Anniversary

"Israel's Independence Day is like any other day for me," he says. "A constant reminder of what I don't have – but also of what I can have." Ahmed is hoping to move to Germany with his girlfriend, to get his master's degree there and eventually find a job. "My parents obviously don't want me to leave," he admits. "Not only because I will be far from them, but also because – in their words – they don't want us [Palestinians] to leave this land for the Jews." … [Read more...] about Israel marks its 70th anniversary, but not everyone shares the joy

In Ishinomaki, however, there will be little discussion of the future until the wounds of the Okawa tragedy begin to heal. That is unlikely to happen soon. "Some parents want to keep part of the school as a monument to the disaster," said Naomi Hiratsuka, whose 12-year-old daughter, Koharu, was among the victims. "But I want it to be demolished. There is talk of replacing it with a park, but who would want their children to play in a place like this?" … [Read more...] about Japan tsunami: parents still praying for chance to lay their children to rest

The phonelines were open for just 20 minutes, which is all it took for magician Richard to triumph. With the country so fired up, it’s a pity they couldn’t have stayed open for another half hour to get the referendum done — then we could all Brexhale, instead of holding our breath for another three weeks.  … [Read more...] about If Boris can harness this British pride, he’ll be a vote winner too: Christopher Stevens reviews weekend TV

At that point, the umpire’s microphone goes dead. While there is no evidence Navratilova was deliberately censored, she and McEnroe both made strong statements criticising Court’s controversial views on gender and race before the 77-year-old Australian was presented with a replica of the winner’s trophy on Rod Laver Arena the previous night to mark the 50th anniversary of her calendar grand slam. … [Read more...] about Martina Navratilova takes fight on-court for name change to Evonne Goolagong Arena

Mark Lawson On either side of the Atlantic, two octogenarian grand masters of espionage fiction were on high form: John le Carré's A Delicate Truth (Viking) and Charles McCarry's The Shanghai Factor (Head of Zeus) dramatise the cumulative consequences of decades of spying and lying by the victors of the second world war. Drawing on a lifetime of learning, and defying several life-threatening conditions, Clive James translated Dante: The Divine Comedy (Picador) into punchy, theologically serious and frequently funny verse. Julian Barnes reformed the conventional autobiography in Levels of Life (Jonathan Cape), combining essay, fiction and memoir in reflecting on the death of love, while Hermione Lee rethought the conventions of biography in a compelling account of the life and work (and overlaps between) of the until now underrated writer Penelope Fitzgerald. And, as readers migrate to the ebook, two lavishly produced volumes made the case for the physical book: a new edition … [Read more...] about Writers and critics on the best books of 2013