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Trump's In-Laws Celebrate his Election Win in Kfaraakka, Lebanon

From right to left: Michael Boulos, Tiffany Trump, Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Sara Zuhair Fadoul and Massad Boulos. (Social media)
From right to left: Michael Boulos, Tiffany Trump, Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Sara Zuhair Fadoul and Massad Boulos. (Social media)
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Trump's In-Laws Celebrate his Election Win in Kfaraakka, Lebanon

From right to left: Michael Boulos, Tiffany Trump, Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Sara Zuhair Fadoul and Massad Boulos. (Social media)
From right to left: Michael Boulos, Tiffany Trump, Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Sara Zuhair Fadoul and Massad Boulos. (Social media)

Mary-Therese, 75, Michael Boulos’ grandmother, couldn’t hold back her tears of joy at her home in Kfaraakka, northern Lebanon, when she heard the news of her grandson-in-law Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election.

Michael is married to Trump’s daughter Tiffany.

Mary-Therese followed the election closely on TV and stayed in touch with her children in the US, who were actively involved in the campaign.

The Boulos family, some traveling from Kfaraakka, worked hard to support Trump’s victory. Michael’s father, Massad, played a key role in connecting with the Arab community, especially in Michigan, securing votes from Lebanese Americans.

Massad was joined in his efforts by his sister, Michael’s sibling, and his sister Viviane and her daughter. Michael’s fourth sibling, Philippe, couldn’t participate due to business commitments in Africa and Lebanon.

As family friend Dr. Lily Mleha Fayyad shared, it’s common for Trump to involve his family in his campaigns.

The residents of Koura celebrated Trump’s victory, feeling connected through Michael. Well-wishers filled the family’s home, and the phone never stopped ringing.

“We were so happy when Michael and Tiffany married,” said Marlene from Kfaraakka.

“We were proud to see his father, Massad, on TV, especially for his efforts in convincing the Arab community to support Trump. We hope to see him as a US envoy to Lebanon soon, helping bring peace, as promised.”

Few in Kfaraakka know Michael personally, as he was born in Lebanon, raised in Nigeria, and educated in the US, but always spent his vacations in Lebanon.

“We’d see him visit with his family, but we know Massad well,” Marlene added. “He grew up here, and everyone loves him for his kind and friendly personality.”

Fayyad praised Massad as “a devoted son” who took great care of his parents, especially his father before he passed away 12 years ago.

“He’s a great example of a dutiful son, which earned him the respect of everyone around him.”

In Kfaraakka, locals admire the Boulos family for their closeness. Massad and his wife, Sara Zuhair Fadoul, along with their children, Fares, Michael, Sophie and Oriane, continue to visit Lebanon despite living in Lagos.

“They’re a humble, kind family, not like the nouveau riche,” said Fayyad.

“Their doors are always open, and they have a special place in their neighbors’ hearts,” she added.

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Varieties

Need a Smile? This Livestream Features 6 Puppies All Day Long

In this image taken from video puppies of the Lagotto Romagnolo dog Hilkka sleep in Finland, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (Breeder's album, Julia Kiiskinen/Yle - The Finnish Broadcasting Company via AP)
In this image taken from video puppies of the Lagotto Romagnolo dog Hilkka sleep in Finland, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (Breeder's album, Julia Kiiskinen/Yle - The Finnish Broadcasting Company via AP)
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Need a Smile? This Livestream Features 6 Puppies All Day Long

In this image taken from video puppies of the Lagotto Romagnolo dog Hilkka sleep in Finland, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (Breeder's album, Julia Kiiskinen/Yle - The Finnish Broadcasting Company via AP)
In this image taken from video puppies of the Lagotto Romagnolo dog Hilkka sleep in Finland, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (Breeder's album, Julia Kiiskinen/Yle - The Finnish Broadcasting Company via AP)

Every wiggle and wobble, every snuffle and squeak of six newborn puppies snuggling together in Finland is captured by cameras monitoring their development in the first weeks of their lives. For science, of course.

Even though the puppies mostly nap and nurse — no fetching yet — they've entranced millions of Finnish viewers and others around the world through " Pentulive," a 24/7 slow TV livestream from Finland’s national public broadcaster, Yle. "Pentu” means puppy in Finnish.

The puppies' mother, a 5-year-old Lagotto Romagnolo dog named Hilkka, gave birth to four males and two females on Oct. 10. The puppies have brown and white fur and weighed roughly 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) each Thursday.

“They are just opening their eyes and their ears,” Pirjo Koskinen, a Yle science journalist who came up with the idea for “Pentulive,” told The Associated Press on Thursday. “They are taking their first clumsy steps.”

The slow TV show is in its sixth season and expected to break viewership records again. In less than two weeks, the livestream had more than 6 million views on social media alone in the country of 5.7 million people. A naming ceremony is set for Saturday.

The programming incorporates science through chat sessions with viewers three times a week, as well as a podcast and online articles detailing the dogs' development. The audience can watch the puppies grow day by day and track their milestones alongside Yle's science journalists and the breeder.

The scientific benefits extend to humans, too.

Seeing the puppies attempt to make a mad dash to their mother for milk, for example, can trigger an increase in levels of a hormone called oxytocin in a human brain, Koskinen said. Also known as the love hormone, it can help create social bonding as well as reduce anxiety.

The show is also an escape from the stresses of the rest of the world for viewers and Yle's journalists alike. One look at those wagging tails and little pink noses and it's hard not to smile, said Jyri Loikkanen, Yle’s producer of “Pentulive.”

Loikkanen, who often watches the livestream to decompress from his workday, said a commenter wrote on social media comparing the US considering livestreaming the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan to Finland streaming puppies.

“I think it’s pretty much a sign of the times that people crave for this kind of small escape,” Loikkanen said, from the “doom and gloomy news what we are experiencing at the moment: The politics, the economics, war and strife et cetera.”

The puppies will be adopted mid-December by people chosen by the breeder. Yle keeps the breeder's name and location anonymous for their privacy and so that they can focus on the dogs' well-being. The puppies' new families are selected before the livestream begins each year.

The slow TV style of programming began in 2009 with Norwegian public broadcaster NRK’s minute-by-minute airing of a seven-hour train trip across the southern part of the country. It has since spread with productions in the United Kingdom, China and elsewhere.

In Sweden, for example, remote cameras for “The Great Moose Migration” capture dozens of moose as they swim across the Ångerman River, some 300 kilometers (187 miles) northwest of Stockholm, in the annual spring migration toward summer grazing pastures.

Varieties

Prince William, Wannabe DJ and Film-Lover, Appears on UK Chat Show

Britain's Prince William meets with the public on a street during a royal visit to the Aberfan Disaster Memorial Garden to mark the 60th anniversary of the 1966 disaster, in which 109 children and five teachers were killed at Pantglas Junior School when a coal spoil tip collapsed onto the Welsh village, Britain, October 21, 2026. (Reuters)
Britain's Prince William meets with the public on a street during a royal visit to the Aberfan Disaster Memorial Garden to mark the 60th anniversary of the 1966 disaster, in which 109 children and five teachers were killed at Pantglas Junior School when a coal spoil tip collapsed onto the Welsh village, Britain, October 21, 2026. (Reuters)
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Prince William, Wannabe DJ and Film-Lover, Appears on UK Chat Show

Britain's Prince William meets with the public on a street during a royal visit to the Aberfan Disaster Memorial Garden to mark the 60th anniversary of the 1966 disaster, in which 109 children and five teachers were killed at Pantglas Junior School when a coal spoil tip collapsed onto the Welsh village, Britain, October 21, 2026. (Reuters)
Britain's Prince William meets with the public on a street during a royal visit to the Aberfan Disaster Memorial Garden to mark the 60th anniversary of the 1966 disaster, in which 109 children and five teachers were killed at Pantglas Junior School when a coal spoil tip collapsed onto the Welsh village, Britain, October 21, 2026. (Reuters)

Prince William talked about his ‌love of Christopher Nolan films and how he once wanted to be a DJ as he appeared on a British television chat show on Friday to promote his annual award for climate change innovation.

The heir to the throne, 44, has in recent years regularly appeared in less formal settings in a bid to connect with younger audiences, including Radio One, one of UK's biggest stations for under 30s, and sports podcasts.

William surprised celebrity guests including actors Cate Blanchett and Hannah Waddingham when he joined them ‌on the ‌sofa for an episode of the BBC's Graham ‌Norton ⁠Show, which is ⁠due to air later on Friday.

Asked about how he relaxes, he said he and his family together enjoy reality show The Celebrity Traitors, while he personally turns to music and films.

"I'm a big fan of everything Christopher Nolan does. His films are fantastic – The Dark Knight series is psychologically dark and deep and I ⁠absolutely love that," William said.

"He takes concepts that ‌are completely out there and ‌makes them incredibly entertaining."

Before accepting that his future job would be that ‌of king, he said he had wanted to be a ‌policeman.

"Then I went through a phase of wanting to be a DJ – I wasn’t very good," he said.

William has in recent years sought to provide insights into his personal life, without creating waves by ‌giving too much away about the challenges of life in the public eye.

Two years ago, both ⁠his father, ⁠King Charles, and his wife Kate began treatment for cancer. His wife is now in remission, while Charles's treatment continues.

He has also been estranged from his brother Prince Harry for about six years, after Harry published a book detailing the breakdown of their relationship and repeatedly criticized the royal family.

Talking about The Earthshot Prize, which he set up six years ago to award five winners £1 million each to fund their ideas to save the environment, William said the aim was to bring optimism into an issue which can otherwise feel depressing.

"There are some amazing people out there doing things to protect the world," he said.

Varieties

Monet’s ‘Iris’ Becomes Most Expensive Artwork Sold at Auction in France, Sotheby’s Says

This photograph shows French painter Claude Monet's "Iris", 1924–1925, during a preview of 28 Impressionist works of the Schlumberger Collection unveiled ahead of the October 22, 2026, sale at Sotheby's auction house in Paris on September 17, 2026.
This photograph shows French painter Claude Monet's "Iris", 1924–1925, during a preview of 28 Impressionist works of the Schlumberger Collection unveiled ahead of the October 22, 2026, sale at Sotheby's auction house in Paris on September 17, 2026.
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Monet’s ‘Iris’ Becomes Most Expensive Artwork Sold at Auction in France, Sotheby’s Says

This photograph shows French painter Claude Monet's "Iris", 1924–1925, during a preview of 28 Impressionist works of the Schlumberger Collection unveiled ahead of the October 22, 2026, sale at Sotheby's auction house in Paris on September 17, 2026.
This photograph shows French painter Claude Monet's "Iris", 1924–1925, during a preview of 28 Impressionist works of the Schlumberger Collection unveiled ahead of the October 22, 2026, sale at Sotheby's auction house in Paris on September 17, 2026.

Claude Monet's "Iris" was sold late on Thursday for €50 million ($56.05 million), becoming the most expensive work of art sold at auction in France, Sotheby's said.

The painting, completed toward ‌the end ‌of Monet's ‌life, attracted ⁠frantic bidding with six ⁠people battling it out for 45 minutes for the piece, before the final two continued ⁠to scrabble for a ‌further ‌20 minutes.

"Iris" finally went ‌to an Asian ‌collector who bid over the phone.

The painting was one of several works ‌up for auction from the Schlumberger Collection ⁠and ⁠had been expected to sell between €22 million and €30 million.

The previous French auction record was set in 2010, by Amedeo Modigliani's "Head of a Caryatid," which sold for €43.2 million.