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It was a telling sign. At a time when America stands isolated and out of sync with its allies, the Bush administration needs all the friends it can get. And it’s finding them, schmoozing fellow right-centrists in a bid to divide (though probably not conquer) the continent. In June, on the way to gaze deep into Vladimir Putin’s soul, Bush swapped jokes in Spain with Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, then swooped into Poland to reaffirm America’s “deep friendship” there....

It was a painful scene, but supposedly one with a purpose. Bill Clinton emerged from his 75-minute meeting with Lani Guinier last week looking like a mourner at the funeral of his best friend. It was “one of the most difficult meetings I ever had in my life,” said the president, announcing his decision to pull the plug on his nominee as head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division....

Since its release in 2009, Avatar’s Pandora has been conceived as the center of an entire sci-fi universe akin to Star Wars or the MCU, and a key element in the lofty ambitions to bring this world to life was to allow players to experience it through a video game. Since before the film’s release, Avatar has used video games to bring Pandora to life, so here’s a breakdown of the video games based on Avatar, both of past and future....

This Thursday a strikingly similar scene will play out. Barring last-minute glitches, Takeshita will testify before Japan’s Parliament about his alleged role in the latest of Tokyo’s unending skein of political scandals, the Sagawa Kyubin affair. His cooperation is part of a deal struck last week between the LDP and the opposition that guarantees passage of critical budget legislation. This time Takeshita’s political career may be on the line....

His stomach bloated by the side effects of medication, his left hand gripping a cane, Hussein, 63, tottered onto a plane that would take him back to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for emergency cancer treatment–only one week after he had triumphantly returned home, proclaiming himself cured. Before he left, Hussein fired his 51-year-old brother, Hassan, who had served him as crown prince for 34 years. As his new heir, he named his oldest son, Prince Abdullah, 37, a brigadier in the Army....

Her hunch was amply rewarded. “Secrets & Lies,” which opens the New York Film Festival this week, not only won Blethyn the Best Actress award at Cannes, but the film walked off with the top prize, the Palme d’Or. Three years ago Leigh accomplished a similar double coup in Cannes, when “Naked” won David Thewlis the Best Actor prize and Leigh the Best Director. Mike Leigh does not make bad movies....

The “Inside the NBA” analyst will return to the “Saturday Night Live” stage on March 3 along with musical guest Migos. (Ah yes, that classic Barkley and Migos combination.) MORE: Barkley finally gets his money from the Trail Blazers This upcoming appearance will mark Barkley’s fourth time hosting “SNL.” He previously appeared at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in 1993, 2010 and 2012, and while his episodes have been uneven at times, he has been part of some very funny skits....

The VMK server was meant to be a temporary platform for players to enjoy in celebration of the 50th anniversary, but instead lasted from 2005 until 2008. Users enjoyed running around the virtual Disney parks as well as playing mini-games and collecting items (like clothing, furniture, “guest rooms,” etc.) that showed how dedicated they were to the game. Though this MMO went offline so long ago, it still lives in former players’ minds with fond memories of their time in VMK....

Say this about the president: he is going to stick with his vision, his strategy and his decisions on Iraq—no matter what the world, the American voters, the new Democratic Congress, the ‘08 presidential contenders or even his fellow Republicans want. All the buzz before the speech was that Bush would do something of a quick shuffle past Iraq. Yes, there was much domestic throat clearing—more than a half hour’s worth of it (though not a single mention of Katrina and New Orleans)—but when it came time to turn to Iraq and the “war on terror” he did not flinch....

Venerable safety Troy Polalmalu, the captain of the Steelers defense, told reporters they’re ready for Brian Hoyer’s backup to enter the game in a sub-package. “The thing about it, New York tried to do that with Tim Tebow a little bit,” Polamalu said. “But Tebow’s a guy you have to just play and play and grind out the entire game. I don’t think Johnny is that type of guy. I think if Johnny came into the game, he would make some splashes, he doesn’t need to get into a rhythm....

The concept of MultiVersus is heavily inspired by the likes of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which saw some of gaming’s most iconic characters duke it out for ultimate glory. Characters like Mario and Sonic could do battle against Solid Snake, Samus, and even Minecraft’s Steve. Warner Brothers is hoping to replicate that level of success and popularity with MultiVersus, but there is another Nintendo crossover game of sorts that could fit Warner’s large catalog of IPs....

Few Americans knew more or cared more about the Arab world. Raised in Idaho, Hooper, 40, fell in love with Arabic two decades ago. At the United Nations, he became well known for his energy and keen political judgment. “He had the most penetrating and powerful intellect I have ever encountered,” his former boss, U.N. Under Secretary-General Terje Roed-Larsen, said at a memorial service last month. Single and stretched thin, he still had time for family....

That’s how much Warner Books agreed last week to pay Welch for his autobiography, and the record amount for a one-time nonfiction book left the publishing world gasping for air. It’s more than Colin Powell, Norman Schwarzkopf and the pope received, and more than twice the whopping $3.25 million advance Robert Rubin, the former Treasury secretary, landed recently for his book. “Advances in excess of $5 million used to be reserved for the Oval Office,’’ says Jeffrey Krames, editor in chief of McGraw-Hill’s business-book division....

Well, no one, until “Millennium Approaches” opened at the Royal National Theatre in London in 1992 to rave reviews. Later that year the entire seven-hour work opened at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. More raves. Kushner’s pleasantly nerdy face popped up in all the slick magazines. New York producers scrambled to corral the play. The off-Broadway Joseph Papp Public Theater was apparently the winner. But enter the mighty Shubert Organization, paladins of Broadway....

Educated: Dartmouth, Yale and Oxford Profile: Big-thinking small man; close friend of Bill Clinton; author of “The World of Nations” (1991), which warned that America faced deep social divisions; as secretary of Clinton’s Labor Department, tasked with falsifying his own prophecies. REICH: If we make no changes in our approaches to these issues, then there is little doubt in my mind that we are heading toward a two-tiered society. It will be composed of a smaller group at the top, well educated and well skilled....

In 2021-22, your typical candidates are Jokic, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Steph Curry, James Harden, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. After that group, any leaguewide All-Star in their prime could end up being awarded the MVP award if they have career years. Here are my five dark horse candidates to win the KIA NBA MVP Award in the 2021-22 NBA season. #5 Paul George Paul George is going to have to carry the Los Angeles Clippers through Kawhi Leonard’s absence this upcoming season....

Ranieri is a great at the King Power Stadium, having guided Leicester to their remarkable Premier League title in 2015-16, before being sacked midway through the following season. And the Italian went up against his former employers for the first time at Craven Cottage on Wednesday, with James Maddison’s late goal securing a share of the spoils for the Foxes following Aboubakar Kamara’s opener. With a win, a defeat and a draw from his opening three fixtures as Fulham boss, Ranieri claimed neither side did enough to clinch victory, and agreed the occasion was a memorable one....