Ramadan in Gaza

Plus 'Oppenheimer' wins big and Princess Kate's photo bombs [View this email in your browser]( [Brand Logo]( Gaza tensions, Oscars sweep and a royal photo mystery   Your free trial of The Week's premium newsletters ends today. Don't miss out on our subscriber-exclusive twice-daily editions –[start your digital subscription from just $1](.     Good morning, Photography, and TV cameras in particular, brought the Vietnam War home to American living rooms, and it wasn't helpful to supporters of military intervention in Southeast Asia. Social media is bringing Israel's war in Gaza to our ever-present portable screens, with no network news team curating the tragic images. Editing can illuminate true stories — see "Oppenheimer" and the Oscar-winning Mariupol documentary — or obscure them, as Kensington Palace illustrated Sunday. It would be nice if the truth were easier to discern. Peter Weber The Week Digital     Today's INTERNATIONAL story US-Israel tensions rise as Ramadan starts in Gaza What happened? The Muslim holy month of Ramadan began Monday with no cease-fire in Gaza. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sparred over the weekend about the high death toll and humanitarian crisis and Israel's plans to attack Rafah, a last refuge for about half of Gaza's 2.2 million residents. Who said what? Netanyahu "has a right to defend Israel" and "pursue Hamas," but an attack that leaves "30,000 more Palestinians dead" is a "red line," Biden told MSNBC. "In my view, he's hurting Israel more than helping Israel." Netanyahu told Politico that whatever Biden meant, he's "wrong" if he thinks Netanyahu is "pursuing private policies" that go against "the wish of the majority of Israelis." He said Israel still plans to attack Rafah. The commentary The U.S. "lost faith in Netanyahu and it's not surprising," Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said. "Half of his Cabinet has lost faith in him as has the majority of Israel's citizens." Even a more moderate Israeli leader "wouldn't do things significantly differently" in Gaza, Eytan Gilboa, an expert on U.S.-Israel relations at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, told The Associated Press. Nobody "of sound mind here" is "willing to leave Hamas in Gaza." What next? Ramadan is typically a month of "dawn-to-dusk fasting," The New York Times said, but "that seems far away" in Gaza, where "people are so hungry that some have resorted to eating leaves and animal feed."     Today's CULTURE story 'Oppenheimer' sweeps Oscars with 7 wins What happened?"Oppenheimer" was the big winner at Sunday's Academy Awards, picking up seven Oscars, including best picture, best director (Christopher Nolan), best actor (Cillian Murphy) and best supporting actor (Robert Downey Jr.). Emma Stone won best actress for "Poor Things." Who said what? "Probably I will be the first director on this stage to say I wish I never made this film," Ukrainian filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov said in his acceptance speech for "20 Days in Mariupol," the best documentary feature. Murphy, who portrayed atomic bomb creator Robert Oppenheimer, said "for better or worse we're still living in Oppenheimer's world, so I'd like to dedicate this to the peacemakers everywhere." The commentary The 2024 Oscars had "some truly deserving and heartwarming winners," but Ryan Gosling's "bedazzled" performance of "I'm Just Ken" from "Barbie" provided the "only entertaining minutes of the night," Kelly Lawler said at USA Today. What next? The "old-fashioned sweep" for "Oppenheimer" is something "uncommon in recent Oscar history," and it may not be repeated anytime soon, The Wall Street Journal said.     Why The Week is asking you to subscribe We've spent the past year developing a new approach to covering the news – one that's more rewarding for readers and more sustainable for The Week. [Click here]( to find out more about what you get with a new digital subscription.     Today's Royal Story 'Manipulated' photo of UK's Princess Kate spiked What happened?Britain's royal family posted a Mother's Day photo of Catherine, Princess of Wales, and her children, the first official image of the former Kate Middleton since she was hospitalized for abdominal surgery in January. The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Reuters and Getty news agencies retracted the photo with "kill" notices Sunday night. Who said what? A caption attributed to Kate thanked people for their "kind wishes and continued support" since January. "It appears that the source has manipulated the image," in violation of editorial standards, AP said. The commentary The photo "was meant to dampen" the "storm of rumors and conspiracy theories" whirling around Kate, who hasn't appeared in public since Christmas, The New York Times said. "This is damaging for the royals," said former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt. "People will now question whether they can be trusted and believed when they next issue a health update" on Kate. What next?Kensington Palace has said Kate would not resume public duties until March 31, and it would provide only "significant updates" on her health.     On this day March 11, 2020 The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the Covid-19 outbreak a pandemic. This came after at least 118,000 Covid cases were documented in 114 countries, resulting in 4,291 deaths. The WHO made its declaration nearly three months to the day after people in China first began experiencing symptoms of Covid.     TODAY’S newspaperS ['Powered by history's pull']( "Oppenheimer" was the big winner in Sunday's Academy Awards, which were "powered by history's pull," the Los Angeles Times said on Monday's front page. The "sweeping drama about the development of the atomic bomb" topped "an unusually strong year for movies" in which several Oscar contenders "grappled with weighty themes of power, race and the banality of evil. Even 'Barbie.'" The New York Post went a little more lowbrow for its front page recap: "'Opp' of the heap." ► [See the newspaper front pages](     It's not all bad Bumblebees can learn complex tasks by observing their fellow bees, scientists said in a new study published in Nature. Researchers long thought only humans were capable of such advanced social learning, but during the study, bees who struggled to solve a two-step puzzle on their own could do so after watching a "demonstrator" bee trained by the researchers. Scientists now want to explore whether there is cumulative culture in the world of bees.     Under the radar [Disney's proxy battle against activist investors]( There is an internal war brewing at The Walt Disney Company. Disney's leadership is locked in a "proxy battle" against a group of activist investors attempting to win seats on the company's board. The investors are led by Nelson Peltz, the billionaire behind the hedge fund Trian Partners, which currently owns $3 billion of Disney stock. Peltz is engaged in an ongoing fight with Disney CEO Bob Iger to secure seats on the board and has long been an outspoken critic of Iger's leadership. But the fight may soon end: A Disney corporate meeting in April will see shareholders "cast their votes for either the [board] nominees endorsed by Disney or for Peltz and his sidekick, former Disney CFO Jay Rasulo," Fortune said. Trian has launched "PR campaigns and proxy fights to prod Disney to make changes to its corporate governance," Variety said. Peltz has "lamented Disney's streaming losses, a pause in dividends, and the lack of a comprehensive succession plan" as reasons for why board seats should be ceded to Trian, Business Insider said. Trian also released a press release claiming Disney's "creative engine has stalled," that it has unfairly raised prices at its parks and that its streaming service, Disney+, has not been profitable. Walt Disney's descendants have stood behind Iger and current leadership. In letters obtained by The New York Times, nine Disney heirs lambasted Peltz's takeover attempt. The activists "have little to no knowledge of what Disney truly means to people," one of the letters said.     Tall tale DoppelGärland Mark Garland, a 58-year-old bus driver from England, met his doppelgänger on a flight from London to Bangkok. They share more than just looks — his double is also named Mark Garland. The Mark Garlands first encountered each other at the gate when agents mixed them up, and they ended up being seatmates on the plane. The pair quickly bonded, the second Garland, a 62-year-old construction worker, told South West News Service. "I've made a friend for life."     Your free trial All good things must come to an end, including this free trial of our new daily digests. If you have enjoyed the Morning Report and Evening Review, [please do join our subscribers]( so you can keep reading them in your inbox or in The Week's app. And if you already subscribe to The Week, [click here to activate your digital access](. Thanks for reading, Peter     Morning Report was written and edited by Catherine Garcia, Justin Klawans, Harold Maass and Peter Weber, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek. Image credits, from top:  Miriam Alster / Pool / AFP via Getty Images; Robyn Beck / AFP via Getty Images; Prince of Wales; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images   © Future US, Inc • [theweek.com]( [Unsubscribe from this newsletter]( [Privacy Policy]( The Week is published by Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036.