Monday Briefing – The New York Times

Concerns about the Israeli alliance

The Director of the Israeli Internal Security issued Rare general warning Saturday evening about what he called rising levels of incitement, days before a vote on the political coalition designed to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Far-right Jewish activists have announced plans for a provocative march this week in Palestinian neighborhoods in Jerusalem. On Sunday, Israeli police arrested two Palestinian twins who helped their activism To be noticed to the displacement of Palestinians from East Jerusalem, which precipitated the recent conflict in Gaza.

The heterogeneous coalition, which includes parties from across the political spectrum, could embark on a more liberal civil rights agenda and would include, for the first time in Israel’s history, an independent Arab party. But Netanyahu and his supporters put pressure on ultra-nationalist members, accusing them of betraying the state by working with leftists and Arabs.

Divisions: orthodox jews, who make up 13 percent of the population, will lose power. Under Netanyahu, the two main Haredi parties had significant influence in the ruling coalitions, which they used to secure generous government funding, Fight against epidemic restrictionsAdvance the conservative social agenda and exempt members from compulsory military service.

Divergent approaches to the delta variable

Britain and other parts of Europe Maintaining gatherings limits and closing weight Although infection levels decreased and the vaccination program increased.

The spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, first identified in India, has led some parts of Britain to extend lockdown restrictions. the government Portugal has been removed from the list of quarantine-free travel destinations Its scheduled reopening on June 21 may be delayed by a few weeks.

But in the United States, where many states began scaling back restrictions soon after making all adults eligible for vaccinations, the economy has reopened. During Memorial Day weekend, 135,000 people An Indianapolis 500 attended, while restaurants across the country were packed with customers as mask mandates were ignored.

Limit: “There are reasons to be hopeful – we’re not seeing a huge trend in hospitalizations – but it’s early days,” said James Naismith, director of the British Center for Medical Research. “If we don’t see anything by June 14, we can exhale. We don’t need to hold our breath.”

Here Latest updates And the maps epidemic.

In other developments:

• New Delhi will Relax some restrictions On Monday, even as the Indian capital braces for a possible third wave.

• Many of the world’s poorest countries are living through the most deadly Covid outbreak With global vaccination plans suspended.

• Vaccine free apartment? in hong kong, Incentives multiply.

• Weddings are back, weddings are back in Italy candy makers happy. The traditional sugar-coated praline known as praline is a favorite with brides and the Vatican.

Biden’s trip to Europe

President Biden will Join the European leaders At the G7 summit this week in Britain before heading off to visit NATO on June 14. After the previous administration, the simple fact that Biden views Europe as an ally and NATO as a vital component of Western security is almost a revelation.

Under Donald Trump, who chanted Brexit and stripped NATO, he declared the alliance “Outdated,Europe’s relationship with the United States has come under strain, as 75 years of American foreign policy faded overnight with the change of presidency. These scars will take time to heal.

Leaders have tense issues to discuss, such as withdrawal from Afghanistan. military spending; Russia and China; trade disputes and tariff issues; the climate; and vaccine diplomacy.

Developments: The summit comes after the finance ministers Agreed to support a new global tax rate It aims to prevent large multinational corporations from seeking tax havens.

It looks like a nice scenery for a seaside vacation. But perhaps the most impressionist, this painting by Berthe Moreso is a multi-layered vision of a dawning modern era and a rare glimpse into a nineteenth-century feminine look. Take a closer look.

arts and ideas

A neglected part of Dutch history

The Netherlands rarely grapples with its role in the global trade of slavery, even as it celebrates its own commercial history. A major museum in Amsterdam aims to change that, with the opening of Slavery, Exhibition on the history of Dutch colonialism.

Although slavery was outlawed in the Netherlands, it was legal in the Dutch colonies, where the Dutch – mostly through huge trading companies – enslaved more than a million people.

In Dutch colonies such as Brazil, Indonesia and Suriname, slaves produced commodities such as sugar, coffee, gold, pepper, tobacco, cotton, nutmeg, and silver. They also worked in homes, in shipping and in agriculture, and served in the Dutch army.

The exhibition at the Rijksmuseum, which opened on Saturday, chronicles this history through 10 true stories of merchants, abolitionists, enslaved people, those who bought them and more. Includes objects from the era, such as Rembrandt portraits of the owners and Ornamental tortoiseshell box Visualize semi-naked farm workers.