The first stage of the Gaza ceasefire, comprising hostage-prisoner exchanges between Israel and Hamas, expires on Saturday but talks on the second phase, which were due to start weeks ago, have yet to begin. Now, both sides are accusing the other of deliberately breaking the fragile truce.

Israel has postponed the release of 620 Palestinian prisoners, blaming Hamas' "cynical exploitation" of its hostages for "propaganda purposes". Hamas has refused to engage in further talks until its prisoners are released.

What did the commentators say?
This "latest big bump in the road", said the BBC, comes after Hamas handed over the remains of deceased Israeli hostages on Thursday – but the body claimed to be that of mother Shiri Bibas "turned out not to be her". The discovery sparked widespread "anger and shock in Israel", as Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the "cruel and malicious violation" of the agreement. Her body was returned on Friday, but the past few days show "how fragile the ceasefire process remains".

The prisoner-hostage exchanges "suited both Israel and Hamas", said The New York Times. Every hostage "brought relief" to Israel, while Hamas' "prestige was bolstered among Palestinians" with every released prisoner. With these swaps set to end on Thursday, Netanyahu is "under heavy pressure from hard-line coalition partners" to resume fighting, said ABC News. But the Israeli PM also faces "heavy public pressure" to get the remaining hostages back. "I don't think the ceasefire will collapse," said Sanam Vakil, of the Chatham House think tank. While there are still hostages in Gaza, it's "not in Netanyahu's interest". What we are seeing is "political hardball".

What next?
"Urgent high-stakes negotiations" for Phase Two are set to begin next week, said The Telegraph. If successful, it would "effectively mean the end of the war". But experts warn that talks are "unlikely to go smoothly". Hamas has offered to release all 61 remaining hostages – half of whom are believed to be dead – in "one fell swoop" in return for a permanent ceasefire and a withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. But Israel is still demanding the complete disarmament of Hamas, which the group has rejected.

Female chefs are feeling burned after only one restaurant run by a woman was among the 22 in the UK and Ireland awarded a Michelin star this month.

To make matters worse, the woman – Emily Roux (pictured above) of London's Caractère – was given a male chef's jacket to wear to join her 21 fellow winners on stage for a celebratory photo. "Mistakes happen," she later told London's The Standard, "but I was the only woman on the stage and they could have made an effort."

Male chef's world
The Michelin awards' record on gender parity has attracted scrutiny before. A 2022 report found that of the 2,286 Michelin-starred restaurants in the world, only 6% were led by women.

That doesn't mean women weren't in the kitchens, but the Michelin star is awarded to an establishment's head chef rather than the wider team that supports them. And those chefs are still overwhelmingly male.

Systemic inequalities that leave women shouldering the bulk of childcare and household duties are an obstacle to advancing in any profession, said industry network Worldchefs, never mind the "unique and intense demands" needed to reach the highest echelons of a culinary career.

'Hostile and intimidating'
The "macho culture" in kitchens can also make them "hostile and intimidating" for aspiring female chefs, said Hospitality & Catering News. Last week, 70 female chefs wrote an open letter to The Times denouncing a "culture of fear" in British restaurants that they claimed spanned from "inappropriate comments and behaviours to unequal opportunities for advancement".

Many female chefs' experience of professional kitchens involves "severe sexual harassment", said The Telegraph. One said that complaints about a male colleague pressing against her were "met with jeering". Another said a man grabbed her "inappropriately", causing her to "mess up". He then allegedly told their head chef that she wasn't ready to progress to a new section.

But there is "good news" too, said the paper. Many of the women who signed the open letter are now in positions of leadership, enabling them to change restaurant culture "from the ground up".

With its "babbling brooks" and "honey-stoned" cottages, the Cotswolds is "storybook England", said The Times.

Less than two hours from London, the "photogenic" region spans several counties including Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. For the "ultimate walkers' challenge", tread the "102 countryside-filled miles from Chipping Campden to Bath, the Cotswold Way".

Be sure to spend an afternoon antique shopping in Stow-on-the-Wold, said Time Out. Once known for its wool trade, the "characterful" town is home to a sprawling Market Square lined with independent shops and "superb" delis. Stop by at St Edward's Church to marvel at the "gorgeous north door, flanked by two ancient yew trees". 

A trip to the Cotswolds wouldn't be complete without taking in the "utterly magnificent" Blenheim Palace, said The Telegraph. Located on the "fringes of Woodstock", a short drive from Oxford, the 18th century Baroque mansion is well worth a visit.

The Cotswolds is also home to many "exceptional pubs" serving "Sunday roasts worth hunkering down for", said Condé Nast Traveller. For "wood-fired treats", book a table at The Bull in Charlbury, or head to the Double Red Duke in Clanfield for "the tastiest dishes in town and prime spots under candy-striped parasols".

The Wheatsheaf Inn "might just be the perfect pub with rooms", said The Independent. Each of the 14 bedrooms feature "luxe touches" such as "roll-top baths" and pretty patterned wallpaper. Best of all is the location: the "ivy-clad inn" is a short drive from some of the Cotswolds' loveliest villages, including Bilbury, Broadway and Bourton-on-the-Water.

Starmer has the backing of Britons to stand up to Trumpism. At the White House, he should do so
Polly Toynbee in The Guardian
Keir Starmer "knows that every step he takes inside the White House" during his visit on Thursday could "set off some Trumpian explosive device", writes Polly Toynbee. Our prime minister will "avoid verbal spats with a champion spitter", but he "has nothing to fear" in "rallying" Britain around "joint European defence as a necessary patriotic cause". Starmer "will have no trouble rousing voters to defend European and British values against Trumpism".

Is this the end of the White Van Man?
Arabella Byrne in The Spectator
New research has found that "a third of van drivers under the age of 35 are privately educated", writes Arabella Byrne, and nearly half have degrees, suggesting that "the end is nigh for 'White Van Man'". But I "am in two minds": despite the UK's "dire state of employment prospects" for "anyone", regardless of educational background, "I have yet to open the door to an Old Etonian in overalls with a dust sheet".

It's time to take back our town centres from thugs – here's how we'll do it
Yvette Cooper in The Mirror
"Too often", writes Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, the crimes of "thugs and thieves" are "dismissed as low-level", but "if it's your phone that’s been snatched", your shop "raided" or your town centre "taken over", it "doesn't feel low-level at all". Today, the Labour government is introducing an "ambitious" Crime and Policing Bill to make "streets feel safer" for us all. "Our town centres belong to us" and "it's time to take them back".