systems.
The Gaza Strip has been administered by the Hamas since 2007, when it drove out Abbas’s Fatah movement after a brief civil war.
Embassies?
Palestinian diplomatic missions in countries recognising a Palestinian state are expected to be upgraded to the full status of embassies. But countries are not expected to be able to open new, fully-fledged embassies in the Palestinian territories, where Israel controls access.
Around 40 countries have consulates or representative offices either in the PA’s West Bank base Ramallah or in parts of Jerusalem captured by Israel in 1967, where the Palestinians hope to have their capital.
Israel considers all of Jerusalem its own undivided capital. Fully-fledged embassies in Israel are mostly located in Tel Aviv, although the US moved its embassy to Jerusalem during President Donald Trump’s first term.
Aim of recognition
Countries moving to recognise a Palestinian state say the move is intended to put pressure on Israel to end its devastating assault on Gaza, curtail the building of new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and recommit to a peace process with the Palestinians.
French President Emmanuel Macron, the first leader of a major Western power to endorse recognition, said the move would be accompanied by a commitment by the PA to enact reforms, which would improve Palestinian governance and make it a more credible partner for the post-war administration of Gaza.
What does recognition means in practice?
Those who see recognition as a mere gesture point to the limited influence in the conflict of countries such as China, India, Russia and many Arab states that recognised Palestinian independence decades ago.
Without a full seat at the UN or control of its own borders, the PA has only limited ability to conduct bilateral relations.
Israel restricts access for goods, investment and educational or cultural exchanges. There are no Palestinian airports. The landlocked West Bank can be reached only through Israel or through the Israeli-controlled border with Jordan, and Israel now controls all access to the Gaza Strip since capturing Gaza’s border with Egypt during the ongoing war.
Still, countries planning recognition and the PA itself say it would be more than an empty gesture.
Husam Zomlot, head of the Palestinian mission to the UK, said it could lead to partnerships between entities on an equal footing.
It might also force countries to review aspects of their relationships with Israel, said Vincent Fean, a former British diplomat in Jerusalem.
In Britain’s case, this might result in banning products that come from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, he said, even though the practical impact on the Israeli economy would be minimal.
US, Israel’s reaction
Israel, facing a global outcry over its conduct in the Gaza war, says recognition rewards Hamas for the attacks on Israel that precipitated the war in October 2023.
“A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River,” PM Netanyahu said.
The US opposes the recognition moves by its European allies. It has imposed sanctions on Palestinian officials, including blocking Abbas and other PA figures from attending the UN General Assembly by denying and revoking visas.
Queen Camilla hosted a reception at Clarence House to celebrate the Booker Prize 2025.
Palace released a video of Queen Camilla on social media handles saying “Celebrating The Booker Prize 2025.”
The Queen hosted the reception for this year’s shortlisted authors, judges and supporters of the prize. “Congratulations to 2025 winner, David Szalay.”
David Szalay won the Booker Prize 2025 for his sixth work of fiction, Flesh, becoming the first Hungarian-British author to win the award
Flesh by David Szalay was named the winner of the Booker Prize 2025 at a ceremony in London on Monday, 10 November.
Szalay receives £50,000 and a trophy, which was presented to him by last year’s winner, Samantha Harvey.
Flesh was selected as the winning book by the 2025 judging panel, chaired by 1993 Booker Prize winner Roddy Doyle, the first Booker Prize winner to chair a Booker judging panel.
This year’s judging panel included Sarah Jessica Parker, Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, Kiley Reid, and Chris Power.
They considered 153 books and were looking for the best work of long-form fiction by writers of any nationality, written in English and published in the UK and/or Ireland between 1 October 2024 and 30 September 2025.
The Booker Prize is the leading literary award in the English-speaking world and has celebrated world-class talent for over 55 years.
It’s become nearly impossible for people to tell the difference between music generated by artificial intelligence and that created by humans, according to a survey released Wednesday.
The polling firm Ipsos asked 9,000 people to listen to two clips of AI-generated music and one of human-made music in a survey conducted for France-based streaming platform Deezer.
“Ninety-seven percent could not distinguish between music entirely generated by AI and human-created music,” said Deezer in a statement.
The survey was conducted between October 6 and 10 in eight countries: Brazil, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands and the United States.
Deezer said more than half of the respondents felt uncomfortable at not being able to tell the difference.
Pollsters also asked broader questions about the impact of AI, with 51 percent saying the technology would lead to more low-quality music on streaming platforms and almost two-thirds believing it will lead to a loss of creativity.
“The survey results clearly show that people care about music and want to know if they’re listening to AI or human made tracks or not,” Deezer CEO Alexis Lanternier said in a statement.
Deezer said there’s not only been a surge in AI-generated content being uploaded to its platform, but it’s attracting listeners as well.
In January, one in 10 of the tracks streamed each day were completely AI-generated. Ten months later, that percentage has climbed to over one in three, or nearly 40,000 per day.
Eighty percent of survey respondents wanted fully AI-generated music clearly labelled for listeners.
Deezer is the only major music-streaming platform that systematically labels completely AI-generated content for users.
The issue gained prominence in June when a band called The Velvet Sundown suddenly went viral on Spotify and only confirmed the following month that it was in fact AI-generated content.
The AI group’s most popular song has been streamed more than three million times.
In response, Spotify said it would encourage artists and publishers to sign up to a voluntary industry code to disclose AI use in music production.
King Charles and Queen Camilla got emotional and moved to tears by a 105-year-old veteran during Windsor remembrance reception.
According to a report by the GB News, the monarch and Second World War veteran Yanvar Abbas shared a hug during a veterans’ reception at Windsor Castle.
He gave a surprise address to the king and queen, thanking them for attending the VJ Day event despite the ongoing cancer treatment for the monarch, and it appeared to move the couple to tears.
Abbas had already met King Charles and Queen Camilla at a service of remembrance in Staffordshire earlier this year.
Following his emotional meeting with King Charles, the veteran said, “I told him, ‘We can’t go on meeting like this.’”
“I was very much looking forward to meeting him again.
“I have a lot of respect for His Majesty, not just as a monarch, but as a human being.
“It’s wonderful to meet him and to know that he is improving, because I had cancer and I got rid of it. I’ve been rid of it for 15 years now.”
Later, the palace shared photos of King Charles with the veterans and said, “This evening on Armistice Day, The King and Queen, joined by The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Edinburgh and The Duchess of Gloucester, spent time with extraordinary veterans who served in the Second World War in the Pacific.”
It further said, “This year marked the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, which in effect brought World War 2 to an end.”
Green questions Warriors’ commitment to winning
White Milano named an official partner of Riyadh Fashion Week 2026
Thousands of Leonardo staff walk out in dispute over pay
-
Business1 week agoFirst new Amazon electric heavy goods vehicles hit UK roads
-
Tech1 week agoThe Security Interviews: Colin Mahony, CEO, Recorded Future | Computer Weekly
-
Fashion1 week agoGermany’s Adidas achieves highest-ever quarterly sales in Q3 2025
-
Business1 week agoHow To Claim Investments Of Deceased Holders: A Step-By-Step Guide For Mutual Funds & Bank Accounts
-
Sports1 week agoAryna Sabalenka to face Nick Kyrgios in Battle of the Sexes tennis showdown
-
Tech1 week agoTech Traveler’s Guide to Seattle: Where to Stay, Eat, and Recharge
-
Sports1 week agoWeek 10 Power Rankings: Oregon jumps into the top 5; three teams join the list
-
Sports1 week agoShaheen Afridi Eyes First ODI Series Win as Pakistan Captain – SUCH TV