Thousands of women fleeing violence in El Fasher are subjected to rape, starvation and bombing while seeking refuge, the United Nations reported on Tuesday. Photo by Marwan Mohamed/EPA
Nov. 11 (UPI) — Women fleeing El Fasher in western Sudan are subjected to rape, starvation and deadly bombing, the United Nations reported on Tuesday.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces recently captured El Fasher after a 500-day siege and are using rape as a “weapon of war,” according to the United Nations.
“Women speaking to us from El Fasher, the heart of Sudan’s latest catastrophe, tell us that they’ve endured starvation, displacement, rape and bombardment,” said Anna Mutavati, U.N. Women regional director for East and Southern Africa.
“Pregnant women have given birth in the streets as the last remaining maternity hospitals were looted and destroyed,” she added.
“What the women tell us in that on their horrific journey, every step that they’ve taken to fetch water, to collect firewood or to stand in a food line has carried a high risk of sexual violence,” Mutavati said.
“There is mounting evidence that rape is being deliberately and systematically used as a weapon of war.”
The situation is getting worse as fighting spreads throughout El Fasher, forcing thousands of women and girls to flee the city or risk being killed, raped or otherwise brutalized by RSF forces, the United Nations reported.
El Fasher is the capital of North Darfur and was the area’s last stronghold for the Sudanese Armed Forces amid the civil war in Sudan. An estimated 89,000 people have fled El Fasher and often seek refuge in Tawila, which is about 45 miles away, as well as Korma and Malit.
Humanitarian resources are scarce in those locales, though, according to the United Nations.
Satellite images also show evidence of widespread summary executions and other likely war crimes committed by the RSF, the Australian Broadcasting Company reported.
“All of my patients, my staff and everyone else in the hospital were killed,” a medical professional identified as “Abdullah” told the ABC. “They shot them all.”
Abdullah was part of the Saudi Hospital staff in El Fasher, where the World Health Organization said more than 460 patients and their companions were killed by RSF members.
At least six healthcare workers also were taken by the RSF, according to the WHO.
An August 2025 picture of a worker looking out from behind a gate outside Britain’s Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex. Asylum seekers will now be permitted to stay in the Essex hotel following Britain’s high court ruling against the local municipal council to remove them. Photo Provided by Tolga Akmen/EPA
Nov. 11 (UPI) — Asylum seekers will be permitted to stay at hotel in Essex following a British high court ruling against a local council to remove them.
The Bell Hotel in Epping Forest, less than 20 miles northeast of London, has housed roughly 140 migrants in the process of seeking British asylum. But the local Epping Forest District Council sought to block their temporarily living conditions after a 14-year-old girl was sexually assaulted and a man living in the hotel accused of the attack.
On Tuesday, Justice Tim Mould dismissed the council’s claims and ruled that an injunction was “not an appropriate means of enforcing planning control.”
Epping Forest’s councillors argued the Bell Hotel owner flouted local planning and zoning rules.
“What we saw in court was an unholy alliance of lawyers for government and big business intent on protecting huge profits and an indefensible asylum policy,”Ken Williamson, a member on Epping Forest District Council, told the BBC.
Protests near the hotel turned violent in July when hijacked by far-right supporters after Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, an Ethiopian national and resident of the hotel, was charged with the teen girl’s sexual assault.
But Mould on Tuesday rejected the prospect that hotel owner Somani Hotels demonstrated a “flagrant or persistent abuse” of planning control with a growing number of immigrants and other foreign asylum seekers.
“Taking a broad view, the degree of planning and environmental harm resulting from the current use of the Bell is limited,” he wrote in a 87-page ruling.
The judge acknowledged the “criminal behavior of a small number of individual asylum seekers” housed at the hotel had “raised the fear of crime” in the local community.
It was noted there was a “continuing need” to house asylum seekers with a looming asylum hearing. And so that Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood “can fulfill her statutory duties.”
Tuesday’s ruling continued that statutory procedures under British law provided for the “local planning authority, or on appeal the Secretary of State, to determine conclusively whether an existing use of land is lawful because it does not involve development.”
1 of 2 | Officials inspect the site of a collapsed boiler tower at a thermal power plant in the southeastern city of Ulsan on Tuesday before resuming their search for missing workers. Photo by Yonhap News
The search for four workers trapped under a collapsed boiler tower in the southeastern city of Ulsan resumed Tuesday after two other towers were demolished to ensure the safety of rescue personnel.
Around 70 search and rescue experts will be mobilized for the effort, which was suspended Sunday amid concerns the two towers flanking the collapsed structure could also crumble, firefighting authorities said.
At noon, the two — Towers 4 and 6 — were blown up, clearing the way for rescue personnel to dig through the debris of Tower 5 at a thermal power plant belonging to the Ulsan branch of Korea East-West Power Co., a state-run utility company.
Tower 5 collapsed last Thursday, trapping seven workers, including three whose bodies have been recovered. Two have been located but are feared dead, while another two remain missing.
Two cutting machines were being used to reach the two that have been spotted within 5 meters of the entrance to the debris, officials said.
The search for the missing two will begin from where the other two workers have been located.
Each tower was 63 meters tall.
At the time of its collapse, Tower 5 had been in the process of being demolished after 40 years of use ending in 2021.
Copyright (c) Yonhap News Agency prohibits its content from being redistributed or reprinted without consent, and forbids the content from being learned and used by artificial intelligence systems.
Colombia’s ambassador to the United States, Daniel Garcia-Pena, has been recalled as part of a diplomatic row with Washington. File Photo by Eduard Ribas Admetlla/EPA
Nov. 11 (UPI) — In a new diplomatic escalation between Colombia and the United States, President Gustavo Petro again recalled Colombia’s ambassador to Washington, Daniel García-Peña, for consultations.
This time, the recall aims to clarify a situation reported by the Colombian magazine Cambio regarding a photo released by the White House on Oct. 21 as part of its official coverage of a meeting between senior officials and Republican senators.
On Sunday, the image drew renewed attention after Cambio published an analysis focusing on a folder held by Deputy Chief of Staff James Blairen. The photo shows Petro alongside Nicolás Maduro, both wearing orange jumpsuits similar to those used in U.S. prisons, as part of a document titled “Trump Doctrine.”
“If an ambassador is called for consultations, the representative of the other country returns to their own country while the necessary information is obtained,” Petro wrote on X, suggesting that while García-Peña is in Bogotá, U.S. chargé d’affaires John McNamara should return to the United States, El Colombiano reported.
“This is about understanding why the official White House page shows me as if I were a prisoner in a U.S. jail. It is a brutal disrespect to the people who elected me and to the Colombian nation and its history,” Petro added.
Colombia’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement confirming that Ambassador García-Peña “has been called for consultations” and “is already in Bogotá.”
At the same time, Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio ruled out the expulsion of U.S. chargé d’affaires John McNamara from Colombia, El Tiempo reported.
The Petro government’s decision comes amid a visible deterioration in diplomatic relations between the two countries and adds pressure to a bilateral agenda that includes sensitive issues such as counternarcotics cooperation, migration, trade and hemispheric relations.
According to Cambio, the first paragraph of the document held by Blairen outlines five steps against the Colombian president, three of which are already underway.
The five are designating additional cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, supporting pro-U.S. leaders in the Western Hemisphere, imposing targeted sanctions on Petro, his family and associates, countering corrupt and anti-U.S. criminal activities, and launching a comprehensive investigation into Petro’s campaigns and their foreign financing.
“People should not always rely on what they read in the newspapers,” Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said when askedwhether the United States had a plan underway to imprison Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
The diplomat addressed the issue during a telephone press briefing with several Latin American media outlets Monday morning.
Landau declined to comment further on the photo, which has since been removed from the U.S. government website, but expressed dissatisfaction with the Colombian president’s statements.
Nov. 11 (UPI) — Thailand on Tuesday suspended the U.S. President Donald Trump-brokered truce with Cambodia after four soldiers patrolling near their shared border were wounded by landmines.
“Agreement suspended,” the Royal Thai Army said in a social media statement. “Cambodia has clearly shown hostility.”
Thailand and Cambodia signed the fragile agreement with Trump looking on, on Oct. 26 in Malaysia, bringing a halt to renewed fighting, which began in July, in their long-held border dispute.
The Royal Thai Army said four soldiers were injured in the Huai Ta Maria area, about a half mile inside Thailand from the Cambodia border.
The wounded soldiers were identified as Sgt. Maj. Thoedsak Samaphong, whose right foot was severed at the ankle, Pvt. Watchira Phanthana, who suffered a chest injury from the blast impact, Pvt. Apirak Srichomchai, whose leg was injured by shrapnel, and Pvt. Anucha Sujaree, who suffered eye irritation caused by chemicals from the detonation.
All four are receiving treatment at a local hospital.
The soldiers were injured while conducting a routine patrol along a familiar route used for patrols.
The Royal Thai Army said Thai forces discovered a section of barbed wire barrier along the border that had been disturbed on Sunday. The next day, the patrol team dispatched to inspect the disturbed area triggered a landmine at around 8:30 a.m. local time.
Three additional landmines were later found, it said.
“From the evidence, it is concluded that the barbed wire was illegally removed and new mines were planted inside Thai territory, targeting our patrols,” Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree said in a statement.
After the Thai military announced soldiers had been injured but before the agreement was suspended, the Thai Ministry of Defense put a planned prisoners of war exchange with Cambodia on hold.
Cambodia has denied the allegations that its troops had planted new landmines, stating that most minefields from Cambodia’s civil wars of the 1970s and 1980s near their border “have not yet been cleared due to difficult terrain and the undemarcated status of the border areas.”
“The Royal Government of Cambodia wishes to affirm that Cambodia remains committed to implementing the Joint Declaration, which was signed amid much applause from the international community,” Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said in a statement.
Thailand’s Prime Minister’s Office confirmed the suspension of the Joint Declaration in a statement that said the decision was made during a meeting of the National Security Council.
Included in the suspension was the repatriation of 18 Cambodian prisoners of war.
The ministry said it is preparing to issue a formal protest, while Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has instructed all security agencies to protect the lives of citizens and defend the country.
As he tried to calm the concern after defeat at Nottingham Forest, manager Daniel Farke admitted Leeds United supporters could be described as “emotional”.
Which could go a long way to explaining why Joe Rodon has fitted in so well with them.
The Wales defender not only wears his heart on his sleeve, but displays it on his face.
You didn’t have to be a body language expert to see the 28-year-old’s City Ground frustration as Leeds managed to concede three goals for a second week in a row.
Nor what it has meant to be a match-winner in the Premier League after his first top-flight goals last month.
As Leeds’ former title-winning centre-back Jon Newsome puts it: “He wouldn’t make a very good poker player”.
But Rodon has become something of an ace in the pack at Elland Road, with his fan favourite status going beyond just simply showing what it means.
And you don’t make a near century of consecutive league appearances – and mentions alongside Norman Hunter as a result – for pure passion alone.
Instead, Rodon is showing why he had been tipped for the very top after breaking through at Swansea, and what Wales fans heading to Liechtenstein this weekend have known for some time.
“He has all the attributes to belong in the Premier League,” said boss Craig Bellamy. “When we were at Burnley [in the Championship], we wanted to bring him in. We felt he was a player for the high level.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) playoffs begin on Thursday with four teams – Cameroon, Gabon, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo – slugging it out to decide which nation will progress to the FIFA intercontinental playoff tournament in March, which is the final hurdle for qualification into the World Cup 2026 in North America.
The four teams were the best runners-up across the nine African qualifying groups – and the playoff winner will keep alive their nation’s hopes of becoming the continent’s 10th representative at next year’s finals.
Here is all to know about the CAF playoffs:
Where are the African playoffs being held?
Morocco’s capital Rabat will host the African World Cup playoffs, using three different stadiums for the three matches.
Al Barid Stadium and Moulay El Hassan Stadium will be used for the semifinals.
The newly built Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, which will host the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final on January 18, will be the venue for the CAF playoff final.
What time do the African playoff matches start?
The two sudden-death semifinal playoffs will be played at the following times:
Nigeria vs Gabon: Thursday, November 13 at 5pm (16:00 GMT) at Moulay El Hassan Stadium
Cameroon vs Congo DR: Thursday, November 13 at 8pm (19:00 GMT) at Al Barid Stadium
The winner-take-all final will be played at the following time:
CAF final (Teams TBD): Sunday, November 16 at 8pm local (19:00 GMT) at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium
How was the draw made for the CAF playoff matches?
The draw was based on the current FIFA world rankings of the four teams as of October 17.
Nigeria was ranked highest (#41), followed by Cameroon (#54), Congo DR (#60) and Gabon (#77).
Based on the rankings, FIFA implemented a No.1 (Nigeria) vs No.4 seed (Gabon) matchup for the first semifinal and a No.2 (Cameroon) vs No.3 (Congo DR) second semi.
Nigeria’s key forward Victor Osimhen is hoping to lead his nation to a seventh FIFA World Cup finals appearance in 2026 [File: Sodiq Adelakun/Reuters]
What does the African playoff winner still need to do for World Cup qualification?
The winner of Sunday’s CAF playoff must still overcome teams from other continents in a FIFA intercontinental playoff scheduled for March in Mexico to decide the final two qualifiers for the World Cup.
The intercontinental playoff will feature two teams from the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and one team apiece from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) and the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC).
How many African nations have already qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026?
Nine African countries have already qualified via direct entry from the CAF group stage: Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia.
When and where is the FIFA World Cup 2026?
The tournament is being staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The first match will be played in Mexico City on June 11, while the final will be staged in New Jersey, the US, on July 19.
Due to the expansion of the tournament – from 32 teams to 48 – the 39-day event is the longest in its history.
The MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey in the United States will stage the FIFA World Cup 2026 final on July 19 [File: Kena Betancur/VIEWpress via Getty Images]
What are the African squads for the CAF playoffs?
⚽ Cameroon:
Goalkeepers: Andre Onana (Trabzonspor, Turkiye), Devis Epassy (Dinamo Bucuresti, Romania), Simon Omossola (Saint-Eloi Lupopo, Congo)
Midfielders: Frank Anguissa (Napoli, Italy), Martin Hongla (Granada, Spain), Jean Onana (Genoa, Italy), Yvan Neyou (Getafe, Spain), Carlos Baleba (Brighton & Hove Albion, England), Arthur Avom (Lorient, France), Wilitty Younoussa (Rodez, France)
Forwards: Vincent Aboubakar (c) (Azerbaijan Neftci, Azerbaijan), Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (New York Red Bulls, US), Moumi Ngamaleu (Dynamo Moscow, Russia), Christian Bassogog (Al-Okhdood, Saudi Arabia), Bryan Mbeumo (Manchester United, England), Georges-Kevin Nkoudou (Diriyah, Saudi Arabia), Frank Magri (Toulouse, France), Danny Namaso (Auxerre, France), Patrick Soko (Almeria, Spain), Karl Etta Eyong (Levante, Spain)
Defenders: Aaron Appindangoye (Sivasspor, Turkiye), Jonathan do Marcolino (Bourg-en-Bresse, France), Jacques Ekomie (Angers, France), Bruno Ecuele Manga (Paris 13 Atletico, France), Yannis Mbemba (FC Dordrecht, Netherlands), Johan Obiang (Orleans, France), Mike Kila Onfia (Hafia, Guinea), Anthony Oyono and Jeremy Oyono (both Frosinone, Italy)
Forwards: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Olympique de Marseille, France), Teddy Averlant (Amiens, France), Denis Bouanga (Los Angeles FC, US), Alan do Marcolino (Lusitania Lourosa, Portugal), Randy Essang Matouti (Khenchela, Algeria), Noha Lemina (Yverdon Sport, Switzerland), Bryan Meyo (Oympique Lyonnais, France)
⚽ Nigeria:
Goalkeepers: Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United, South Africa), Amas Obasogie (Singida Blackstars, Tanzania), Maduka Okoye (Udinese, Italy)
Defenders: Chidozie Awaziem (Nantes, France), Semi Ajayi (Hull City, England), Calvin Bassey (Fulham, England), Benjamin Fredericks (Dender, Belgium), Bruno Onyemaechi (Olympiakos, Greece), Bright Osayi-Samuel (Birmingham City, England), Zaidu Sanusi (FC Porto, Portugal), William Troost-Ekong (Al-Kholood, Saudi Arabia)
Midfielders: Alex Iwobi (Fulham, England), Wilfred Ndidi (Besiktas, Turkiye), Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge, Belgium), Frank Onyeka (Brentford, England), Alhassan Yusuf (New England Revolution, US)
Late Indonesia President Suharto, seen here in 1968, was awarded the distinguished title of national hero on Monday, despite opposition. (UPI Photo/Files) | License Photo
Nov. 10 (UPI) — Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto designated his father-in-law, former President Suharto, a national hero on Monday, according to reports, despite opposition from critics who accuse the late dictator of committing human rights abuses during his 33-year rule.
Prabowo designated Suharto along with nine others for the prestigious title during National Heroes Day commemorations at the State Palace in Jakarta, The Jakarta Post and Indonesian news agency Antara reported.
National Heroes Day falls on November 10 to mark the day that in 1945, when Indonesians fought the British and allied forces in pursuit of an independent Indonesia following the fall of Japan.
Suharto became president after Sukarno was stripped of his power in 1967 and was then formally elected in 1968. He remained president until his resignation amid mass protests in 1998, which were sparked by his re-election in an uncontested election.
Often called Indonesia’s strongman, Suharto’s anti-communist stance during the Cold War secured him support from Western nations, which helped shield him some of his regime’s alleged human rights abuses.
Critics have accused the authoritarian leader of overseeing the killings of an estimated 500,000 to 1 million alleged communists during 1965-66. He is also accused of being responsible for the so-called Petrus Killings of 1982-85 when thousands of state-ordered extrajudicial killings were carried out, as well as alleged genocide in East Timor, among many other allegations.
The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation criticized the Subianto administration Monday as “unethical, destructive to law and human rights, indifferent to anti-corruption efforts and demeaning to the true values of heroism” over Suharto’s designation.
“This title should only be bestowed upon those who truly fought for independence, justice humanity and the sovereignty of the people — not upon a leader whose rule was marked by authoritarianism and human rights violations,” the YLBHI said in a statement.
“YLBHI strongly condemns this conferral of the hero title, which further demonstrates that Prabowo’s regime has become a government that betrays the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, betrays and harms the people and has clearly engaged in disgraceful conduct.”
Faith Dunn, clad in a green tracksuit, entered the cavernous room full of bunk beds with hundreds of contestants in the highly competitive second season of “Squid Game: The Challenge.” The home health nurse — a huge fan of the popular Korean dystopian series — was Player 361.
Dunn, 29, flew to England for the first time in January to take part in the reality competition series filmed at Shinfield Studios near Reading.
“‘Squid Game’ is the best series I’ve ever watched,” said Dunn, who lives in Springfield, Ore. “They’re really going the extra mile, letting us try this in person. I was extremely excited to go.”
Dunn, along with 455 other contestants, competed to win $4.56 million in prize money in games inspired by “Squid Game.”
The nine-episode second season, which premiered this week, is just the latest example of Netflix’s foray into the world of reality competition shows that cater to the rabid fan base of its most popular programs.
The streaming giant has announced several new reality competitions this year including “The Golden Ticket,” inspired by the world of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” and a reality contest based on the mystery game “Clue.” There are also plans to adapt the cutthroat real estate board game “Monopoly” into a reality series.
Another game show in the works has the working title “Win the Mall.” Billed as the next generation of “Supermarket Sweep” and “The Price Is Right,” the new show will test the knowledge of consumers, Netflix told The Times.
“We look for unique worlds,” said Jeff Gaspin, Netflix’s vice president of unscripted series. “How can we do something that we haven’t seen many times before?”
In all, Netflix has commissioned 34 reality competition seasons this year, according to Ampere Analysis, a market research firm. That represents 9% of TV show seasons ordered — the highest percentage that Ampere has seen since it started tracking Netflix shows commissioned globally in 2020, the firm said.
“They’re expanding the universe of big-budget, high-profile, high-concept reality series because their research tells them that’s what the audience wants,” said Tom Nunan, a former studio and network executive.
It helps to have a hit. “Squid Game: The Challenge” was inspired by Netflix’s most popular show, “Squid Game,” which garnered 265.2 million views globally in its first season in its first 91 days on Netflix in 2021, according to the streamer’s data. That fandom carried over to the reality competition spinoff that launched in 2023. More than 95% of Netflix customers who watched “Squid Game: The Challenge” also watched “Squid Game,” according to Netflix.
“It was so huge globally … finding a show that resonates in just about every territory is rare,” Gaspin said. “So translating it to a reality format seemed like a no-brainer.”
Unlike big-budget fantasy or sci-fi series, reality competition shows usually have lower budgets and many of them are filmed abroad, primarily in the UK and Canada, to take advantage of lucrative financial incentives.
Gaspin declined to disclose the budget for “Squid Game: The Challenge,” but he said the first season’s budget was substantially above $10 million.
“It is by far one of our biggest competition reality shows, and the budget supports that,” said Gaspin, a former executive at NBC Universal Television Entertainment.
The series was filmed on six soundstages in its second season. A large rotating platform was built to depict “mingle,” a game where players must gather a certain number of people in a room under a deadline in order to survive to the next round. Ninety cameras were used to track their movements.
Players also went head to head in teams of five, with their legs tied together, as they raced on a track to complete various challenges, including building a house of cards fast enough to avoid elimination.
Netflix has been taking steps to diversify its business into new areas, such as video games and even mall locations where it can create immersive experiences with fans. Next week the Los Gatos, Calif., company will launch Netflix House in the Philadelphia area where people can go to buy Netflix-themed merchandise or pay for experiences based on Netflix programs.
Unlike other TV networks, which have faced steep budget cuts, Netflix has deep pockets to try new types of programming.
“The fear factor is lower at Netflix than it is anywhere else,” Nunan said. “In other words, they seem much more confident in themselves and then taking a swing with things.”
That’s why Jimmy Fox, head of unscripted development and sales at Fremantle’s U.S. operations, took “Win the Mall” to Netflix.
“Most networks you pitch a highly ambitious show to, they will immediately try to bring you down to earth and strip your idea down to the most basic premise,” Fox said. “At Netflix, you pitch them an ambitious idea, they will stare you in the eye and ask how, together, can we make this even bigger?”
Netflix expanded its push into reality TV in 2018 with the launch of cooking competition shows like “Nailed It!” and “Sugar Rush.”
Since then, the company has developed popular franchises including reality dating shows such as “Love Is Blind,” and created fandoms over reality contestants like Harry Jowsey from “Too Hot to Handle,” who will launch his own show similar to ABC’s “The Bachelor” next year.
Dunn, the “Squid Game: The Challenge” contestant, got the opportunity to apply for the second season of the reality show after she had won a “Squid Game” experience event in Los Angeles.
To prepare for the show, she re-watched “Squid Game: The Challenge” Season 1 and documentaries related to body language and communication.
“I couldn’t believe I had this opportunity of a lifetime and I became obsessed with ‘Squid Game,’” Dunn said. “I got a puppy afterwards, and his name is Squid.”
Fans can’t get enough of Japanese artist Takashi Murakami’s limited edition Dodgers gear, decorated with colorful, cartoon flowers featuring smiling faces in surprisingly un-jockish colors like pastel pink and butter yellow. The merch sold out in a matter of minutes at a pop-up store in March before the two-game season opening in Japan. A second collection was released in April.
Three’s a charm — as always.
On Friday at 1 p.m. a final Murakami collection will go on sale, this time commemorating the Dodgers’ historic World Series Championship. The series of T-shirts and hoodies — decorated in Murakami’s distinctive flowers, and featuring the team name in Japanese Katakana characters — is being presented by the sports and youth culture platforms Fanatics and Complex. The merch can be found on their websites as well as MLBShop online stores, the MLB app, the Dodger Stadium Team Store and the MLB Flagship Store in New York City.
I know friends who spent hours trying to obtain a single Murakami-designed Dodgers baseball cap last spring, so I expect the merch to sell fast. I’d set an alarm for 12:55 p.m. and log in exactly at 1 p.m. if I were hoping to score an item or two.
Dodgers fans are more than fans after their team won in what many are calling a “series for the ages” — they are fanatics. I should know. I wrote a story that mentioned the game, and I referred to the Dodgers being one “point” down to the Toronto Blue Jays. I awoke to an inbox full of letters from readers alerting me to the fact that a “point” in baseball is called a “run.” Some said it not so nicely.
Point taken! I mean, run. Either way, I’ve made much worse mistakes and never gotten so much as a single letter. That’s how I know Dodgers fans are not messing around. Neither is the merchandising machine surrounding the team’s epic win.
I’m arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt, shooting baskets for baseball and scoring touchdowns for a home run. Here’s your arts and culture news this week.
On our radar
Joshua Francique with Alonzo King Lines Ballet.
(RJ Muna)
Alonzo King Lines Ballet Choreographer and California Hall of Fame inductee Alonzo King brings his San Francisco-based contemporary ballet company to Long Beach for an evening of dance immersed in the spiritually rooted, avant-garde jazz stylings of Alice Coltrane, including her seminal album “Journey in Satchidananda.” In addition to this tribute to one of America’s only jazz harpists, the company will present a fresh take on Maurice Ravel’s suite of Mother Goose fairy tales, “Ma mère l’Oye,” which was originally written as a piano duet in 1910. — Jessica Gelt 8 p.m. Saturday. Carpenter Center is located at 6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach. carpenterarts.org
Pacific Opera Project Daniel-François-Esprit Auber’s funny, tuneful, gang-can’t-shoot-straight, long-out-of-fashion early 19th century comic French opera, “Fra Diavolo” is just the kind of thing on which Pacific Opera Project (POP) has made its irrepressibly wackier-than-thou reputation. While the company performs a range of operas, serious and not-so-serious, here and there (including Descanso Gardens and Forest Lawn), its heart is at the Ebell, a historic Highland Park club, where you sit at tables with wine and hors d’oeuvres, surrounded by dazzling singers, goofy costumes and sets, and the intoxicating hokum that the company’s irrepressible founder and director, Josh Shaw, comes up with. — Mark Swed 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Wednesday and Nov. 14; 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15 and 16. The Highland Park Ebell, 131 S. Ave. 57. pacificoperaproject.com
A stage version of the horror franchise “Paranormal Activity” comes to the Ahmanson.
(Pamela Raith)
Paranormal Activity The premiere of an original story set in the world of the film franchise, the show seems determined to scare you silly. The theater has caught the horror bug — and why not? Fear knows no bounds. Written by Levi Holloway, whose “Grey House” had a brief Broadway run in 2023, and directed by Felix Barrett, whose immersive “Sleep No More” captivated New York audiences for years, the production sets out to give new meaning to the term stage fright. — Charles McNulty Through Dec. 7, check days and times. Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. centertheatregroup.org
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The week ahead: A curated calendar
FRIDAY
The new play “Border Crisis” at City Garage.
(City Garage)
Border Crisis A new absurdist comedy by playwright Charles A. Duncombe, based on “The House on the Border” by Sławomir Mrożek as translated by Pavel Rybak-Rudzki, about a typical U.S. family that finds itself at the center of an international crisis, has its world premiere. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 4 p.m. Sunday, through Dec. 13. City Garage, Bergamot Station Arts Center, 2525 Michigan Ave. T1, Santa Monica, citygarage.org
Leah Ollman In addition to a reading and book signing, the author will discuss her new publication, “Ensnaring the Moment: On the Intersection of Poetry and Photography,” with poet Rae Armantrout. 6 p.m. Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. mcasd.org
SATURDAY
Katherine Ross, Paul Newman, seated, and Robert Redford in the 1969 movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”
(20th Century Fox)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid The American Cinematheque’s tribute to Robert Redford continues with the 1969 George Roy Hill-directed western that first paired the late actor with Paul Newman in one of Hollywood’s great buddy movies. 2 p.m. Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd. americancinematheque.com
The Butterfly Effect The reopening of a secret cafe where people are rumored to have time traveled is the setting for the latest immersive and interactive audience experience from Last Call Theatre. 8 p.m. Saturday and Nov. 14-15, 20-22, Dec. 4-6. Stella Coffee, 6210 San Vicente Blvd. ticketleap.events
Comic Creators Block Party A full day of signings, meet and greets, live panels, food and vendors featuring some of your favorite writers and artists, including Patton Oswalt and Jordan Blum. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. Revenge Of Comics, 3420 Eagle Rock Blvd., Suite A. comiccreatorsblockparty.com
iam8bit 20th Anniversary Art Show The creative production company celebrates two decades of innovation with an exhibition heavy on video game and pop culture history. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Studio 8, 614 E. 12th St., Los Angeles. eventbrite.com
Redrawing the Rancho The performance platform homeLA presents a program of interdisciplinary performance, dance and installation work by Nao Bustamante, Eva Aguila, Rosa Rodríguez-Frazier and Victoria Marks that evaluate the legacy of Southern California’s oldest surviving brick structure. the Rowland Mansion, and the complex history behind it. 1-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. John Rowland Mansion and Dibble Roundhouse Museum, 16021 Gale Ave., City of Industry. homela.org
“Sweet Nothings,” 2025. Aluminum and bowling balls. 223⁄4 x 183⁄4 x 221⁄4 in. (57.78 x 47.63 x 56.52 cm) by Kathleen Ryan.
(@ Kathleen Ryan. Courtesy the artist and Karma/Artwork photography by Lance Brewer)
Kathleen Ryan Everyday objects become the stuff of dreams in the exhibition “Souvenir,” featuring nine sculptures rooted in the artist’s use of motifs, techniques and conceptual decisions. Opening reception, 6-8 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, through Dec. 20. Karma, 7351 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles. karmakarma.org
Wild Up L.A.’s transformative new music chamber orchestra and collective was founded 15 years ago by Christopher Rountree with a seemingly limitless collection of inventive ideas for bringing classical music into the 21st century and beyond. This fall it begins a new series at the Nimoy, home of UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance, beginning with “What I Call Sound,” a look at the historic influence L.A. jazz has had on new music of all sorts. Given that Wild Up is composed of accomplished improvisers and composers, it is ideally suited to follow the course of the avant-garde jazz scene from Eric Dolphy in the late 1950s to such current leading figures as Anthony Braxton. — Mark Swed 8 p.m. UCLA Nimoy Theater, 1262 Westwood Blvd. cap.ucla.edu
SUNDAY Deep Cuts: Block Printing Across Cultures The exhibition features more than 150 works from around the world exploring the medium as both a means of creative expression and a vehicle for mass production of both images and ideas, extending from the patterned fabrics of India to German Expressionist artists and contemporary makers like Christiane Baumgartner. Also includes the Los Angeles–based Block Shop demonstrating reinterpretations of the ageless art form. Through Sept. 13, 2026. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Resnick Pavilion, 5905 Wilshire Blvd. lacma.org
Burt Lancaster See the Hollywood legend in two very different films and performances: The American Cinematheque screens Luchino Visconti’s 1963 drama “The Leopard,” in which Lancaster stars opposite Claudia Cardinale; at the New Beverly, the actor appears in the delightful 1983 comedy “Local Hero” with Peter Riegert (on a double feature with another Bill Forsyth film, “Housekeeping”). “The Leopard,” 2 p.m. Sunday. Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd. americancinematheque.com; “Local Hero,” 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. New Beverly Cinema, 7165 Beverly Blvd. thenewbev.com
TUESDAY An Evening with Annie Leibovitz The celebrated photographer discusses her new book, “Women,” which features Louise Bourgeois, Hillary Clinton, Joan Didion, Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Michelle Obama, Rihanna, Patti Smith, Elizabeth Taylor, and Serena and Venus Williams. 7 p.m. The Wiltern, 3790 Wilshire Blvd. livenation.com
Recovecos The LA Phil New Music Group, conducted by Raquel Acevedo Klein, explores works by Caribbean and Latin American composers in a program curated by Angélica Negrón and featuring vocalist Lido Pimienta. 8 p.m. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
WEDNESDAY
Broadway star Melissa Errico performs Wednesday at the Carpenter Center in Long Beach.
(David Kenas)
Melissa Errico In her new show “The Streisand Effect,” Errico, accompanied by a quartet that includes Streisand’s own 40-year pianist Randy Waldman, performs such favorites as “Send In the Clowns,” “I’d Rather Be Blue,” and “I Never Meant to Hurt You.” 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. Carpenter Center is located at 6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach. carpenterarts.org
THURSDAY Celebrating 50 years of Laverne & Shirley Producer Bob Boyett presents the Garry Marshall Theatre’s annual fundraiser, which this year marks a half-century since the debut of Marshall’s hit ABC sitcom and welcomes special guest Michael McKean, who had a breakout role on the show as Lenny. The event, which includes dinner and entertainment, also honors actor Yeardly Smith of “The Simpsons.” Tickets are $500-1000. 6:30 p.m. Verse Restaurant, 4212 Lankershim Blvd., Toluca Lake garrymarshalltheatre.org/50years
An Inspector Calls Theatre 40 presents J.B. Priestley’s classic drawing-room mystery about the investigation of a young woman’s death that disrupts an upper-class British family’s engagement party in the industrial north Midlands in 1912. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday; also, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 3 and 10; dark on Nov. 27 and 28, through Dec. 14. Beverly Hills High school, Mary Levin Cutler Theatre, 241 S. Moreno Dr. theatre40.org
New Original Works (NOW) The second weekend of REDCAT’s annual festival of experimental performance features a program of works by Gabriela Burdsall; Orin Calcagne and Jenson Titus; and Divya Victor, Carolyn Chen, AMOC (American Modern Opera Company). NOW 2025 continues with additional programming Nov. 20-22. 8 p.m Thursday-Saturday. REDCAT, 631 W. 2nd St., downtown L.A. redcat.org
Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Hollywood, 1992, Silver Gelatin Photograph, Ed. of 25, 20 x 16 inches, by Herb Ritts.
(Fahey/Klein Gallery)
Herb Ritts The exhibition “Allies & Icons” presents the photographer’s portraits of activists, artists and cultural leaders who led the global fight against AIDS, including Elizabeth Taylor, Elton John, Magic Johnson, Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Sharon Stone, Tina Turner, Keith Haring and many others. In celebration of STORIES: The AIDS Monument, which opens Nov. 16 in West Hollywood. Opening reception, 6-8 p.m. Thursday; Regular hours, 1-7 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, through Dec. 21. ONE Gallery, 626 N. Robertson Blvd, West Hollywood. faheykleingallery.com
Culture news and the SoCal scene
The Scourged Back. The scarred back of an African American slave named Gordon who escaped from Mississippi and reached a Union Army camp in Louisiana in 1863. The photograph is one of many targeted for removal by the Trump administration.
(Getty Images)
National treasure “In recent months, a small army of historians, librarians, scientists and other volunteers has fanned out across America’s national parks and museums to photograph and painstakingly archive cultural and intellectual treasures they fear are under threat from President Trump’s war against ‘woke’,” writes Times investigative reporter Jack Dolan in a recent story about the volunteers creating a “citizen’s record” of existing exhibits and more, “in case the administration carries out Trump’s orders to scrub public signs and displays of language he and his allies deem too negative about America’s past.”
Theater beat Times theater critic Charles McNulty reviews a production of “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” at A Noise Within. McNulty deems the script, “arguably the finest work in August Wilson’s 10-play series chronicling the African American experience in the 20th century,” and writes that the new show — set in a Pittsburgh boarding house in 1911 — “seems like a gift from the other side, that mysterious, creative realm where history is spiritualized.”
McNulty also attended Lloyd Suh’s “The Heart Sellers,” at South Coast Repertory, for a production directed by Jennifer Chang, who staged the play’s 2023 world premiere at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre featuring the same two-person cast. The show explores the thorny, timely issue of immigration through the stories of two women — one from the Philippines, the other from South Korea — living in an unnamed mid-sized American city in 1973.
Angela Bassett arrives at the LACMA Art + Film Gala on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, at Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles.
(Jordan Strauss / Invision/AP)
LACMA ups and downs The Los Angeles County Museum of Art was in the news again this past week. I attended its celebrity-packed Art + Film gala on Saturday night — and watched the room explode in celebration after the Dodgers won the World Series. The annual event, this year honoring filmmaker Ryan Coogler and artist Mary Corse, raised more than $6.5 million in support of the museum and its programs.
40 authors, 40 dinners I also attended a dinner sponsored by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles featuring historian Rick Atkinson, who won the Pulitzer Prize for history in 2003. Called “Literary Feasts” the biannual event featured 40 authors spread out at 40 dinners hosted at private homes across the city on a single night in order to raise funds for the foundation’s mission in support of the library and its community-driven efforts including adult education and homework support for kids.
Yoko goes solo It doesn’t seem possible, but it’s true: Yoko One, 92, is staging her first solo museum exhibition in Los Angeles. The show, “Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind,” will open at the Broad museum on May 23 and will run through Oct. 11, 2026. The interactive exhibition is organized in collaboration with Tate Modern in London.
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Faustian The Verdi Chorus is launching its 42nd season with a special, two-nights-only performance delving into Goethe’s “Faust.” Audiences can expect operatic renditions of Berlioz’s “La Damnation de Faust,” Gounod’s “Faust,” and Boito’s “Mefistofele.” The concerts will take place at the First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica on Nov. 15 and 16. Artistic director Anne Marie Ketchum will lead the performances, and it should be noted has been leading the group for all 42 years of its existence. The Verdi Chorus dubs itself, “the only choral group in Southern California that focuses primarily on the dramatic and diverse music for opera chorus.”
Girl dad, the musical My mother’s heart was touched when a father named Matt Braaten — who is also the artistic director of Eagle Rock Theatre Company — wrote to me about a new musical at the theater called, “Daddy Daughter.” The show features Braaten and his 11-year-old daughter, Lily, as they explore the music that has touched her life and informed her childhood to date. “This family-friendly musical comedy celebrates the different stages of Lily’s life through banter and songs, and takes a musical journey from Elmo to Elsa to Elphaba and beyond,” Braaten wrote. I’m getting teary just thinking about it. The show is at 4 p.m. on Sunday Nov. 9, and Sunday Nov. 16.
An Air Police vehicle outside Liege Airport terminal, Belgium, on Friday. Belgium’s air traffic control service Skeyes announced a 30-minute interruption of air traffic at Liege Airport after a new drone sighting. Photo by Olivier Hoslet/EPA
Nov. 9 (UPI) — Britain, France and Germany have announced that they will deploy anti-drone teams to Belgium after a wave of recent unidentified drone incursions.
Last week, authorities suspended flights at airports in Brussels and Liège after unidentified drones were spotted in their airspace, as well as over a military air base. Previous drone incursions were spotted over other NATO countries.
The British Defense Ministry said Sunday that it had agreed to deploy a specialist counter-drone unit from the Royal Air Force Regiment, following France and Germany.
“Working with NATO allies, we stand ready to counter hybrid threats and keep skies safe,” the British Defense Ministry said.
Belgium’s Defense Minister Theo Francken thanked Britain for the decision in a post to social media.
“The deployment of a U.K. anti-drone team in Belgium strengthens our collective security and showcases our unity in countering hybrid threats,” he said. The message mirrored those he sent Friday after Germany and France made similar announcements.
Britain’s top general Richard Knighton told the BBC on Sunday that Francken had asked for the assistance last week and that personnel and equipment were already on their way to Belgium.
While the origin of the drones has not been verified, NATO nations believe Moscow may have ordered the drone incursions, Knighton said.
Francken said Saturday that “quite a few people on social media” seemed to be annoyed that eyes were turning to Russia after the drone incursions.
“But evidently, Russia is a plausible suspect. The other European countries that experienced this all stand firmly behind Ukraine. Coincidence? Could be. But could also not be,” he said.
“Russia certainly has the capabilities to organize such operations. And for just as long, Russian hacker collectives have been waging a hardcore cyberwar against our networks.”
And so, Francken said, looking toward Russia “isn’t abnormal” and Moscow’s possible involvement can’t be ruled out.
“Yet quite a few people feel called to do exactly that. This would be ‘impossible’ work of Russia, they pontificate,” he said. “What do they base this on? And all those others claiming the drone flights are staged, or don’t exist at all, and are deliberately exaggerated to sow panic?”
NBC’s new primetime comedy “Stumble” is a love letter to cheer. Or should that be “Cheer,” the hit Netflix docuseries that catapulted a sport with high-flying stunts, squad drama, bedazzled uniforms and lots of makeup, into the cultural zeitgeist?
For “Stumble” showrunners Liz and Jeff Astrof, it’s both. Like much of America, the siblings say they became obsessed with the champion cheerleaders of Navarro College and their no-nonsense coach Monica Aldama, whose exploits were captured in Greg Whiteley’s two-season series that premiered in 2020. The show broke the notion that cheerleading was simply made up of pony-tailed girls waving pompoms on the sidelines, showcasing the athleticism of the sport, its competitiveness and its diversity — the cheerleaders, male and female, came from varying social, economic and racial backgrounds.
Jeff watched the documentary at the insistence of his sister and was quickly hooked.
“I said, ‘You know what we should do? We should do a show where Monica goes down to the worst college in America. We’ll call it ‘Stumble,’” he recalls during a recent video call with Liz.
The idea tumbled in their heads for a time, but it took a while for it to lift off the ground. Both siblings were busy working on different TV projects — Liz on her Fox sitcom “Pivoting,” and Jeff on his Starz horror comedy “Shining Vale” — when the 2023 Hollywood strikes hit. But the timing allowed them to think about “Stumble” again.
“That’s when I really dug in,” Liz says.
“And we got to call Monica,” Jeff adds. “She’s our best friend. We even put that in the pitch, that she’s our best friend now.”
When I relay the sentiment to Aldama over a separate video call from New York, where the show is being filmed, she smiles and laughs. “Oh my goodness, they are the absolute best,” she says in her soft Texan twang.
The former Navarro coach serves as an executive producer on “Stumble” and also as its cheer consultant, bringing her decades of experience as one of America’s top collegiate cheer coaches. And while the show, premiering Friday and streaming next day on Peacock, takes some elements from the docuseries — it’s a mockumentary — it’s important to note that “Stumble” isn’t a one-to-one adaptation of “Cheer.”
The series follows Courteney Potter, played by Jenn Lyon (“Justified,” “Dead Boy Detectives”), a champion cheer coach at the fictional Sammy Davis Sr. Junior College, who is fired after a problematic video surfaces. Tammy Istiny, played by Kristin Chenoweth, takes over as interim coach — though she’s not as heartbroken about Courteney’s departure as she initially lets on. Courteney isn’t deterred, however, and she finds another coaching job at Headltston State Junior College in Oklahoma (the team mascot is a candy button, the town’s main industry), where she works to build a squad from the ground up. The character is very loosely based on Aldama, sporting the same flowy blouses, skinny jeans, heeled boots and all-business attitude.
Courteney Potter, center, played by Jenn Lyon, is very loosely based on Monica Aldama.
(Matt Miller / NBC)
“She is incredible,” said Aldama about Lyon. “I can tell she has put so much time into studying me [and] cheerleading coaches. She asks very thoughtful questions when it comes to how to deliver a line, or if the wording is correct. We never actually sat down and spent a long time with questions. And it’s fascinating to me because it’s body language, it’s delivery, it’s everything — she really did a great job.”
Meanwhile, the squad is composed of misfits, hotheads, third-year “seniors” and even a narcoleptic tumbler with a solid split. Some of the characters feel familiar — they’re an amalgamation of personalities from “Cheer.” Krystal (Anissa Borrego) might remind you of Gabi Butler, the cheer influencer, and Dimarcus (Jarrett Austin Brown) has a fiery spirit similar to La’Darius Marshall, whose combative relationship with Aldama came to a head in Season 2 of “Cheer.” But otherwise, the similarities are fleeting.
For Aldama, working on the series marks yet another shift in her life and career, much of it spent in Corsicana, Texas, where Navarro is located and where she still calls home. After serving as head cheer coach for nearly three decades, she retired in 2023.
“You know, it’s scary to have change,” she said. “What I have learned about being in the spotlight is that there are going to be a lot of things said about you. … I view things a lot differently now.”
Her retirement came after a series of events: First, Jerry Harris, one of the breakout stars of “Cheer,” was charged with sex crimes involving minors in 2020. Season 2 showed how the team grappled with his arrest; Harris pleaded guilty in 2022 and is currently serving a 12-year sentence. Then in early 2023, a civil lawsuit was filed by a former Navarro cheerleader, who accused Aldama of attempting to keep a sexual assault claim quiet. Aldama steadfastly denied the accusations, and her name was later dropped from the suit.
The Astrofs’ goal was to lean into the good things that “Cheer” showcased, emphasizing how much “Stumble” is a loose adaptation. “There’s darkness in everything, and we don’t go there,” said Jeff in reference to Harris. “For me and for Liz, the music is fun, the underdog nature of these kids and … seeing these actors do cheer and some of them … hadn’t even been in TV shows before. It’s like that excitement — it’s contagious. That’s what we’re looking at.”
Ultimately, the events of the past haven’t deterred Aldama from trying new pursuits. After all, her path was already curving toward Hollywood. After “Cheer” became a hit in 2020, she was cast in Season 29 of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” giving her a taste of the limelight outside of her world. She also released a memoir in 2022. Now, she’s trying her hand at scripted television with “Stumble.”
“It’s obviously very different because I am learning a lot. I ask a lot of questions,” she said. “They [Liz and Jeff] asked me many times, ‘How deep do you want to go?’ I want to be in every meeting. I want to learn. I want to hear every conversation … but I do a lot more listening than anything at this moment.”
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1.Showrunners Jeff and Liz Astrof on the set of “Stumble.”(Matt Miller / NBC)2.The cast on set with Monica Aldama, who is the show’s cheer consultant.(Danielle Mathias / NBC)3.Aldama on set.(Matt Miller / NBC)
The Astrofs have been in the industry as writers and producers for more than two decades, each creating their own projects for television. Though they’ve worked together before — Liz on Jeff’s series “Trial & Error” and on Season 2 of “Shining Vale” — it’s the first time the pair have joined forces as showrunners.
Working on “Stumble” and coming up with a pilot together was easy for the siblings (Jeff: “We wrote the whole thing on Post-it notes”). It’s evident they are close, often completing each other’s sentences in the course of the interview. And they agreed that having Aldama was essential to making the series, particularly when it came to depicting the cheer routines and getting the nomenclature right.
“We needed to have authenticity to cheer, because we didn’t know anything about [the] cheer world,” Jeff said.
“We had to have Monica,” Liz said. “I really just wanted to meet her. I wanted her to be involved in every single thing, just so I could see her every day.”
Her expertise was important to them as was getting the world of cheerleading right. To help with that, Aldama enlisted Dahlston Delgado, who was featured on “Cheer,” to work as a choreographer on the show. Together they recruited extras with cheer experience via social media and through their many contacts in the cheer world. The cast did many of the routines, but stunt doubles were used in some instances, and real cheerleaders were used as part of the Buttons, Headltston’s squad.
Aldama and Delgado were given freedom to decide what routines would look like, while the Astrofs would focus on writing the dialogue for the show. “In a script, we’ll just write, ‘The team does an incredible cheer,’” Jeff says. “We’ll be in a production meeting, and Monica and Dahlston will be like, can you explain what you mean by ‘incredible cheer’?”
They ran with the limited guidance, however, putting together routines quickly, rehearsing in a couple of hours and taping them. “I think everybody not in our world just could not believe how quickly they learned a routine, with most of them not knowing each other and not ever working together,” Aldama said of the cheer squad. “They were just talented.”
“She’s magical,” Liz said.
“Monica is, even from the pilot, she’s so good at what she does, I would let her do toe surgery on me,” Jeff said.
Kristin Chenoweth as Tammy Istiny, left, and Monica Aldama as herself in the “Stumble” pilot.
(Matt Miller / NBC)
Aldama even makes a cameo in the first episode, comforting Chenoweth’s Tammy when the Sammy Davis squad learns Courteney has been let go. While she may be used to being in front of the camera nowadays, Aldama considers what more she’d like to do behind the scenes.
“I think everybody has their strengths,” she said. “And writing … I like where I’m at right now, where I can read the script and say, ‘Well, maybe this,’ and add a little bit to it. I would definitely be open to producing other shows in the future.”
For the showrunners, the compressed timeline between when the show was picked up by NBC in July to production to air meant that they had to make some compromises, including where the show was filmed. The pilot was shot in Georgia, but they wanted to shoot the series in L.A., where the writers’ room is based, but it eventually landed in New York because of the financial incentives and it’s where much of the cast is located. (The Astrofs wouldn’t mind if it ended up in L.A. at some point.)
Nonetheless, they’re optimistic about how the show will be received and having Aldama on board to add credibility from a cheer perspective was the ultimate goal for them because they love the sport.
“We just want to be funny with heart and, like, just people root for it,” Jeff said.
The Philippines is bracing for its second typhoon strike in a week as Typhoon Fung-Wong aims for the archipelago on Sunday. The second storm is expected days after Typhoon Kalmeaegi decimated parts of Talisay City, Cebu Province, and other areas after making landfall on Tuesday. Photo by Juanito Espinosa/EPA
Nov. 8 (UPI) — The Philippines is under high alert as Typhoon Fung-Wong is forecast to strengthen and make landfall on Luzon as soon as Sunday evening.
The Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council issued its highest alert in anticipation of the storm making landfall and lashing the Philippines with high winds and heavy rainfall from Sunday through Tuesday.
“This is our highest state of readiness,” Civil Defense Director George Keyser said during an emergency meeting.
“The volume of rain could be unprecedented, even if the eye makes landfall far north,” Keyser said.
He said forecasters are unsure of how much rain to expect, which requires coordination among 17 local governments and national governmental agencies to handle the storm’s impacts.
“Sunday afternoon through Monday night is critical,” Keyser said. “We must clear streets for search-and-rescue and relief efforts.”
The alert helps to ensure the readiness of 486 traffic enforcers, 130 flood control teams, and 40 road emergency crews, in addition to K-9 units, according to the Philippine Information Agency.
It also activates full response protocols for flood control at 71 pumping stations, video monitoring of 85 critical sites, and the immediate deployment of boats, cranes, payloaders and buses for evacuations as needed.
The Philippines are recovering from Tuesday’s strike by Typhoon Kalmaegi, which killed nearly 200 in the Central Philippines, plus another five in Vietnam, CNN reported.
That storm was the 20th cyclone of 2025 and was the deadliest so far as it passed over the Philippines and made landfall eight times across the archipelago before moving on to Vietnam.
Fung-Wong might prove to be stronger, with wind speeds forecast to reach 115 mph before striking the eastern Philippines as soon as Sunday evening local time.
The typhoon’s mass covers 932 miles and already is impacting the eastern portion of the Philippines with strong winds and heavy rainfall.
Fung-Wong is forecast to pass over the northwestern Philippines while moving northwesterly before turning north on Tuesday and the northeasterly toward Taiwan.
Nov. 8 (UPI) — U.S. President Donald Trump has exempted Hungary from sanctions over the nation’s purchase of Russian gas and oil for one year after meeting with Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Trump is a close ally of the far-right populist and authoritarian, who came into power in 1998 but was out of office from 2002 to 2010.
On Friday at the White House, Trump said he was considering the exemption because “it’s very difficult for him to get the oil and gas from other areas.”
After the meeting, Orban posted on X with a video: “Decision reached: President Donald Trump has guaranteed full sanction exemptions for the TurkStream and Friendship pipelines, allowing Hungary to continue providing families with the lowest energy prices in Europe. Thank you, Mr. President!”
✅ Decision reached: President @realDonaldTrump has guaranteed full sanction exemptions for the TurkStream and Friendship pipelines, allowing Hungary to continue providing families with the lowest energy prices in Europe. Thank you, Mr. President! pic.twitter.com/ueqsyHyoi0— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) November 7, 2025
The BBC confirmed the exemption was for one year.
Hungary’s dependence on Russian crude oil was 61% before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, then rose to 86% in 2024 and 92% this year.
On Oct. 22, the U.S. added sanctions against Russia, including blacklisting two of Russia’s largest oil companies: Open Joint Stock Company Rosneft Oil Company and Lukoil OAO.
Russia has been the world’s third-largest oil exporter, generating $120 billion in 2024 behind No. 1 Saudi Arabia at $225 billion and No. 2 Canada. $121billion. The United States is No. 4 at $117 billion.
Extensive sanctions were imposed after Russia’s full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. Initially, they were imposed in March 2014 after Russia annexed Crimea.
The Trump administration is attempting to use tariffs to halt third-country access, including by India.
But Trump said he understands Hungary’s situation of being a landlocked nation with limited access to gas and oil.
The U.S. State Department said Hungary has agreed to purchase U.S. liquefied gas worth about $600 million, NBC News reported.
Also, Hungary agreed to purchase American nuclear fuel, which it currently buys from Russia.
Despite similar policies as Trump, Orban said the pipelines are not “ideological” or “political” and instead a “physical reality.”
“Now we are quite a good position to open up a new chapter – let’s say a golden age – between the United States and Hungary,” Orban said.
Trump has used the term “golden age of America,” declaring it began with his second inauguration on Jan. 20.
The exemption was criticized by an analyst.
“The U.S. decision is a terrible and unnecessary mistake that will allow over 1 billion euros [$1.2 billion] to flow into the Kremlin’s war chest,” Isaac Levi, with the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air, told CNN. “By carving out special treatment for Hungary, Washington is telling other buyers that they can keep handling Russian oil and still expect to be let off the hook.”
Levi noted the Czech Republic is another country with a port that manages without Russian crude oil and has lower fuel prices at the pump than Hungary.
“This clearly shows that the oil flows that continue to finance Putin’s war in Ukraine are entirely unnecessary,” he said.
Trump said he is “very disturbed” by other European countries that still buy Russian commodities despite not being landlocked.
Hungary and neighboring Slovakia are the only EU countries still getting Russian oil from the Druzhba pipeline.
EU countries’ gas comes via Turkey through the TurkStream pipeline. Russia’s share of EU gas imports fell from 40% pre-invasion to 11% in 2024.
But Slovakia is “almost 100% dependent” on Russian crude oil, according to a report from the Center for Research and Energy and Clean Air and the Center for the Study of Democracy.
The European Commission granted an exemption to Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic – three countries heavily reliant on Russian imports – for time to reduce reliance.
Other nations don’t have close relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
For other products, Trump has imposed a baseline 15% tariff as part of a trade agreement with the European Union.
That includes Hungary’s car industry.
On Oct. 21, Trump canceled his planned summit with Putin in Budapest, Hungary, after Putin’s demands on ending the war in Ukraine remained.
The road to becoming the first repeat World Series champion in 25 years was not a smooth one for the Dodgers, who captured their ninth championship in franchise history when they knocked off the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in 11 innings of a Game 7 for the ages.
After winning nine of their first 10 postseason contests, the Dodgers had to slog through a seven-game World Series that included two extra-inning wins — one in 18 innings — and consecutive losses at home that put their season on the brink.
But in the end, the Dodgers emerged with their second consecutive championship and third in six seasons. How did they make it happen? Here are some moments that galvanized the Dodgers’ run to another World Series triumph.
A great escape, with a wheel man
Mookie Betts broached the idea of running the wheel play as the Dodgers tried to hang on for dear life in Game 2 of the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Ballpark. In a tribute to executing the fundamentals, Max Muncy pounced on a bunt and Betts tagged out the lead runner at third base to help the Dodgers survive the ninth inning and grab a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
Ohtani’s iconic performance
A look at the three home runs Shohei Ohtani hit in Game 4 of the NLCS.
Based on the first inning alone, Shohei Ohtani would’ve produced an unforgettable performance in Game 4 of the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers, striking out three in a row following a leadoff walk as the Dodgers’ starting pitcher and then homering as his team’s leadoff batter to stake himself to an early lead. But Ohtani homered twice more — including a 469-foot blast over the right-field pavilion — and went on to strike out 10 in six innings to help the Dodgers secure their second consecutive NL pennant.
Another complete game by Yamamoto
Yoshinobu Yamamoto had already thrown a complete game in Game 2 of the NLCS, the first one by a Dodgers pitcher since José Lima in 2004. But Yamamoto went into more rarefied air when he threw another one in Game 2 of the World Series in a 5-1 win over the Blue Jays — becoming the first Dodger to throw consecutive postseason complete games since Orel Hershiser in 1988.
Kershaw’s moment
The anguish and heartbreak of Clayton Kershaw‘s postseason history is well known, and the Dodger Stadium crowd braced itself when he entered Game 3 of the World Series with the bases loaded and two outs in the 12th inning. In an eight-pitch battle with the Jays’ Nathan Lukes, Kershaw induced a soft grounder to second baseman Tommy Edman that he had to charge and scoop over with his glove to first baseman Freddie Freeman to escape the jam.
The Will Klein Game
As Game 3 of the World Series dragged into the 15th inning, the Dodgers turned to Will Klein, the last reliever in their bullpen — though Yamamoto was later warming for a potential 19th inning. Klein, acquired by the Dodgers in a minor trade on June 2, threw 72 pitches — the most he’s thrown as a professional — over four scoreless innings to keep the Dodgers in it.
Left fielder Kiké Hernández added another chapter to his October legacy in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 6 with the Dodgers trying to hang on to a 3-1 lead and keep their season alive. With runners on second and third and one out, Hernández played shallow and was in good position to catch a sinking line drive by Andrés Giménez before firing a throw to second baseman Miguel Rojas, who caught it on a bounce to double off the runner at second and force a Game 7.
Miguel Rojas ninth-inning hero
Rojas became the ninth-inning focal point in Game 7 as he came up to bat with the Dodgers trailing 4-3 and two outs away from losing the World Series. Rojas, who had one homer since the All-Star break, worked the count full before hammering a game-tying shot to left. In the bottom of the inning, with the bases loaded and the infield in with one out, Rojas fielded a grounder cleanly and came up firing to force the runner out at home and preserve the tie.
The Catch
One batter later and with the bases still loaded, it was Andy Pages’ turn to be the defensive hero. Inserted mid-inning at center field for his strong arm, Pages found himself using his legs to cover a lot of ground on a deep fly ball to left-center that Hernández was trying to catch over his shoulder before colliding with Pages as the center fielder secured the ball to carry the game into extra innings.
Will Smith, home run hero
As Game 7 entered the 11th inning, it was catcher Will Smith who was in the right place at the right time. Smith, who’d worked his way back into the lineup after suffering a hairline fracture in his right hand in September, turned on a 2-0 slider for his second home run of the series to put the Dodgers in front for the first time in the game.
Yamamoto with the exclamation point
Entering Game 7 during that ninth-inning jam that Rojas and Pages helped him escape, Yamamoto retired the Jays in order in the 10th and then worked around a leadoff double in the 11th, fiedling a sacrifice bunt and then walking a batter before inducing a double play to seal the Dodgers’ repeat championship. For Yamamoto in the World Series, the final tally was three wins, the last coming in relief after throwing 96 pitches the night before in Game 6, and the MVP award.
Record rains in Buenos Aires have left acres of farmland underwater. File Photo by Demian Alady Estevez/EPA
BUENOS AIRES, Nov. 7 (UPI) — The agricultural sector in Buenos Aires province is facing a severe crisis after the worst flooding in decades inundated farmland in the central and eastern regions.
The Confederation of Rural Associations of Buenos Aires and La Pampa estimates that nearly 12 million acres of farmland have been affected after heavy rains exceeded about 67 inches in several rural areas, far above the historical annual average of about 35 inches.
This situation has halted the planting and harvesting of key crops such as soybeans and corn, with rural roads rendered impassable and flooded fields preventing machinery from operating and blocking the transport of supplies and production.
María José Gentile, mayor of Nueve de Julio, one of the hardest-hit localities, told UPI that nearly half of the county has been affected by flooding.
“This area is known for producing crops such as soybeans and wheat, as well as livestock. Many farmers have lost part of their production and have had to move their cattle to higher ground or rent land in other areas,” Gentile said.
She added that some areas are under more than 3 feet of water and could take months to dry.
Graciela Vadillo, a livestock and grain producer and former president of the Nueve de Julio Rural Society, told UPI that most fields are underwater or inaccessible because of damaged roads.
“This will not only affect farmers’ finances but the entire production chain,” she said.
Much of the grain produced in the region is sold to national distributors that later export to Asian markets and the United States. In the livestock sector, many of the highest-quality cuts are also exported.
Hugo Enríquez, president of the Nueve de Julio Rural Society, told UPI that the city has about 506,000 acres of land flooded out of a total of about 1.06 million acres. Of those 506,000 acres, about 65% is used for livestock and 35% for crops.
“Buenos Aires province has around 6.7 million acres underwater. Much of it is in the core productive region,” Enríquez said.
He said cities such as Nueve de Julio, Carlos Casares, Pehuajó, Olavarría, 25 de Mayo and Los Toldos, all agricultural areas, have more than 8.6 million acres affected by impassable roads and partial flooding.
Regarding losses, Enríquez said that flooding has destroyed about 8% of the most recent harvest, mostly soybeans, since about 49,000 acres cannot be reached because the roads are impassable.
Buenos Aires province plays a key role in Argentina’s agricultural and livestock production, standing as the country’s largest producer of beef and pork, with more than 50% of national slaughter.
Its production includes both livestock and crops, and although the region historically maintained a more balanced agricultural-livestock mix, the acreage planted with crops such as soybeans has expanded significantly in recent decades, displacing livestock in some areas.
In response to the situation, Security Minister Patricia Bullrich and Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni announced Wednesday that the federal government will take charge of the emergency.
“The national government, through the Federal Emergency Agency, has decided to make all necessary resources available to confront this dramatic situation,” Adorni said at a news conference.
Sony Pictures Television and CBS have struck a compromise in their hard-fought legal battle over distribution rights to the popular “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!” syndicated game shows.
“We have reached an amicable resolution,” Sony and CBS said Friday in a joint statement. “We look forward to working together to continue bringing these beloved shows to audiences and stations around the world.”
Financial terms were not disclosed.
As part of the deal, CBS will continue to distribute the shows in the U.S. for an additional 2 ½ years — through the 2027-2028 television season. After that, Sony will control the domestic distribution rights.
Sony owns both shows and produces them on its Culver City lot.
The shows have retained their popularity and solid ratings even in the streaming age, as traditional TV has declined. They remain among the most-watched programs on television.
The dispute began more than a year ago, when Sony terminated its distribution deal with CBS and later filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit that claimed CBS had entered into unauthorized licensing deals for the shows and then paid itself a commission. Sony also maintained that budget cuts within CBS, which is owned by Paramount, had hobbled the network’s efforts to support the two shows.
CBS has long maintained that it had the legal rights to distribute the shows to television stations around the country. The broadcaster previously alleged that Sony’s claims were “rooted in the fact they simply don’t like the deal the parties agreed to decades ago.”
For years, CBS has raked in up to 40% of the fees that TV stations pay to carry the shows. The network took over the distribution of the programs when it acquired syndication company King World Productions in 1999.
King World struck deals with the show’s original producer, Merv Griffin Enterprises, in the early 1980s to distribute “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune.” Sony later acquired Griffin’s company, but those early agreements remained in effect.
As part of this week’s resolution, CBS will manage all advertising sales through the 2029-2030 television season.
However, Sony will take over all marketing, promotions and affiliate relations for the shows after the current television season, which ends in mid-2026. Sony will also handle the lucrative brand integration campaigns.
In another element that was important to Sony, the studio will claim international distribution rights beginning this December.
THERE is a beautiful train journey that claims to go to the “end of the world” and has some stunning views along the way.
Officially called El Tren del Fin de Mundo (The End of the World Train), the train is a historic steam railway that takes passengers on a journey through Tierra del Fuego National Park in Argentina.
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The End of the World Railroad near Ushuaia in Argentina travels to the Tierra del Fuego National ParkCredit: AlamyOn the journey, visitors can see breathtaking views of the landscape including waterfallsCredit: Alamy
In fact, the railway is considered the southernmost one in the world.
And the rather morbid name comes from the it’s original purpose as a prison train.
It was built back in the early 20th century and used to transport inmates to collect timber and a number of other building materials from the forest.
They would then take these materials to construct a prison and settlement.
But by 1947 the railway closed as a result of the prison closing.
Then in 1994, a four mile section of the track was rebuilt and opened as a tourist attraction.
Today, visitors can now ride along the railway as a sightseeing experience of Patagonia, as well as learn about the history of the train line.
The ‘End of the World Station’ is located around five miles from Ushuaia, which is where the journey begins.
Then, on the journey, passengers can see the Pipo River, the Macarena Waterfall and the ‘tree cemetery’ – an area that features a number of the stumps that were left behind by the prison inmates.
When the train crosses the Pipo River, it goes over Puente Quemado (Burned Bridge), which features the wooden remains of the old bridge beneath the newer tracks.
It then stops at La Macarena Station, where passengers can get off the train to look at the cascading waterfall and learn about the local people called Yamana.
The train journey then ends at the National Park Station, where passengers can get off and venture into Tierra del Feugo National Park.
The park entrance fee is separate to the price of the train journey, and it costs around £20.11 to enter.
On board the train, there are a number of different classes, including ‘Tourist’.
In these carriages, there are comfortable seats and large windows and audio commentary is available in multiple languages for passengers to learn about the history of the region, as well as the train.
In Premium Service, passengers get priority boarding, heated cars, food and even exclusive train souvenirs.
Passengers in this class can also asked for a private tour of the railway workshops, where they will learn about the behind-the-scenes work that keeps the train running.
If on the train at 9:30am, there is a breakfast menu with bread, croissants, yoghurt and mixed nuts.
In Premium Class, passengers will also receive a mealCredit: Alamy
At midday and 3pm, there is a lunch menu with dishes including lamb casserole, chicken casserole, spinach and ricotta cannelloni, pizza and empanadas.
A children’s menu is also available.
For something really special, there is a VIP service as well, where passengers receive a three-course menu and an exclusive access experience.
One recent visitor said: “This was really cool, we’d seen some of the best scenery in the world and now we were riding a miniature train to the End of the World – and I lived to tell the tale!
“There was a stop at a pretty waterfall and some funny antics by the local convicts who clearly had been left behind by the penal colony.
“I thought this was a cool thing to do, really enjoyed it.”
Another added: “A magical experience like straight out of a Christmas story, we went [when] everything was snowy beautiful [and] met wild horses on the visit.
Tickets cost around £34.63 per adult and £17.32 per child between four and 12-years-old.
Police bomb squad officers inspect the site of an explosion inside a school mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday. At least 54 people were injured in an explosion at a mosque inside a school compound during Friday prayers, according to the police. Photo by Mast Irham/EPA
Nov. 7 (UPI) — Explosions at a mosque on a high school campus in Jakarta, Indonesia, have injured at least 54 people, most of them students.
The injured have been taken to hospitals and have injuries that range from minor to serious, said Jakarta City Police Chief Asep Edi Suhaeri, the Independent reported.
Police have identified the alleged attacker as a 17-year-old student, who was also injured.
The explosions happened at 12:15 p.m. WID during Friday prayers.
Indonesia Police General Listyo Sigit Prabowo said an investigation is underway, “including how the suspect assembled and carried out the attack.”
One student told the Indonesian government-owned news agency Antara that a student brought in a homemade bomb. The boy had often been bullied by students, the BBC reported.
Other students told Indonesian news outlets that the boy had been a “loner” who often drew violent pictures. They said they saw him lying on the ground after the explosion happened.
Antara’s images appear to show objects that looked like guns, but Indonesian politician Lodewijk Freidrich Paulus said the photos depicted “a toy gun, not a real gun.”
On one of the alleged “toy guns,” it said, “14 words. For Agartha,” and, “Brenton Tarrant. Welcome to Hell,” the BBC reported.
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on Tayr Debba town in southern Lebanon on Thursday. The Israeli army announced it had launched a series of strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. Photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Nov. 7 (UPI) — Lebanon faces the dilemma of whether to go ahead with negotiations with Israel to end the ongoing cycle of violence and prevent a full-scale war despite Hezbollah‘s rejection of the talks — highlighting a deep political divide within the country.
The Hezbollah-Israel war, which broke out when the Iran-backed group opened a support front for Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023, never came to an end, even after a cease-fire agreement was reached on Nov. 27, 2024.
Israel has continued its unrestrained attacks on Hezbollah, causing further casualties and destruction. It has refused to withdraw from five strategic positions it still occupies in southern Lebanon, refrained from releasing Lebanese prisoners detained during the war, and prevented displaced residents from returning to their border villages turned to ruin.
The Lebanese Army’s successful advance in taking control of southern Lebanon and eliminating Hezbollah’s military presence along the border and south of the Litani River, as stipulated by the cease-fire agreement, does not seem sufficient for Israel, which wants Hezbollah to be completely disarmed.
In fact, Hezbollah, which suffered heavy losses during the war, has refrained from firing a single shot in retaliation to Israel’s continued air and drone strikes, which allegedly target the group’s remaining arms depots and military infrastructure beyond southern areas of the Litani River.
However, Hezbollah’s recent claims that it has fully recovered, restructured its military capabilities and rebuilt its command structure — coupled with its refusal to disarm or support Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in his new approach to negotiations with Israel — put the country at risk of another round of war.
While Aoun said that Lebanon has no choice but to engage in talks with Israel to end its occupation and halt its attacks, Hezbollah rejected any attempt to involve the country in new negotiations — outside the framework of the “mechanism” committee responsible for supervising the implementation of the ceasefire accord — arguing that they would only serve “the enemy and its interests.”
Hisham Jaber, a Lebanese military expert and former Army general, said it is the Lebanese state — not Hezbollah — that should negotiate with Israel, based on terms set by President Aoun: no direct or political negotiations, only military-security talks conducted via a third party, such as the U.S. or the United Nations, and no use of force to complete Hezbollah’s disarmament.
Jaber said that indirect talks with Israel had proven successful, recalling the 2022 U.S.-mediated maritime border deal that ended a years-long dispute between Lebanon and Israel over the ownership of natural gas fields.
“Why not do that again?” he told UPI. But to sit at the negotiation table, he added, the United States, which is pressuring Lebanon to accept the talks, should ensure that Israel withdraws from southern Lebanon and releases the prisoners, instead of “cornering us.”
What Lebanon wants is for Israel to abide by the truce accord through the “mechanism” committee, which is made up of Israel, Lebanon, the United States, France and the United Nations. However, the newly proposed negotiations, although their framework is still unclear, would also address land border disputes and other issues.
“There is a need for an agreement on the disputed points along the border, and this is not within the mandate of the mechanism,” said Riad Kahwaji, a Middle East security analyst, adding that the truce committee is charged with ensuring Hezbollah’s disarmament, the return of prisoners, and Israel’s withdrawal behind the [U.N.-drawn] Blue Line that existed before the last war in October 2023.
If the new negotiations with Israel proceed and result in a final land border agreement, it would lead to the cessation of the state of war between the two countries, and “the 1949 Armistice will prevail,” Kahwaji said..
“But, of course, Hezbollah does not want an end to the state of war between Lebanon and Israel, because that would require it to disarm, causing it to lose its value for Iran and its significance and standing within its own popular base,” he told UPI. “Its resistance will no longer be needed or relevant.”
However, Hezbollah’s attempts to rearm appear extremely difficult after the group lost its main supply route after the overthrow of its key ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad, as well as its long-standing access to Beirut’s port and airport, which it had used for years to smuggle weapons and funds.
It is now impossible for Hezbollah to smuggle large weapons, such as heavy missiles, across the border with Syria, though it may still attempt to acquire Grad rockets, anti-tank Kornet missiles and drones.
“If Hezbollah goes into another war with Israel, it will be using whatever is left from its arsenal, which is not that much,” Kahwaji said, noting that the group now has “a different leadership” after Israel killed most of its top leaders and military commanders, and that “its popular base is exhausted … so the repercussions will be huge.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “is acting as a victor,” refusing to make any concessions and imposing all his conditions, he added.
Lebanon has been facing mounting pressure, especially from the United States and Israel, to disarm Hezbollah even forcibly. Authorities prefer a quiet approach to avoid a confrontation between the Lebanese Army and the militant group, which could create divisions within the army and potentially spark a civil war.
Jaber, the former Army general who is well-informed about Hezbollah, said Washington should instead understand and support Lebanon’s approach, because the group “is ready to hand over its weapons” if Israel stops its attacks and withdraws in line with the truce accord.
“Hezbollah is prepared to relinquish its offensive weapons first, followed by its defensive weapons at a later stage, as part of a national defense strategy,” he said. “This is now an attrition war, not between two parties, but led by only one [Israel].”
Iran, which has funded and armed Hezbollah since its formation in the early 1980s, no longer is interfering in the group’s day-to-day affairs, but remains keen to preserve it as a political and military entity -a card in its hand — after “losing all its other cards in the region,” Jaber said.
With Israel threatening to expand its attacks and launch a full-scale war to force the complete disarmament of Hezbollah, Lebanon remains with few options: diplomacy and political pressure.
“It is in Lebanon’s best interest to seize this opportunity and drag Israel into negotiations to end the war and the conflict,” Kahwaji said.
