While Trump claims to have negotiated a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, one of the key players in future negotiations remains behind bars. The 66-year-old politician Marwan Barghouti, who’s currently imprisoned in Israel, has been described by Palestinians as their Nelson Mandela. Israel has remained adamant that it will not free Barghouti from his prison term, even as Palestinians push for his release.

‘Unifying pragmatist or terrorist mastermind’
Barghouti was a student leader at Birzeit University in the West Bank, involved in popular protests at the time of the first Palestinian intifada, or uprising, in 1987. In the 1990s, he emerged as a prominent figure in Fatah, the movement led by Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas that runs the West Bank, rising to the position of general secretary. Barghouti stands accused by Israel of having established the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and is currently serving five life sentences in an Israeli prison for his alleged role in deadly attacks during the second intifada in the early 2000s.

Often described by Palestinians as the Palestinian Mandela, he is seen as a “unifying pragmatist or a terrorist mastermind,” depending on your political affiliation, said Haaretz. Barghouti has maintained his high profile and influence during his 20 years behind bars. 

The future for Barghouti
This is not the first time that Palestinian officials have tried to get Barghouti out of prison. Hamas has continually pushed for his release, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “doesn’t want a partner for peace,” his son Arab Barghouti said to CNN.

Barghouti remains the “most popular and potentially unifying Palestinian leader,” said The Associated Press. If he were to be released, Israel “fears history could repeat itself after it released senior Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in a 2011 exchange.” Sinwar went on to become one of the main architects of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. But Trump is “considering whether to urge Israel to release” him as part of a means to further end the war, said Reuters. 

An increasing number of women are getting testosterone therapy and touting improved libido and energy. But the trend is complicated by many women taking more than may be optimal because of a lack of standard-dose products designed for female bodies, as not enough research has been conducted on supplemental testosterone use by women.

Why are women using testosterone?
While testosterone is largely associated with men’s health, the hormone plays a crucial role in women’s health. Testosterone is produced by the ovaries and adrenal glands and “helps regulate sex drive, supports bone and muscle health, and contributes to mood and energy” in women, said National Geographic. Production peaks in women between their late teens and early 20s, then declines over time, reaching about half its starting level at age 60.

Now, many perimenopausal and menopausal women are taking testosterone and reporting its known benefits. But while this seems like a boon, many women are taking doses that are “much higher than medical societies’ guidelines recommend,” said The New York Times. 

What’s the state of testosterone therapy research?
The medical community does not have a “standard value for ‘normal’ testosterone levels” in women, said the Cleveland Clinic. And currently, the “only evidence-based use of testosterone for women is treating low libido after menopause,” said National Geographic. But there's “no standardized female-specific way to prescribe it.”

Restoring testosterone levels in women to those of when they were in their late 30s can improve sex drive without severe side effects, according to research, but no products exist that achieve this accurately. While improved libido has been evident, other benefits, like boosting energy or strengthening bones, have not been backed by science with long-term data. 

The Food and Drug Administration has not approved a testosterone product for women, despite the agency not requiring similar data for many approved male testosterone products. In 2004, the FDA rejected a testosterone patch submitted for approval. So women’s options to “pursue testosterone therapy are typically limited to more nontraditional avenues like wellness centers, nutritionists, med-spas and longevity practitioners,” said Futurism, none of which are covered by insurance.

A woman in traditional garb takes part in a procession marking the 102nd anniversary of the founding of the modern Turkish Republic in Istanbul. Millions across Turkey have celebrated for two days with parades, concerts and other special events.
Emrah Gurel / AP

The essence of dark comedy is sending up the sacred or the unthinkable, often mocking or challenging social expectations. The recently released “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” makes this kind of maneuver with motherhood, just as director Stanley Kubrick’s classic “Dr. Strangelove” makes with nuclear war. Filmmakers in the 21st century have gamely carried on Kubrick’s efforts to shine a light on society’s contradictions.

‘In the Loop’ (2009)
Director Armando Iannucci’s Iraq War satire sees a trigger-happy American administration trying to persuade reluctant Brits to come along for a war in the Middle East. The movie excels at “exposing the ugly truths lurking behind the satire,” said Film Comment. (AMC+)

‘Parasite’ (2019)
The first foreign-language film ever to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, director Bong Joon-ho’s riveting work spares no one in its indictment of class privilege. The movie shows that “each family has been shaped by oppressive capitalist forces that rob them of their humanity” and “push them into constant competition” and, ultimately, a “need to dominate,” said Pajiba. (HBO Max)

‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ (2022)
On a bucolic Irish island during the civil war, Colm (Brendan Gleeson) decides to suddenly cut off his erstwhile, chatty best friend, simple-minded dairy farmer Pádraic (Colin Farrell). Director Martin McDonagh’s film (pictured above) blends “odd-couple comedy with toxic bromantic satire” in a film that “swings between the hilarious, the horrifying and the heartbreaking in magnificent fashion,” said The Guardian. (Prime)