By ROSEMARY FEITELBERG - THE TIES THAT BIND: Tiffany Trump decided on an Elie Saab wedding gown for her nuptials Saturday to Michael Boulos, and she wasn’t the only one sporting that designer label. Her billionaire husband was also dressed in a black tuxedo by the designer, a Trump spokesman confirmed Saturday. Elie Saab was also the designer of choice for Trump’s mother, Marla Maples, and for her half sister, Ivanka Trump. The 29-year-old bride wore a ballet-neck embellished gown with a tapered waist and extravagant sweeping train. She carried a small bouquet of lilies. Former president Donald Trump donned a tux to walk his youngest daughter down the al fresco aisle at his 20-acre estate Mar-a-Lago. The wedding march started beneath an arch of pastel-colored hydrangeas.

Representatives for Elie Saab, a Lebanese-born designer popular with celebrities including Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts and Halle Berry, did not respond to requests for comment Saturday. In March, Saab returned to the Paris runway for the first time since the 2020 Beirut explosion decimated his home city, and also damaged his home and atelier.

The one-shoulder trend got a serious boost by a few of the Trump women during the pre-wedding festivities and at the wedding. The former president’s second wife – Maples – sported a mint green one-shoulder pantsuit to Friday night’s rehearsal dinner, and his third and current wife Melania donned a metallic gold one-shouldered Dolce & Gabbana halter dress with a bias fit for the same event. The trio posed together for photos. Maples, who was married to The Donald from 1993 through 1999, wore a fitted lilac-colored dress for the wedding with one strap over the right shoulder.

CNN — By Kate Bennett -- After three days on hurricane watch, Tiffany Trump breathed a sigh of relief. The weather in Palm Beach, Florida, was finally easing and the forecast for Saturday, her wedding day, looked sunny and warm. Two people familiar with the bride-to-be’s mood tell CNN that Donald Trump’s younger daughter, his only child with second wife Marla Maples, had been “stressed” about the late-season storm and what it might mean for her Mar-a-Lago celebration with 25-year-old Michael Boulos, her boyfriend of four years. But even though Tropical Storm Nicole is moving on, the Trumps may still be in for some tumult over the weekend. They’re gathering as their patriarch makes moves toward a 2024 presidential run, a prospect not everyone in the family is excited about. Some of them are signaling they don’t want to be involved much, if at all, sources close to the family tell CNN.

Three people familiar with the former president’s activities say he is not in the best of spirits. Many of the high-profile candidates he endorsed in the midterms failed to secure a win, and now some Republicans are whispering about his dwindling influence over the party. Trump is “cranky,” says one of the people. At present, say those who are familiar, Trump is more focused on his “special announcement” on Tuesday, when he may – or may not – announce his planned third run for the presidency. His mind is consumed with the 2024 political landscape and where and how he will fit into it. But first he has to get through one other job: Father of the bride.

Trump typically likes being the center of attention at his private club, which also serves as his home, but only if he’s being congratulated or in the mood for accolades. The run-up to Tiffany’s big day has been rough and, as the skies clear and her guests descend on Mar-a-Lago, sources say the former president is lying low. Two of the people familiar with Trump’s mood say he has also been on the outs with his wife, Melania Trump, after a post-election day news report said she got the brunt of his ire after Dr. Mehmet Oz’s loss in his run for the US Senate. The New York Times reported that Donald Trump blamed Melania Trump for his endorsement of the TV doctor; during a rally this year, he mentioned his wife was a big Oz fan.

by middleeasteye.net -- Lebanese pop star Elissa is being targeted by Egyptian social media users for retweeting a post earlier this week in support of imprisoned British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah. She later deleted the tweet. Abd el-Fattah was a leading figure in the 2011 Egyptian revolution and has spent eight of the past 10 years in jail on various charges. He was sentenced to five years in prison for "spreading false news" in December 2019, in a trial widely condemned by human rights defenders. Following a seven-month hunger strike, during which he only consumed 100 calories per day, Abd el-Fattah stopped drinking water on Sunday to coincide with the opening of the United Nations Cop 27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. Elissa came under fire for retweeting a post by a Lebanese journalist calling for a protest in front of the British embassy in Beirut in solidarity with the activist. The post angered pro-government Egyptians on social media, who launched an Arabic hashtag which translates as "Elissa you are not welcome in Egypt".

The Lebanese singer subsequently deleted her post and replaced it with a tweet praising Egypt for hosting the climate summit, and calling it her "second country". The attacks on Elissa continued, however, with some calling on fans to boycott her concert in Egypt later this month. Many social media users also criticised her for "interfering" with Egyptian affairs, saying the pop star should instead be "looking at the disasters in her own country". Lebanon has been going through a cataclysmic financial meltdown that has paralysed the country for the past three years and pushed more than 80 percent of the population into poverty. "Instead of interfering, stand in solidarity with your own people who have nothing to eat. The aid fleet that [President Abdel Fattah] el-Sisi sent to Lebanon was wasted [on you]," one Egyptian tweeted.

by Xinhua & Naharnet - BEIRUT: Lebanon’s parliament failed to elect a president for the 5th time on Thursday, bringing the country closer to institutional deadlock amid a deep financial crisis. President Michel Aoun’s term ended on Oct. 31, leaving behind a political vacuum and divisions among political blocs over the makeup of a new cabinet. The voting session, which 108 deputies attended out of 128, resulted in 44 votes for parliament member Michel Mouawad, six votes for University professor Issam Khalife, one vote for former Interior Minister Ziad Baroud, and one vote for former Secretary General of Lebanon's High Council for Privatization Ziad Hayek, as well as 47 blank votes, and scattered votes for political slogans.

Hezbollah rejects the candidacy of Mouawad, who is seen as close to the United States, and calls for a "compromise candidate" to be found. "Neither camp can impose a candidate, a compromise must be found and an understanding reached on a candidate acceptable to everyone," deputy speaker Elias Bou Saab told AFP in an interview on Tuesday.

A second round was cancelled due to lack of quorum, after some MPs left the session before the second round as they did in the past four sessions. Former candidate for World Bank chief Ziad Hayek garnered one vote in the first round and seven MPS voted "The New Lebanon". One MP voted "For Lebanon" and MP Michel Douaihy, who had announced last month his withdrawal from the Change bloc, voted "Plan B". Change MPs demanded an open session until the election of a President. "The chamber must be locked, and the Lebanese must rally outside Parliament until a President is elected," Change MP Elias Jradeh said. MP Melhem Khalaf said during and after the session that the constitution says that Parliament must stay convened until a president is elected. So did Kataeb chief MP Sami Gemayel. Both called for an open session even if it lasts for days, citing the Article 49 of the constitution.