Love Island: All Stars contestants Charlie and Scott got into a heated argument on Wednesday’s episode of the ITV2 dating show as everything bubbled over from love triangle drama
Charlie got into a row over his behaviour regarding Millie and Jess on Love Island (Image: ITV/Shutterstock)
Love Island: All Stars contestants Charlie and Scott got into a heated argument on Wednesday’s episode of the ITV2 dating show. The two reality stars are back in the villa for another shot at love, but Charlie has got himself into a love triangle with Millie and Jess, a drama that has been bubbling away for the past few days.
Scott raged: “You admitted to me, you said you wanted Millie to open up her feelings to you via the situation with Jess!” “I just wanna drop it, it’s so annoying!” “Well it’s uspet me, you said it out of passing comment and it’s really f****** upset me!”
Scott and Charlie then began to talk over each other and demanded that Sean come over to put his two pence into the whole dramatic situation.
He said: “You said it and I f***** agreed, don’t give me that b*******” ” Charlie then went back to his friends to vent about the situation.
He said: “He’s basically saying that I’ve said that I’m trying to make Millie jealous but I’m just following my genuine feelings. It’s constantly Scott though, why is he in my business?”
Fans instantly took to social media to react to the whole blow up, with one writing: “Scott do need to mind his business but he’s right about Charlie and he been right about him sorry not sorry!”
Another said: “Scott should just give up on those two, Charlie can finish them off…” and a third wrote: “Scott needs to defend Millie & Jess less they made their Charlie bed now they can lie and be miserable in this little cr***y love triangle”
A fourth wrote: “with how good charlie is at lying, i can see why scott has been on the attack!”
Fans have watched as Charlie started up a romance with Millie Court but then shared a kiss with Jess. It seemed as if Jess had been expecting Charlie to couple up with her, but he chose Millie. Jess was then left furious with Tommy, despite his decision to couple up with her
Before the recoupling had taken place, it had all kicked off with Scott getting involved in the drama. Millie was then seen telling her fellow Islanders to “drop it” and insisting that she, Charlie, and Jess were all “moving on”.
On the verge of tears, Jess raged: “Everyone is putting their f****** two pence in! I don’t get it. At the end of the day, I’m here for myself, and I do carry some guilt on my shoulders. It’s just the way that I’ve spoken to every single boy, and they all agree. Scott is supposed to be my f****** friend.”
Love Island: All Stars airs weeknights at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.
Jan. 21 (UPI) — The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Wednesday okayed contempt of Congress resolutions for Bill and Hillary Clinton for refusing to testify about Jeffrey Epstein.
The committee voted 34-8 to approve the contempt resolution against former President Bill Clinton and 28-15 in favor of the contempt resolution for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Both resolutions received bipartisan support, with nine Democrats voting for the former president’s contempt resolution and three for the former Secretary of State’s contempt resolution.
All Republican members of the committee voted in favor of both contempt resolutions.
The nine Democrats who voted in favor of Bill Clinton’s contempt resolution include Reps. Maxwell Frost of Florida, Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, Lateefa Simon of California and Emily Randall of Washington.
Also supporting that resolution were Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ayanna Pressley and Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts, and Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico. Two, Reps. Dave Min of California and Yassamin Ansari of Washington voted “present.”
Tlaib, Stansbury and Lee also voted in favor of the resolution against Hillary Clinton, while Min voted “present.”
Committee chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., was pleased with the bipartisan support for both resolutions.
“I’m very happy that we had a bipartisan vote today to hold the Clintons in contempt of Congress,” Comer said, as reported by The Hill. “This shows that no one’s above the law.”
He said that he anticipated some bipartisan support from committee Democrats and is “very, very proud of the ones who did.”
The former president did not show up for a scheduled deposition regarding his relationship with Epstein on Jan. 13, and neither did any of the committee’s Democratic Party members.
Hillary Clinton did not show up for her scheduled deposition on Jan. 14.
The committee had given both Clintons several months of advance notice for their respective hearings at the Rayburn Office Building in Washington, D.C., but Bill Clinton rescheduled his deposition twice before not appearing last week.
The former president appears in photos with Epstein and others.
Epstein was a financier and convicted sex offender who hung himself while jailed in New York City in 2019 and awaiting a federal trial on child sex trafficking charges.
The Clintons recently wrote Comer to say the subpoenas issued for each of them are not “legally valid” and they won’t appear at any deposition hearings.
The measures go to the House floor for consideration and, if passed, could result in charges against both Clintons and time in jail if they are found guilty.
U.S. President Donald Trump has doubled down on his long-standing ambition to bring Greenland under U.S. control, declaring there was “no going back” on the issue and refusing to rule out the use of force. His remarks, accompanied by leaked private messages and AI-generated images shared on social media, have triggered alarm across Europe and raised fears of a renewed transatlantic crisis.
Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark and a strategic Arctic location rich in minerals and critical for missile defence and shipping routes. Trump has repeatedly argued that U.S. control of the island is essential for global security, a claim Denmark and European allies strongly reject.
Trump’s Message: Security First, Allies Second
Trump said Greenland was “imperative for National and World Security” after speaking with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. To underline his stance, he shared AI-generated images portraying Greenland and Canada as part of the United States, signalling that the issue is not symbolic but strategic.
He also leaked private texts from European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, who questioned Trump’s intentions. Trump responded by renewing threats of massive tariffs on French wines and champagne, intensifying fears of economic retaliation.
NATO and Europe Under Pressure
Trump’s comments have placed NATO under severe strain, with Denmark warning that the crisis threatens core principles of sovereignty and democracy. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told parliament that “the worst may still lie ahead,” rejecting any negotiations over national borders.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen used the World Economic Forum in Davos to call for a “new independent Europe,” signalling that European leaders increasingly see Trump’s America as an unreliable security partner.
Trade War Fears Resurface
Trump’s Greenland rhetoric has revived memories of last year’s trade tensions. The European Union has warned it could reactivate tariffs on €93 billion worth of U.S. imports as early as February 6. Brussels is also considering deploying its powerful Anti-Coercion Instrument, which could target U.S. services, technology firms, and investment access.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent attempted to calm markets, dismissing fears as “hysteria” and urging patience. However, financial markets reacted sharply, with global stocks sliding, gold hitting record highs, and U.S. stock futures falling to one-month lows.
Russia Enters the Narrative
Russia has seized the moment to question Danish sovereignty over Greenland. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described Greenland as a “colonial conquest,” a comment that further complicates Arctic geopolitics. While Moscow denied seeking control of the island, its remarks underline how Trump’s stance is opening space for rival powers to challenge Western unity.
Public Backlash and Global Anxiety
Protests erupted in Switzerland ahead of the Davos forum, with demonstrators denouncing Trump’s policies as imperialistic. Investors, meanwhile, are reviving the so-called “Sell America” trade, signalling declining confidence in U.S. political stability and predictability.
Implications
Trump’s Greenland push risks reshaping transatlantic relations in three major ways:
Security: It weakens NATO cohesion at a time of rising global instability.
Economics: It threatens another U.S.–EU trade war, with serious consequences for global markets.
Geopolitics: It accelerates European efforts to reduce dependence on U.S. security guarantees while giving rivals like Russia diplomatic leverage.
Analysis
Trump’s insistence on Greenland reflects a transactional and power-centric worldview where sovereignty is negotiable and alliances are conditional. By framing territorial acquisition as a security necessity, he is blurring the line between strategic competition and outright coercion.
While the administration portrays the dispute as manageable, the reaction from Europe suggests a deeper rupture. The crisis is less about Greenland itself and more about whether the U.S. under Trump still respects the norms that underpin the Western alliance. If this approach continues, Europe’s push for strategic autonomy may shift from rhetoric to reality permanently altering the balance of power within the transatlantic relationship.
Amanda Holden has revealed that she once prepared a Sunday roast in front of her family — while nakedCredit: InstagramAmanda said she stripped off because it was a hot dayCredit: Instagram
And she added that her two daughters Lexi, 19, and Hollie Rose, 13, were used to seeing her without clothes.
She told the Table Manners podcast: “You know on the cusp between winter and summer where you have to give up roast dinners and turn it into a barbecue?
“My whole family moan about Sunday roast, but I make them have it, and then this one particular Sunday it was boiling hot so I did just strip off and cook everything naked.”
Jan. 21 (UPI) — Immigration and Customs Enforcement initiated Operation Catch of the Day in Maine on Wednesday and arrested several people on its first day.
The Department of Homeland Security announced the new ICE operation, saying those arrested on day one include “illegal aliens” who have been convicted of many crimes, including aggravated assault, false imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child.
“Governor [Janet] Mills and her fellow sanctuary politicians in Maine have made it abundantly clear that they would rather stand with criminal illegal aliens than protect law-abiding American citizens,” said Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
“We have launched Operation Catch of the Day to target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens in the state,” McLaughlin said. “Under President [Donald] Trump and [Homeland Security] Secretary [Kristi] Noem, we are no longer allowing criminal illegal aliens to terrorize American citizens.”
While McLaughlin referred to Mills and others as “sanctuary politicians in Maine,” neither the state nor any of its cities appear on the Department of Justice’s list of sanctuary states, counties and cities.
Maine’s governor last week said state and local officials have prepared for the federal immigration law enforcement operation there.
Mills on Jan. 14 said officials tried to learn more about the ICE operations in Maine, including when and how they might work.
“My administration is taking proactive steps to prepare,” Mills said in a social media post on Jan. 14.
“I have directed the Maine State Police to work closely with local law enforcement as necessary to provide whatever support is needed in advance of and during any potential federal operations,” she said.
“We also have been in touch with city officials in Portland and Lewiston, as well as the [Maine] Attorney General’s Office, to coordinate our response,” Mills explained.
“Our goal, as always, will be to protect the safety and the rights of the people of Maine,” she continued.
“Maine knows what good law enforcement looks like because our law enforcement are held to high professional standards,” Mills said. “They don’t wear a mask to shield their identities, and they don’t arrest people to fill a quota.”
She said if the federal government’s plan is “to be provocative” and to “undermine the civil rights of Maine residents,” such tactics are not welcome in the state.
Mills urged Maine residents and others who intend to protest ICE activities in Maine to do so peacefully and stay “reserved and resolved” if they encounter any hostility.
People hold a silent vigil outside 26 Federal Plaza in New York City on July 24, 2025. Photo by Angelina Katsanis/UPI | License Photo
Israel has faced international condemnation after it bulldozed the headquarters of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in occupied East Jerusalem.
The UN said razing the compound violates international law.
What are the implications of the demolition?
Presenter: Adrian Finighan
Guests:
Shireen Salti – Political analyst who specialises in Palestine-Israel public affairs
Francesca Albanese – UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory and a former lawyer at UNRWA
Gideon Levy – Columnist at Israeli news outlet Haaretz
THE RISING star of the modeling world, Kaia Gerber, is the cover girl for the latest issue of Harper’s Bazaar.
The 24-year-old model, and daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford, captivates audiences with her latest photoshoot full of itty bitty dresses and braless looks
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Kaia Gerber covers Harper’s Bazaar February 2026 issueCredit: Luis Alberto Rodriguez for Harper’s BAZZARFuture supermodel, Kaia Gerber, in a red leather Givenchy dress for Harper’s BazaarCredit: Luis Alberto Rodriguez for Harper’s BAZZAR
Kaia stuns in a daring tiny white frock, embracing a braless look that has set the internet abuzz.
The white dress, byVictoria Beckham, plunges down to her abdomen, showing off some serious cleavage.
The sultry shoot, photographed by Luis Alberto Rodriguez and styled by Carlos Nazario, radiates a mix of sensuality and sophistication, embodying the essence of modern femininity.
Kaia Gerber in Yves Saint LaurentCredit: Luis Alberto Rodriguez for Harper’s BAZZARKaia Gerber on Harper’s BazaarCredit: Luis Alberto Rodriguez for Harper’s BAZZAR
In the spread, Kaia is also seen wearing a Saint Laurent leather bomber with a cut-out Prada bikini top, and a red leather Givenchy dress.
Durga Chew-Bose interviews Kaia for the cover article, and the model reflects on her growth within the industry and the pressures that accompany her role as a public figure.
Kaia also discusses her relationship with Givenchy’s Sarah Burton, who’s been dressing her for red-carpet appearances.
At last fall’s Academy Museum Gala, Kaia wowed the crowd in a custom-designed Lyon-lace cape-back dress, evoking the essence of the legendary Audrey Hepburn, a muse for Givenchy.
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Sarah Burton noted, “Kaia’s involvement in the dress’s design brings our collaboration to life; it’s always electric when we create together.”
The British designer added, “The dress is both timeless and modern, perfectly capturing Kaia.”
Kaia shares later in the article that she’s currently on her journey of self-discovery and empowerment, stating, “It’s not lost on me that part of my job is just being what people want me to be and being a canvas or mirror for people to reflect their own ideas onto.”
This perspective demonstrates her maturity and understanding of the complexities of the modeling world.
Kaia Gerber with mom and dadCredit: GettyLike mother, like daughter. Kaia Gerber and Cindy Crawford attend W Magazine’s Annual Best Performances Party at Chateau MarmontCredit: GettyKaia Gerber and Cindy Crawford at the 2025 LACMA Art + Film Gala held at LACMA on November 01, 2025Credit: Getty
The February issue of Harper’s Bazaar hits newsstands on February 3, and promises to deliver more than just stunning visuals.
Kaia’s candid insights about navigating the beauty and fashion worlds while maintaining her identity make this an essential for anyone interested in the evolving narrative of celebrity children today.
“I’m a daydreamer,” Kaia said in the interview. “I play out every scenario in my head.”
The model went on to say, “My imagination is really strong, and it’s been such a gift in my work. Not always a gift in relationships.”
The interview for Harper’s Bazaar also discussed how she’s evolved now that she’s an adult.
“Now that I’m more secure in my adulthood, I’m willing to show up messy and be kind of childish about certain things,” Kaia said.
This feature not only showcases Kaia’s modeling prowess but also offers a glimpse into her evolving narrative as a bold young woman in the spotlight.
Model Kaia GerberCredit: Luis Alberto Rodriguez for Harper’s BAZZARKaia Gerber went braless in a black lace leotardCredit: Luis Alberto Rodriguez for Harper’s BAZZARThe actress in some street chicCredit: Luis Alberto Rodriguez for Harper’s BAZZAR
Jan. 21 (UPI) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he would not impose new tariffs on eight countries in Europe because they opposed his plan to annex Greenland.
Trump had said Saturday he would add 1% to 25% tariffs on those countries unless they allowed him to take the Danish territory.
“Based upon a very productive meeting that I have had with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the Tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st,” he said.
Just before his announcement, the European Union’s parliament paused a vote on the trade deal that Trump negotiated with the bloc last summer. EU leaders were planning an emergency summit Thursday to work on a response to the threats.
Trump told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday that he will not use force to annex Greenland but warned that if he did, the United States could not be stopped.
Trump’s comments on his ongoing pursuit of acquiring Greenland did not completely rule out escalation, though he referred to Iceland instead of Greenland at several points.
“We never asked for anything and we never got anything,” Trump said. “We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force where we would be, frankly, unstoppable. But I won’t do that.”
In Trump’s speech and responses during a Q&A with WEF President Borge Brende, he said inflation has been “defeated,” alleged protesters in Minnesota are “paid agitators” and suggested Europe is “not heading in the right direction.”
“People are doing very well,” Trump said. “They’re very happy with me.”
The president referred to the United States as the “economic engine” that all of Europe follows either up or down.
“In recent decades, it became the conventional wisdom in Washington and European capitals that the only way to grow a modern Western economy was through ever-increasing government spending, unchecked mass migration and endless foreign imports,” Trump said. “The consensus was that so-called dirty jobs and heavy industry should be sent elsewhere. That affordable energy should be replaced by the green new scam and that countries could be propped up by importing new and entirely different populations from far-away lands.”
Minnesota and immigration were a particular focus of Trump on Wednesday. He referred to Somalis, which Minnesota has the largest population of in the United States, as “low IQ people.” He used this as an example of the harm he believes immigration brings.
“The situation in Minnesota reminds us that the West cannot mass import foreign cultures,” he said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg before heading to Davos herself, calling Trump’s threat of tariffs “simply wrong” because Europe agreed with the United States on the need to ensure the security of the Arctic.
Von der Leyen said that while Europe preferred to talk out differences, it was “fully prepared to act, if necessary, with unity, urgency and determination,” adding that leaders of EU nations would meet in Brussels to discuss their response at an emergency session of the European Council on Thursday.
Her comments came as the European Parliament was set to announce Wednesday that it was pausing ratification of a tariffs and trade deal with the United States inked in July because it was unlikely to pass.
Without the deal, $109 billion of U.S. exports to the EU will be subject to tariffs starting Feb. 7.
French President Emmanuel Macron told the forum in Davos on Tuesday that the EU must not fall prey to “the law of the strongest” and that it should hold out against what he said was a new type of colonialism, citing lopsided U.S. trade deals and an “endless accumulation” of new tariffs that become even less acceptable when used as leverage to alter borders.
Macron also levelled similar accusations at China, saying its “massive excess capacity and distortive practices threaten to overwhelm entire industrial and commercial sectors.”
“We prefer respect to bullies, we prefer science to conspiracies, and we prefer the rule of law to brutality,” said Macron, who is among those advocating deployment of a so-called “trade bazooka” that was created with China in mind when it was floated in 2023.
A deterrent against bids by global powers to strongarm the EU or member nations into policy shifts, the Anti-Coercion Instrument allows Europe to respond with counter-tariffs, restrict access to the Single Market, block bids for EU contracts, as well as target intellectual property rights and investment.
German officials told Politico that Berlin would ask the European Commission to look at the ACI option when EU leaders meet Thursday in Brussels, however, the outcome was being seen as dependent on what Trump says in his address Wednesday and the result of talks on the sidelines of the forum.
Speaking before departing Washington at a news conference to mark his first year in office, Trump initially ramped up his rhetoric, warning he was prepared to do whatever it took to acquire Greenland, before switching to diplomacy mode, saying he was confident he would be able to find a solution acceptable to both sides.
“I think something’s going to happen that’s going to be very good for everybody. … I think that we will work something out where NATO is going to be very happy and where we’re going to be very happy. But we need it for security purposes, we need it for national security and even world security. It’s very important,” Trump said.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited the White House in November
Seven countries including Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt say they will join US president Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, according to a joint statement.
They will join Israel, which also publicly confirmed its participation earlier.
On Wednesday evening Trump said Vladimir Putin had also accepted to join – but the Russian President said his country was still studying the invitation.
The board was originally thought to be aimed at helping end the two-year war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and oversee reconstruction. But its proposed charter does not mention the Palestinian territory and appears to be designed to supplant functions of the UN.
However Saudi Arabia said that the group of Muslim-majority countries – Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan and Qatar – endorsed the aim of consolidating a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, supporting reconstruction and advancing what they described as a “just and lasting peace”.
At the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, Trump told reporters that Putin had accepted his invitation to join. “He was invited, he’s accepted. Many people have accepted,” Trump said.
Putin responded quickly, saying the invitation was under consideration, Reuters reported. He said Russia was prepared to provide $1bn from frozen Russian assets and that he viewed the board as primarily relevant to the Middle East.
It is not clear how many countries have been invited to join Trump’s new body – Canada and the UK are among them, but have not yet publicly responded. The UAE, Bahrain, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Morocco and Vietnam have already signed up.
On Wednesday the Vatican also confirmed Pope Leo has received an invitation. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said the Pope would need time to consider whether to take part.
However Slovenia’s Prime Minister Robert Golob said he had declined the invitation because the body “dangerously interferes with the broader international order”.
A leaked document says the Board of Peace’s charter will enter into force once three states formally agree to be bound by it, with member states given renewable three-year terms and permanent seats available to those contributing $1bn (£740m), it said.
The charter declared the body as an international organisation mandated to carry out peace-building functions under international law, with Trump serving as chairman – and separately as the US representative – and holding authority to appoint executive board members and create or dissolve subsidiary bodies.
Last Friday, the White House named seven members of the founding Executive Board, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and former UK prime minister Tony Blair.
Former UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov was appointed as the board’s representative in Gaza during a second phase of the plan, which includes reconstruction and demilitarisation, with the board authorised by a UN Security Council resolution running until the end of 2027.
On Saturday, Netanyahu’s office said the Gaza Executive Board’s composition “was not coordinated with Israel and runs contrary to its policy”.
Israeli media said the decision to include representatives of Turkey and Qatar – which both helped broker the ceasefire that took effect in October, along with Egypt and the US – had happened “over Israel’s head”.
Under phase one of the peace plan, Hamas and Israel agreed to the ceasefire, an exchange of living and dead Israeli hostages in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, a partial Israeli withdrawal, and a surge in deliveries of humanitarian aid.
Israel has said it can only move into the second phase after Hamas hands over the body of the last dead hostage.
Phase two faces major challenges, with Hamas having previously refused to give up its weapons without the creation of an independent Palestinian state, and Israel having not committed to fully withdrawing from Gaza.
Reuters
Humanitarian conditions for Palestinians in Gaza remain dire despite the ceasefire and aid surge
The ceasefire is also fragile. More than 460 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes since it came into force, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, while the Israeli military says three of its soldiers have been killed in Palestinian attacks during the same period.
The war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
Israel responded to the attack by launching a military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 71,550 people have been killed, according to the territory’s health ministry.
DAVID and Victoria Beckham fear estranged son Brooklyn could be left high and dry after he signed an iron-clad pre-nup.
There were also concerns over his change of Instagram profile photo — to one showing a tattoo of his wife Nicola Peltz’s eyes on the back of his neck.
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David and Victoria Beckham fear estranged son Brooklyn could be left high and dry after he signed an iron-clad pre-nupCredit: InstagramBrooklyn is currently embroiled in a major feud with his parentsCredit: GettyBrooklyn with his wife Nicola and the Peltz parents, Nelson and ClaudiaCredit: Instagram
The Sun can reveal Brooklyn, 26, signed a rigid pre-nuptial agreement ahead of their 2022 wedding, and will not gain any of her family wealth if they split.
The move is significant as Nicola’s businessman and investor father Nelson, 83, is worth an estimated £1.2billion.
The agreement means Brooklyn would only leave with half of what they have made as a brand.
A source close to David and Victoria said: “The fear is that he has been completely absorbed into the Peltzes and has become alienated from everyone else.
“If they ever did break up, Brooklyn would be completely ostracised and without much cash to show for it.
“It’s as if he’s being held captive or something, because heartbreakingly, that’s what it feels like for them. His future is completely in the hands of the Peltzes.”
We can reveal that after Brooklyn sent his family a “desist” legal letter asking them not to contact them directly, they were so concerned about his in-laws’ influence they replied with a letter addressed solely to him.
The insider explained: “David and Victoria felt it was the only way to get a message across to him without the Peltz family’s influence.
“It was like, ‘Give us a signal you’re OK, because we are concerned for you’. Everything they have done for Brooklyn has come from a place of love and worry.”
Brooklyn has also now updated his Instagram page with a new image featuring a tattoo of Nicola peering out from the back of his neck, which his family feels is another cause for concern.
On paper, Nicola and Victoria should get on like a house on fire
A source
Her eyes are above a letter she wrote to him before they got married, saying: “My forever boy…Just know we can get through it all together if you breathe slow and trust. I love you beyond. Love always, your future wifey.”
A pal said: “It’s so over the top and extreme to show his dedication in that way, it’s almost alarming. Why does he feel the need to do that within a loving relationship?”
A source explained: “On paper, Nicola and Victoria should get on like a house on fire.
“They are both really ambitious, they love fashion, and family is the most important thing to them both. But for some reason, they just never hit it off. They never really gelled and the Beckhams never felt like they bonded with Nicola’s parents Nelson and Claudia.
“It was evident at the wedding. It was very much us and them in the room. As one of the most famous families in the UK, it was weird for the Beckhams to play second fiddle to the billionaire Peltzes.”
Due to lockdowns, the two clans only met for the first time after Brooklyn and Nicola got engaged in 2020.
Her parents were reportedly offended when Victoria and David sent their security team to “sweep” their £76million Florida home ahead of their first visit, which was standard for the Beckhams.
The narrative that my wife controls me is completely backwards. I have been controlled by my parents for most of my life
Brooklyn
There were then differences over the wedding, with Nicola’s mum insisting they have just one wedding, with her as the planner.
Meanwhile, the Beckhams had hoped there would be events in both the US and the UK.
At the wedding itself, tensions were raised further when singer Marc Anthony gave a speech referencing how lucky the couple would be to have a marriage like David and Victoria’s.
However he did not mention the Peltzes, who have been hitched for 40 years.
Another key issue is believed to stem from Brooklyn feeling like he was being “controlled” by his parents during his “wild child” years.
In Monday’s six-part salvo, he hit back at the suggestion that Nicola has been influencing him.
He wrote: “The narrative that my wife controls me is completely backwards. I have been controlled by my parents for most of my life.”
However, the Beckhams believe they were only ever looking out for him.
A source explained: “The idea that they have ‘controlled’ him for years is just not how they see things at all. It’s heartbreaking.
Brooklyn’s wedding DJ Fat Tony also waded into the stormCredit: GettyThe DJ posted a clip of Amanda in BBC comedy Motherland dancing wildlyCredit: Instagram
“There was a time, about 10 years ago, when Brooklyn was a teenager and they were just concerned for him. He was doing typical teenage things like staying out late and lashing out, but they always tried to be there for him.
“They put up with a lot, but he is their son and they always had his best interests at heart.”
It was like Brand Beckham was more important than anything else
A source
However he got tired of the perception they were a big happy family.
The source added: “With every event, every post on social media and every family photo opp, it was all about making people think about the Beckhams in a certain way.
“It was like Brand Beckham was more important than anything else.
“It didn’t matter what was really going on behind closed doors, it was business as usual on the outside. He doesn’t want to live like that. It’s fake and exhausting.”
Brooklyn has multiple tattoos dedicated to his wife.
They include his entire wedding vows on his arm, a portrait of his wife and the letter ‘N’ on his ring finger.
Also below Nicola’s eyes are the coordinates where he was born, at London’s Portland Hospital in 1999.
He previously had “mama’s boy” inked on his chest, but covered it up with a design representing Nicola’s wedding bouquet.
The Sun can reveal Brooklyn, 26, signed a rigid pre-nuptial agreement ahead of their 2022 wedding, and will not gain any of her family wealth if they splitCredit: GettyBrooklyn, Nicola, David, Victoria, Harper, Cruz all snapped in 2024, before the heated falloutCredit: instagramThe divide between the Peltzes and the Beckhams, including fashion designer Victoria and Nicola, was evident long before the weddingCredit: instagram/victoriabeckham
US president says ‘framework of a future deal’ on Greenland and wider Arctic region reached with NATO chief Mark Rutte.
Published On 21 Jan 202621 Jan 2026
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United States President Donald Trump says he is abandoning plans to impose steep tariffs on European countries opposed to his plans to take control of Greenland, after holding talks with NATO chief Mark Rutte.
Trump said in a social media post on Wednesday that the tariffs won’t be imposed because he and Rutte agreed to “the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region”.
“This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations,” he said, without going into further details about what was agreed upon.
Trump has been threatening for weeks to take control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous island that belongs to Denmark, spurring widespread condemnation in Europe and around the world.
Trump announced on Saturday that he would impose 10 percent tariffs on Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, starting on February 1, over the countries’ opposition to his Greenland takeover push.
Trump has repeatedly accused Denmark of failing to do enough to secure Greenland’s territorial waters in the Arctic, and he has argued that the US needs to seize the island for its own national security.
But Greenlandic and Danish leaders have rejected the US president’s stance, which recently spurred mass protests under the banner, “Hands off Greenland”.
“Tariff threats are unacceptable and have no place in this context,” French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media after Trump issued his economic threat on Saturday.
“Europeans will respond in a united and coordinated manner should they be confirmed. We will ensure that European sovereignty is upheld,” Macron said.
Trump’s aboutface on the tariffs came just hours after he told world leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday that while the annexation of Greenland was necessary, his administration would not use force to do it.
“People thought I would use force. I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force,” said Trump, adding that he was “seeking immediate negotiations to once again discuss the acquisition of Greenland by the United States”.
The U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC) will convene an emergency session in the coming days to address reports of widespread violence against protesters in Iran. The protests, the largest since 2022, have reportedly resulted in at least 5,000 deaths according to Iranian authorities. U.N. rights chief Volker Turk condemned the crackdown, while Human Rights Watch has called for enhanced investigation and funding for the 2022-established U.N. probe into human rights violations.
Why it matters: The emergency session underscores growing international concern over Iran’s treatment of its citizens and the escalating severity of the protests. The meeting provides a global platform for countries to raise accountability issues and push for enforcement of human rights standards, placing pressure on Tehran to justify its response.
Diplomatic responses: A letter from Iceland’s ambassador, representing Germany, Britain, and other nations, highlighted “credible reports of alarming violence, crackdowns on protesters and violations of international human rights law.” Iran, however, has denied wrongdoing, arguing that the clashes followed armed attacks on security forces and sending rebuttal documents to U.N. missions.
What’s next: The emergency session will likely include debates over further investigations, possible resolutions condemning Iran, and calls for international monitoring. Human Rights Watch and other NGOs are expected to press for increased funding and expanded mandates for U.N. inquiries. Outcomes could influence international diplomatic engagement, sanctions, and global pressure on Tehran to uphold human rights commitments.
One Direction fans are speculating that their is a feud going on between Harry Styles and Louis TomlinsonCredit: Getty – ContributorA new tweet from Louis about his upcoming album release had many eyebrows raisedCredit: AmazonHarry’s new single, Aperture, is being released this FridayCredit: AP
And in one tweet, he wrote: “Going to need your help over the next few days to cut through the noise. Time to give this record the moment it deserves!”
Now, some are reading into his “cut through the noise” comment, suggesting that Harry is “the noise” in this instance.
In the replies to the tweet, one fan said: “Cut through the noise” why do I feel like this is harry shade?”
Others in the replies questioned what Louis meant by the phrase, with one fan even beginning a new Reddit thread to discuss whether he was talking about Harry, who is releasing his single Aperture.
Kicking off the thread, the user wrote: “Louis’s new album, How Did I Get Here?, releases on January 23. Harry Styles just announced his new (and lead) single, Aperture, also releases on that day.
“Many people (mostly Harry fans) are interpreting Louis’s new tweet about cutting through the noise as shade towards Harry.”
They said: “Also worth mentioning Louis commented on Niall’s post announcing new music supporting him, but did not for Harry. What do we think?
“Is there some petty behind the scenes beef between the two, or just a coincidence?”
One account replied: “Hmm if does kind of seem like poor form to release your single on the same day as your former bandmate is scheduled to drop an album.”
Others blasted Harry, who is dating Zoe Kravitz, for releasing his single on the same day as Louis’ new music drop.
However, defending the Watermelon Sugar singer, many brought up the fact that it’s often record labels who decide the date music is released rather than the artist.
“The dates aren’t chosen by artists, they’re being chosen by record label execs, months in advance,” explained one.
Louis asked his fans to “cut through the noise”, which many thought was referring to HarryCredit: Not known, clear with picture deskOne Direction split back in 2016Credit: PA
Countries say board aims to support reconstruction in the Gaza Strip and advance a ‘just and lasting peace’.
Published On 21 Jan 202621 Jan 2026
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Eight countries across the Middle East and Asia have announced plans to join United States President Donald Trump’s so-called “board of peace” in the Gaza Strip, stressing the need to secure a “permanent ceasefire” in the bombarded Palestinian enclave.
The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Qatar said they would be joining the Trump-led board in a joint statement on Wednesday.
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“The Ministers reiterate their countries’ support for the peace efforts led by President Trump,” the statement said.
It added that the board’s mission is aimed at “consolidating a permanent ceasefire, supporting the reconstruction of Gaza, and advancing a just and lasting peace grounded in the Palestinian right to self-determination and statehood in accordance with international law, thereby paving the way for security and stability for all countries and peoples of the region”.
The announcement comes just days after the White House unveiled the makeup of the “board of peace”, which is part of Trump’s 20-point plan to end Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza.
The board, which includes senior Trump advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as well as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, will oversee a Palestinian technocratic committee tasked with managing day-to-day affairs in the Strip.
Palestinians in Gaza, who continue to face deadly Israeli military attacks and restrictions on humanitarian aid, have questioned how the US-led mechanisms will function in practice.
Observers have also raised concerns about Trump’s inclusion of several staunch Israel supporters in the “board of peace”, as well as the participation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
On Wednesday, the office of Netanyahu, who faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes committed in Gaza, said he would take part in the mechanism.
Gaza resident Abu Ramzi al-Sandawi rejected Netanyahu, denouncing the Israeli prime minister as “the leader of the war on Gaza”.
“He destroyed our whole world,” al-Sandawi told Al Jazeera in Gaza City. “It’s known that Netanyahu is the cause of this war.”
At least 466 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since a US-brokered ceasefire came into effect in October, according to the latest figures from the Palestinian Health Ministry in the territory.
Donald Trump delivered a wide-ranging speech at the Davos summit in Switzerland
“Without us, right now you’d all be speaking German,” President Donald Trump told his audience at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss Alps on Wednesday.
He may well have forgotten German is the most widely spoken of the four official languages in Switzerland.
Many people – from Brussels to Berlin to Paris – will have found his speech to be insulting, overbearing and inaccurate.
In it, he presented the idea that Europe is careering down the wrong path. That is a theme Trump has frequently explored, but it has a different impact when delivered on European soil to the faces of supposed friends and allies.
But, even if he keeps his word, the fundamental problem remains that he wants a piece of land the owners say is not for sale.
“What is quite clear after this speech is that the president’s ambition remains intact,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told reporters in Copenhagen.
He said Trump’s comments about the military were “positive in isolation”.
Thousands of miles from Davos in Nuuk, the Greenlandic capital, government officials unveiled a new brochure giving advice to residents about what to do if there were a “crisis” in the territory.
Self-Sufficiency Minister Peter Borg said the document was “an insurance policy”. He said Greenland’s government did not expect to have to use it.
The proposed 10% taxes that are due to kick in from 1 February did not get a mention.
Any hope in Europe that President Trump would take the sting out of this transatlantic crisis was smashed as he began to outline his uncompromising argument for taking the island.
He ignored the European insistence that Greenland is sovereign EU territory and framed its acquisition as a perfectly reasonable transaction given the military support the US had provided the continent for decades.
Trump insisted the US had been wrong to “give back” Greenland after securing it during World War Two.
Greenland has never been part of the United States.
EPA/Shutterstock
Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark
Trump returned to his familiar refrain that the European members of Nato had done nothing for the US.
He disparaged Denmark in particular when recalling how in 1940 it “fell to Germany after just six hours of fighting and was totally unable to defend either itself or Greenland”.
Trump’s military history lesson failed to recall the Danes were a key partner of the US-led invasion of Afghanistan and paid a heavy price.
Many other Nato allies supported the US after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
It was French President Emmanuel Macron who was singled out for the most jibes.
He was mocked for his appearance in sunglasses on Tuesday – he had an eye problem – and his “tough” talking at the podium.
Trump insisted he liked Macron, before continuing: “Hard to believe, isn’t it?”
But the whole joke is wearing thin for many European leaders.
They have spent a year trying to flatter, impress and appease the US president and in return have been presented with their biggest threat to date.
The European Union meets on Thursday in Brussels for an emergency summit, with top European politicians having chosen to reach for their toughest language yet in response to US policy.
Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron drew attention for his stern rebuke of Trump’s threats on Tuesday
The ball is now in the European court – do they ramp up the rhetoric around counter-tariffs and on rolling out the EU’s “trade bazooka”?
Or do they keep their powder dry and wait until 1 February to see if Trump actually follows through on his latest threat?
At the start of his one hour and 12 minute meandering address, President Trump boasted that at home “people are very happy with me”.
After this latest extraordinary round of Trump democracy, it is a sentiment much harder to find in the Europe the president claims to love so much.
Dame Prue Leith has been a part of The Great British Bake Off for nine years but announced on Wednesday that she had quit and rumours about who could replace her instantly started to swirl
Jan. 21 (UPI) — NASA astronaut Suni Williams retired from the agency after 27 years of service, including one nine-month stint when she was stranded on the International Space Station.
Williams has been “a trailblazer in human spaceflight, shaping the future of exploration through her leadership aboard the space station and paving the way for commercial missions to low Earth orbit,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman in a statement.
“Her work advancing science and technology has laid the foundation for Artemis missions to the Moon and advancing toward Mars, and her extraordinary achievements will continue to inspire generations to dream big and push the boundaries of what’s possible,” Isaacman said.
Williams has spent 608 days in space, the second-most of any NASA astronaut. She ranks sixth on the list of longest single spaceflight by an American, tied with NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, both logging 286 days during NASA’s Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Crew-9 missions.
Williams also completed nine spacewalks, totaling 62 hours and 6 minutes, ranking as the most spacewalk time by a woman and fourth-most on the all-time cumulative spacewalk duration list. She was also the first person to run a marathon in space.
The Needham, Mass., native has a bachelor’s degree in physical science from the U.S. Naval Academy and a master’s degree in engineering management from Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne. She is a retired U.S. Navy captain and an accomplished helicopter and fixed-wing pilot. She’s logged more than 4,000 flight hours in 40 different aircraft.
“Anyone who knows me knows that space is my absolute favorite place to be,” Williams said in a statement. “It’s been an incredible honor to have served in the Astronaut Office and have had the opportunity to fly in space three times. I had an amazing 27-year career at NASA, and that is mainly because of all the wonderful love and support I’ve received from my colleagues.”
Williams launched for the first time aboard space shuttle Discovery in December 2006 and returned aboard space shuttle Atlantis. She served as a flight engineer for Expeditions 14/15 and completed a then-record-breaking four spacewalks during the mission.
“From her indelible contributions and achievements to the space station, to her groundbreaking test flight role during the Boeing Starliner mission, her exceptional dedication to the mission will inspire the future generations of explorers,” Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, said in a statement.
Williams served as a NASA Extreme Environments Mission Operations crew member, spending nine days living and working in an underwater habitat. After her first flight, she served as deputy chief of NASA’s Astronaut Office. She was the director of operations in Star City, Russia, after her second mission to the space station. She recently helped establish a helicopter training platform to prepare astronauts for moon landings.
Wilmore, who was stranded on the ISS along with Williams, retired in August.
The moving story of a Tunisian man who refuses to let cancer define his mother’s life and turns her treatment into a celebration of love, joy and resilience.
When Tunisian TV host Hassen becomes a full-time caregiver for his mother Saliha, dying of lung cancer, their home and hospital visits become the backdrop for an intimate family love story. This observational documentary follows them through birthday celebrations, 4am medication, difficult medical consultations and quiet, emotional moments together. Their bond gradually goes beyond conventional parent–child roles, as Hassen works tirelessly to preserve joy, dignity and a sense of normal life for Saliha. As the cancer spreads and her chances fade, they face impossible choices: treatment versus comfort, hope versus honesty, a son’s devotion versus his mother’s exhaustion. After Saliha’s death, we see Hassen back in the studio, hosting live television while still guided by her memory, redefining his mother as “a notion of love” that continues to shape him. Raw but unsentimental, the film captures caregiving as both an act of endurance and a profound declaration of love itself.
YouTube Chief Executive Officer Neal Mohan said combating the rise of low-quality “AI slop” on the platform will be a top priority in 2026, emphasizing the need to embrace artificial intelligence while better safeguarding the video app and its users.
As it becomes harder for users to distinguish real videos from AI-generated ones, “we’re focused on ensuring AI serves the people who make YouTube great — the creators, partners and billions of viewers looking for a deeper connection to the world around them,” Mohan wrote in a blog post highlighting the company’s plans for the year. Good-quality AI content will get YouTube’s support. “AI will be a boon to the creatives who are ready to lean in” and “will remain a tool for expression, not a replacement,” he added.
Like other major tech and social media companies racing to integrate generative AI into their offerings, YouTube parent Alphabet Inc. is grappling with how to harness its power without putting off YouTube’s valuable advertisers, creators and ordinary users. In September, the company announced a slew of generative AI tools for video creators, as it remains in intense competition with rivals including ByteDance Ltd.’s TikTok and Meta Platforms Inc.’s Instagram.
On average, more than 1 million YouTube channels used its AI creation tools daily in December, according to Mohan. Some of the tools are powered by Google DeepMind’s latest video-generation model, Veo 3 Fast.
Mohan said the platform will continue prioritizing its content creators, offering them “the most stable path to earn,” and pursuing its place as “the new TV.”
In addition, Mohan pledged greater transparency and protections from users employing AI to mislead and spam others, including by labeling content made using YouTube’s AI products and removing “any harmful synthetic media” that violate its rules. Mohan also touted new detection tools aimed at helping creators manage the use of their likeness in AI-generated material, including deepfakes, on the site.
AI-generated videos are changing the user experience not only on YouTube, but also on YouTube Kids, its youth-focused site. The growing volume of AI children’s content on both platforms, and the way some of it is designed to keep kids hooked, has raised concerns from parents and child development experts. Mohan said that “building the best place” for children and teens, and “empowering parents to protect their kids in the digital world, not from the digital world,” are also top YouTube priorities this year.
Israeli comedian and former combat soldier Guy Hochman was detained and questioned in Toronto after the Hind Rajab Foundation accused him of war crimes and incitement in Gaza, based on his own social media posts.
In 1948, as the foundations of the Israeli state were being laid upon the ruins of hundreds of Palestinian villages, Albert Einstein wrote a letter to the American Friends of the Fighters for the Freedom of Israel (AFFFI), condemning the growing Zionist militancy within the settler Jewish community. “When a real and final catastrophe should befall us in Palestine the first responsible for it would be the British and the second responsible for it the terrorist organisations built up from our own ranks. I am not willing to see anybody associated with those misled and criminal people.”
Einstein — perhaps the most celebrated Jewish intellectual of the 20th century — refused to conflate his Jewish identity with the violence of Zionism. He turned down the offer to become Israel’s president, rejecting the notion that Jewish survival and self-determination should come at the cost of another people’s displacement and suffering. And yet, if Einstein were alive today, his words would likely be condemned under the current definitions of anti-Semitism adopted by many Western governments and institutions, including the controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition, now endorsed by most Australian universities.
Under the IHRA definition, Einstein’s outspoken criticism of Israel — he called its founding actors “terrorists” and denounced their betrayal of Jewish ethics — would render him suspect. He would be accused not only of delegitimising Israel, but also of anti-Semitism. His moral clarity, once visionary, would today be vilified.
That is why we must untangle the threads of Zionism, colonialism and human rights.
Einstein’s resistance to Zionism was not about denying Jewish belonging or rights; it was about refusing to build those rights on ethno-nationalist violence. He understood what too many people fail to grasp today: that Zionism and Judaism are not synonymous.
Zionism is a political ideology rooted in European colonial logics, one that enforces Jewish supremacy in a land shared historically by Palestinian and other Levantine peoples. To criticise this ideology is not anti-Semitic; it is, rather, a necessary act of justice and a moral act of bearing witness. The religious symbolism that Israel uses is irrelevant in this respect. And yet, in today’s political climate, any critique of Israel — no matter how grounded it might be in international law, historical fact or humanitarian concern — is increasingly branded as anti-Semitism. This conflation shields from accountability a settler-colonial state, and it silences Palestinians and their allies from speaking out on the reality of their oppression. Billions in arms sales, stolen resources and apartheid infrastructure don’t just happen; they’re the reason that legitimate “criticism” gets rebranded as “hate”.
To understand Einstein’s critique, we must confront the truth about Zionism itself. While often framed as a movement for Jewish liberation, Zionism in practice has operated as a colonial project of erasure and domination. The Nakba was not a tragic consequence of war, it was a deliberate blueprint for dispossession and disappearance. Israeli historian Ilan Pappé has detailed how David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first Prime Minister, approved “Plan Dalet” on 10 March, 1948. This included the mass expulsion and execution of Palestinians to create a Jewish-majority state. As Ben-Gurion himself declared chillingly: “Every attack has to end with occupation, destruction and expulsion.”
This is the basis of the Zionist state that we are told not to critique.
Einstein saw this unfolding and recoiled. In another 1948 open letter to the New York Times, he and other Jewish intellectuals described Israel’s newly formed political parties — like Herut (the precursor to Likud) — as “closely akin in… organisation, methods, political philosophy and social appeal to the Nazi and Fascist parties.”
Einstein’s words were not hyperbole, they were a warning. Having fled Nazi Germany, he had direct experience with the defining traits of Nazi fascism. “From Israel’s past actions,” he wrote, “we can judge what it may be expected to do in the future.”
Einstein warned about what many still refuse to see: a state established on principles of ethnic supremacy and expulsion could never transcend its foundation ethos. Israel’s creation in occupied Palestine is Zionism in practice; it cannot endure without employing repression until resistance is erased entirely. Hence, the Nakba wasn’t a one-off event in 1948; it evolved, funded by Washington, armed by Berlin and enabled by every government that trades Palestinian blood for political favours.
Zionism cannot be separated from the broader history of European settler-colonialism. As Patrick Wolfe explains, the ideology hijacked the rhetoric of Jewish liberation to mask its colonial reality of re-nativism, with the settlers recasting themselves as “indigenous” while painting resistance as terrorism.
The father of political Zionism, Theodor Herzl, stated in his manifesto-novel Altneuland, “To build anew, I must demolish before I construct.” To him, Palestine was not seen as a shared homeland, but as a house to be razed to the ground and rebuilt by and for Jews alone. His ideology was made possible by British imperial interests to divide and dominate post-Ottoman territories. Through ethnic partition and military alliances embellished under the 1917 Balfour Declaration to the ironic Zionist-Nazi 1933 Haavara Agreement, the Zionist project aligned perfectly with the West’s goal, as per the 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement.
Zionism is a global power structure, not a monolithic ethnic identity.
Many Jews around the world — rabbis, scholars, students and Holocaust survivors and their descendants — continue Einstein’s legacy by saying “Not in our name”. They reject the co-option of Holocaust memory to justify genocide in Gaza. They refuse to be complicit in what the Torah forbids: the theft of land and the murder of innocents. They are not “self-hating Jews”. They are the inheritors of a prophetic tradition of justice. And they are being silenced.
Perhaps the most dangerous development today is, therefore, Israel’s insistence on linking its crimes to Jewish identity. It frames civilian massacres, apartheid policies and violations of international law as acts done in the name of all Jews and Judaism. By tying the Jewish people to the crimes of a state, Israel risks exposing Jews around the world to collective blame and retaliation.
Einstein warned against this. And if Einstein’s vision teaches us anything, it is this: Justice cannot be compromised for comfort and profit. Truth must outlast repression. And freedom must belong to all. In the end, no amount of Israel’s militarisation of terminology, propaganda or geopolitical alliances can suppress a people’s resistance forever or outlast global condemnation. The only question left is: how much more blood will be spilled before justice prevails?
The struggle for clarity today is not just academic, it is existential. Without the ability to distinguish anti-Semitism from anti-Zionism, we cannot build a future where Jews and Palestinians all live in dignity, safety and peace. Reclaiming the term “Semite” in its full meaning, encompassing both Jews and Arabs, is critical. Further isolation of Arabs from their Semitic identity has enabled the dehumanisation of Palestinians and the erasure of shared Jewish-Arab histories, especially the centuries of coexistence, the Jewish-Muslim golden ages in places like Baghdad, Granada/Andalusia, Istanbul, Damascus and Cairo.
Einstein stood up for the future for us to reclaim it.
The way forward must be rooted in truth, justice and accountability. That means unequivocally opposing anti-Semitism in all its forms, but refusing to allow the term to be manipulated as a shield for apartheid, ethnic cleansing and colonial domination. It means affirming that Jewish safety must never come at the price of Palestinian freedom, and that Palestinian resistance is not hatred; it is survival.
And if Einstein would be silenced today, who will speak tomorrow?
My favorite thing in “The Beauty,” a body-horror procedural adventure from Ryan Murphy and Matthew Hodgson premiering Wednesday on FX and Hulu, is a Chad and Jeremy joke buried in a line of dialogue that will mean nothing to anyone who doesn’t know the ‘60s singing duo responsible for “Distant Shores” and “A Summer Song,” or remember their appearance as the Redcoats on “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” I can almost feel the satisfaction, the inward chuckle that must have accompanied the writing of it. The rest of the series’ 11-episode first season I found somewhat less delightful — but then, delight is the last thing on its mind.
To begin. A supermodel (played by real-life supermodel Bella Hadid) goes berserk on a Paris runway, grabbing water bottles from spectators, draining the contents, throwing bodies around like … empty water bottles. Stealing a motorcycle, she rides recklessly through the streets of Paris as the Prodigy’s “Firestarter” thumps on the soundtrack until she’s knocked flying by a car. Pulling herself almost together, she enters a cafe, grabs and guzzles more water, causes even more grievous bodily harm, is shot, keeps going and, exiting to the street, is confronted by a phalanx of gendarmes with guns drawn. Then she explodes. Cue opening credits.
The show develops information slowly and out of chronological order, so if you’re averse to knowing even the basics of the premise, you may want to stop reading now — though I wouldn’t consider any of what follows a spoiler. At the center of the fun is a drug called the Beauty, which can transform the ugliest duckling into the loveliest swan but after a while develops the unfortunate side effect described above, making hotness literal. (This is why we have the FDA, people.) Even more unfortunate, in respect to global health, once a dose is administered — “One shot and you’re hot” is the series’ log line — it becomes a virus capable of being transmitted sexually, and, given how people are, you know how that’ll go.
This alarms the incomparably wealthy character behind the drug — whom press materials identify only as the Corporation (Ashton Kutcher, Hollywood hunk) in order to keep a secret — not because people might die, but because it threatens his plans to market the Beauty, which has crept out of his control and into the world. (It’s not a great business plan, anyway.) Indeed, his way of cleaning up problems is murder, to which end he employs a sinister figure called the Assassin (Anthony Ramos), though he will do the job himself if convenient. (Anthony will acquire an assistant assassin, Jeremy, played by Jeremy Pope.)
Ashton Kutcher as the Corporation, the wealthy character behind the Beauty.
(Eric Liebowitz / FX)
The case of the exploding supermodel brings into the picture a pair of Paris-based FBI agents, Cooper Madsen (Evan Peters) and Jordan Bennett (Rebecca Hall), and their dry Mulder and Scully banter and tailored-suits panache is my second-favorite thing about “The Beauty.” (Unlike Mulder and Scully, we don’t have to wait around for them to sleep together; we meet them in bed.) As beautiful people keep blowing up in beautiful places, they’ll chase the bug to Venice and Rome and New York, with famous sights highlighted to demonstrate that the production is not doubling locations in Prague or Vancouver. Like nearly everything else in this production and milieu, it smells of money (and vacations written into the budget, maybe), but it still might be my third-favorite thing about the series. That the agents speak French and Italian is a nice, elevating touch.
From “The Picture of Dorian Gray” to “The Substance,” and most every vampire movie ever made, the search for everlasting youth and beauty never ends well. In the world we still manage to call real, one only has to turn on the news to see the self-inflicted carnage this obsession has wrought. (Notably, Murphy first got hot back in 2003 with “Nip/Tuck,” a well-regarded, unpleasant show about cosmetic surgeons.) There is some satirical intent here, I’d wager, regarding the shallow aspirations of this age of Ozempic. That the Corporation has a couple of lunk-headed sons might be meant to call President Trump to mind, though the character stands in for vile billionaires everywhere.
Of course, beauty is subject to taste and culture and all sorts of indefinable things. As Franny Forst, unaccountably married to the Corporation, Isabella Rosselini provides in her person the argument for aging gracefully. (She’ll get a speech about it too.) At the same time, Murphy and Hodgson, adapting a comic by Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley, do not hesitate to make a fat person a sad person. The remodeled … patients, I guess you’d call them, though certainly good-looking, are hot in a generic, almost dull way — the women trim, the men muscled — which feels more sad than exciting. A Nobel-winning scientist will be trotted out to offer an “explanation” of how the drug works and what it can do, but it’s really just magic beans.
There’s plenty of gore and goo — the transformation process is not pretty. Some storylines are meant to be poignant but are overwhelmed by the weirdness or feel exploitative, or the characters aren’t dimensional enough to move you. There are plot twists, of course, and rejiggerings, but it’s too obvious to be really terrifying; the game is given away early. (That doesn’t rule out some icky second-season invention; this one ends on a cliffhanger.)
At the same time, there’s enough nonsense, edging into ridiculousness, that the series might best be approached as a black action-comedy — at the end of the opening scene, the gendarmes are splattered with pieces of supermodel — or a very fancy B (maybe C) picture. “Star Wars” built an empire on the latter.
