Recreational activities combined with yoga in Gaza help children recover a sense of normalcy despite war, teacher says.
Gaza City – In northern Gaza, a Palestinian teacher has transformed a tent into a small space for yoga classes, offering children moments of peace from the hardships of daily life in the besieged enclave.
The idea to bring the practice to Gaza City came from Hadeel al-Gharbawi, who has been working on finding ways to help children cope with trauma. Through simple movements and breathing, the class offers moments of calm, safety and joy.
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Children sit cross-legged on a thick mat, eyes shut. Some concentrate, while others fight back shy smiles, sneaking sideways glances to see whether their classmates are following the teacher’s instructions, amused by the unfamiliar exercise.
“I wanted to expand the activities I do with children beyond drawing and colouring. I searched online and discovered that yoga can help children recover from trauma,” al-Gharbawi told Al Jazeera.
“Since yoga isn’t widely available here in Gaza, I decided to learn online and practice it with the children. Through yoga, they can release stress and cope with the difficult life around them.”
Children in Gaza have been exposed to continuous cycles of violence and trauma, profoundly affecting their mental health, according to a report by the World Health Organization.
The constant bombing, displacement, loss of family members and physical pain of Israel’s two-year war on Gaza have caused emotional distress, social withdrawal and grief, among other symptoms, the report says.
International organisations have been warning that the conflict will leave a long-lasting impact.
“All children in Gaza require mental health, and psychosocial support services after two years of horrific war, displacement, and exposure to traumatic events,” the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said earlier this month.
This is why yoga classes are more than physical exercise in Gaza; they allow children to step away from fear, release emotions, and feel in control, even for a few minutes, the participants say.
“We come here to do yoga, to learn and to do art,” Suwar, a displaced student, told Al Jazeera. “These activities allow us to forget, even for a short time, the war, the harsh weather and the queues for water. Yoga, in particular, gives us a moment of calm and helps us feel safe and happy.”
Alongside yoga, the tent offers educational and recreational programmes that al-Gharbawi said aim to activate the children’s imaginations.
“Combining learning with playful and therapeutic activities helps the children deal with trauma and regain a sense of normalcy,” al-Gharbawi said.
But it is the coalescence of their personalities that amplifies all that sporting talent. And underpinning the team are two key things – total honesty and trust.
As McMillan puts it, “If one of us is in the wrong, the rest can say so”, while the more measured Mouat describes it as “knowing the different things to say to get the best out of each other”.
Individually, they are all very different.
Hype man McMillan is lively enough for all four of them; Hardie is the logic guy, an engineer by trade; Mouat is thoughtful, reflective and calm; Lammie is the quiet, reliable presence; and Waddell the experienced head in the background.
It might be labelled as ‘Team Mouat’ – as per the convention of naming a rink after its skip – but this is very much a collective. In fact, Mouat is keen to share the spotlight.
“Bruce is very different from a lot of skips,” explains BBC Sport pundit and 2022 gold medallist Vicky Wright. “A lot of them are clearly the leader but the GB team operates so well because they function on a level playing field.
“The dynamic they’ve got works because they all bring a different aspect to the table and they all respect that. That’s a massive part of why they’re so successful.”
It is instructive to see how comfortable they are in each other’s company and with the position in which they find themselves.
All five have been right in among it in Cortina these past couple of weeks, be it stopping for a chat in the street or in restaurants, meeting friends and relatives, watching other British athletes compete.
Or – in Mouat’s case – going pillowcase shopping and “spending far too much money” on the morning of the semi-final.
Even in the moments before the final, McMillan and Hardie were sharing a laugh with a journalist; Mouat was picking out familiar faces in the crowd for a smile and a wave, and Lammie and Waddell were casually studying the Canadians warming up.
The Gaza Strip – As soon as the “ceasefire” in Gaza began in October, Palestinian farmer Mohammed al-Slakhy and his family headed straight for their farms in the Zeitoun area of Gaza City.
After more than two years of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza – and despite ongoing Israeli attacks – it was finally safe enough to return, and attempt to rebuild and restore.
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Mohammed and his family spent months clearing rubble from the ground and whatever was left of their greenhouses, which were flattened during the fighting, like many of the buildings in Gaza.
With very limited resources, they prepared the soil and planted the first courgette crop, hoping it would be ready to harvest by early spring.
But even this limited attempt to bring the family’s land back to life is not without risk. As Mohammed explains, every time he goes to tend to his field, he is risking his life. A few hundred metres away sit Israeli tanks, and the sound of bullets flying by is common.
Before the war, Mohammed’s farm produced large quantities of vegetables.
“I learned farming from my father and grandfather,” he told Al Jazeera. “Our farm used to produce abundant, high-quality crops for the local market and for export to the [occupied] West Bank and abroad. Now, everything we had has been destroyed in the war.”
Levelled to the ground
More than three hectares (7.5 acres) of Mohammed’s greenhouses were levelled to the ground. The destruction also included his entire irrigation network, all nine of his wells, two solar power systems, and two desalination plants.
Mohammed’s losses reflect the wider extent of the damage to the agricultural sector in Gaza. According to a July 2025 report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), more than 80 percent of cropland was damaged, and less than 5 percent remained available for cultivation.
And even with the “ceasefire”, the losses have not stopped for Gaza’s farmers, as Israel expands a so-called buffer zone, within which its forces are based.
In fact, many Palestinians fear that Gaza’s agricultural lands will be forcibly taken by Israel if the buffer zone becomes a permanent fixture. Blueprints released as part of United States President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” plan for Gaza show many agricultural areas erased.
Eid al-Taaban, a 75-year-old farmer in Deir el-Balah [Abdallah al-Naami/Al Jazeera]
Expanding buffer zones
Israel still controls about 58 percent of the Gaza Strip, calling it a security buffer zone in the east, north, and south of the Gaza Strip. The majority of that buffer zone is Palestinian agricultural land.
Mohammed has only been able to return to one hectare (2.5 acres) of the more than 22 hectares (54 acres) of farmland his family had cultivated in Gaza City before the war. The other 21 hectares lie within the Israeli buffer zone, and he cannot access them.
The solitary hectare is only about 200 metres (650 feet) from the “yellow line”, which marks the border between the buffer zone and the rest of Gaza. Mohammed says that Israeli tanks frequently approach and fire randomly.
One such incident occurred on February 12, when Israeli tanks advanced into Salah al-Din Street and opened fire. Two Palestinians were killed, and at least four others were reported wounded. Mohammed was in his farmland, close to the Israeli tanks.
“We were working in the field when suddenly a tank approached and opened fire towards us. I had to take cover behind a destroyed building and waited there for more than an hour and a half before I could escape west,” Mohammed said.
The dangers to Mohammed’s farm are mirrored in central Gaza, where 75-year-old Eid al-Taaban is increasingly worried.
His land in Deir el-Balah lies only about 300 metres (980 feet) from the yellow line and the Israeli areas of control.
“We planted eggplants in an open field after the ceasefire. Now, we can’t reach it and harvest the crop because of the expansion of the buffer zone,” Eid told Al Jazeera.
“The sounds of Israeli heavy machineguns are heard every day in our area. Every time my sons go to irrigate the crops in the greenhouses, I just pray that they come back alive,” he added.
On February 6, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that the Israeli army killed Palestinian farmer Khaled Baraka while he was working on his land in eastern Deir el-Balah. Khaled was Eid’s neighbour and friend.
“Khaled Baraka was a great farmer,” Eid said. “He dedicated his life to cultivating his land and teaching his sons and daughters about farming.”
Israeli blockade
According to Palestinian farmers, the Israeli blockade of Gaza is one of the biggest challenges they face in their efforts to reclaim agricultural land.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has largely prevented the entry of any agricultural equipment or supplies, such as seeds, pesticides, fertilisers, irrigation networks, or tractors.
That has led to a huge shortage, with what is available still liable to being damaged in bombing, or in the case of seeds, pesticides, and fertilisers, reaching expiry. The prices of what little is available have also skyrocketed due to the Israeli restrictions.
And even when the materials can be obtained, they do not guarantee a return.
Eid said that he had planted tomatoes in his greenhouses to harvest in the spring, paying an exorbitant amount to acquire the seeds, fertilisers, and pesticides.
After 90 days of costly care for the plants, and when it was time to start harvesting, the entire crop was ruined because the pesticides and fertilisers he had bought turned out to be ineffective. He was forced to replant the crop.
Israeli produce has flooded Gaza, often at lower prices than locally sourced produce [Abdallah al-Naami/Al Jazeera]
Market difficulties
Eid noted that the current economic conditions in Gaza mean that it is hard to find customers for the produce.
“Even when we manage to keep the plants alive and harvest the crop, we don’t know if we’ll be able to sell it,” Eid said.
The instability of the market in Gaza is causing heavy losses for local farmers.
Waleed Miqdad, an agricultural produce wholesaler, explained that Israeli authorities sometimes close the crossings and at other times flood the market with various goods, causing significant losses for Palestinian farmers.
He added that Israeli goods are usually of a lower quality and are priced more cheaply.
“Our local produce, although much fewer in quantity than before the war, still has a distinctive quality and taste. Many of our customers prefer local produce,” Waleed told Al Jazeera.
But many residents of Gaza, whose economy has been devastated as a result of the war, do not have the money to be able to choose the higher-priced items.
The competition from Israeli produce is therefore making it difficult for Palestinian farmers to market their produce and make a profit.
“I was recently forced to sell large quantities of my produce for less than the cost of production because of the competition from imported goods that are widely available in the market,” said Mohammed, the farmer from northern Gaza. “I had to sell and lose or watch my produce rot. And of course, we haven’t received any compensation or support.”
Despite the challenges facing the farmers in Gaza, they remain determined to reclaim agricultural fields across the Gaza Strip. These areas have always been adored by Palestinians in Gaza, where most had lived in the built-up cities. The farms provided a respite from Israel’s control over the territory and its constant wars.
“Agriculture is our life and our livelihood,” said Mohammed. “It is an important part of our Palestinian identity. Despite the destruction and danger, we will remain steadfast on our land and will replant all the land we can reach. Our children will continue after us.”
For Eid, farming is a continuation of the work of his ancestors – in towns that are now in Israel, and where he can never set foot.
“I’m 75 years old, and I still work in the fields every day,” Eid said. “My grandfather was a farmer in our hometown of Beersheba before the [1948] Nakba.”
“He taught my father, my father taught me, and today I’m passing on my agricultural expertise to my grandchildren,” Eid added. “The love of the land and agriculture is passed down from generation to generation in our family, and it can never be taken away from us.”
ONE popular seaside town known for its Royal Harbour and sweeping sandy beach is en route to having its heritage lift restored.
The Edwardian lift in Ramsgate has been out of action for four years, but could soon be transporting visitors once more.
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The East Cliff Lift in Ramsgate could be restoredCredit: AlamyThe seaside town is known for its big marina and sweeping Main Sands BeachCredit: Alamy
The historical East Cliff lift is found on Ramsgate’s seafront and was once used to transport visitors and locals between the upper promenade and main sands area.
However, the lift, which is at Harbour Parade, has been out of action since 2021.
The council says it requires “significant works” to get it up and running again.
Now, Thanet District Council (TDC) has put aside £120,000 to restore it in the 2026-27 draft budget.
The council’s cabinet will consider the proposals on February 24, 2026.
The East Cliff lift was built in 1910 and was one of many developed across the country.
The lifts were built so that seaside hotels could provide their guests with quick and easy access to the beach.
It’s not the first time the East Cliff lift has gone under major works – it stopped operations in the 1990s and after being neglected for years, it was restored in 1999.
However, it is the only surviving lift in Ramsgate – there were once three in the seaside town however the Marina Lift was demolished back in 1926.
And the West Cliff Lift went up for auction in December 2025.
Ramsgate itself is a popular seaside town, although it’s sometimes overlooked in favour of its neighbours, Broadstairs and Margate.
But lots of Brits will still flock there every summer, usually to its Main Sands Beach.
The long sandy stretch is next to the UK’s only Royal Harbour and Marina.
It has lots of amusements, arcades, and restaurants. During the summer, you can get ice cream and drinks from the kiosks and hire out deck chairs.
Brits flock to Ramsgate’s Main Sands Beach each yearCredit: Alamy
Ramsgate is also home to the UK’s biggest Wetherspoons.
Heritage Lab revealed it’s in “early discussions with an experienced developer” on creating an outdoor pool complex on Ramsgate’s East Cliff.
It could be built on the Marina Esplanade Car Park in Ramsgate.
What is now a council-owned car park was once the Marina Bathing Pool built in the 1930s. It had an Olympic-sized pool, diving area and filtered seawater.
Open for years to swimmers, it eventually closed in 1975 after structural issues.
However, Heritage Lab has hinted that it hopes to bring an open-air pool back to Ramsgate.
It wouldn’t just be a pool either – Heritage Lab has hinted that the possible site could have saunas, cafes and social spaces to make it a “year-round destination”.
Strictly Come Dancing bosses are reportedly considering This Morning’s Sian Welby for a presenting role on the BBC series following the departure of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman
Sian Welby is a stand-in presenter on This Morning but could be about to move over to Strictly (Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
This Morning star Sian Welby is reportedly being considered for the hosting job on Strictly Come Dancing. Towards the end of last year, long-standing presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman shocked the nation when they announced that they had quit after more than a decade on air together.
Ever since the news broke, rumours have been rife with who might take on the coveted roles on the BBC Saturday night favourite, with celebrities such as X Factor star Rylan Clark, former Strictly finalist Fleur East and Bake Off’s Mel Giedroyc all being thrown into the mix.
But now, it’s thought that bosses are looking at Sian, a radio host and occasional This Morning presenter, who, coincidentally, bears a resemblance to Tess.
Sian, 39, has become a favourite amongst the younger audience with her presenting job on Capital FM, and also stands in on This Morning, often appearing on main hosting duties with Dermot O’Leary and fronting the ITV Daytime competitions that often run across Good Morning Britain, Lorraine and Loose Women.
A source said: “Sian might be less well-known than other names linked with Tess and Claudia’s jobs so far. But she’s got everything it takes with one special ingredient — a younger audience, thanks to her job on trendy Capital FM.
Speaking to The Sun, the source added: “And working on This Morning ticks all the TV boxes. Execs have looked at her as someone who would be a good fit for the job!”
It comes just days after Zoe Ball and Emma Willis were both said to be going for the same job on the programme. Ahead of the series’ presumed return later this year, radio host Zoe, 55, and former Big Brother presenter Emma, 49, were said to be battling it out for the top job, and only one of them will be successful because bosses want to have someone “a bit more left field” for the other position.
Fans can also expect the comedic aspects to continue in the programme in the style of Claudia, who has also enjoyed major success with fellow BBC show The Traitors, as the source added: “It’s felt the humour Claudia brought to the show, particularly in her ‘Claudatorium’, needs to carry on.”
Ever since Tess and Claudia broke the news that they were leaving, several big showbiz names have been rumoured to be their replacements, including Chris and Rosie Ramsay, Rylan Clark, Holly Willoughby, Amanda Holden and Angela Scanlon, amongst a host of others.
In the initial announcement, which consisted of a video of the pair sitting next to one another, Claudia began with: “Hi, it’s Claud and Tess. There have been some rumblings, and we want you to hear this from us…” Tess added: “Yeah, we have news. After 21 wonderfully joyful years on Strictly, we have decided the time is right to step aside and pass on the baton…”
“The very sparkly baton…” Claudia continued before she turned to Tess and said: “You’ve been here since the beginning…” Tess, who used to host the show with the late Bruce Forsyth, then replied: “2004 with Brucey – lovely Bruce.
“That’s over two decades ago, and a lot of that time has been with you. It’s been a huge part of our lives, hasn’t it? Since our children were literally babes in arms, and now they’re young adults, and I think, genuinely, we have cherished every second.”
Claudia added: “We have, we’re so lucky to have been part of this amazing show, and we just want to thank the Strictly team because Strictly is the people who make it so thank you…” Tess agreed: “They are the very best team in television. We’ve been so lucky.
“And the audience as well, they’ve been so wonderful. They’ve been with us for this entire journey of 21 years, and we wouldn’t have a show without them, and they’ve been just so loyal and supportive.”
Claudia added: “We have, we’re so lucky to have been part of this amazing show, and we just want to thank the Strictly team because Strictly is the people who make it so thank you…” Tess agreed: “They are the very best team in television; we’ve been so lucky.”
Tudor has been out of work since being sacked by Juventus in October 2025 and is set for his first spell in England, after previously taking charge of clubs in Italy, France, Turkey, Croatia and Greece.
He is tasked, first and foremost, with easing Tottenham‘s relegation fears, after a 2-1 loss to Newcastle in Thomas Frank’s final match on Tuesday left them five points above the bottom three.
Having earned a reputation as a no-nonsense defender during a playing career in which he won 55 caps for Croatia and made more than 150 appearances for Italian giants Juventus, there is one certain non-negotiable for Tudor as a manager.
“He asks his players to run a lot. In a previous interview he said ‘If you don’t run, you don’t play’,” says L’Equipe journalist Pierre-Etienne Minonzio.
“In his one season in Marseille it was always the same way of playing – 3-5-2 – and it was great to watch.
“It was not easy because Marseille’s best player was Dimitri Payet, a very gifted player but not well-known for running, and he didn’t play.
“It was a joke in L’Equipe – if Igor Tudor had Lionel Messi in his squad, Messi would not play!”
Tudor’s sole season in France saw Marseille finish third behind Paris St-Germain and Lens, despite surpassing the club’s points total from the previous campaign when they finished second.
“He did pretty well in Ligue 1. What I liked is that he doesn’t try to be liked. He is very direct, says what he thinks and doesn’t try to be attractive. There is no seduction,” says Minonzio.
“It is the same with the players. He keeps his distance and his obsession is to make training intense with a lot of running so they can be physically fit for the game.”
When the Justice Department released an additional 3 million pages of documents related to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein at the end of January, ARTnews unearthed and published excerpts from dozens of emails between Epstein and David A. Ross, a former director of the Whitney Museum of American Art who started his career in the 1970s as deputy director and curator of video art at the Long Beach Museum of Art.
Ross, who served as the chair of the MFA art practice program at New York’s School of Visual Arts since 2009, promptly resigned.
If the emails had been less damning, the revelation of Ross’ connection to Epstein might have played out differently, but that was not the case. In one letter, dated Oct. 1, 2009, Epstein wrote to Ross that Roman Polanski’s attorney was coming to see him and that he was considering funding an exhibit titled, “Statutory.”
“Girls and boys ages 14 – 25, where they look nothing like their true ages,” Epstein wrote. “Juvenile mug shots, photo shop, make up. Some people go to prison because they can’t tell true age. Controversial. Fun. Maybe it should be a web page with hits, tallied.”
“You are incredible,” Ross wrote back. “This would be a very [sic] owerful and freaky book. Do you know that total porno commercial kiddie picture of Brooke Sheilds that Richard Prince appropriated for an exhibition in the early 1980’s?”
Epstein replied in the affirmative to Ross’ reference to a Prince photo titled, “Spiritual America,” which appropriated a 1976 photo of a naked, 10-year-old Shields taken by commercial photographer Gary Gross.
“They closed it off in the London show,” Epstein noted.
Ross also expressed sympathy for Epstein’s legal travails in 2009 following a 13-month sentence he served in Florida after pleading guilty to reduced state charges of procuring a minor for prostitution.
“Glad the nightmare is over, Jeffrey,” Ross wrote. “It was an undeserved punishment foisted upon you by jealous creeps.”
In an email to ARTnews, Ross expressed remorse that he “fell for” Epstein’s lies.
“Like many he supported with arts and education patronage, I profoundly regret that I was taken in by his story,” Ross wrote. “I continue to be appalled by his crimes and remain deeply concerned for its many victims.”
Ross noted that he first met Epstein when he was director of the Whitney in the mid-1990s. Ross also served as director of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston.
“I knew him as a wealthy patron and a collector, and it was part of my job to befriend people who had the capacity and interest in supporting the museum,” Ross wrote, adding that when Epstein was jailed in 2008, he told Ross that it was a political “frame-up” resulting from his support for former President Bill Clinton. Ross said he believed him.
It seems lots of men believed Epstein. Meanwhile, behind all the power lunches, private plane rides and callous late-night emails, far too many women and girls suffered.
I’m Arts editor Jessica Gelt with your arts and culture news for the week.
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Michael Feinstein and the Carnegie Hall Ensemble will perform Valentine’s Day at Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa.
(Segerstrom Center for the Arts)
Michael Feinstein: A Broadway Valentine The singer, musician, conductor and stalwart proponent of the Great American Songbook celebrates the holiday of the heart with the Carnegie Hall Ensemble. Timeless love songs and lush orchestrations seem like a perfect way to spend the evening. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Segerstrom Hall, 300 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. scfta.org
A detail of miniature “sportraits” from Lyndon J. Barrois, Sr.’s exhibit, “Fútbol Is Life,” at LACMA.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Fútbol Is Life: Animated Sportraits GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAL! Ahead of this summer’s World Cup, with L.A. as one of 16 host cities across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, arrives this unique exhibition celebrating the beautiful game. Portraying transcendent moments in men’s and women’s soccer, award‑winning animator and visual effects artist Lyndon J. Barrois, Sr. fashions engrossing scenes in miniature from gum wrappers, glue, paint and other materials. The handmade sculptures and stop-motion animations on display bring together the visual and emotional elements that make it the world’s most popular sport. Jasmine Mendez spoke to Barrois about his process and Times photographer Allen J. Schaben provides more marvelous images. Sunday through July 12. LACMA Resnick Pavilion, 5905 Wilshire Blvd. lacma.org
The Academy Museum’s exhibition “Studio Ghibli’s Ponyo” opens Saturday.
(Nibariki-GNDHDDT)
Studio Ghibli’s Ponyo A deep dive into Hayao Miyazaki’s 2008 animated film about a goldfish who longs to be human honors the traditional hand-drawn animation processes used by its creators. The exhibition includes more than a hundred items handpicked by Studio Ghibli: art boards, posters, a Studio Ghibli animation desk and original hand drawings by Miyazaki and others. “Because writer-director Miyazaki very much follows his own star when it comes to story, narratives like ‘Ponyo’ remind you of no one else’s tales,” wrote Times film critic Kenneth Turan upon the film’s U.S. release. “Not only do they offer up fantastical images, like Ponyo running on the crests of waves, they make deep connections to our emotions without following conventional paths, using the logic of dreams to excellent effect.” Screening 2:30 p.m. Saturday; exhibition, Saturday through Jan. 10. Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. academymuseum.org
The week ahead: A curated calendar
FRIDAY Nitrate Festival The American Cinematheque’s annual tribute to the beautiful, if highly volatile, film format that was used from the 1890s until the 1950s, offers audiences the rare opportunity to see this work on the big screen. The festival opens with the 1947 noir “Dead Reckoning,” starring Humphrey Bogart and directed by John Cromwell, and continues with William Wyler’s “The Good Fairy” (1935), Gregory La Cava’s “My Man Godfrey” (1936), William Wellman’s “Nothing Sacred” (1937), Mikio Naruse’s “Wife! Be Like A Rose!” (1935), David Lean’s “Blithe Spirit” (1945) and Cecil B. DeMille’s “Samson and Delilah” (1949). 7 p.m. Friday, through Feb. 22. Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd. americancinematheque.com
Foursome Matthew Scott Montgomery, Adrián Javier, Jimin Moon and Calvin Seabrooks star in Montgomery’s comedy about a quartet of queer friends who reunite for an emotionally fraught, desire-filled weekend at a cabin. Directed by Tom DeTrinis. Through March 23. Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave. iamatheatre.com
Guards at the Taj Two sentries at the Taj Mahal have their friendship, faith and sense of duty challenged in Rajiv Joseph’s play set centuries in the past with contemporary resonance. Behzad Dabu and Kausar Mohammed star. Directed by Behzad Dabu. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays, through Feb. 22 El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood elportaltheatre.com
Alfredo Rodriguez, left, and Pedrito Martinez will perform Friday at the Nimoy.
(Anna Webber)
Alfredo Rodriguez and Pedrito Martinez Pianist Rodriguez and percussionist-vocalist Martinez perform traditional Cuban songs, original compositions and some surprises. 8 p.m. UCLA Nimoy Theater, 1262 Westwood Blvd. cap.ucla.edu
Incitation To The Dance A young man upends an older gay couple’s relationship in the world premiere of writer-director Michael Van Duzer’s dark comedy. Through March 15. Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. https://theatrewest.org/on-stage/incitation-to-the-dance
Roksana Pirouzmand The Iranian-born, L.A.-based multidisciplinary artist’s solo exhibition “everything was once something else” explores the contrasting properties forged by earth and fire through clay and metal works. Through April 11. Oxy Arts, 4757 York Blvd. oxyarts.oxy.edu
SATURDAY Attune 1.0 A free public light- and sound-art experience happens simultaneously across L.A. County locations presented by NXT Art Foundations with community support. 4:30-7:30 p.m. Barnsdall Park, East Hollywood; Sycamore Grove Park, Northeast Los Angeles ; Jessie Brewer Jr. Park, Exposition Park; Jane and Bert Boeckmann Park, Porter Ranch; Hansen Dam, Lake View Terrace; Leimert Park, South Los Angeles; Wende Museum, Culver City; Promenade Square Park, Long Beach; Tongva Park, Santa Monica and Loma Alta Park, Altadena. nowartpublic.com
Desert Dreams and Coastal Currents The exhibition tracks the concurrent emergent of artistic hubs in Southern California and the Southwest, featuring work by artists in areas such as Laguna Beach, and Taos and Santa Fe, N.M. The Autry, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park. theautry.org
Wally Hedrick “Sex Politics Religion” is a two-venue retrospective of the Pasadena-born artist, who established himself in the burgeoning post-war San Francisco art scene. Hedrick eschewed “style” in favor of pursuing a vision including welded assemblage junk sculptures, Bauhausian abstraction, black monochromes, gestural figuration, graphic signage, pictographic diagrams and near-photorealism. Through April 4. Parker Gallery, 6700 Melrose Ave.; The Box 805 Traction Ave., downtown L.A. parkergallery.com
Honour The Ruskin’s grand opening on the Kaplan Stage features Joanna Murray-Smith’s drama on the precariousness of marriage, directed by Max Mayer and starring Marcia Cross, Matt Letscher, Ariana Afradi and Jude Mayer. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays, through March 22. Ruskin Group Theatre, 2800 Airport Ave., Santa Monica.
Artist Takashi Murakami.
(Shin Suzuki)
Takashi Murakami The new solo exhibition “Hark Back to Ukiyo-e: Tracing Superflat to Japonisme’s Genesis” features 24 paintings by the Japanese artist. 4-7 p.m. opening, free and open to the public; exhibition continues through March 14. Perrotin, 5036. W Pico Blvd. perrotin.com
Mythical Creatures: The Stories We Carry Immigrant narratives and pan-Asian mythology infuse this immersive exhibition featuring contemporary artists including Dinh Q. Lê, Dominique Fung, Lily Honglei, Greg Ito, Wendy Park, Momoko Schafer, Kyungmi Shin, Sanjay Vora and Lauren YS. Conceived by L.A.-based Korean American artist and muralist Dave Young Kim. Through Sept. 6. USC Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Los Robles Ave. Pasadena. pacificasiamuseum.usc.edu
PASSION + MYSTERY Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, led by conductor Jaime Martín, celebrate Valentine’s Day weekend with Fauré’s “Pelléas et Mélisande” and Gernot Wolfgang‘s “Desert Wind,” and are joined by pianist Fazıl Say for Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 3.” 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Colburn School, Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.; 4 p.m. Sunday, The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. laco.org
Red Harlem Four Black actors in 1932 Harlem are recruited by the Communist Party to make a film in the Soviet Union in Kimba Henderson’s drama based on true events. Directed by Bernadette Speakes. Through March 15. Company of Angels, 1350 San Pablo St. companyofangels.org
Retro Romantics: An Academy Film Archive Trailer Show in 35mm Vintage cinematic love stories unspool in their original abridged glory, seductively beckoning you to the movies. 7:30 p.m. Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. academymuseum.org
SUNDAY Black History Month at The Ebell Soprano Gertrude Bradley performs a tribute to Joel Graham, accompanied by pianist Greg Schreiner in an African Americans for LA Opera recital; and Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (ICYOLA) salutes the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in “I, Too, Sing America,” a nod to the Langston Hughes poem. AALAO Recital, 12:30 p.m. Sunday; LA Voices: ICYOLA, 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Ebell of Los Angeles, 743 S. Lucerne Blvd. https://www.ebellofla.org/
Isidore String Quartet The group performs “Brahms: the Admirer,” an exploration of the composer’s work alongside complementary pieces by Bach and Beethoven. 3:30 p.m. Caltech Beckman Auditorium, 332 S. Michigan Ave. Pasadena. colemanchambermusic.org
What Happened to Flamenco Clap your hands as dancer and choreographer Fanny Ara brings the folkloric tradition to life. 7 p.m. Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave. fountaintheatre.com
TUESDAY Seth MacFarlane The erstwhile animator, writer, producer, director, actor and comedian picks up the mic, backed by an orchestra, for a program dedicated to the music of Frank Sinatra. 8 p.m. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com/events
WEDNESDAY I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change Barry Pearl directs the long-running off-Broadway musical comedy revue on modern love, featuring book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro and music by Jimmy Roberts to open ICT’s 41st season. Through March 8. International City Theatre, 330 E. Seaside Way, Long Beach. ictlongbeach.org
Patti LuPone The Broadway star marks the 25th anniversary of her “Matters of the Heart,” which ran on Broadway and London’s West End and toured the globe. 8 p.m. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Segerstrom Hall, 300 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. scfta.org
Preservation Hall Jazz Band Can’t get to New Orleans for Mardi Gras? The Soraya brings it to the Valley via the deep roots of this legendary French Quarter ensemble. 8 p.m. The Saroya, 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge. thesoraya.org
Emma Elizabeth Smith as Catherine of Aragon in The North American touring company of “Six.”
(Segerstrom Center for the Arts)
Six The national tour of the Broadway musical by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, a modern pop take on the sextet of women who were the wives of Henry VIII. Through March 9. Hollywood Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd.; March 10-15. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 300 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa. sixonbroadway.com
THURSDAY Compagnie Hervé Koubi: Sol Invictus The French-Algerian choreographer’s dance troupe performs “Sol Invictus,” with a score featuring music by Swedish composer Mikael Karlsson, minimalist composer Steve Reich and digital composer Maxime Bodson. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. February 19 – 21, 2026 The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd. Beverly Hills. thewallis.org
Culture news and the SoCal scene
The cast of “Brassroots District” performs on Sunday.
(Gabriella Angotti-Jones/For The Times)
Features columnist Todd Martens checked out “Brassroots District: LA ’74,” a piece of immersive theater he describes as “part concert, part participatory theater and part experiment, attempting to intermix an evening of dancing and jubilation with high-stakes drama. How it plays out is up to each audience member. Follow the cast, and uncover war tales and visions of how the underground music scene became a refuge for the LGBTQ+ community. Watch the band, and witness a concert almost torn apart as a group on the verge of releasing its debut album weighs community versus cold commerce. Or ignore it all to play dress-up and get a groove on to the music that never stops.”
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The UCLA Hammer Museum has announced the winner of the $100,000 Mohn Award.
(Eric Staudenmaier)
Artist Ali Eyal, who grew up in Baghdad in the late 1990s and early 2000s during U.S. military operations in Iraq, is the recipient of the $100,000 Mohn Award, which honors artistic excellence, in conjunction with the Hammer Museum’s Made in L.A. 2025. In addition to the award money, the Hammer will produce a publication for Eyal. The Hammer also announced that sculptor Carl Cheng has been given the $25,000 Career Achievement Award; and that painter Greg Breda won the $25,000 Public Recognition Award.
The news out of the Kennedy Center continues to be grim. This week, Trump-appointed center president Richard Grenell sent an email to staffers informing them that significant cuts would be implemented when the center closes for renovations, beginning July 4. “Over the next few months, department heads and I will be evaluating the needs and making the decisions as to what these skeletal teams left in place during the facility closure and construction phase will look like,” Grenell wrote in the email obtained by The Times.
Megan Grant laughs after hearing that at one point during her basketball career, she was shooting .500 from field-goal range, better than her career .348 batting average.
The two-time NFCA All-American utility player has made softball look easy during her time with UCLA. She holds a career .727 slugging percentage, .978 fielding percentage and hit 26 home runs during the 2025 season, a Big Ten single-season record.
Is basketball just that much easier for her?
“I wouldn’t say easy but I would always say fun,” Grant said. “It’s something where I can just easily lose myself in the competitive nature and just the process of things.”
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Grant has been a member of the Bruins’ women’s basketball team this season, an opportunity brought to her by her softball coach. When coach Kelly Inouye-Perez asked her if she would be interested in joining the team for the Bruins’ current season, she felt like she couldn’t turn down the opportunity.
Training with the basketball team would allow her to add new skills to her game. While developing, she would be doing it at a high level of college basketball competitiveness — it was a win-win situation.
“Just being able to say I played basketball at such a high level collegiately, it’s always an honor to say,” Grant said.
UCLA forward Megan Grant (43) is surrounded by teammates while celebrating after a win over North Carolina on Nov. 13 in Las Vegas.
(Steve Marcus / Associated Press)
Throughout the season, Grant has played 33 minutes off the bench and made three of nine field goal attempts. The No. 2 UCLA women’s basketball team is 22-1 and undefeated in Big Ten play.
Softball season began Friday, so her time on the court has come to an end. As she transitions to the diamond, Grant is entering her senior season with ambition, gratitude and a new sense of leadership.
“I feel like all programs all throughout our campus, we just have this competitive greatness about all of us that we know we will do whatever it takes to win,” she said. “It’s really refreshing to even see that from [women’s basketball] coach Cori [Close’s] side and just to get to learn her little nuggets.”
No. 7 UCLA softball is 5-0 after the opening weekend, including a record-setting 17-0 rout of UC Riverside.
The Bruins were the runner up in last year’s Big Ten tournament after falling 2-0 to Michigan in the championship game. In the Women’s College World Series, after Grant hit a two-run home run to tie a game against Tennessee, UCLA lost in extra innings.
The Bruins begin the season with a versatile and close-knit roster, Grant said. The team spent the fall getting to know each other, on and off the field.
“I feel like almost every single player is playing both infield and outfield and that kind of depth that we have is something that we haven’t had in a while,” she said.
Grant says even during her stint with the women’s basketball, her goal remained the same — winning softball Big Ten and national championships. Ultimately, she just wants to have the best time with her teammates along the way.
“If that moment were to come, I know in my heart, I have the confidence to just be able to say, ‘Yup, I worked on this and I’m ready,’” Grant said.
Rose Bowl scores a court win
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge denied a request from UCLA last week seeking to move its dispute with the Rose Bowl Operating Co. and the city of Pasadena to arbitration as it stated was required by their lease contract.
Officials who operate the Rose Bowl filed a lawsuit against UCLA after it learned the Bruins were heavily considering ending their lease early and instead playing home football games at SoFi Stadium. The Rose Bowl is seeking to enforce terms of a lease that runs through 2044, arguing taxpayers are backing costly renovations at UCLA’s request and the Bruins’ departure would cause irreparable harm.
Arbitration proceedings would limit the Rose Bowl’s right to obtain records related to the stadium lease and would be closed to the public. City of Pasadena and Rose Bowl attorneys argued public funds were at stake and the dispute should play out in court proceedings open to the public.
Judge Joseph Lipner ruled the contract’s arbitration clause contains “unusual and exceeding narrow language,” with evidence to suggest both sides did not want to use arbitration to settle disputes over termination of the agreement.
The next case hearing is scheduled for Feb. 27.
The streak continues
Lauren Betts pulls a rebound away from two Michigan players Sunday.
(Lon Horwedel / Associated Press)
No. 2 UCLA faced its toughest test of Big Ten play so far this season, earning a 69-66 win at No. 8 Michigan and extending its win streak to 17 games.
“What I’m proud of is, … our team in the midst of situations we haven’t been in very much this season, we found ways to win,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “To go into a hostile environment, and really in the second half, do it with our defense.”
The Bruins close out a tough trip at No. 12 Michigan State on Wednesday at 5 p.m. PST. The game will be streamed on Peacock.
A Prince tribute
Jordan Chiles earlier this season.
(Jesus Ramirez / UCLA Athletics)
UCLA gymnast Jordan Chiles dusted off last season’s floor routine set to Prince’s music in honor of the team’s meet at Minnesota on Saturday. Chiles nailed the routine, scoring a perfect 10 for the fourth consecutive week. After the meet, Chiles addressed the crowd, saying that the Prince routine was a tribute to the Minnesota fans who have endured immigration raids.
“I know it has been a lot of tough weeks going on here and I just want to say we stand with you,” Chiles told the crowd. “The Prince routine was meant for you guys and I wanted to bring that energy here and so I hope it uplifted you guys in this very dark time and that the Bruins will always be by your side.”
UCLA won the meet 197.550-197.275, with Chiles winning her fourth consecutive individual all-around title.
Do you have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future UCLA newsletter? Email newsletters editor Houston Mitchell at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Brief but deadly armed clashes in May last year on a disputed section of the Thai-Cambodia border escalated into the deadliest fighting in a decade between the two countries, killing dozens of people and displacing hundreds of thousands.
Now, while the fighting may have ceased, the conflict remains an emotive topic for Thais and a means for Anutin to rally support for his conservative Bhumjaithai Party as a no-nonsense prime minister, unafraid to flex his country’s military muscle when required, analysts say.
“Anutin’s party is positioning itself as the party that’s really willing to take the initiative on the border conflict,” said Napon Jatusripitak, an expert in Thai politics at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
“It’s a party that has taken the strongest stance on the issue and the most hawkish,” Napon said of the recent military operations.
Anutin had good reason to focus on the conflict with Cambodia in his election campaign. The fighting created a surge in nationalist sentiment in Thailand during two rounds of armed conflict in July and December, while the clashes also inflicted reputational damage on Anutin’s rivals in Thai politics.
Chief among those who suffered on the political battlefield was the populist Pheu Thai Party, the power base of Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin and his family.
Pheu Thai sustained a major hit to its popularity in June when a phone call between its leader, then-Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn, and the strongman of Cambodian politics, Hun Sen, was made public.
In the June 15 call, Paetongtarn referred to Hun Sen, an erstwhile friend of her father, as “uncle” and promised to “take care” of the issue after the first early clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops, according to Reuters news agency.
For factions in Thailand’s politics and Thai people, Paetongtarn’s deference to Hun Sen was beyond the pale of acceptable behaviour for a prime minister, especially as she appeared to also criticise Thailand’s military – a major centre of power in a nation of more than 70 million people.
Hun Sen later admitted to leaking the call and claimed it was in the interest of “transparency,” but it led to the collapse of Paetongtarn’s government. She was then sacked by the constitutional court at the end of August last year, paving the way for Anutin to be voted in as Thailand’s leader by parliament the following month.
The border conflict with Cambodia has given a major boost to Thailand’s armed forces at a time of “growing popular discontent with the military’s involvement in politics, and with the conservative elite”, said Neil Loughlin, an expert in comparative politics at City St George’s, University of London.
Anutin’s government focused its political messaging when fighting on the border re-erupted in early December. Days later, he dissolved parliament in preparation for the election.
“Bhumjaithai has leaned into patriotic, nationalist messaging,” said Japhet Quitzon, an associate fellow with the Southeast Asia programme at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC.
“Anutin himself has promised to protect the country at campaign rallies, signalling strength in the face of ongoing tensions with Cambodia. He has vowed to retaliate should conflict re-emerge and will continue protecting Thai territorial integrity,” Quitzon said.
‘War against the scam army’
During the fighting, Thailand took control of several disputed areas on the border and shelled Cambodian casino complexes near the boundary, which it claimed were being used by Cambodia’s military.
Bangkok later alleged some of the casino complexes, which have ties to Cambodian elites, were being used as centres for online fraud – known as cyber scams – a major problem in the region, and that Thai forces were also carrying out a “war against the scam army” based in Cambodia.
Estimates by the World Health Organization say the conflict killed 18 civilians in Cambodia and 16 in Thailand, though media outlets put the overall death toll closer to 149, before both sides signed their most recent ceasefire in late December.
While the fighting has paused for now, its impact continues to reverberate across Thai politics, said the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute’s Napon.
Pheu Thai is still reeling from the leaked phone call between Paetongtarn and Hun Sen, while another Thai opposition group, the People’s Party, has been forced to temper some of its longstanding positions demanding reform in the military, Napon said.
Former Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra shakes hands with Pheu Thai Party supporters during a campaign event in Bangkok [Patipat Janthong/Reuters]
“[The People’s Party] vowed to abolish the military’s conscription and to cut the military’s budget, but what the border conflict with Cambodia did was to elevate the military’s popularity to heights not seen in longer than a decade since the 2014 coup,” Napon told Al Jazeera.
“Its main selling point used to be reform of the military, but after the conflict it seems to be a liability,” Napon continued.
The party has now shifted its criticism from the military as an institution to specific generals, and turned its focus back to reviving the economy, which is expected to grow just 1.8 percent this year, according to the state-owned Krungthai Bank.
In the past two weeks, that messaging seems to be hitting home, Napon said, with the People’s Party once again leading at the polls despite a different platform from 2023.
“It will be very different from the previous election,” Napon said.
“Right now, there’s no military in the picture, so it’s really a battle between old and new,” he added.
Though we’re solidly into 2026, a trend has emerged on social media: Reminiscing on the year 2016.
Through throwback posts, people have been traveling back to the year when dog and flower crown Snapchat filters, Instagram eyebrows, the mannequin challenge and the Chainsmokers were everywhere.
But why, you may ask? On social media, 2016 is remembered as the last carefree era, a time when people posted whatever they wanted without overthinking it, when folks actually danced at parties instead of pointing their phones at the DJ booth to “capture content.”
2016 also brought many cultural milestones to L.A., from Kobe’s final game to the rise of selfie culture to all things Issa Rae. In the spirit of nostalgia, we’ve rounded up 16 moments that bring us back to that time. So let’s crank up Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” album and take a ride down memory lane, shall we?
According to the Daily Telegraph, Lord Mandelson is set to be summoned to US Congress to give evidence about his links to Epstein. Sources close to the House Oversight Committee, which the paper says has “spearheaded” the release of the Epstein files, say they are “poised to issue” Lord Mandelson with a demand to testify in Washington DC. The committee cannot compel testimony from foreigners, as the paper notes.
