Latest news with #TheLondonTimes
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
US and Russia suggest ‘West Bank-style occupation of Ukraine'
The U.S. and Russia are set to suggest a 'West Bank-style' occupation of Ukraine as a way of ending the war, according to The London Times. Under the proposed plans, Russia would have both economic and military control of the occupied parts of Ukraine, utilizing its own governing body, mimicking Israel's control of Palestinian territory taken from Jordan during the 1967 conflict. The suggestion was put forward during discussions between President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and his Russian counterparts, a source with insight into the U.S. National Security Council told the paper. Witkoff, who also serves as the White House's Middle East envoy, reportedly backs the suggestion, which the U.S. believes will solve the issue of the Ukrainian constitution prohibiting giving up territory without organizing a referendum. While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected any notion of ceding territory, the new occupation proposal may lead to a truce following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022. According to the proposal, Ukraine's borders would remain officially unchanged, similar to the borders of the West Bank, even as Israel controls the territory. 'It'll just be like Israel occupies the West Bank,' the source told The Times. 'With a governor, with an economic situation that goes into Russia, not Ukraine. But it'll still be Ukraine, because … Ukraine will never give up its sovereignty. But the reality is it'll be occupied territory and the model is Palestine,' the source added to the paper. The proposal will almost certainly be part of discussions between Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin set for Friday in Alaska. On Wednesday, Zelensky met with European leaders and Trump ahead of the Russia summit. Zelensky is not set to attend Friday's summit in person. Trump reaffirmed during the Wednesday meeting that territorial issues can only be negotiated between Russia and Ukraine, according to French president Emmanuel Macron. The French leader also said Trump wants a ceasefire plan to be finalized during his Friday meeting. 'Any issue which deals with the territorial integrity of Ukraine cannot be discussed just like that, without looking at our constitution and the will of our people,' Zelensky told the press on Friday. 'As to our principles, as to our territorial integrity, in the end, will be decided on the level of leaders. Without Ukraine (at the table), it's impossible to achieve,' Zelensky added. Zelensky said that a ceasefire should be reached and then security guarantees. He also said that sanctions against Russia should be imposed if no ceasefire deal is reached in Alaska. As details of any potential ceasefire are being discussed, the U.S. believes that the 'West Bank-style' deal is the reality of war and the refusal of other nations to directly fight Russia, according to The Times. In May, U.S. Senior Director for Counterterrorism Sebastian Gorka, told Politico that 'The Trump administration lives in the real world.' 'We recognize the reality on the ground,' he added. 'No. 1, that's the beginning because we're not utopianists and we're not human engineers. We're not some kind of pie-in-the-sky believers in utopia.' He went on to say that 'We recognize the reality on the ground and we have one priority above all else, whether it's the Middle East or whether it's Ukraine. It's to stop the bloodshed. Everything else comes after the bloodshed has been halted.' The International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel's occupation of the West Bank is illegal. The occupation isn't recognized by the U.S., and it's only partially recognized by Russia. Last September, the United Nations ordered Israel to end the occupation by a vote of 124 to 14, with 43 countries abstaining. The resolution stated that Israel must adhere to international law within 12 months, pull back its military, end all settlement efforts, evacuate all settlers from the occupied territories, and remove parts of the wall separating the West Bank. Israel has ignored the resolution and voted against the measure, as did the U.S. Israel has faced widespread condemnation over its occupation and the settlement efforts. More than 150 have been established in recent years. Citizens of Israel who live in the West Bank must adhere to Israeli law, while Palestinians are subject to martial law, and they're unable to vote in Israeli national elections.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
John Legend Believes Donda West's Death Could Be Cause Of Ye's 'Devolution'
Grammy-winning artist John Legend opened up about the troubling transformation of longtime collaborator and friend Kanye West in a candid interview with The London Times published on Saturday (May 10). Legend, who rose to prominence alongside West during the early 2000s, reflected on the stark contrast between the man he first met and the one who now frequently makes headlines for his controversial and inflammatory views. 'Kanye was very passionate, very gifted, and he had big dreams not only for himself but also for all the people around him,' said Legend in the interview. 'He had so much optimism, so much creativity. It does feel sad, sometimes shocking, to see where he is now.' Legend recalled the breakthrough moment when West's debut album The College Dropout changed everything for their circle. 'Then The College Dropout sold 400,000 copies in its first week, everyone wanted to know what was happening in our camp, and all those people who turned me down suddenly decided that my music sounded a lot better than it did the first time round,' he said. But despite the triumphs, Legend admits he never foresaw the dramatic behavioral changes that would follow. 'I didn't see a hint of what we're seeing now, his obsessions with antisemitism, anti-blackness, and it is sad to see his devolution,' Legend said, referencing the disturbing rhetoric and actions that have alienated West from much of the industry and the public. Legend stopped short of offering a clinical diagnosis, but suggested that a pivotal life event may have sparked the shift. 'I don't think we're qualified to psychoanalyze him, but after his mother passed in 2007, there was definitely a difference. His descent started then and seems to have accelerated recently.' The emotional weight of Donda West's passing, combined with the pressures of fame, may have played a profound role in shaping Kanye's current reality—a possibility that adds layers of tragedy to an already complex figure. More from Cam'ron Wants To Find And Interview Cousin Ye Had Alleged "Incestuous" Relationship With Ye Sends Ex-Wife Kim Kardashian Cease-And-Desist, Claims She Violates His Parental Rights Ye Shares Militant Music Video For "Heil Hitler"
Hindustan Times
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez eye ‘unusual' Venetian venue for wedding of the year: Report
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are gearing up for what's expected to be the wedding event of the summer, with a lavish multi-day celebration planned in Italy between June 24 and 26. While the venue of their location has largely remained a mystery, the pair might exchange vows in a romantic open-air theatre on a Venetian island. Also Read: John Cena's WWE Backlash press conference after beating Randy Orton takes unexpected violent turn: Watch For the wedding, where the couple have reportedly asked Lady Gaga and Elton John to perform, a source claimed to The US Sun, 'The word is that they have booked the theatre which has been restored.' The insider continued, 'It's not your usual venue for a wedding, it would be iconic. Everyone is talking about the wedding and it's going to be a huge celebration.' While the exact venue remains under wraps, the outlet confirmed that dates have been blocked out for two weeks around the planned wedding, adding that Bezos and Sánchez have already secured the most exclusive spots in the city's top luxury hotels. With 200 guests, luxury accommodations, and the billionaire's $500 million megayacht in the mix, the high-profile couple is reportedly pulling out all the stops. Also Read: Bill Belichick cheers on 'tough cookie' girlfriend Jordon Hudson at Miss Maine pageant 2025 amid family fears The guest list for one of the most anticipated weddings of the year includes several members of the Kardashian/Jenner family, Orlando Bloom and fiancée Katy Perry, and Leonardo DiCaprio. In addition, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Karlee Kloss and her husband Joshua Kushner are also invited to the wedding. The pair have also reportedly sent an invite to President Donald Trump has also been invited to the couple's nuptials. Officials in Venice have actively courted the couple to be married to host their wedding in the historic city, with Morris Ceron, director general of the Venice council, revealing to The London Times that he personally reached out to the Amazon founder to pitch the romantic location. He told the outlet, 'I got to work to bring this marriage of the century to Venice—that's how it started.'
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Yahoo
New VR Program Gives Domestic Abusers a Taste of Their Own Medicine
Researchers have developed a virtual reality program that puts domestic abusers in the position of their victims — and they say it seems to be working toward rehabilitating them. In reporting for The London Times, crime reporter Rachel Sylvester said that she ended up having to remove the VR goggles because she "feared the male avatar was going to hit the female character I had become." With pilot programs in six prisons around Spain's Catalonia region, the VRespectMe program is meant to help men convicted of domestic abuse learn how the experience felt for their partners. "We want to improve empathy in men who have been violent towards their partners," explained Nicholas Barnes, a government psychologist in Catalonia who developed the technology, in an interview with the Times. "The early results are positive, we can see a tendency towards improving empathy." Like Sylvester, many of the men involved in Barnes' program had visceral reactions to the virtual abuse they experienced. "What are you doing?" the looming, pixelated abuser in Sylvester's simulation said as he approached her avatar. "Have you seen yourself in the mirror?... There's not one woman out there who looks as wretched as you do right now, you're disgusting." "Aren't you going to say anything?" the abusive avatar continued. "Typical you, I have to come home every day and look at your shitty face, that scared little puppy dog face." According to the Times, more than 1,000 men have participated in the program since Barnes introduced it to prisons. Some of them had been moved to tears during the experience — and others, like the reporter, had to take off the headsets before the simulation was over. Along with the name-calling scenario the reporter tested, others developed by Barnes, in tandem with Spain's justice department and the University of Barcelona, include witnessing a sexual harassment interaction in a bar and, convolutedly, a conversation with a victim before turning into her and reliving the experience from her perspective. A man who'd taken part in the latter VR scenario told the English newspaper that it changed the way he thought about what he had done. "I let myself be carried away by rage," the prisoner, who was not named, told his partner — and then himself — in virtuality. "I am aware of the damage I caused you. I let my anger get the better of me and I couldn't control myself. Now that I know I made a lot of mistakes I am very sorry." The discomfort from such interactions is clearly part of the program. It remains to be seen, as with other prison VR programs, how rehabilitative such tools really are. More on prison VR: What Are the Ethics of Strapping VR Headsets on Inmates in Solitary Confinement?
