LONDON — Goodbye London. Hello bye week.

The Rams’ ended an extended road trip and welcomed some time off with a 35-7 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at Wembley Stadium.

Matthew Stafford passed for five touchdowns — three to Davante Adams and one each to rookies Konata Mumpfield and Terrance Ferguson — and edge rushers Jared Verse and Byron Young led a mostly suffocating defense as the Rams improved their record to 5-2 heading into an off week.

In a light rain, and without injured star receiver Puka Nacua, coach Sean McVay and Stafford poured into 10 different receivers during a victory that made the nine-day road trip worth it.

The Rams were coming off a 17-3 road victory over the Ravens. They remained in Baltimore last week and practiced at Oriole Park at Camden Yards before departing for London on Friday.

They arrived Saturday and played on Sunday.

And they showed no signs of jet lag.

Rams rookie Josaiah Stewart sacks Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence during the second half Sunday.

(Ian Walton / Associated Press)

Verse sacked Trevor Lawrence on the first play, the Rams jumped to a 21-0 halftime lead and cruised as McVay remained unbeaten in London games.

Young, rookie outside linebacker Josaiah Stewart, linebacker Nate Landman, lineman Larrell Murchison and safety Quentin Lake contributed to seven sacks on Lawrence. Lake, who also forced a fumble, and lineman Kobie Turner batted down passes in the backfield.

In 2017, McVay’s first season, the Rams routed the Arizona Cardinals at Twickenham Stadium. Two years later, they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals at Wembley Stadium.

Though Sunday’s game was played thousands of miles from Southern California, it had something of a Rams family feel.

Jaguars coach Liam Coen was an assistant under McVay, and Jaguars first-year general manager James Gladstone worked for nine years under Rams general manager Les Snead.

The week off should benefit Nacua, who did not play because of an ankle injury sustained against the Ravens. The Rams thought it best to rest the third-year pro and let him heal during the off week before they play the New Orleans Saints on Nov. 2 at SoFi Stadium.

Rams wide receiver Davante Adams leaps above Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown to catch his third touchdown pass of the game in the fourth quarter Sunday.

(Ian Walton / Associated Press)

That opened the door for Adams and others.

By the end of the first quarter, Stafford had completed passes to seven of eight different receivers targeted, including touchdowns to Mumpfield and two to Adams.

Stafford connected with Ferguson and Adams for touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Adams and Stafford had said in Baltimore that they were still working to find their timing together.

They found it Sunday: Adams caught five passes for 35 yards, and all of his short touchdown receptions were on the kinds of red-zone plays the Rams envisioned when they signed the three-time All-Pro.

Stafford completed 21 of 33 passes for only 182 yards, but he made them count.

So for the first time since 2021, the Rams will go into their off week with a winning record.

In 2023, the Rams were 3-6 at the bye and then won seven of eight games to finish 10-7 and make the playoffs.

Last season, they were 1-4 at the bye and then won nine of 12 games to finish 10-7 and make the playoffs.

But Sunday’s victory trends closer to 2017, when the Rams shut out the Cardinals, 33-0, at Twickenham Stadium to improve to 5-2 going into the bye. The Rams went on to win the NFC West and make the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

After taking trips to Tennessee, Philadelphia, Baltimore and London, the Rams will leave the West Coast only twice for a Nov. 30 game at Carolina and a Dec. 29 game at Atlanta.

They had to feel good about that as they prepared for their long flight home.

Thieves have stolen priceless jewels from the Louvre in a brazen heist that only took minutes, according to the French government. The suspects are believed to have escaped on scooters while the world’s most visited museum was forced to close for the day.

United Nations demands the release of its employees after Houthi forces raided a facility and detained staff in Sanaa.

Yemen’s Houthi authorities have detained about two dozen United Nations employees after raiding another UN-run facility in the capital Sanaa, the UN has confirmed.

Jean Alam, spokesperson for the UN’s resident coordinator in Yemen, said staff were detained inside the compound in the city’s Hada district on Sunday.

Those held include at least five Yemeni employees and 15 international personnel. A further 11 UN staff were briefly questioned and later released.

Alam said the UN is in direct contact with the Houthis and other relevant actors “to resolve this serious situation as swiftly as possible, end the detention of all personnel, and restore full control over its facilities in Sanaa”.

A separate UN official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said Houthi forces confiscated all communication equipment inside the facility, including computers, phones and servers.

The staff reportedly belong to several UN agencies, among them the World Food Programme (WFP), the children’s agency UNICEF and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The incident follows a sustained crackdown by the Houthis on the UN and other international aid organisations operating in territory under their control, including Sanaa, the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, and Saada province in the north.

According to UN figures, more than 50 staff members have now been detained.

Houthis claim UN staff are spying for Israel

The Houthis have repeatedly accused detained UN staff and employees of foreign NGOs and embassies of espionage on behalf of the United States and Israel, allegations that the UN has denied.

In reaction to previous detentions, the UN suspended operations in Saada earlier this year and relocated its top humanitarian coordinator in Yemen from Sanaa to Aden, the seat of the internationally recognised government.

In a statement on Saturday, UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stephane Dujarric warned: “We will continue to call for an end to the arbitrary detention of 53 of our colleagues.”

Dujarric was responding to a televised address by Houthi leader Abdelmalek al-Houthi, who claimed his group had dismantled “one of the most dangerous spy cells”, alleging it was “linked to humanitarian organisations such as the World Food Programme and UNICEF”. Dujarric said the accusations were “dangerous and unacceptable”.

Saturday’s raid comes amid a sharp escalation in detentions. Since August 31, 2025, alone, at least 21 UN personnel have been arrested, alongside 23 current and former employees of international NGOs, the UN said.

Ten years of conflict have left Yemen, already one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, facing what the UN describes as one of the gravest humanitarian crises globally, with millions reliant on aid for survival.

Digital bank Nu Holdings (NU 2.00%) has a market capitalization of $72 billion — and that makes it a sizable business. However, many American investors might not know that much about the company because it operates in Latin America and has no U.S. presence.

Here’s a perfect example of why it’s important to understand that there are investment opportunities in international markets. This fintech stock might prove that point. Should you buy Nu Holdings while it’s trading below $16? Here’s why that might be a smart decision.

Image source: Getty Images.

Customer additions and revenue growth are through the roof

The market loves a good growth story — and Nu Holdings is exactly that. The company’s customer base went from 65 million at the end of Q2 2022 to 123 million as of June 30. In Nu’s home country of Brazil, the business counts 60% of the adult population as its customers. Newer markets of Mexico and Colombia are registering remarkable success, even though Nu’s penetration is still in the early stages in these countries.

Nu is benefiting from some notable tailwinds. It helps that internet and smartphone penetration in Latin America continue to grow. This provides a favorable backdrop for a digital-only bank like Nu to find broader adoption.

Essentially, Nu is riding the wave of the Latin American economy’s development. Given that a large portion of the population here is still unbanked or underbanked, Nu still has lots of potential for growth.

The company’s revenue increased 29% year over year in Q2. Wall Street consensus sell-side analyst estimates believe the top line will rise by 67% between 2025 and 2027. That outlook should make shareholders excited.

Nu’s focus on product innovation should help it reach more customers. Management has also hinted at entering new countries in the future, basically replicating strategies that have worked so well in its existing markets.

This is an extremely profitable enterprise

Companies that have access to cheap capital usually care about growth more than anything else when it comes to strategic priorities. That’s why over the past decade or so, some businesses have put up huge gains, adding customers and increasing sales rapidly. The issue, however, is that these companies don’t care about profits.

Nu bucks this trend and stands out. It’s an extremely profitable enterprise, which might be a surprise to many. Nu registered $1.2 billion in net income through the first six months of 2025. That translated to a phenomenal net profit margin of 17.4%. The margin has generally increased in recent years, which underscores the company’s ability to scale up in a lucrative manner.

Investors should pay attention to the unit economics. It cost the company $0.80 per month in Q2 to serve the average customer. But on the flip side, the average revenue per active customer came in at $12.20. After viewing these two figures, it makes sense why the leadership team is trying to grow so quickly.

Nu also has the advantage of not running any physical bank branches. A brick-and-mortar retail strategy like this would entail sizable operating expenses. Nu avoids this, which can help drive higher margins over time.

This fintech stock trades at a reasonable valuation

In the past three years, Nu’s shares have skyrocketed 262% (as of Oct. 16), thanks to incredible fundamental performs that has caught the market’s attention. After such a phenomenal gain, investors might be questioning the stock’s appeal. The last thing you’d want to do is overpay.

That’s certainly not the case here. The valuation still looks very compelling. Investors can buy the stock at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 18.7. At under $16 per share, there is sizable upside over the next five years from the possibility of both higher earnings and valuation expansion.

A theme of Celtic’s season has been Rodgers bemoaning their transfer business and a perceived lack of quality brought into the club.

He has regularly been asked about and pointed out the goals that have been taken out of his squad with the sales of Kyogo Furuhashi last January and Nicolas Kuhn in the summer, in addition to Jota’s long-term injury absence.

Sebastian Tounekti and Michel-Ange Balikwisha arrived to bolster Rodgers’ attacking options after they had already been dumped out of Champions League qualifying by Kazakh champions Kairat, while Kelechi Iheanacho arrived on a free after the window had closed.

And after they failed to fire in attack once again, Rodgers appeared to criticise the quality within his squad.

“I think the challenge from the summer, now leading into here, where we lost a lot of firepower, a lot of goals out on the team,” he said.

“And there’s no way you’ll go into a race and be given the keys to a Honda Civic and say, ‘I want you to drive it like a Ferrari’. It’s not going to happen.”

He insists it is up to him to find “solutions” to their goal-scoring issues, be it through changes to personnel or formation.

“Until something changes, I have to find the solutions,” he added.

“Because like I said, goals, speed, everything has come out of the team and we need to find a way to be better.

“We had the opportunities to do what we needed to do. It didn’t happen, so now it’s finding ways, whether it’s 4-3-3, whether it’s 3-4-3, whether it’s 3-5-2. We’re trying to look at all these different permutations within the team.”

Oct. 19 (UPI) — A group of thieves broke into the Louvre Museum on Sunday morning and stole priceless jewels before fleeing on motorcycles, the famed institution confirmed to UPI.

A representative for the Louvre said that several people broke in through a window in the Apollo Gallery, which houses many of France’s royal jewels, around 9:30 a.m. local time after the museum had already opened its doors to the public.

Inside, the thieves stole jewelry from their display cases. French media later reported that they made off with seven jewels owned by Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife, Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais.

“An investigation has begun, and a detailed list of the stolen items is being compiled,” museum officials said in a statement. “Beyond their market value, these items have inestimable heritage and historical value.”

After the theft, the museum was evacuated “without incident” and no injuries were reported among the public, museum staff or law enforcement, the representative said.

The museum shared on social media that it would be closed Sunday for “exceptional reasons.”

“At the Louvre Museum this morning to commend the exemplary commitment of the staff mobilized following the theft,” Culture Minister Rachida Dati shared on social media after visiting the site.

“Respect for their responsiveness and professionalism. Together with President Emmanuel Macron, we extend our sincere thanks to them.”

Dati told French TV channel TF1 on Sunday that one of the jewels was later found and that the entire heist lasted only four minutes. She called the thieves “professionals.”

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said Sunday that “everything is being done” to find the thieves.

“The mobilization of investigators will be total, under the authority of the Parquet de Paris,” Nuñez said. The Parquet de Paris is the public prosecution office in the French capital. “Attacking the Louvre is attacking our history and our heritage.”

The news comes just days after the Louvre announced that two 18th-century snuff boxes that were stolen during a violent armed robbery in 2024 while they were on loan to the Cognacq-Jay Museum have been found and returned.

The fire gutted import cargo terminals areas at Dhaka airport, destroying an estimated $1bn of ‘urgent air shipments’.

A fire that decimated a cargo complex in Bangladesh’s largest airport has caused devastating losses to garment exporters during the peak export season.

The blaze – which ripped through the cargo import area of Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Saturday afternoon – gutted storage areas holding huge quantities of raw materials, apparel and product samples belonging to exporters.

“We have witnessed a devastating scene inside,” said Faisal Samad, director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

“The entire import section has been reduced to ashes,” he said, estimating losses could reach as high as $1bn.

Smoke continued to rise from the charred remains of the facility on Sunday as firefighters and airport officials assessed the damage.

Among the destroyed goods are “urgent air shipments”, including garments, raw materials, and product samples, added Inamul Haq Khan, senior vice-president of BGMEA.

He warned that the loss of samples could jeopardise future business in the country’s crucial garment industry, worth $47bn per year. “These samples are essential for securing new buyers and expanding orders. Losing them means our members may miss out on future opportunities,” he said.

Cause of blaze unclear

The airport cargo village that caught fire is one of Bangladesh’s busiest logistics hubs, handling more than 600 metric tons of dry cargo daily – a figure that doubles during the October to December peak season.

“Every day, around 200 to 250 factories send their products by air,” Khan said. “Given that scale, the financial impact is significant.”

The cause of the blaze has not yet been determined, and an investigation is under way.

The incident marks the third major fire reported in Bangladesh this week. A fire on Tuesday at a garment factory and an adjacent chemical warehouse in Dhaka killed at least 16 people and injured others. On Thursday, another burned down a seven-storey garment factory building in an export processing zone in Chittagong.

The government said the security services were investigating all incidents “thoroughly”, and warned that “any credible evidence of sabotage or arson will be met with a swift and resolute response.”

“No act of criminality or provocation will be allowed to disrupt public life or the political process,” it said, urging calm.

Bangladesh is the world’s second-largest exporter of apparel after China. The sector, which supplies major global retailers such as Walmart, H&M and the Gap, employs about four million workers and generates more than a tenth of the country’s GDP.

The fire is expected to delay shipments and pose additional challenges in meeting international delivery deadlines.

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures held its fifth annual star-studded fundraising gala Saturday at its Wilshire Boulevard campus.

An unrecognizable Kim Kardashian, Selena Gomez, Demi Moore and Elle and Dakota Fanning were among the celebrity guests at the event, which debuted in 2021 upon the film museum’s long-awaited opening. The gala raises funds for museum exhibitions, education initiatives and public programming.

The Academy Museum collected more than $11 million in donations at last year’s gala, which honored Quentin Tarantino, Paul Mescal and Rita Moreno.

This year’s gala honorees included actor Penélope Cruz, director Walter Salles, comedian Bowen Yang and musician Bruce Springsteen, who was presented with the inaugural Legacy Award and performed live at the ceremony. A biopic about the rock legend, starring “The Bear’s” Jeremy Allen White, hits theaters Oct. 24.

Springsteen and Cruz, the recipient of this year’s Icon Award, are both Academy Award winners, the former for his original song “Streets of Philadelphia” — which he wrote for Tom Hanks’ 1993 legal drama “Philadelphia” — and the latter for her role in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (2008).

Salles, presented with the Luminary Award for innovative filmmaking, last year gave Brazil its first Academy Award for international film with his moving family drama “I’m Still Here.” Fernanda Torres was also nominated for her role as the Paiva family matriarch in the 2024 movie.

Yang received the Vantage Award, “honoring an artist or scholar who has helped to contextualize and challenge dominant narratives around cinema.” The “SNL” darling and “Las Culturistas” podcast host will return as Glinda’s sidekick Pfannee in “Wicked: For Good,” hitting theaters Nov. 21.

Gala attendees spared no expense with their donations or their ensembles, with Jenna Ortega wearing a futuristic Grace Ling halter top, Rachel Zegler channeling Old Hollywood in Tamara Ralph Couture, Olivia Rodrigo sporting vintage Giorgio Armani Privé and Eva Longoria rocking Elie Saab.

Here are the best looks, captured by Times photographer Eric Thayer.

Jeremy Allen White

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Jenna Ortega

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Amanda Seyfried

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Zoe Kravitz

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Penelope Cruz

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

George Clooney

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Kirsten Dunst

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Eddie Redmayne

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Bruce Springsteen and Martin Scorsese

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Zoey Deutch

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Demi Moore

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Charli XCX

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Michelle Monaghan

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Elle Fanning

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Addison Rae

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Channing Tatum

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Jon Hamm and Anna Osceola

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times )

Rachel Zegler

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Cara Delevingne

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Jeremy Strong

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Dakota Fanning

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Mikey Madison

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Laura Dern

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Sydney Sweeney

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Joey King

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Alison Brie and Dave Franco

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Kate Hudson

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Billy Crudup and Naomi Watts

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Jennifer Hudson

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Leslie Bibb

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Eva Longoria

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Trade tariffs are mixing up the global economy in 2025. The Trump administration has issued double-digit import fees on goods from most countries, with even higher rates in markets like China and India. Some of these tariffs are currently in effect, while others are pending, with a patchwork of countermeasures issued by the targeted countries. To keep an eye on this messy situation, check out The Motley Fool’s tariff and trade investigation tracker — a living document that does all the hard data-tracking work for you.

Few companies are more international than IBM (IBM 1.82%) — Big Blue even has “international” in its name. It runs research labs on six continents, has more employees in India than the United States, and runs business offices in more than 170 countries. Almost exactly half of IBM’s revenues were collected in the Americas in 2024, which also includes Canada and Latin America.

Surely this global giant must feel the pinch from criss-crossing tariff policies, right? As it turns out, IBM isn’t too concerned with the ongoing trade tensions.

Image source: Getty Images.

How exposed is IBM to the tariff tango?

There are different ways to figure out IBM’s tariff exposure. I could take the complicated web of current and future tariff rates, apply them to each of IBM’s products and services in various countries, and create an intimidating spreadsheet. Or I could look for management’s statements about the tariff challenge.

The company helped me out by addressing the unpredictable tariff policies in the first-quarter earnings call. This call took place on April 23, three weeks after Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff announcement.

“Over the last several years, we have strategically diversified and streamlined our supply chain,” said CFO Jim Kavanaugh. “Goods imported to the U.S. represent less than 5% of our overall spend and under current U.S. tariff policy, the impact to IBM is minimal.”

Why IBM shrugs at tariff headlines

That brief statement means a couple of things to me:

• It’s IBM’s only official discussion of tariffs in 2025, even though the trade expenses have shifted significantly since April. In other words, the tariff issue is hardly worth mentioning.
• Applying tariff rates to “less than 5%” of IBM’s global spending is not exactly nothing, of course. I’d hate to cover that multimillion-dollar bill from my personal accounts. IBM still builds mainframe computers, requiring parts from tariff-laden countries like China or the European Union. But the cost of products and services stopped at 16.3% of total revenues last year, and 5% of that gross expense ratio is less than 1% of IBM’s incoming revenues. Even if every tariff were a beefy 100% surcharge, that’s a pretty manageable extra cost — and most of the international trade fees are far smaller.

IBM plays it safe anyway

I’m still waiting for IBM to issue further updates about the tariff situation, but I’m not holding my breath in anticipation. Yes, the company is tremendously global, but it can still operate comfortably without running into game-changing tariff expenses.

At the same time, IBM is taking action to minimize even this modest financial impact. Kavanaugh also noted that IBM is looking into alternative sources for tariff-laden components. Every dollar counts, you know.

Furthermore, Big Blue announced a $150 billion American investment plan at the end of April. The company will move significant manufacturing and research assets to domestic soil over the next five years, starting with $30 billion of mainframe development and quantum computing research operations. Again, the tariffs don’t really hurt, but it can’t be a bad idea to minimize the financial sting anyway. Plus, this homebound manufacturing move might unlock unrelated favors from the Trump team.

So, it makes sense to take some tariff-dodging action, but IBM would barely notice the extra costs anyhow. I don’t expect Big Blue to suffer a tariff-related downturn any time soon.

WEEK 9

(All games at 7 p.m. unless noted)

THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE

CITY SECTION

East Valley League

Arleta at Fulton, 3:30 p.m.

Monroe at Grant

North Hollywood at Chavez

Verdugo Hills at Sun Valley Poly

Eastern League

Huntington Park at South Gate

South East at Legacy

Exposition League

Marquez at Manual Arts

SOUTHERN SECTION

605 League

Cerritos at Pioneer

Glenn at Artesia

Big West Upper League

Corona Centennial at Norco, 7:30 p.m.

Eastvale Roosevelt at Chaparral, 7:30 p.m.

Cottonwood League

Trinity Classical at Temecula Prep, 7:30 p.m.

Delta League

Capistrano Valley at El Modena

Western at Tustin

Desert Empire League

Shadow Hills at La Quinta

Desert Sky League

Granite Hills at Barstow, 7:30 p.m.

Silverado at Victor Valley, 7:30 p.m.

Epsilon League

Laguna Hills at La Habra

Foxtrot League

Northwood at Fountain Valley

Golden League

Lancaster at Highland

Hacienda League

Covina at Walnut

Inland Valley League

Moreno Valley at Lakeside, 7:30 p.m.

Iota League

El Toro at Santa Ana

Kappa League

St. Margaret’s at Garden Grove

Lambda League

Fullerton at Sunny Hills

Manzanita League

Nuview Bridge at San Jacinto Valley Academy

Miramonte League

Garey at Workman

Mojave River League

Ridgecrest Burroughs at Oak Hills

Serrano at Apple Valley, 7:30 p.m.

Montview League

Azusa at Sierra Vista

Hacienda Heights Wilson at Ontario

Pomona at Nogales

Mountain Pass League

Elsinore at Tahquitz, 7:30 p.m.

Sunkist League

Eisenhower at Grand Terrace, 7:30 p.m.

Tango League

Costa Mesa at Westminster La Quinta

Valle Vista League

San Dimas at Baldwin Park

West Covina at Diamond Ranch

Zeta League

Savanna at Godinez

8-MAN

SOUTHERN SECTION

Heritage League

Santa Clarita Christian at Milken, 6 p.m.

Majestic League

Highland Entrepreneur at Cornerstone Christian, 5 p.m.

Nonleague

Lancaster Baptist at Noli Indian

FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE

CITY SECTION

Central League

Bernstein at Roybal

Contreras at Mendez

Hollywood at Belmont, 4 p.m.

Coliseum League

King/Drew at Crenshaw

Washington at Dorsey

Eastern League

Garfield vs. LA Roosevelt at East LA College

Exposition League

Angelou at Santee

Marine League

Narbonne at Carson, 7:30 p.m.

San Pedro at Gardena, 4 p.m.

Metro League

Locke at Hawkins

Northern League

Eagle Rock at LA Wilson, 7:30 p.m.

Lincoln at LA Marshall, 7:30 p.m.

Southern League

West Adams at Rivera

Valley Mission League

Granada Hills Kennedy at San Fernando, 7:30 p.m.

Panorama at Van Nuys

Reseda at Sylmar

West Valley League

Birmingham at Granada Hills

Chatsworth at El Camino Real

Cleveland at Taft

Western League

LA University at Fairfax, 7:30 p.m.

Palisades at LA Hamilton

Venice at Westchester, 7:30 p.m.

Nonleague

Fremont at Maywood CES

Jordan at Los Angeles, 3:30 p.m.

SOUTHERN SECTION

Almont League

Alhambra at San Gabriel

Keppel at Bell Gardens

Schurr at Montebello

Alpha League

Los Alamitos at San Clemente

Mission Viejo at Edison

Angelus League

St. Francis at Paraclete

St. Paul at Alemany

St. Pius X-St. Matthias at Cathedral

Baseline League

Ayala at Upland

Damien at Chino Hills

Etiwanda at Rancho Cucamonga

Bay League

Inglewood at Palos Verdes, 3:30 p.m.

Lawndale at Culver City

Mira Costa at Leuzinger

Big West Lower League

Corona at Corona Santiago

Riverside King at Murrieta Mesa

Temecula Valley at Great Oak

Big West Upper League

Murrieta Valley at Vista Murrieta

Bravo League

Corona del Mar at Tesoro

Villa Park at San Juan Hills

Yorba Linda at Newport Harbor

Camino Real League

St. Bernard at St. Genevieve

Channel League

Moorpark at Royal

Oak Park at Ventura

Oxnard at Buena

Citrus Belt League

Beaumont at Citrus Valley

Redlands at Cajon

Redlands East Valley at Yucaipa

Citrus Coast League

Del Sol at Santa Clara

Grace at Channel Islands

Nordhoff at Carpinteria

Conejo Coast League

Calabasas at Rio Mesa

Newbury Park at Thousand Oaks

Westlake at Santa Barbara

Cottonwood League

Riverside Prep at Silver Valley

Del Rey League

La Salle at Cantwell-Sacred Heart

St. Anthony at Salesian

Del Rio League

La Serna at Whittier

Santa Fe at California

Delta League

Trabuco Hills at Cypress

Desert Empire League

Palm Springs at Palm Desert

Rancho Mirage at Xavier Prep

Desert Valley League

Coachella Valley at Twentynine Palms

Indio at Yucca Valley

Epsilon League

El Dorado at Foothill

Huntington Beach at Crean Lutheran

Foothill League

Castaic vs. Saugus at Canyon Country Canyon

Golden Valley vs. West Ranch at College of the Canyons

Hart at Valencia

Foxtrot League

Aliso Niguel at Orange

Laguna Beach at Dana Hills

Gano League

Don Lugo at Chaffey

Rowland at Montclair

Gateway League

La Mirada at Paramount

Mayfair at Dominguez

Warren at Downey

Gold Coast League

Desert Christian Academy at Viewpoint

Rio Hondo Prep at Brentwood

Golden League

Eastside at Palmdale

Knight at Littlerock

Quartz Hill at Antelope Valley

Hacienda League

Los Altos at Diamond Bar

South Hills at Chino

Inland Valley League

Citrus Hill at Heritage

Perris at Canyon Springs

Iota League

Anaheim Canyon at Sonora

Troy at Irvine

Ironwood League

Capistrano Valley Christian at Aquinas

Cerritos Valley Christian at Heritage Christian

Ontario Christian at Village Christian

Ivy League

Liberty at Rancho Verde

Orange Vista at Riverside North

Vista del Lago at Paloma Valley

Kappa League

Segerstrom at Brea Olinda

Westminster at Esperanza

Lambda League

Beckman at Placentia Valencia

La Palma Kennedy at Marina

Manzanita League

California Military Institute at Anza Hamilton

Desert Chapel at Vasquez

Marmonte League

Bishop Diego at. St. Bonaventure

Camarillo at Oaks Christian

Simi Valley at Oxnard Pacifica

Mesquite League

Arrowhead Christian at Western Christian

Linfield Christian at Whittier Christian

Maranatha at Big Bear

Mid-Cities League

Bellflower at Lynwood

Compton Early College at Gahr

Firebaugh at Norwalk

Miramonte League

Bassett at Ganesha

La Puente at Duarte

Mission League

Loyola at Chaminade

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame at Serra

Sierra Canyon at Bishop Amat

Mission Valley League

Pasadena Marshall at Gabrielino

Rosemead at Arroyo

South El Monte at El Monte

Mojave River League

Hesperia at Sultana

Moore League

Long Beach Jordan at Long Beach Wilson

Long Beach Poly at Long Beach Cabrillo

Millikan at Compton

Mountain Pass League

San Jacinto at West Valley

Mountain Valley League

Indian Springs at San Bernardino

Pacific at Miller

Ocean League

Beverly Hills at Hawthorne

Compton Centennial at West Torrance

Omicron League

Garden Grove Pacifica at Katella

Irvine University at Woodbridge

Portola at Buena Park

Pacific League

Arcadia at Pasadena

Burbank at Glendale

Crescenta Valley at Burbank Burroughs

Muir at Hoover, 5:30 p.m.

Pioneer League

Peninsula at Redondo Union

South Torrance at North Torrance

Torrance at Santa Monica

Rio Hondo League

San Marino at Monrovia

South Pasadena at Temple City

River Valley League

Jurupa Valley at Ramona

Rubidoux at Norte Vista

San Andreas League

Kaiser at San Gorgonio

Rim of the World at Colton

Sierra League

Bonita at Los Osos

Charter Oak at Colony

Glendora at Claremont

Sigma League

Estancia at Ocean View

Rancho Alamitos at Santa Ana Calvary Chapel

Santa Ana Valley at Los Amigos

Skyline League

Fontana at Arroyo Valley

Rialto at Carter

Riverside Notre Dame at Bloomington

Sun Valley League

Cathedral City at Banning

Desert Mirage at Desert Hot Springs

Sunbelt League

Arlington at Hemet

Rancho Christian at Hillcrest

Valley View at Riverside Poly

Tango League

Loara at Garden Grove Santiago

Tri-County League

Agoura at San Marcos

Dos Pueblos at Fillmore

Santa Paula at Hueneme

Trinity League

JSerra vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium

Orange Lutheran at Santa Margarita

Servite at St. John Bosco

Valle Vista League

Alta Loma at Northview

Zeta League

Century at Saddleback

Nonleague

Bermuda Dunes Desert Christian at Viewpoint

El Segundo at El Rancho

INTERSECTIONAL

Rancho Dominguez at Verbum Dei, 4 p.m.

St. Monica at Franklin

8-MAN

CITY SECTION

City League

New Designs at Animo Jackie Robinson

USC Hybrid at New Designs Watts

Valley League

South LA College Prep at East Valley

Valley Oaks CES at Teach Tech

SOUTHERN SECTION

Agape League

PAL Charter at Academy for Careers & Exploration

Coast Valley League

San Luis Obispo Classical Academy at Maricopa

Heritage League

Lancaster Desert Christian at Faith Baptist, 6:30 p.m.

Majestic League

Public Safety Academy at United Christian

Tri-Valley League

Cate at Sage Hill, 6 p.m.

Chadwick at Flintridge Prep, 6:30 p.m.

INTERSECTIONAL

Hesperia Christian at Fresno Christian, 6 p.m.

Hillcrest Christian at Vacaville Kairos

Lighthouse Christian at Sherman Oaks CES

Lucerne Valley at Warner Springs Warner, 3 p.m.

Model School for the Deaf (Washington D.C.) at CSDR

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE

SOUTHERN SECTION

Cottonwood League

Santa Rosa Academy at Webb, 1 p.m.

Del Rey League

Crespi vs. Harvard-Westlake at SoFi Stadium, 8 p.m.

River Valley League

Patriot at La Sierra

8-MAN

SOUTHERN SECTION

Agape League

Victor Valley Christian at Hesperia Christian, 6 p.m.

Coast Valley League

Valley Christian Academy at Cuyama Valley, 6 p.m.

Express League

Avalon at Downey Calvary Chapel, 12 p.m.

Southlands Christian at Vista Meridian, 6:30 p.m.

Frontier League

Villanova Prep at Laguna Blanca, 1 p.m.

Nonleague

Pasadena Poly at Lighthouse Christian

When the ceasefire in Gaza was announced, I experienced a range of mixed emotions. I felt joy that the bombs had finally stopped, but also dread that they could resume at any time. I felt optimistic that we could go back to normal life, but also anxious that this could once again be short-lived.

As an English teacher, I hope to see education restored as soon as possible. Education is the only means of reviving hope and helping children start to overcome the trauma of two years of genocide. It can provide a sense of normalcy and purpose. That is why it ought to be Gaza’s top priority.

Before the start of the genocide, I taught English to elementary and middle school pupils at an educational centre and a public girls’ school in Gaza City.  The school was destroyed in the first weeks of the war; the education centre was badly damaged.

My family and I were forced to flee our home. A few months later, I started teaching in a tent; it was a local initiative run by volunteers. There were no desks in the tent; my students – ranging from six to 12 years of age – were sitting on the floor. The conditions of teaching were difficult, but I was committed to helping kids continue their education.

By late December 2024, pens, books, and notebooks started to entirely vanish from shops and markets. A single notebook would cost anywhere from 20 to 30 shekels ($6 to $9), if it was available at all. This was out of reach for the majority of families.

When the shortage of paper, books and pens became palpable, some of my pupils started arriving at class without anything to write on; others would collect scraps of paper from the rubble of homes and arrive at class with that; others still would write in tiny letters on the backs of old sheets of paper preserved by their families. Because pens were so scarce, several children would often have to share a single pen.

Since writing and reading, the cornerstone of education, became so difficult to do, we educators had to come up with alternative teaching strategies. We did group recitation, oral storytelling, and songs.

Despite the lack of supplies, children had an amazing will to continue learning. Seeing them struggling with old scraps of paper filled me with admiration and anguish; I was proud of their will to learn in spite of everything, and their perseverance inspired me.

I had a special notebook my grandmother had gifted me years ago, which I used as a diary. I wrote in it my dreams and my secrets. After the war, I filled the pages with stories of bomb explosions, homeless families sleeping in the street, starvation I had never experienced before, and suffering in the absence of even the most basic necessities.

On one particular school day in August, when the majority of my pupils showed up without any paper, I knew what I had to do. I took my notebook and I started tearing its pages, one by one, giving them to my students.

With so many kids, my notebook’s pages ran out in a single day. My students then had to go back to the scraps of paper or cardboard.

The truce may have put a stop to the bombs, but my students are still without paper and pens. Humanitarian aid has started coming into Gaza once again. Food, medicine, and materials for shelter are coming in. These are all crucial. But we also urgently need educational supplies and support to put education back on track for Gaza’s 600,000 schoolchildren.

Books, pens and paper are not just school supplies. They are a lifeline that can help the children of Gaza triumph over war, destruction and immense loss. They are critical tools that can sustain their perseverance and willpower to live, learn and see a bright future.

Children can recover from the trauma of war and regain a sense of security with the aid of education. Learning gives them back the structure, self-assurance, and hope for a brighter future that are necessary for both community healing and psychological rehabilitation.

We need to give children who lost two years of education the opportunity to write, learn, and dream again.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

Amber Davies was forced to scrap a dangerous lift from her Strictly Come Dancing routine after sleepless nights and stress, admitting the intense rehearsals have left her completely exhausted

Strictly Come Dancing star Amber Davies has admitted she ditched a high-risk move from her Argentine Tango after days of stress and sleepless nights.

The 29-year-old, partnered with professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin, had planned an ambitious lift that had never been attempted on the BBC show before but ultimately decided it was too risky to perform live.

Amber explained: “We had one big lift that wasn’t working, we were in panic mode, but we are Team Chaos – that’s what we’ve called ourselves. It’s a big, giant lift that’s never been done on Strictly before.

“I’ve had a few sleepless nights and woken up with heart palpitations. We were only getting it right one out of five times, and we just can’t go into the live show with a risk like that. It’s ten times harder than any other routine we’ve ever done.”

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She added: “I didn’t realise there were so many rules and regulations when it comes to different styles of dance.”

The West End performer admitted that the intense training schedule has left her physically drained. “My left leg is black and blue, if you’ve got a bruise you’re doing well,” she told The Sun.

“I’m training 9am to 6pm Monday to Thursday, but if Nikita sees I’ve gone dead behind the eyes, he’ll send me home early. He’s strict but makes sure I’m coping mentally and physically.”

Amber confessed she’s been eating “ten times more than Nikita” to keep her energy up. “I am ravenous constantly. I could eat for Britain. I’m eating five bananas a day, if he gives me two minutes to sip water, I’ll yomp a banana down. I’m eating so many carbs too.”

The former Love Island star joined the competition unexpectedly after Dani Dyer withdrew in week two due to a fractured ankle and Amber had just six hours of rehearsal before her debut.

“The opportunity came up in the most chaotic way,” she said. “I was on the show within 24 hours. I never met with the Strictly team before, so when I got the call, my agent told me to sit down.

“It took my breath away. On that first performance, the only way I got through it was looking in Nikita’s eyes. My body was numb from head to toe. He said I was shaking like a leaf. I don’t even remember it.”

Amber also praised her boyfriend, musical theatre actor Ben Joyce, for supporting her during the gruelling weeks of training.

“My gorgeous boyfriend looks after me, he runs me a bath every night, cooks dinner and gives me a foot rub when I get home,” she said.

Strictly Come Dancing returns tonight at 7.15pm on BBC and BBC iPlayer.

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After decades of saving and investing, it’s time to make tough retirement decisions. It’s up to you to determine whether you want to downsize your home or relocate to another state. It’s you who’s responsible for coming up with a spending plan that ensures your money will be available for as long as you need it. And it’s you who decides how to use different sources of retirement income, including Social Security.

You’re not alone. Nearly nine out of 10 Americans age 65 and older receive Social Security, meaning there are millions of others making the same decisions. I’ve planned how I want to spend Social Security, and here’s what I came up with:

Image source: Getty Images.

Guaranteed income

Since I tend to be financially conservative, I’ve decided to let my retirement accounts ride as long as possible. I’ll begin taking required minimum distributions (RMDs) by the time I’m 75, but until then, the goal is to live on guaranteed income, and that’s where Social Security comes into play.

Guaranteed income refers to a steady stream of income you can rely on to cover living expenses in retirement. While I have no way of knowing whether Congress will come up with a way to shore up Social Security or if I’ll receive as much as I expect by the time I begin collecting benefits, I still consider it part of my guaranteed income plan. Here are some other common sources of guaranteed income:

• Bonds
• Some types of life insurance
• Part-time employment
• Annuities
• Pensions
• Stocks
• Real estate
• Royalties
• Home equity (when needed)

I am counting on Social Security, a pension, royalties, and — since I never want to stop working entirely — part-time employment. This is the money I’ll use to pay living expenses and to cover some of the fun things I suspect my husband will want to do after he finally retires.

Why this plan works for me

When I was younger, I imagined throwing everything — including guaranteed income and withdrawals from our retirement accounts — into a single pot and using that money to live. It was my favorite compound interest calculator that changed my mind.

Let’s say I begin collecting Social Security at age 67, and for illustration purposes, imagine that I have $200,000 in a retirement account. I could begin drawing it down at that point, or I could leave it alone until I’m legally required to take my first RMD at age 75. If my retirement account earns an average annual return of 7% and I leave my mitts off it, it will be worth $343,637 by the time I make my first RMD — and that’s if I never add another dollar to the account.

Planning to live on guaranteed income means not feeling pressured to raid our retirement accounts. Granted, I could die in those eight years while my account grows. However, I’ll die knowing I’m leaving a little extra for my husband.

Post-retirement budget

Once I started planning for decumulation (that period during retirement when we start spending the money we’ve saved and invested), it didn’t take me long to realize that living on guaranteed income for a few years works best for my worry-wart personality. If something huge happens, like a serious health issue, I know I have those retirement accounts in my back pocket. I can always draw from one if I need to do so.

In the meantime, the post-retirement budget I’ve come up with is based only on the guaranteed income we’ll have coming in. Not counting on every dollar we have access to works for a couple of reasons: I won’t have to draw from a 401(k) or IRA unless there’s an issue too serious to handle with guaranteed income. And whoever is left standing when the other dies won’t be left with a bloated budget.

I’m aware that both my plan and our budget may need to be tweaked from time to time, but as of now, maximizing Social Security benefits and planning to use those before I ever touch our retirement accounts strike me as sensible.

Montana’s Libertarian candidate for Senate has turned blue from drinking a silver solution that he believed would protect him from disease.

Stan Jones, a 63-year-old business consultant and part-time college instructor, said he started taking colloidal silver in 1999 for fear that Y2K disruptions might lead to a shortage of antibiotics.

His skin began turning blue-gray a year ago.

He does not take the supplement any longer, but the skin condition, called argyria, is permanent. The condition is generally not serious.

Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion, had lost his past six finals, including in Halle earlier this year.

His defensive play style and frequent outbursts on court had led some to wonder if his ability to compete at the top level was over.

But the 29-year-old has made changes in recent weeks, making an effort to come to the net and play aggressively, backed up by an improved serve.

He came back from a break down in the first set against the tricky Moutet, winning four of the final five games to take the lead.

The pair exchanged breaks in the second set before Moutet, bidding for his first ATP Tour title, took control to force a decider.

Moutet saved four early break points in a tight third set before Medvedev broke to 15 to serve for the match.

Fittingly, Medvedev secured victory with a point at the net, with Moutet unable to control a volley after two hours and 38 minutes.

Mitchell Marsh powered Australia to ODI victory against India as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli failed in their return to international cricket.

Australia’s stand-in captain Mitchell Marsh continued his fine run of form on Sunday, scoring 46 not out and leading his side to a seven-wicket triumph over India in the weather-affected first one-day international (ODI) at Perth Stadium.

India limped to 136-9 from 26 overs, interrupted four times by rain, setting Australia a revised target of 131 which the hosts reached in 21.1 overs.

The sea of blue in the 42,423-strong crowd did not have to wait long to see Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli after India were put into bat.

Having retired from the game’s other formats with an eye on the 2027 World Cup, the former captains made their return to national duty for the first time since winning the Champions Trophy in March.

Neither looked convincing against Australia’s pace bowlers, with Rohit edging Josh Hazlewood to second slip on eight and Kohli cutting Mitchell Starc to a diving Cooper Connolly at backward point for a duck.

“All of their batters are world-class and legends of the game,” said spinner Matthew Kuhnemann, who picked up 2-26. “In one-day cricket, especially, to get wickets up front makes a massive difference.”

India captain Gill out cheaply

New one-day skipper Shubman Gill was dismissed for 10 when he tickled seamer Nathan Ellis to wicketkeeper Josh Philippe, leaving India reeling at 37-3 when light drizzle halted play for two hours.

The crowd applauded sarcastically when the covers were removed, then in earnest when Shreyas Iyer (11) slashed Hazlewood to the fence. The bowler got his revenge in his next over, however, as Philippe took another leg-side catch.

Kuhnemann and medium-pacer Mitch Owen kept up the pressure and halted any momentum Axar Patel (31) and KL Rahul (38) generated, although Nitish Kumar Reddy brought some excitement with a rapid 19 off 11 balls.

Deputising for Pat Cummins, whose Ashes hopes remain uncertain due to a back injury, man-of-the-match Marsh kick-started Australia’s reply by bludgeoning three sixes, carrying over impressive form against South Africa and New Zealand.

Philippe, playing his first ODI since 2021 due to the absence of Josh Inglis and Alex Carey, supported his skipper with an aggressive 37 before holing out to Arshdeep Singh in the deep.

Matt Renshaw helped his team home with 21 not out, while Arshdeep, Axar and Washington Sundar claimed one wicket apiece.

“We knew we didn’t have that many runs, but we just wanted to express ourselves,” Arshdeep said.

The series moves to Adelaide on Thursday before concluding in Sydney on Saturday.

Last week, a prominent Saudi Sheikh, Mohammed Al-Issa, visited the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland to commemorate the 75th anniversary of its liberation, which signalled the end of the Nazi Holocaust. Although dozens of Muslim scholars have visited the site, where about one million Jews were killed during World War Two, according to the Auschwitz Memorial Centre’s press office, Al-Issa is the most senior Muslim religious leader to do so.

Visiting Auschwitz is not a problem for a Muslim; Islam orders Muslims to reject unjustified killing of any human being, no matter what their faith is. Al-Issa is a senior ally of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS), who apparently cares little for the sanctity of human life, though, and the visit to Auschwitz has very definite political connotations beyond any Islamic context.

By sending Al-Issa to the camp, Bin Salman wanted to show his support for Israel, which exploits the Holocaust for geopolitical colonial purposes. “The Israeli government decided that it alone was permitted to mark the 75th anniversary of the Allied liberation of Auschwitz [in modern day Poland] in 1945,” wrote journalist Richard Silverstein recently when he commented on the gathering of world leaders in Jerusalem for Benjamin Netanyahu’s Holocaust event.

READ: Next up, a Saudi embassy in Jerusalem 

Bin Salman uses Al Issa for such purposes, as if to demonstrate his own Zionist credentials. For example, the head of the Makkah-based Muslim World League is leading rapprochement efforts with Evangelical Christians who are, in the US at least, firm Zionists in their backing for the state of Israel. Al-Issa has called for a Muslim-Christian-Jewish interfaith delegation to travel to Jerusalem in what would, in effect, be a Zionist troika.

Zionism is not a religion, and there are many non-Jewish Zionists who desire or support the establishment of a Jewish state in occupied Palestine. The definition of Zionism does not mention the religion of its supporters, and Israeli writer Sheri Oz, is just one author who insists that non-Jews can be Zionists.

Mohammad Bin Salman and Netanyahu – Cartoon [Tasnimnews.com/Wikipedia]

We should not be shocked, therefore, to see a Zionist Muslim leader in these trying times. It is reasonable to say that Bin Salman’s grandfather and father were Zionists, as close friends of Zionist leaders. Logic suggests that Bin Salman comes from a Zionist dynasty.

This has been evident from his close relationship with Zionists and positive approaches to the Israeli occupation and establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine, calling it “[the Jews’] ancestral homeland”. This means that he has no issue with the ethnic cleansing of almost 800,000 Palestinians in 1948, during which thousands were killed and their homes demolished in order to establish the Zionist state of Israel.

“The ‘Jewish state’ claim is how Zionism has tried to mask its intrinsic Apartheid, under the veil of a supposed ‘self-determination of the Jewish people’,” wrote Israeli blogger Jonathan Ofir in Mondoweiss in 2018, “and for the Palestinians it has meant their dispossession.”

As the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Bin Salman has imprisoned dozens of Palestinians, including representatives of Hamas. In doing so he is serving Israel’s interests. Moreover, he has blamed the Palestinians for not making peace with the occupation state. Bin Salman “excoriated the Palestinians for missing key opportunities,” wrote Danial Benjamin in Moment magazine. He pointed out that the prince’s father, King Salman, has played the role of counterweight by saying that Saudi Arabia “permanently stands by Palestine and its people’s right to an independent state with occupied East Jerusalem as its capital.”

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Israeli journalist Barak Ravid of Israel’s Channel 13 News reported Bin Salman as saying: “In the last several decades the Palestinian leadership has missed one opportunity after the other and rejected all the peace proposals it was given. It is about time the Palestinians take the proposals and agree to come to the negotiations table or shut up and stop complaining.” This is reminiscent of the words of the late Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban, one of the Zionist founders of Israel, that the Palestinians “never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.”

Bin Salman’s Zionism is also very clear in his bold support for US President Donald Trump’s deal of the century, which achieves Zionist goals in Palestine at the expense of Palestinian rights. He participated in the Bahrain conference, the forum where the economic side of the US deal was announced, where he gave “cover to several other Arab countries to attend the event and infuriated the Palestinians.”

US President Donald Trump looks over at Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman al-Saud as they line up for the family photo during the opening day of Argentina G20 Leaders’ Summit 2018 at Costa Salguero on 30 November 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina [Daniel Jayo/Getty Images]

While discussing the issue of the current Saudi support for Israeli policies and practices in Palestine with a credible Palestinian official last week, he told me that the Palestinians had contacted the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to ask him not to relocate his country’s embassy to Jerusalem. “The Saudis have been putting pressure on us in order to relocate our embassy to Jerusalem,” replied the Brazilian leader. What more evidence of Mohammad Bin Salman’s Zionism do we need?

The founder of Friends of Zion Museum is American Evangelical Christian Mike Evans. He said, after visiting a number of the Gulf States, that, “The leaders [there] are more pro-Israel than a lot of Jews.” This was a specific reference to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, and his counterpart in the UAE, Mohammed Bin Zayed.

“All versions of Zionism lead to the same reactionary end of unbridled expansionism and continued settler colonial genocide of [the] Palestinian people,” Israeli-American writer and photographer Yoav Litvin wrote for Al Jazeera. We may well see an Israeli Embassy opened in Riyadh in the near future, and a Saudi Embassy in Tel Aviv or, more likely, Jerusalem. Is Mohammad Bin Salman a Zionist? There’s no doubt about it.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

CRUZ Beckham has paid a sweet tribute to girlfriend Jackie Apostel to celebrate her milestone birthday.

The 20-year-old was performing with his band in Birmingham last night, where he paid tribute to his older partner.

Jackie, who’s just turned 30, was watching from the crowd as her friend filmed the adorable moment unfold.

Cruz has been doing secret sets all around the UK, including a gig wearing his dad David’s football shirt.

“Someone… very close to me. It’s her birthday. Erm, I wrote this song about them,” he said on stage on Saturday night.

As the camera pans to Jackie, she says, “I’m going to cry, that’s so…”

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The youngest Beckham boy also shared a gushing tribute on his Instagram, uploading happy snaps alongside Jackie.

“Happy birthday @jackieapostel. Another time around the globe, I love you baby,” he wrote alongside a childhood snap of his partner.

“@jackieapostel I love you to the moon and back.”

The festivities appeared to continue backstage, with Jackie sharing videos as Cruz put on a mini party for his girlfriend.

Surrounded by birthday balloons, she posed for a mirror selfie as Cruz is seen in the background organising a cake.

Another angle shows the giant chocolate tray surrounded by candles as the singer hand-delivered the sweet treat.

It comes after Cruz’s parents, Victoria and David Beckham, also shared birthday messages for Jackie’s special day.

Taking to her Instagram, Posh Spice wrote: “To the sweetest, kindest, most beautiful soul. We all love you soooo much.”

Tagging Jackie in the Story post, she uploaded a series of slides with pictures of them both at various glitzy events.

“Happy birthday, we hope you have an amazing day and can’t wait to celebrate with you,” she added alongside a snap of Jackie and Cruz.

Victoria added: “We all love you @jackie.apostel.”

David also uploaded a couple of pics of the pair on his Instagram.

“Happy birthday to a very special person inside and out,” he said.

“Thank you for making my son the best version of himself.”

The couple faced cruel trolling for their age gap. Cruz, who turns 21 next year, met Jackie at Glastonbury Festival and they began dating in June 2024.

The pair made their love Instagram official back in October that year, coming under fire for their near decade-long age gap.

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“Why is a 29-year-old dating a 20. That’s just weird. I’m talking about Jackie dating Cruz,” a troll penned on social media.

At the time, Jackie wrote back, “Because he’s kind, funny, smart, caring, driven, mature, talented, loyal, and also quite handsome.”