NEWS

UNICEF chief urges leaders at the upcoming COP29 summit in Azerbaijan to increase climate financing for children.

More than 420,000 children in the Amazon basin have been affected by “dangerous levels” of water scarcity and drought in three countries, according to the United Nations.

The record-breaking drought, ongoing since last year, is taking a toll on Indigenous and other communities in Brazil, Colombia and Peru reliant on boat connections, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said ahead of the COP29 climate change summit in Baku, Azerbaijan.

“We are witnessing the devastation of an essential ecosystem that families rely on, leaving many children without access to adequate food, water, health care and schools,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement on Thursday.

“We must mitigate the effects of extreme climate crises to protect children today and future generations. The health of the Amazon affects the health of us all.”

The UN agency called on leaders to deliver critical actions, including “a dramatic increase” in climate financing for children.

The resulting food insecurity in the Amazon increased the risk of child malnutrition, it said, while less access to drinking water could spur a rise in infectious diseases among children.

In Brazil’s Amazon region alone, more than 1,700 schools and 760 medical clinics had to close or became inaccessible because of low river levels.

In Colombia’s Amazon, lack of drinking water and food forced 130 schools to suspend classes. In Peru, more than 50 clinics were inaccessible.

UNICEF said it needs $10m in the coming months to help the stricken communities in those three countries, including by providing water and sending out health brigades.

Weather observation agencies such as United States space agency NASA’s Earth Observatory and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service say the drought across the Amazon basin since the latter half of last year was caused by the 2023-2024 El Nino climate phenomenon in the Pacific.

The insufficient rain and shrinking of the vital rainforest’s rivers exacerbated forest fires, disrupted hydroelectric power generation and dried out crops in parts of Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.

Brazilian experts said the climate crisis was also to blame.

Despite the string of environmental setbacks across the Amazon, Brazil’s Environment Minister Marina Silva said it is “possible” for governments to “confront climate change”.

Silva made the statement on Wednesday after the government reported that deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon fell by about 30 percent in the 12 months through July compared with the same period a year prior – the smallest area destroyed in the world’s largest rainforest in nine years.

When he returned as Brazil’s president two years ago, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva promised to step up enforcement of environmental laws to rein in deforestation, which had skyrocketed under his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.

“What was presented here today is the fruit of our labour,” Silva said.

In July, Brazil’s northwestern neighbour Colombia also reported a historic 36 percent decrease in deforestation in 2023.

“Can we talk?” Joan Rivers’ stand-up tagline had a way of turning audiences into confidants.

Rivers may be remembered for her relentless jokes about Elizabeth Taylor’s weight, but she herself was her most relentless target. Making fun of her looks, her sex life, her miserable childhood earned her not only the adoration of fans but also their trust. She was the candid cutup they’d like to have on speed-dial.

Making a play about the life and career of Rivers, who died suddenly in 2014 while undergoing a medical procedure, is challenging not because her story wasn’t dramatic but because there was no one like her. How do you bring her audacious wit, rampaging delivery and path-breaking fearlessness back to life?

“Joan,” a new play by Daniel Goldstein directed by David Ivers at South Coast Repertory, gives it a shot by divvying up the central role between two actors. Elinor Gunn portrays young Joan while Tessa Auberjonois plays the beloved comic. The more famous version of the character, as you might imagine, is harder to get right.

Auberjonois gives a rough approximation of Rivers’ New York accent but can’t master her comic timing. (Who could?) The jokes Joan tells are funny because they’re so outrageous — not because of how they’re told.

The performance sticks to the persona. Joan’s expensive clothes and tight face lend the impression of a Bel-Air battleship. Auberjonois captures the breathless ambition along with the insecurity that fueled Rivers’ drive. But it’s Young Joan who fills us in on the comic’s origin story.

Rivers knew she was special, but she suffered from low self-esteem. Pudgy as a girl and not particularly popular with the boys, she refused to be judged by patriarchal standards even if she judged herself harshly for falling short. Making people laugh was her revenge on society’s shortsightedness.

Her parents, Russian Jewish immigrants, were as conventional as they were upwardly mobile. Dr. and Mrs. Molinsky (played by Andrew Borba and Auberjonois) worked their way to Larchmont, a tony New York suburb, and expected Joan to settle down with a well-off husband in a comparably wealthy town.

Their daughter’s determination to become a comic was perplexing to them, to say the least. Young Joan married young, but her professional dream refused to die and the marriage ended not long after she realized that the rush of stand-up was more intense than the relief she felt at having nabbed a husband.

Goldstein’s background is in musical theater — he won the Kleban Prize for most promising musical theater librettist — and “Joan” is written in the broad, episodic style that musicals enjoy. (Having arrived a few minutes late because of crashes on the 405, I read the script to confirm my assessment.) No one is holding a vehicle like “Joan” to Chekhovian standards. Audiences are happy to spend time in the company of a celebrity protagonist.

Tessa Auberjonois as Joan Rivers and Zachary Prince as Jimmy Fallon in “Joan” at South Coast Repertory.

(Scott Smeltzer)

But a playwright must figure out what story he’d like to pull out of the mass of real-life material. Goldstein opts for the Wikipedia overview. This is a mistake that Aristotle cautioned against in “Poetics.” A strong plot, he asserted in his unmatched analysis of tragedy, is not the same as an interesting biography, because “infinitely various are the incidents in one man’s life,” while effective drama depends on consequential action as a unifying focus.

Goldstein has plenty of consequential actions to choose from, but he slides into a recap of a story that I mostly already knew from interviews and the superb documentary “Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work.” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “Hacks” — both of which use Rivers’ life, to varying degrees, as a model for their protagonists — have taken us inside the personal and professional hurdles of being a trailblazing female stand-up comic in the Rivers mode.

“Joan” is very much an authorized bio-drama. The playwright has had the blessing of daughter Melissa Rivers, who is not only a creative consultant but also a central character (played by Gunn). Not that the play is one-sided. Rivers is too complicated a personality for hagiography. Her fallout with Johnny Carson (Borba), who never forgave her for starting a rival late-night talk show after he had made her his show’s permanent guest host, is handled with exceptional fairness to him.

The suicide of Edgar Rosenberg (Borba), Rivers’ second husband and Melissa’s father, who fell into a terrible depression after Rivers’ talk show on Fox went kaput, also is treated with admirable complexity. The network gave Rivers an ultimatum — either Edgar goes as a producer or the show is canceled. She sided with her husband but then held it against him.

It’s tragically sad, and it ties back to the central conflict of Rivers’ life — success vs. traditional happiness. She wanted it all, but comedy was her true soul mate.

Melissa’s presence in “Joan” is intriguing but ultimately distracting. She sets up the play, explaining to the audience how the fluid casting will work. (Zachary Prince rounds out the multitasking ensemble.) She also serves as a witness and occasional contradicting commentator.

After the death of Edgar, Joan and Melissa, now BFFs and work partners, help each other survive the impossible. Joan’s death yields the summing up to Melissa. She has an epiphany about her own ambitiousness, the apple not falling far from the tree. But by this point, the play has fully succumbed to reportage.

Elinor Gunn in “Joan” at South Coast Rep.

(Scott Smeltzer)

I interviewed Rivers in San Francisco when she was workshopping a theater project and had lunch with her the following year after I reviewed her play “Joan Rivers: A Work in Progress by a Life in Progress” at the Geffen Playhouse. She wanted to pick my brain on how she could make it better. I told her to call playwright and drag artist Charles Busch and ask him to do an overhaul.

The main impression I had of Rivers was that she was whip-smart — not just quick but wise. She had no vanity about the hustle of showbiz. She shared with a drama critic she hardly knew just what went into her decision making. I not only liked her but admired her frankness.

My earliest memory of Rivers comes from an anthology comedy album that was passed down to me as a boy. In high school, I would stay up late whenever she was on “The Tonight Show.” When I was an editor at the Village Voice, she used to test out material at a club in the East Village near my office, and I sometimes would go after we closed the paper. This was Rivers unplugged, foul-mouthed in a way that made me feel like a squeamish altar boy. (No easy task!)

She never played it safe, though I have to confess I found her comedy out of sync with the times when I watched the 2012 TV special “Joan Rivers: Don’t Start With Me” a couple of years ago. She was a First Amendment absolutist when it came to humor, but comedy evolves and one generation’s daring hilarity is another’s insensitive cruelty. (A riff about the physical characteristics of Mexicans made me cringe.)

In trying to tell Rivers’ whole story, “Joan” winds up skimming the surface. I would have ended the play sooner. One possibility would be when she returns to stand-up after Edgar’s shocking death, making jokes about a tragedy that had ripped her heart out. Her indomitable will to stay in the game was her noble strength — and perhaps also her personal flaw.

David Mamet might know how to make the most of a character like Joan Rivers, an entertainment hero and antihero, whose story was an American one of success at any cost. That Rivers bore that cost with intrepid humor is worthy of drama. “Joan” doesn’t quite do her justice, but she was a tough act to follow.

Zelenskyy was among the first leaders to congratulate Trump, who has criticised the scale of US support for Ukraine.

United States President Joe Biden plans to rush billions of dollars in security assistance to Ukraine before he leaves office in January, reports say, hoping to shore up the government in Kyiv before Donald Trump returns to the White House.

Trump, who won Tuesday’s election, has criticised the scale of US military and financial support for Ukraine and has pledged to end the war with Russia quickly – without saying how.

His position on Ukraine has raised concerns about the future of Washington’s support for Ukraine’s war with Russia under a Republican-controlled White House, Senate and possibly the House of Representatives.

“The administration plans to push forward … to put Ukraine in the strongest position possible,” a senior Biden administration official told the Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity in a report published on Thursday. Biden’s plans for the transfers were first reported by Politico.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was among the first world leaders to congratulate Trump and he also spoke to the president-elect on Wednesday.

“We agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation. Strong and unwavering U.S. leadership is vital for the world and for a just peace,” Zelenskyy said in a post on social media platform X.

The US House approved aid for Ukraine in April, including an allocation for weapons.

Of the weapons transfer authority passed, $4.3bn remains, in addition to $2.8bn worth of transfers lawmakers approved in previous spending measures and $2bn in funding for new weapons purchases.

In total, that $9bn in military assistance would be a significant boost to Ukraine’s defence.

There was no immediate response from the White House.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the US has already provided more than $64.1bn in military assistance to Ukraine, according to the latest data by the US Department of State.

To help Ukraine retake its territory in its ground war with Russia, more ground vehicles will be needed, as well as 155mm artillery and surface-to-surface missiles.

Some analysts say it is by no means certain Washington would back any more Ukraine assistance once Republicans control the White House and at least half of Congress, especially as Ukraine experiences battlefield setbacks.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell declined to discuss aid for Ukraine at a news conference on Wednesday, saying he was there only to discuss election results.

During the campaign, Trump had insisted that Russian President Vladimir Putin would never have invaded Ukraine in 2022 had he been in office, adding that he “could solve that in 24 hours”.

Trump had suggested that Ukraine might have to cede territory to Russia to reach a peace deal, something Ukraine has rejected and Biden has never suggested.

Vice president-elect JD Vance has also been a vocal critic of Ukraine assistance, arguing that government funds would be better spent on domestic priorities.

Japan’s Mount Fuji has seen its first snowfall after going through the longest period without snow since records began 130 years ago.

Snow fell on Japan’s highest peak about a month later than expected, as the country recovers from one of its hottest summers on record.

It was met with celebration on social media, with locals sharing photos of the mountain.

Mount Fuji is one of Japan’s most popular tourist attractions and has inspired centuries of artwork.

The snow was spotted on Wednesday, 5 November, by the Japan Meteorological Agency’s branch in Shizuoka.

In 2023, snow was first seen on the summit on 5 October, according to AFP news agency. The previous record for the latest snowfall was 26 October, which was seen twice before in 1955 and 2016.

“Oh, I’ve been waiting for this,” one X user commented.

“I’ve never been so excited for the first snowfall this year,” another X user said.

“Finally … Makeup makes you look even more beautiful,” another X user said, referring to the snow-dusted peak.

The weather agency’s Kofu office is expected to make an official announcement on the exact date the snow fell. It said it could not see the peak clearly on Wednesday.

However, Japanese news agency Kyodo was able to take photos of the snowy peak on Wednesday from a helicopter.

Located south-west of Tokyo, Mount Fuji stands at 3,776m (12,460 ft). It last erupted just over 300 years ago and is visible from the capital on a clear day.

Japan had its joint hottest summer on record this year with temperatures between June and August being 1.76C (3.1F) higher than an average.

In September, temperatures continued to be warmer than expected as the sub-tropical jet stream’s more northerly position allowed a warmer southerly flow of air over Japan.

A jet stream is a fast-flowing current of air that travels around the planet. It occurs when warmer air from the south meets cooler air from the north.

OUR much-loved astrologer Meg sadly died last year but her column will be kept alive by her friend and protégée Maggie Innes.

Read on to see what’s written in the stars for you today. 

♈ ARIES

March 21 to April 20

Others may try to hold back your bolder ideas, but as the moon and invention engine Uranus scheme together, you can move forward anyway.

It’s important to take time to listen to other voices, but you don’t need to do what they say.

In passion terms, you are a strong mix of head and heart that keeps love level.

Get all the latest Aries horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

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♉ TAURUS

April 21 to May 21

You can be a softie with people who matter to you – but take some time to think about how you react when too much is expected of you.

Your chart supports you to show that you care, but still stick up for your own rights, and time.

This is vital at work. Within the family, youth could come up with better plans than age.

♊ GEMINI

There’s such a sense of togetherness in your chart today, helping you move beyond small niggles and see the best in your partner and in yourself.

So instead of sticking to the past, you look to the future.

If you start the day single, you may not feel you have much in common with a Cancerian, but keep trying.

♋ CANCER

June 22 to July 22

Maybe you see yourself as the voice of reason in a social or professional group – but this is your Uranus-powered day to let loose and be more outrageous.

Someone who is waiting to see what you are capable of, will be intrigued.

Your passion chart is peaceful, but do tread carefully around an old “P” hurt.

Get all the latest Cancer horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

♌ LEO

July 23 to August 23

Work that stretches you is just as important today as work that satisfies you – so put yourself first in line for a set of tough tasks.

This can be the turning point in a long-running career path.

At home, your sunny outlook can spread cheerful vibes, but beware of glossing over an issue that matters to someone older.

Get all the latest Leo horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

♍ VIRGO

August 24 to September 22

You’re one of the most creative signs today and this is your moment to share your skills and achievements instead of hiding them away.

The confidence you have in your own ability is growing by the hour and needs to be used.

News of a wedding date, or decision, may be a surprise, but this can be positive for you.

Get all the latest Virgo horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

♎ LIBRA

September 23 to October 23

Stay close to home and really tune into what’s happening around you – as your chart suggests you may be missing one key element in a conflict.

This can unlock the future you want.

Words really matter all day today, so instead of instant answers take time to reflect, and leave room for discussion.

Get all the latest Libra horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

♏ SCORPIO

October 24 to November 22

A talking or recording challenge is a test to your determination.

Just remember that scoring points may be easy, but not at the expense of trust, or respect.

You may be the smartest member of a new team, but make space for all levels of skill – there is so much you can learn from a quiet Pisces.

Get all the latest Scorpio horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

♐ SAGITTARIUS

November 23 to December 21

You see the true value in things – and possibly people – that others breeze right past.

This can be your deciding factor in a set of upcoming choices.

The way you include everyone in your plans is an asset at home.

Love-wise, the smallest gestures, and secret smiles, can share all your heart needs to say.

Get all the latest Sagittarius horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

♑ CAPRICORN

December 22 to January 20

The moon in your personal star space, plus the gentle influence of Neptune, are the perfect pointers for a new love phase.

If you’ve found it hard to be honest about your feelings, this is changing, and you can express so much.

Existing partners respond with joy, and new love interests can fall head over heels.

Get all the latest Capricorn horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

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♒ AQUARIUS

January 21 to February 18

As you realise, with moon insight, that secrets can be bad for you, you are ready to let your whole self be seen, and loved.

Think again about keeping any work information out of sight, too, as you may be doing this for the right reasons, but at the wrong time.

A memory can be your guide to changing this.

Get all the latest Aquarius horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

♓ PISCES

February 19 to March 20

The impatience of Mars pushes you to tick off some fitness steps too fast – but you do have the personal strength to slow this down.

Work, and change, only at your own pace. In love, too, big goals are great but it is the little everyday actions that help you live and thrive in the moment.

Get all the latest Pisces horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

Legislation to prevent children accessing social media will be introduced by Australia’s parliament later this year and will take effect 12 months after ratification.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced plans to legislate for a ban on social media for children under 16 years of age, an initiative his government says is world-leading.

Australia’s Minister of Communications Michelle Rowland said on Thursday that the social media platforms impacted would include Meta’s Instagram and Facebook, as well as Bytedance’s video-sharing TikTok and Elon Musk’s X, previously known as Twitter.

Rowland said that Alphabet’s YouTube would also likely fall within the scope of the legislation.

“Social media is doing harm to our kids, and I’m calling time on it,” Prime Minister Albanese told a news conference.

Legislation will be introduced into parliament this year, with the laws coming into effect 12 months after the law is ratified by parliamentarians, he added.

There will be no exemptions for users who have parental consent, Albanese said.

“The onus will be on social media platforms to demonstrate they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access,” he said.

“The onus won’t be on parents or young people,” he added.

A proposed social media ban for children in Australia was raised earlier this year and received broad bipartisan support in parliament.

The four social media companies targeted by the ban were not immediately reachable for comment.

A number of countries have promised to curb social media use among children through legislation, though Australia’s proposal appears to be one of the most stringent.

France last year proposed a ban on social media for those under 15, though users were able to avoid the ban with parental consent.

Earlier this year, the US’s Surgeon-General Dr Vivek Murthy called on Congress to require social media platforms to carry warning labels detailing their effects on young people’s lives, similar to those now mandatory on cigarette boxes.

The US also requires technology companies to seek parental consent to access the data of children under 13, leading most social media platforms to ban those under that age from accessing their services. Analysts, however, have previously expressed doubt that it was technically possible to enforce such a ban.

“We already know that present age verification methods are unreliable, too easy to circumvent, or risk user privacy,” University of Melbourne researcher, Toby Murray, said earlier this year.

Australia has been at the forefront of efforts to rein in social media. The country’s online watchdog is locked in a running battle with Elon Musk’s X, accusing the platform of failing to stamp out harmful posts.

The government also introduced a “combating misinformation” bill earlier this year, outlining sweeping powers to fine tech firms for breaching online safety obligations.

British actor Kristin Scott Thomas has wed Bloomberg News editor Johh Micklethwait.

The “Slow Horses” star confirmed her nuptials on Tuesday’s “Ruthie’s Table 4” podcast after host Ruth Rogers mentioned the wedding in the episode’s introduction.

“Kristin is basking in love and the joy of just a few weeks ago marrying the editor and my friend John Micklethwait,” Rogers said. The Independent had previously reported that the two, who reportedly dated for about five years, secretly wed in September.

Representatives for Scott Thomas did not immediately respond Wednesday to The Times’ request for comment.

Scott Thomas added that she had been “longing for stability” rather than traveling the world, including sleeping in the same bed for more than two weeks at a time. Her work in television has allowed for that.

“So much life happens in those four years,” Scott Thomas said of her time on the AppleTV+ thriller series. “People have died, people have been born, people have got divorced, people have got married. And this year we’ve had two weddings. We had Jack [Lowden]’s wedding [to Saoirse Ronan] and my wedding.”

The Oscar-nominated star of “The English Patient” said she and Micklethwait got married in Rutland, England, where his family is from. Discussing the wedding menu on the food podcast, the Cornish performer said that they had coronation chicken, a cold chicken salad famously created for a luncheon during Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 coronation. As a wedding present, her sister collected and compiled maternal and paternal family recipes and put them into a book for her.

The “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “Gosford Park” star previously was married to obstetrician François Olivennes from 1987 to 2005. The former couple share three adult children.

Democrats are pointing fingers in the aftermath of their party’s loss to Donald Trump and the Republicans. One popular explanation is a disconnect between party officials and a populace struggling economically.

Donald Trump’s return as president of the United States for the second time has boosted equity markets on bets of lower corporate tax, favourable tariffs and deregulation, lifting shares of banks, locally focused small-cap companies and Trump Media.

His promise to make Tesla CEO Elon Musk head of a government efficiency commission after the billionaire backed Trump throughout his electoral campaign led to a 12.5 percent surge in the shares of the electric carmaker.

Wall Street’s main indexes opened at record highs, while the small-cap Russell 2000 index jumped about 4.8 percent to its highest in nearly three years.

“Business animal spirits could be rekindled once again from Trump’s pro-business approach which could lead to a more robust capital expenditures and investment environment,” said Jeff Schulze, market strategist at ClearBridge Investments.

Trump Media & Technology Group, in which Trump owns a majority stake rose nearly 8 percent in choppy trading. Investors overlooked the company’s latest quarterly results that showed the Truth Social parent’s revenue was just $1m.

The shares have more than tripled in value from their all-time lows in late September, and Trump’s stake was worth as much as $5.3bn, up from $3.9bn on Tuesday.

Strong mandate

Trump’s Republican Party also secured the Senate and was making gains in the House of Representatives, potentially making it easier for the president to legislate his proposals and push through key appointments.

Markets “have priced in a pretty strong mandate for the Republicans and are biasing towards most of the Trump trades”, said Scott Chronert, US equity strategist at Citi.

“Policy details will be important for here as the market focus seems to be putting more emphasis on deregulation, tax cuts, and a more business-friendly backdrop.”

Wall Street lenders JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs jumped between 6 percent and 10 percent on prospects of improving domestic investment, looser regulations and more deals.

“Trump’s win likely means some deregulation, including rolling back banking regulations, though Big Tech may remain a bipartisan antitrust focus,” strategists at BlackRock Investment Institute said in a note.

Semiconductor stocks advanced, with the Philadelphia chip index rising 1.8 percent and AI darling Nvidia gaining 2.7 percent despite Trump’s criticism of the US CHIPS and Science Act, which supports domestic chip manufacturing through subsidies.

Trump has instead proposed tariffs on imported chips, particularly from Taiwan’s TSMC, whose US-listed shares dropped 3 percent.

Oil stocks firmed 3.5 percent, while US renewable energy companies such as NextEra Energy and First Solar plunged 6 percent and 13 percent, respectively.

Trump’s campaign laid out an energy policy platform centred around maximising US fuel and power output, in part by dismantling the Biden administration’s efforts to fight climate change.

Autos, crypto and China

While Tesla shares surged on Musk-Trump proximity, stocks of other electric carmakers dipped as Trump had said he would consider ending a $7,500 tax credit for EV purchases.

Rivian Automotive dropped 8 percent and Nikola slipped about 1.4 percent.

“Nobody is making money in EVs aside from Tesla, so the reduction or elimination of EV credits will widen Tesla’s competitive moat,” said Garrett Nelson, senior equity analyst at CFRA Research.

Fears of escalation in Sino-US tensions pressured US-listed China shares with iShares MSCI China ETF dropping nearly 2.4 percent.

Import duties, including a 10 percent universal tariff on imports from all foreign countries and a 60 percent tariff on imports from China, are a key plank of Trump’s policies and likely to have the biggest global impact.

Victory for Trump, who has positioned himself as pro-cryptocurrency, lifted Bitcoin to a record high. Crypto-linked stocks Coinbase, MicroStrategy, Riot Platforms, MARA Holdings jumped between 11 percent and 21 percent.

Private prison operators Geo Group and CoreCivic jumped about more than 30 percent each as Trump’s promised crack down on undocumented immigration could boost demand for detention centres.

US steel makers Cleveland-Cliffs, Steel Dynamics and Nucor surged between 13 percent and 19 percent, with analysts having noted in the run-up to the election that a Trump presidency may mean rising protections for the domestic steel industry.

MAFS viewers have said they’re starting a petition to a ban a clothing item worn by bride Polly.

On Wednesday night’s episode of the show, Polly, 28, and Adam, 33, headed out on their final date together, and as they strolled outdoors, Polly could be seen wearing a pair of jeans with slits down each side.

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The side slits revealed the bride’s legs, and it’s not the first time that Polly has been in this look.

But fans on social media were quick to share their thoughts on the jean design, with many fans saying they weren’t a fan.

One person penned: “I am fully aware that I have been wearing the same jeans for about 75 years, but I hope Polly has binned those awful jeans with the huge split seams.”

A second person added: “Those are some awful jeans – I don’t understand them?”

A third responded: “I think we need to start a petition to ban the flappy open jeans.”

Another MAFS fan wrote: “Polly please bin those jeans,” and someone else penned: “Polly can’t have actually wanted to pay money for those jeans.”

After the episode, another bride shared their support for the jeans and wore some for a photo shared to their social media.

Bride Lacey whacked on a pair of the open slit jeans and wrote to fans: “Girlys I got you!!! Had a few messages regarding my jeans!

“They have a split in them, they are so comfortable and I got so many compliments, link below!!”

Fashion to one side, Polly and Adam’s date didn’t go as planned as the pair ended up having a blazing row in the episode.

After the couple cheered to “us and to the future“, things quickly went south when the careers advisor told her ‘husband’ how she was really feeling.

She fumed: “I feel like you’re not giving me what I want..”

He shot back: “Rather than sit there and go, ‘I care about you…’ before she interjected, ‘That’s what you do.’

But the barber wasn’t having it, raging in tonight’s finale, ‘That’s not what I do!'”

He added in a piece to camera: “The old Polly is slowly creeping back.”

As the ending of the hit dating show nears, there are just four couples left in the experiment – Nathan and Lacey, Adam and Polly, Amy and Luke, and Sacha and Ross.

In Married At First Sight tradition, the couples will each face the final vows where they’ll decided whether or not to stay together.

And The Sun can exclusively reveal that during final vows next week, two couples will decide to stay together while two will split.

The Sun will keep the identities of which two couples break up a secret, so as to not to spoil the surprise for viewers.

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Dr. Dre has secured a victory in his ongoing legal battle against a celebrity psychiatrist who last month filed a lawsuit accusing the rapper of harassment.

Dre previously was served a temporary restraining order after his former divorce therapist, Dr. Charles Sophy, filed a $10-million lawsuit alleging his ex-client subjected him to a “systematic and malicious campaign of harassment.”

That provisional order was dissolved Tuesday after a judge ruled that Sophy failed to prove that Dre, born Andre Young, poses a threat to his physical safety — denying the psychiatrist’s request for a permanent restraining order.

“The Court finds the party requesting the order of protection did not sustain the applicable burden of proof and accordingly the request is denied,” Los Angeles County Judge Melanie Ochoa said Tuesday afternoon, according to a minute order obtained by The Times.

Sophy’s professional relationship with Young dates back to 2018, the psychiatrist said in his Oct. 9 lawsuit, when he began offering marriage counseling to the “Still D.R.E.” artist and his now ex-wife, Nicole Young. After working “diligently, independently, and fairly to help Young and his ex-wife resolve their disputes,” Sophy ceased contact with the couple in 2021, when their divorce was finalized.

Sophy’s lawyer, Christopher Frost, said in a statement to Rolling Stone that Young’s filing “hurled ugly and unfair claims of racism at my client.”

“We have always been aware that we are up against a celebrity in this matter and, while it might be easy to make those charged and disingenuous claims and amplify them, it does not change the fact that Dr. Sophy has pursued legal action solely because of Mr. Young’s consistent pattern of behavior,” Frost said, adding that Sophy remains committed to his lawsuit despite Tuesday’s ruling.

An initial hearing in the harassment case is scheduled for April 4.

Under the aegis of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Roscongress, the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum will host its highly anticipated first Ministerial Conference from 9th–10th November 2024 at the Sirius Federal Territory in the southern coastal city of Sochi. According official reports, this two-day conference will be under the patronage of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the programme includes a plenary session to be attended by officials, and also round tables and discussions focusing on aspects of declarations from the first and second summits respectively held in 2019 (Sochi) and in 2023 (St. Petersburg).

The programme architecture released for the first Ministerial Conference would enhance building on the strategic decisions taken both at the first and second Russia–Africa summits and bring together the heads of ministries of foreign affairs of Russia and African countries, the African Union Commission (AUC), as well as the executive bodies of regional integration associations from Africa. The heads of African regional organizations as well as representatives of government agencies, financial institutions, Russian and African businesses, public and scientific communities, and the media are part of the conference.

It would be an opportunity to review the culmination, within the context of geopolitical shift at a critical stage, the evolving relations between Russia and African countries, which is high level of cooperation in several areas: from the collaboration and implementation of economic projects, energy and food security dimensions, the development of bilateral trade and investment partnerships, and scientific-technical, healthcare, tourism and education. These would broadly be discussed with special attention to cooperation between countries of the African continent and the Eurasian Economic Union. In addition, the business programme includes a presentation of the English-language version of the Africa 2025. Prospects and Challenges policy brief prepared by a team of experts at the HSE Centre for African Studies with the support of Uralchem Group, which aims to provide guidance for African experts, scientists, and decision-makers.

Reviewing Sochi Summit (2019)

Russia has a long time-tested relationship with Africa. After the symbolic Russia-Africa summit in the Black Sea city of Sochi in October 2019, both Russia and Africa adopted a joint declaration, a comprehensive document that outlined the key objectives and necessary tasks that seek to raise assertively the entire relations to a new qualitative level. That official document shows there has been a great interest in the further development of relations between Africa and Russia. Until the 2023 summit, priority areas of economic cooperation in which concrete results could be achieved. Documents showed 92 agreements, contracts and memoranda of understanding were signed at that first Russia-Africa summit. The agreements signed there worth a total of $12.5 billion.

Reviewing St. Petersburg Summit (July 2023)

The socond summit renewed the commitment to support the struggle for the eradication of colonialism and the establishment of independence of African States, and strengthening their national sovereignty. The 74 point-declaration pointed out explicitly the growing sustainable collaboration in mechanism for dialogue partnership, political and legal cooperation, strengthen cooperation between States to counter new challenges and threats, strengthen trade and economic cooperation, as well as engage Africa in comprehensive spheres including scientific and technical, humanitarian, educational, cultural, sports, health, youth and information cooperation.

Joint inter-governmental Commissions

Long before holding the two historic summits, there are joint commissions handling matters on trade and economic between Russia and a number of African countries. According to the official documents of Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 28 of such joint commissions were created and have been functioning admirably these several years. The primary responsibility is to coordinate projects and oversee its implementations in Africa. Until today, none has reported any completed infrastructure projects undertaken, completed and handed over to any African country since Soviet’s collapse in 1991. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have never, throughout the post-Soviet history of relations between Russia and Africa, cut white ribbons marking the completion of any projects in Africa.

Provision of Nuclear Energy

In the nuclear power sector, here are a few developments. Russia pledged to thrash out energy deficiency which has affected more 800 million of Africa’s 1.4 billion people. Energy shortage negatively affects both domestic and industrial use, and has made provision of nuclear energy its policy priority across Africa.  Under an official authorized license from the Egyptian regulator and under the signed intergovernmental agreement, Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation has started the construction of the planned four power units at the El Dabaa nuclear power plant in Egypt. The bilateral agreement was signed as far back in November 2015. Research shows that Russia granted a loan $25 billion for the construction of the nuclear power plants which covers 85% of the work. The remaining expenses be covered by the Egyptian side by attracting private investors. The NPP design envisages four 1200-MW power units with VVER-1200 reactors. Construction is expected to be completed by 2028-2029.

Late February 2020, Chairperson of the Federation Council (the Upper House or the Senate), Valentina Matviyenko, headed a Russian delegation on a three-day working visit aimed at strengthening parliamentary diplomacy with Namibia and Zambia.

According to an official release from the Federation Council, the visit was within the broad framework mechanism of parliamentary consultations between Russia and African countries. The key focus were on political dialogue, economic partnership and humanitarian spheres with Namibia and Zambia. The delegation held talks with President Edgar Lungu at the State House in Lusaka, Zambia. Matviyenko said: “Now the start of the construction of a center for nuclear science and technology has been suspended due to financial issues.”  According to her that request was submitted to the Russian president and was being carefully considered by the ministries and departments. And it was expected to jointly find options for funding to roll out the construction of a center for nuclear science and technology.

More than thirty years, Russia has been pushing for post-Soviet relations. Russia and South Africa are BRICS members. South Africa has also had nuclear contract signed with Russia back from 2015 under Jacob Zuma, at the time of his presidency. According to research sources, main reason why the 2015 nuclear power agreement thrown out by the South Africa’s parliament, it attributed to the fact that the agreement was an opaque unilateral deal with Moscow. South Africa’s parliament did not discuss and approve the mega-project for the country.

According to analytical reports, African countries which signed agreements for such construction of nuclear plants by Russia as follows: Algeria (2014), Ghana (2015), Ethiopia (2019), Republic of Congo (2019), Nigeria (2012, 2016), Rwanda (2018), South Africa (2004), Sudan (2017), Tunisia (2016), Uganda (2019) and Zambia (2016). Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed with Kenya in 2016 and Morocco in 2017. A simple ‘memorandum of understanding’ on nuclear with Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali in July 2023 in St. Petersburg went viral world-wide as part of Russia’s information propaganda, to show its preparedness to support their development initiatives of these French-controlled African states.

Sustainable Food Security

Russia also has a full-fledged ambitious interest to guarantee sustainable food security by supplying grains across Africa. Russia is a leading producer as well-known. But a critical examination of this corporate deal reveals that Russia’s grain supply would still remain as a soft bait (i) to reinforce the existing time-tested relationships with Africa and (ii) to earn revenue from exports to Africa. Notwithstanding that Africa is blessed with huge expanse of land and climate for agricultural production to feed its population.

Some experts and international organizations have also expressed the fact that African leaders have to adopt import substitution mechanisms and use their financial resources on strengthening agricultural production systems. Establishing food security is important for millions of people facing hunger in Africa and is crucial for sustainable economic development and long-term prosperity of the continent. A few African countries have adopted import substitution, agricultural policy and strategically working towards self-sufficiency.

Interfax reports indicated that Russia expected to export up to 70 million metric tonnes of grain in the 2023-2024 agricultural year. In the previous season, Russia shipped 66 million tonnes worth almost $16.5 billion. Besides that, Russia plans to earn estimated revenue amounting to $33 billion by exporting food to African countries.

Military-Technical Cooperation

Russia has an indivisible security relationship with many African countries. Notably, Russia’s military influence has been increasing in Saharan-Sahel region, an elongated landlocked territory located between North Africa (Maghreb) and West Africa, and also stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. Quite recently, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have withdrawn from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and, more significantly have also created their own military bloc, the Alliance des États du Sahel (translates in English as the Alliance of Sahel States), citing reasons as fighting frequent militant attacks and against indiscriminate manipulation by foreign governments.

For better or for worse, by creating their own Alliance of Sahel States (AES), it exposes ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) powerlessness, weaknesses and its long-term inability and incompetency to deal with regional problems, particularly rising insecurity in the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned this security issues during his opening and closing speeches at St. Petersburg summit and even previously, indicating its importance on Russia’s agenda with Africa. At the end, both Russian and African leaders reaffirmed their collective stance to deal with the persistent ethnic conflicts and militant threats among the magnitude of wide range of priorities. In fact, there were five key documents and one of them focuses on ‘Strengthening Cooperation to Combat Terrorism’ which neatly relates to this theme under discussion.

Often said that Russia has rich experiences as in developing an effective set of measures to counter terrorism, curtail illegal activity, and provide dependable protection for citizens. Therefore, Russia’s Ministry of Defense together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs express profound readiness to coordinate in sharing their experiences with African partners, particularly in the Saharan-Sahel. Revisiting the first summit declaration which says in part, “firm intention to fully contribute to achieving peace and security” points to the principles of respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity on these countries in the region. The first primary step is implementing joint programmes to build the necessary capacity of the requesting African States and train African peace-keeping personnel at specialized educational institutions of the Russian Federation and inside African States. It has to be noted clearly that Russia works for its revenue from increased exports. Therefore, several agreements signed would allow Russia a full access to exploring natural resources in exchange for its military assistance. Updatedly, Russia has signed bilateral military-technical cooperation agreements with more than 20 African countries.

Notable Quotes

–  Federation Council Deputy Speaker Konstantin Kosachev  told a roundtable on Russia’s strategic interests in Africa at Valdai Discussion Club, that Russia’s Western opponents are trying to prevent African states from taking part in Russia-Africa summits. In Senator Kosachev’s opinion, several meetings, conferences and summits have been successful, “but, in many respects, its results remained within the dimension of politics” and were not translated into additional projects in trade, economic, scientific or humanitarian cooperation. “Trade turnover speaks for itself. Roughly, the European Union’s trade with Africa stands at around $300 billion, China’s – at around $150 billion, and the United States – approximately $50-60 billion. Despite the tendency to grow, our current turnover is around $20 billion,” Senator Kosachev added, quoting trade figures to illustrate his argument.

– Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Jacob Mudenda, during the conference on Russia-Africa, organized within the framework of International Development on Parliamentarism forum in March 2023 said: “participation in the conference is another opportunity to discuss many issues, compare positions, develop solutions and give impetus to further cooperation, but it is important to turn words into concrete actions.”

He further argued that it was distinctively evident from the large number of African delegations that had been invited, so far, to Moscow over the past few years, and that marked a new chapter to re-activate relations with Africa. But, Russia’s influence might not take roots anytime soon if the conference declarations are not vigorously and promptly implemented.

Russia-African Interactive Symbolism

The history of Russia–Africa Summit is the highest-profile and largest-scale event in Russian–African relations, aimed at bringing about a fundamentally new level of mutually beneficial partnership to meet the challenges of the 21st century. The goal of the event is to promote efforts to strengthen comprehensive and equal cooperation between Russia and African nations across all areas of society including politics, security, economic relations, science and technology, and the cultural and humanitarian spheres.

The first Russia–Africa Summit took place on 23–24 October 2019 in Sochi under the motto of ‘For Peace, Security and Development’. This was the first time such a large-scale event had been held in the history of modern Russia, and was unprecedented in Russian–African relations.

The second Russia–Africa Summit was held in July 2023 in St. Petersburg under the the same motto of ‘For Peace, Security and Development’. This was the second time such a large-scale with participation of high-level government delegations from both sides, and was described as unprecedented in bilateral relations.

At both Summits the participants identified priority areas of economic cooperation where concrete results could be achieved in subsequent years. At the closing in Sochi and St. Petersburg, declarations were adopted outlining the approval of goals and objectives for the future development of Russian–African cooperation across politics, security, economics, science and technology, culture and the humanitarian sphere.

Logical and Final Words

Much time has elapsed, but meetings, conferences and summits are consistenly organized to review the past and current stage of relations. Russia and Africa are the new centers of the emerging multipolar world. But more admittedly, Africa has become competitive but still continues attracting external players to significant sectors. In this context, Russia undoubtedly needs to adopt its approaches and mechanisms necessary for driving effective cooperation in order to take the relations to the next level in this new changing conditions of global politics and economics. Basic questions, often and simultaneously asked are: what steps are needed to give a new impetus to bilateral economic relations? What are the key initiatives and competencies that can create a deeper strategic partnership between Russia and Africa?

Regardless of the fact that the continent has enormous reources both natural and human, Africa’s development issues are still very lamentable, and leaders are excited at Africa being described as poorest in the world. In a nutshell, African leaders pay lip service in pursuit of working towards attaining their own economic sovereignty.  In fact 80% of Africa’s population still live in abject poverty. The Global Development Index shows that African governments continue to pursue trivial development questions, poor governance and deep-seated corruption. In practical terms, Africa has rather exposed the collective weaknesses, inability to sharpen development priorities, gross mismanagement and incompetencies of Africa leaders. It is shameful and incredible for characterizing being used as pawns in geopolitical reconfiguration, but instead African leaders essentially have to take cognizance of the key necessity and acknowledge the popular hyperbolic saying ‘African problems, African solutions’ and/or alternatively the ‘Africa We Want’ within the framework of the Agenda 2063 as widely propagated by the continental organization – the African Union.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is facing its “darkest hour” and requires ongoing support from UN members after Israel’s decision to ban the organisation, its chief has said.

“Without intervention by member states, UNRWA will collapse, plunging millions of Palestinians into chaos,” Philippe Lazzarini, the agency’s commissioner-general, told the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday.

He called on the UN – which created UNRWA in 1949 – to prevent implementation of the ban on the organisation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

In a statement on Monday, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it cancelled a cooperation agreement from 1967 which provided the legal basis of the country’s relations with UNRWA.

“UNRWA – the organisation whose employees participated in the October 7 massacre and many of whose employees are Hamas operatives – is part of the problem in the Gaza Strip and not part of the solution,” said Israel Katz, the country’s newly appointed defence minister, who was foreign minister at the time.

In January, Israel claimed that a dozen of UNRWA’s Gaza employees were involved in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas. At the time, the UN launched an investigation into Israel’s allegations and terminated the contracts of nine staff members who were accused. However, Lazzarini said that despite multiple requests, Israel has not provided any evidence to support its claims.

UNRWA said it takes measures to ensure its neutrality.

But the Israeli ban has raised fears that UNRWA employees will lose their ability to coordinate with Israeli authorities to cross checkpoints and move from one place to another in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

UNRWA provides education, healthcare and other basic services to Palestinian refugees displaced in 1948 during Israel’s creation, and their descendants, who now number nearly six million. Refugee families make up the majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million population.

“In Gaza, dismantling UNRWA will collapse the UN humanitarian response, which relies heavily on the agency’s infrastructure,” Lazzarini said.

“In the absence of a capable public administration or state, only UNRWA can deliver education to more than 650,000 girls and boys in Gaza. In the absence of UNRWA, an entire generation will be denied the right to education,” he said.

‘Time to move on’

Since Israel’s war on Gaza began last October, UNRWA itself has suffered heavy losses, with at least 223 of its staff killed and two-thirds of its facilities in Gaza damaged or destroyed.

Riyad Mansour, the permanent observer for the State of Palestine at the UN, told the General Assembly that the ban on UNRWA “is proof of the Israeli genocide in Gaza”.

Meanwhile, Hadi Hashim, the interim representative for Lebanon at the UN, said Israel’s ban was a “war crime” and noted that UNRWA was crucial not only in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, but also in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

“We call on the General Assembly to take the necessary and urgent measures legally and politically to stand against this attack not only against UNWRA, but against us all,” he said.

Jordan, South Africa and the European Union also condemned the Israeli government’s decision to ban the UN agency.

But Israeli ambassador Danny Danon called the agency “a failure”.

“UNRWA is shielded by a misconception that it is the backbone of humanitarian efforts in Gaza,” he said. “It is time to move on and build a new path so the UN can regain its integrity and deliver on its promise to support peace and security.”

Israeli authorities have long called for the agency to be dismantled, arguing that its mission is obsolete and it fosters anti-Israel sentiment among its staff, in its schools and in its wider social mission. UNRWA strongly disputes this characterisation.

In the past, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also called on the United States, Israel’s top ally and the agency’s biggest donor, to roll back its support.

THIS CLASSIC car was revived after being abandoned and left to rot for 70 years.

The motor was made during Soviet-era Poland and has finally gone back on display.

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This Warszawa M-20 went on show on November 01 after it was tracked down in tracked down in Finland.

After decades of searching for the 1951 model it was saved and now is on public display in a private museum in Otrebusy, central Poland.

Co-founder of the museum Zbigniew Mikiciuk said: “We are extremely proud because now we count among the very few people in the world who have retrieved the very first vehicles of the series made in their countries.

“We have been doing this for more than 50 years and we are not collecting cars you can see in the street but cars that have their history, their soul and their legend,”

With a serial number of 000001 this was the first motor to leave a car factory in Poland after World War II, making it a very unique model.

It’s original colour has been covered up with a specific shade of brown that was deemed particularly fashionable in the 1970s.

Mikiciuk said despite it’s age, the motor is holding together and is still ‘incredibly cool.’

It’s had a few scrapes but the museum has decided to keep the marks visible so to preserve the vehicles authenticity.

The car was made in the FSO Passenger Car Factory in Warsaw which was a factory originally build it the late 1940s to produce Italian Fiat 508.

However Soviet leaders wanted to cut ties with a Western company during the Cold war and ordered for the production to be based on the Soviet Union’s cars.

The car serves as more than just a collector for petrolheads but also offers a piece of Polish history.

It was first given to Soviet army marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky who was Poland’s defense minister after the war.

After many years it was discovered to be owned by the family of Finnish rally car driver Rauno Aaltonen.

It’s unclear what happened to the stylish motor inbetween.

Now the vehicle joins a succession of valuable cars in the museum, many of which have their own story.

A Volvo owned by Poland’s community leader, Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski, stands next to the Warszawa M-20.

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For the past 13 months, Ahmed Jarad has been living with the dim hope that he might one day return to his home in Beit Lahiya, a village in the north of the Gaza Strip.

But on Wednesday, as former US President Donald Trump declared his triumphant return to the White House following a close race against Vice President Kamala Harris, Jarad said his dream of returning to his hometown, currently being pounded by Israel and its stranded population sealed off from the south, has been crushed.

The 43-year-old left his home exactly a year ago – in November 2023 – fleeing to al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. One month earlier, Israel launched its war on Gaza after Hamas, the political and military group that rules the Strip, led an assault on army outposts and villages in southern Israel, leaving 1,139 people dead and taking more than 250 captive.

Since then, Israel has subjected Gaza to near-relentless bombardments and ground invasions. More than 43,000 Palestinians have been killed – with thousands more missing and presumed dead under the rubble – while nearly all of the enclave’s 2.3 million population has been displaced.

Israeli officials maintain that the war is necessary to eliminate Hamas, which has been categorised as a “terrorist group” by most Western countries. But Palestinians, the United Nations and human rights defenders point to the fact that most of the victims of the war are women and children.

Jarad said he is certain that Israel’s brutality will only worsen once Trump, who enjoyed a close relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his first presidency, is once again sworn in as leader of the world’s strongest superpower.

“Trump and Netanyahu are an evil alliance against the Palestinians and our fate will be very difficult, not only in the fateful issues but also in our daily concerns,” Jarad told Al Jazeera from his tattered tent in al-Mawasi, where he now lives with his wife and their five children.

Netanyahu, who is facing pressure both domestically and internationally to bring an end to the war that has spilled over into Lebanon and threatens to escalate into all-out conflict between Israel and Iran, was quick to congratulate Trump after he claimed his victory on Wednesday.

Calling Trump’s election “history’s greatest comeback”, Netanyahu described Trump’s return as a “fresh start for America” and a “powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America”.

During Trump’s first four-year tenure as president from 2016 to 2020, the US embassy in Israel was relocated from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem – a significant move in the eyes of the Israeli government. Aid to Palestinians was cut – particularly to UNRWA, the UN’s Palestinian refugee aid agency, which Israel designated a terrorist group just days before the US election.

Trump’s administration also overlooked the building of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank despite international condemnation, and brokered the “Abraham Accords” which saw several Arab countries normalising ties with Israel.

Since the war on Gaza began in October last year, Democratic President Joe Biden has been unwavering in his support of Israel, continuing to send military aid and reaffirming Israel’s “right to protect itself”.

But relations between Netanyahu and Biden have soured somewhat over worsening regional tensions and the failure to reach any of the ceasefire deals, which the Americans have been involved in negotiating. Netanyahu now says that a Trump presidency could signal a new leaf in Israeli-American relations.

Like many Palestinians, particularly those trapped in Gaza, Jarad says he dreads this will be at their cost.

“This is a sad day for Palestinians,” he said, despairing. “Trump will endorse Netanyahu’s free hand regarding the possibility of the return of settlements to the Gaza Strip and even the displacement of large numbers of Palestinians outside it.”

“We hoped to return to the north and now all our hopes have been shattered,” he said.

Trump and Netanyahu: ‘Peas in a pod’

Zakia Hilal, a 70-year-old physician, has resorted to humour to get through the devastation of the war on Gaza. She was listening to the radio for news of the US election with her husband, children and grandchildren – all gathered together in their tent in al-Mawasi.

As soon as they heard the news that Trump had won, she cried: “Two peas in a pod,” referring to Netanyahu and Trump. “Our situation wasn’t bad enough? Trump had to come to complete it,” she said sarcastically.

Hilal, who is originally from Rafah in the south of Gaza, was forced to leave her home in May when Israeli troops commenced a ground operation on May 6 into the southernmost part of the enclave, where most of the population had taken shelter.

Since then, the Rafah border crossing to Egypt, the main gateway through which humanitarian aid normally trickles through, has been shut. Humanitarian aid accessing the besieged enclave through other smaller crossings has dropped to its lowest levels since the beginning of the war.

“We are certainly headed for a very difficult period. What’s coming ahead may be even worse than what we’ve experienced so far,” Hilal told Al Jazeera. “It is true that American administrations do not differ in supporting Israel, but some are more severe and more intense than others, like Trump.”

In his victory speech in Florida, Trump said he is “going to stop wars”, something which many Arab Americans criticised Biden’s administration for failing to do. According to reports from The Times of Israel, Trump has expressed concerns about the potential for a prolonged conflict in Gaza. In July, he reportedly told Netanyahu in a meeting that the dispute should ideally be resolved by the time he takes office in January 2025.

“I told Bibi [Netanyahu], we don’t want endless wars, especially ones that drag America into them,” Trump said, referencing the private conversation. How he plans to “end” this one is unclear and fills Palestinians who spoke to Al Jazeera on Wednesday with fear.

Jehad Malaka, a researcher in international relations at the Gaza-based research organisation, the Palestinian Planning Centre, does not expect Trump’s upcoming administration to be much different from Biden’s in terms of support for Israel.

Speaking to Al Jazeera from the tent he shares with his family in al-Mawasi, where they fled from northern Gaza, Malaka said the Biden administration did nothing for the Palestinians during the war, nor did it reverse any of the decisions taken during Trump’s first presidency.

“Trump uses rough tools, and Biden and the Democrats resort to soft tools, but the politics are the same,” he said.

He added, “Biden did not make any decision in favour of the Palestinians and was unable to achieve a ceasefire. He did not change the reality of the decisions of his predecessor Trump at all. The positions of the two administrations regarding Israel are the same and identical, and they put its interests above all other considerations.”

Malaka, however, said he does not believe that Trump would endorse the forced removal of Gaza Palestinians from the entire enclave and hopes that perhaps the new president may bring a swifter, albeit extremely painful, end to the war.

“Given Trump’s power of pressure and influence over Netanyahu, he may be able to open a horizon for a partial solution to the Palestinian issue, and he is able to pressure Netanyahu, while Biden did not succeed in pressuring for a single day of calm,” he said.

Ahmed Fayyad, 45, an independent researcher in Israeli affairs who has taken refuge in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, is less optimistic. He said he believes Trump’s influence will be entirely harmful tor Palestinians as a whole, and Gaza Palestinians, in particular.

“Trump’s election only means that Netanyahu will continue his plans of invading Gaza and evicting its people, but with less pressure and more ease,” Fayyed, who fled to Deir el-Balah to escape intense bombing in eastern Khan Younis nearly a year ago, said.

Trump is “a more dominating figure” whose “influence on all parties would mean Netanyahu will get away with doing what he wanted all along, which is to conquer Gaza”, he said.

“Amidst the weakened Palestinian front, and absence of any Arab unity and solidarity, the whole Palestinian cause faces its worst threat yet.”

This piece has been published in collaboration with Egab.

Already facing retrenchment and existential concerns about its business model, Hollywood is bracing for more potential volatility from the incoming Trump administration.

While President-elect Donald Trump has not laid out specific plans for the entertainment industry, analysts said his proposed broader policies on global tariffs, as well as the threat of retaliation against companies, could put a chill on Los Angeles’ signature business.

“If I were wealthy today, I would not be buying stock in the entertainment world,” said Stephen Galloway, dean of Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. “There’s going to be a lot of turbulence.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently proposed upping the annual cap on state film and TV tax credits to $750 million, from its current total of $330 million. He and others have called for the federal government to step in and keep the U.S. competitive in global production.

But it’s unlikely that Trump would throw the film and TV business a lifeline, especially in any way that could help Newsom and deep-blue California.

“Let’s face it, liberal Hollywood is the enemy,” Galloway said. “Even though this is a guy who made his name in entertainment, he’s not going to be a pro-entertainment-industry politician.”

Many Hollywood stars and executives were vocal backers of the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, lending her their endorsements and their pocketbooks after pushing for President Biden to withdraw from the race.

Some executives hedged their bets, though. Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav demurred when asked this summer whom he supported for president, saying he preferred someone who would pave the way for more consolidation.

On Thursday, the Motion Picture Assn. trade group, which lobbies on behalf of the studios, congratulated Trump and the incoming Congress on their victories.

“We look forward to working with them on a wide range of important issues for the film, TV, and streaming industry, which supports more than 2.7 million American jobs, boosts more than 240,000 businesses in cities and small towns across the country, and delivers over $242 billion in wages to our workforce each year,” the group said in a statement.

Analysts were also concerned about the effect a potential tariff war could have on the entertainment industry.

If Trump follows through with his threats of global tariffs, nations like China could ban U.S. imports, including film and TV shows, which would dent the already-reeling distribution market, Galloway said. During Trump’s first term, the president’s trade war with China was partly blamed for derailing Hollywood’s relationship with the country.

The potential for retaliation could also be a problem, said Kevin Klowden, executive director of the Milken finance institute.

As a candidate, Trump railed against CBS and said he wanted the network’s broadcast license pulled for editing one of Harris’ answers during her interview on “60 Minutes.” The news program has flatly denied allegations of deceptive editing to help Harris.

That type of directive would likely get tied up in the courts, but “it’s the threat that becomes the issue,” Klowden said.

Films and TV shows that paint Trump in a negative light run the risk of drawing his ire, which could then affect their parent companies, Galloway said. Media and entertainment giants might be wary of the situation Walt Disney Co. found itself in after it battled Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over the state’s so-called Don’t Say Gay anti-LGBTQ legislation.

Recently, the Trump biopic “The Apprentice” struggled to find a distributor after the former president’s team threatened legal action. The film fared poorly at the U.S. box office.

More conservative media, on the other hand, could see a boost in their stock, including the Murdoch family-owned News Corp., which publishes the New York Post, Wall Street Journal and Investor’s Business Daily, and Fox Corp., parent company of Trump’s favored Fox News.

“Back in the day, studios were little companies making movies,” Galloway said. “Now they’re cogs in enormous, multinational operations where one domino suddenly sends 50 others falling.”