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President Donald Trump on Friday raged against eco-friendly paper straws promoted by his predecessor Joe Biden, and pledged that the United States would return to plastic ones.The move is his latest on green issues since returning to power, after pulling out of the Paris climate change agreement and ordering deregulations as part of a “drill, baby, drill” agenda.On Thursday, the Republican’s administration also sought to block funding for a network of electric-vehicle charging stations across the country, sparking fury from environmentalists.Trump pledged action against paper straws, which are unpopular with many consumers but create less plastic pollution.”I will be signing an Executive Order next week ending the ridiculous Biden push for Paper Straws, which don’t work. BACK TO PLASTIC!” he said on social media.Democrat Biden had announced a target to eliminate single-use plastic utensils like drinking straws by 2035 across government agencies.The trend for paper drinking straws has long irritated Trump.”They want to ban straws. Has anyone tried those paper straws? They’re not working too good,” he said during a campaign rally in the 2020 election against Biden.”It disintegrates as you drink it, and if you have a nice tie like this tie, you’ve got no choice.”Trump’s campaign team previously sold branded plastic straws with the slogan: “Liberal paper straws don’t work.”The president, who calls climate change a scam, has also often targeted electric vehicles despite his close alliance with Tesla chief Elon Musk.Halting rollout of the $5 billion national EV charging network would be a major setback to efforts to cut climate-changing emissions, according to green campaigners.”His administration’s move to block funding for a bipartisan effort to build out our national EV charging network is a blatant, illegal power grab,” the Evergreen Action group said.”This program is delivering real benefits to all 50 states — creating jobs, boosting economic opportunities, and cutting pollution.”

The United States added fewer jobs than expected in January although hiring remained healthy, government data showed Friday, marking resilience in the labor market heading into President Donald Trump’s new term.There was severe winter weather during the month and devastating fires in California, which the Labor Department said did not have a clear impact on national figures, even though analysts warned they likely showed up in the details.Looking ahead, heightened tariff risks and plans for slowing immigration under Trump may also give businesses some pause as they mull further hiring, economists said.Total employment rose by 143,000 jobs last month, according to the Labor Department, significantly lower than the revised 307,000 figure in December.The January number was also below an analyst consensus estimate of 155,000 according to Briefing.com.Meanwhile, the jobless rate edged down to 4.0 percent from 4.1 percent, beating analyst expectations.Wage growth was better than analysts expected, accelerating to 0.5 percent, the report showed.The data added to signs that the US economy remained in good shape heading into Trump’s second term, which began on January 20, analysts noted.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt however said the report showed the economy under predecessor Joe Biden was “far worse than anyone thought, and underscores the necessity” of Trump’s deregulatory agenda.Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, took aim at downward revisions to last year’s figures in the latest update, telling media that the Trump administration has “a lot of work to do.”In a note, Nationwide chief economist Kathy Bostjancic said annual employment revisions were “larger than usual” but not unexpected.”Taken together, December and January payroll figures paint a strong picture of the economy,” added Carl Weinberg and Mary Chen of High Frequency Economics.They said they expect that with these figures, the US central bank would not be in a rush to cut interest rates.KPMG chief economist Diane Swonk noted that revisions to data suggested the first half of last year was weaker than the second, reassuring the Federal Reserve that its recent decision to hold rates steady was justified.”Payrolls held up better than expected in the wake of the fires in California, although the disaster did leave an imprint on the data,” she added in a note, pointing to a hit in the leisure and hospitality sector.Sectors like health care, retail trade and social assistance saw job gains, the Labor Department said, while employment declined in industries like mining, alongside oil and gas.- ‘Wildcard’ -“Trade policy will likely be the biggest wildcard for 2025,” said EY senior economist Lydia Boussour in a note.”Steep tariffs and heightened policy uncertainty could push businesses to increasingly adopt wait-and-see behaviors and pull back on hiring,” she warned.This could lead to a more significant slowdown in hiring, weaker incomes and restrained consumer spending, she said.Over the past weekend, Trump unveiled — and then paused — 25 percent tariffs on major US trading partners Canada and Mexico, which included a lower rate for Canadian energy imports.But an additional 10 percent levy on Chinese imports, alongside a suspension of duty-free exemptions for low value goods, came into effect on Tuesday, triggering Beijing’s announcement of retaliation.Trump has also threatened tariffs on the European Union, and signaled he could target imports in sectors including semiconductors.Ger Doyle, US country manager at ManpowerGroup, added in a note that “2025 is shaping up to be another year of significant changes.””Our real-time data show total open job postings declined three percent, indicating a slight contraction in overall job demand,” he said.

The International Criminal Court on Friday condemned US sanctions over probes targeting America and Israel and pledged to press on with its aim to fight for “justice and hope” around the world.The United Nations and the European Union urged US President Donald Trump to reverse the asset freezes and travel bans against ICC officials, employees and their families and anyone deemed to have helped ICC investigations.US allies, including Britain, France and Canada, were among 79 ICC member states who said the US action “could jeopardize” the safety of victims, witnesses and court officials. The sanctions could also hit the court’s technical and IT operations, including evidence gathering. There were also fears that victims might now hesitate to come forward.Trump signed an executive order Thursday saying the court based in The Hague had “abused its power” by issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who held talks with the US president on Tuesday.The ICC said the sanctions sought to “harm its independent and impartial judicial work”.”The court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world,” it added. – ‘Undermines’ justice system -The United Nations urged Trump to reverse the move.”The court should be fully able to undertake its independent work — where a state is unwilling or unable genuinely to carry out the investigation or prosecution,” UN human rights office OHCHR spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told AFP in an email.”The rule of law remains essential to our collective peace and security. Seeking accountability globally makes the world a safer place for everyone.”Antonio Costa, who heads the European Council representing the EU’s 27 member states, wrote on X that the move “undermines the international criminal justice system”.The European Commission separately expressed “regret” and stressed the ICC’s “key importance in upholding international criminal justice and the fight against impunity”.Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy also expressed concern.”We hope that they will not affect the court’s ability to achieve justice for the victims of Russian aggression,” he said.Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof called the US action a “disturbing signal”. As court’s host, the Netherlands would seek to maintain the “unhindered functioning” of the ICC, he added.The 79 ICC member countries said Trump’s sanctions increased the “risk of impunity” for serious crimes and “threaten to erode the international rule of law”.That statement was led by Slovenia, Luxembourg, Mexico, Sierra Leone and Vanuatu but Brazil, Britain, Canada, France and Germany were among the signatories.- ICC ‘illegitimate’: Trump -The names of individuals affected by sanctions were not immediately released, but previous US sanctions under Trump targeted the court’s prosecutor.Trump’s order said the tribunal had engaged in “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel,” referring to ICC probes into alleged war crimes by US service members in Afghanistan and Israeli troops in Gaza.Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Saar strongly applauded Trump and called the court’s actions against Israel “immoral” and without “legal basis”.Neither the United States nor Israel are members of the court.Following a request by ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, judges issued arrest warrants on November 21 for Netanyahu, his former defence minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas’s military chief Mohammed Deif who was killed last year.The court said it had found “reasonable grounds” to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bore “criminal responsibility” for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare in Gaza, as well as crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.Netanyahu accused the court of anti-Semitism.During his first term, Trump imposed financial sanctions and a visa ban on the ICC’s then prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, and other senior officials in 2020. His administration acted after Gambian-born Bensouda launched an investigation into allegations of war crimes against US soldiers in Afghanistan. Bensouda also opened a probe into events in the Palestinian territories in 2019.Current prosecutor Khan later effectively dropped the US from the Afghan investigation and focused on the Taliban instead.  President Joe Biden lifted the sanctions after taking office in 2021.burs-tw/jj

The Kansas City Chiefs chase a historic hat-trick of Super Bowl titles when they take on the Philadelphia Eagles here Sunday as New Orleans hosts the NFL showpiece just five weeks after a deadly attack in the city’s party district.In a first for a sitting US President, Donald Trump will be among an array of VIPs and celebrities in a sell-out crowd of around 74,000 who will be packed into the Caesars Superdome for the biggest annual event in the American sporting calendar.Pop superstar Taylor Swift will also be in attendance to watch as her boyfriend Travis Kelce and his Chiefs team-mates bid to win an unprecedented third straight Vince Lombardi Trophy, and a fourth in six seasons.There is a heavy police presence in the city and blanket security around the event after the New Year’s Day attack which saw 14 people killed and many more injured in the Big Easy’s famous Bourbon Street district.A US army veteran, who the FBI say was motivated by loyalty to the jihadist Islamic State group, used a pickup trick to kill and wound revelers in the crowded French quarter.Authorities expect over 100,000 visitors to the city for the game which the Department of Homeland Security has assigned a Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) Level 1 designated event, the highest classification level of public safety risk.”I’m confident the safest place this weekend will be under the security umbrella we have in place around [the Superdome],” Cathy Lanier, the NFL’s chief security officer, said this week. “We have reviewed, and re-reviewed, all the events of January 1.”Trump’s presence will only increase the security effort with the President going beyond the traditional pre-game televised interview to attend in person.Trump has had a strained relationship with the NFL in the past — he was part of an anti-trust lawsuit against the league in the 1980s when he owned a club in the rival USFL league.In 2017, Trump criticised NFL players who knelt during the playing of the US national anthem to draw attention to issues of racial injustice, prompting strong criticism from some players.Trump then cancelled a planned White House reception for the Eagles after large numbers of players had made it clear they would not attend.But there has been no objection from players to Trump attending Sunday’s game with Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is seeking his fourth Super Bowl ring, describing the prospect as “cool”.As always, the Super Bowl crosses over into popular culture and the half-time show this year will feature hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar, who had a clean sweep at last Sunday’s Grammys, winning in all five categories for which he received nominations.Bookmakers and casinos meanwhile are taking odds on whether Chiefs star Kelce will propose to pop icon Swift after the game.American sportsbooks, now legal in 38 states, could take an estimated $1.39 billion in bets on the Super Bowl according to an annual report from the American Gaming Association (AGA).- Chiefs favourites -For the more serious punters, the oddsmakers have the Chiefs as slight favourite for the game which is a rematch of the Super Bowl from two years ago which the Chiefs won by three points.The Chiefs defended their title last year, beating the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas and putting them one win away from an unprecedented ‘three-peat’.The 29-year-old Mahomes will become one of just four quarterbacks in the history of the NFL to have won more than three Super Bowls should he triumph again.But the Eagles have added serious offensive firepower since their defeat two years ago with mobile quarterback Jalen Hurts joined by the game-changing speed and power of running back Saquon Barkley.While the Super Bowl regularly draws the biggest television audience of the year in the USA, interest in the NFL is growing outside of it’s stronghold.There is international involvement in this year’s game with Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata looking to become the first Australian to play in and win a Super Bowl.Having played in Brazil this year, the NFL is rapidly expanding their presence globally and next season regular season games will be held in London, Berlin and Madrid with Melbourne, Australia, to host a game in 2026.In this week’s build-up, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell floated the idea that the Super Bowl itself might one day be held outside the USA.”I do think there’s potential that someday we will have an international franchise. If we do, it would not surprise me at all if a Super Bowl follows and is played there,” he said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet President Donald Trump during a trip to the United States next week, the foreign ministry in New Delhi said on Friday.Modi, who will visit Washington from February 12-13, will be “among the first few world leaders to visit the United States following the inauguration of President Trump”, India’s top career diplomat, Vikram Misri, told reporters.Misri said there had been a “very close rapport” between the leaders, although their ties have so far failed to bring a breakthrough on a long-sought US-India trade deal.”The visit will be a valuable opportunity to engage the new administration on all areas of mutual interest”, he said, adding that Modi would hold a bilateral meeting with Trump.”This has been one of our strongest international partnerships in recent years and the prime minister’s visit is in line with our steady engagement with the new administration,” Misri said.Modi was among the first to congratulate his “dear friend” Trump on his inauguration last month, saying he wanted New Delhi and Washington to work closely together.”I look forward to working closely together once again, to benefit both our countries, and to shape a better future for the world”, Modi wrote on X in January.- ‘Very close rapport’ -However, Trump pressed Modi for “fair” trading ties in a telephone call later that month, the White House said, as Trump pushed his hardline trade agenda with world leaders.Trump and Modi also discussed strengthening the so-called Quad grouping with Australia and Japan, which is widely seen as a counterweight to China.India is due to host the bloc’s leaders later this year.The Indian and US leaders, both of whom critics accuse of authoritarian tendencies, enjoyed warm relations when Trump was in the White House from 2017 to 2021.Modi visited Trump in office in 2017 and 2019.He also hosted Trump at a huge rally in his home state of Gujarat, while Trump returned the favour with a similar event in Houston, Texas.”There is an obvious convergence of interests between the two countries,” Misri said, which included “trade, investment, technology, defence cooperation, counter-terrorism (and) the security of the Indo-Pacific”.The meeting will come days after a US military airplane flew back 104 Indian migrants, part of Trump’s overhaul of immigration.India’s foreign ministry said it was “firmly opposed to illegal migration, especially as it is linked to other forms of organised crime”.But New Delhi’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Thursday pointed out that  the “process of deportation is not a new one”, and that the United States had expelled more than 15,000 Indians since 2009, almost half of them between 2019-2024.India is the world’s fifth-largest economy and enjoys world-beating GDP growth, but hundreds of thousands of its citizens still leave the country each year seeking better opportunities abroad.

Venezuela on Friday slammed the US seizure of one of its government planes as “brazen theft” and branded President Donald Trump’s top diplomat a “thief” as Washington renewed its hard line on Nicolas Maduro’s regime.On a visit to the Dominican Republic on Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio supervised the second seizure by the United States of an aircraft belonging to Venezuela’s socialist government in less than a year.The plane was confiscated just six days after a visit to Caracas by Trump’s special envoy, Richard Grenell.Venezuela “denounces the brazen theft of a plane belonging to the Venezuelan nation,” the foreign ministry said.”Marco Rubio, from mercenary of hate to aircraft thief!” the ministry said, vowing to “take all necessary actions to denounce this theft and demand the immediate return of its aircraft.”Grenell had traveled to Venezuela on January 31 to demand that Maduro accept the return of deported Venezuelan migrants.During his visit, he secured the release of six US prisoners.Maduro, who is desperate to secure an easing of crippling US sanctions, had hailed the talks as marking a new beginning in relations with Washington.But Rubio and other US officials insisted there was no change in the United States’ refusal to recognize the 62-year-old autocrat as Venezuela’s legitimate president.- Two planes in five months -Washington, its G7 allies and several Latin American countries have backed the opposition’s claim that its candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia was the rightful winner of elections last July, in which Maduro claimed a third term.The Dassault Falcon 200 jet had been held by Dominican authorities at a military airstrip in Santo Domingo after the United States said it violated sanctions against Venezuela.Venezuelan officials used the plane to fly to Greece, Turkey, Russia, Nicaragua and Cuba, and had taken it to the Dominican Republic for maintenance, according to the US State Department.Maduro’s oil minister also used the plane to attend a meeting of the OPEC oil cartel in the United Arab Emirates in 2019, according to the Treasury Department.In September, then-US president Joe Biden announced the seizure of a first Venezuelan government plane in the Dominican Republic that had been used to transport Maduro on international trips.Biden’s move came amid an international furore over Maduro’s crackdown on the protests that erupted over his disputed reelection claim.More than 2,400 people were arrested, 28 killed and about 200 injured in the unrest.Gonzalez Urrutia went into exile in Spain after a warrant was issued for his arrest and a bounty offered for his capture.- Maduro seeks ‘new beginning’ -Trump took a hard line on Venezuela during his first term in the White House, but his attempts to dislodge Maduro by recognizing a parallel opposition-led government and imposing crippling sanctions on Venezuela’s key oil sector came to naught.On starting his second term last month, Trump quickly stripped roughly 600,000 Venezuelans in the United States of protection from deportation.But Maduro appeared hopeful of a reset in relations when Grenell visited Caracas, saying it marked a “new beginning.”Rubio this week appeared to downplay chances of a breakthrough, saying Venezuela remained a concern for US national security due to mass migration.Seven million Venezuelans — around a quarter of the population — have fled the country’s imploding economy over the past decade.”It is about a government — a regime — that has harmed more than seven million Venezuelans, and all the neighboring countries that have had to face the reality of this massive migration,” Rubio said on Wednesday in Guatemala.Dominican Republic and Guatemala were among two of five Central American countries that Rubio visited on his first foreign trip as secretary of state over the past week.

Actor Karla Sofia Gascon appeared to step back Friday from the Oscar campaign for her hit Netflix narco-musical “Emilia Perez” after her offensive past social media posts hit its chances of glory.Gascon, the first transgender woman nominated for best actress, plays a Mexican cartel boss in the movie, which won a record number of Oscar nominations for a foreign-language film.The 52-year-old said she hoped “my silence will allow the film to be appreciated for what it is, a beautiful ode to love and difference.”Last week’s unearthing of old posts by the Spanish star denigrating Islam and African American George Floyd has unleashed a scandal that has harmed her reputation and the film.Gascon said she made the decision after the movie’s French director Jacques Audiard this week called the posts “inexcusable” and “absolutely hateful”.”I decided, for the film, for Jacques, for the cast, for the incredible crew who deserves it, for the beautiful adventure we all had together, to let the work talk for itself,” Gascon wrote on Instagram.”I sincerely apologize to everyone who has been hurt along the way,” added the Spaniard, who was writing in English.Gascon stars as a drug cartel boss who transitions to life as a woman and turns her back on crime in the highly unusual musical thriller.The mostly Spanish-language movie filmed in France and set in Mexico was nominated for 13 Oscars, 11 BAFTAs — Britain’s equivalent to the Oscars — and 12 Cesars in France.It picked up four Golden Globes in January, including for best comedy or musical, and won multiple prizes at last year’s Cannes Film Festival.Before the scandal broke, Gascon was considered a frontrunner for best actress at the Oscars and pundits viewed the film as a strong contender for the best picture award.Hollywood trade outlets had reported that distributor Netflix, which was banking on “Emilia Perez” for its first best picture Oscar, had dropped her from its campaign and distanced itself from the best actress nominee.

US President Donald Trump slapped sanctions on the International Criminal Court for probes targeting America and its ally Israel, but the ICC on Friday vowed to continue providing “justice and hope” around the world.Trump signed an executive order Thursday saying the court in The Hague had “abused its power” by issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who held talks with the US president on Tuesday.He ordered asset freezes and travel bans against ICC officials, employees and their family members, along with anyone deemed to have helped the court’s investigations.The ICC on Friday condemned the move, which it said sought to “harm its independent and impartial judicial work”.”The Court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world,” it said in a statement. The names of the individuals affected by the sanctions were not immediately released, but previous US sanctions under Trump had targeted the court’s prosecutor.Trump’s order said the tribunal had engaged in “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel,” referring to ICC probes into alleged war crimes by US service members in Afghanistan and Israeli troops in Gaza.Israel’s foreign minister applauded Trump on Friday over the sanctions, calling the court’s actions against Israel illegitimate.”I strongly commend @POTUS President Trump’s executive order imposing sanctions on the so-called ‘international criminal court’,” Gideon Saar wrote on X, adding that the ICC’s actions were “immoral and have no legal basis”.Neither the United States nor Israel are members of the court.The EU warned the move was a threat to its independence.”Sanctioning the ICC threatens the Court’s independence and undermines the international criminal justice system as a whole,” Antonio Costa, who heads the European Council representing the EU’s 27 member states, wrote on X. The sanctions are a show of support after Netanyahu’s visit to the White House, during which Trump unveiled a plan for the United States to “take over” Gaza and move Palestinians to other Middle Eastern countries.The UN and legal experts have said Trump’s plan would be illegal under international law. Forcible displacement is also a crime under the ICC’s governing Rome Statute.- ‘Criminal responsibility’ -Following a request by ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, judges issued arrest warrants on November 21 for Netanyahu, his former defense minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas’s military chief Mohammed Deif — whom Israel says is dead.The court said it had found “reasonable grounds” to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bore “criminal responsibility” for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare during the Gaza war, as well as the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.Netanyahu has accused the court of anti-Semitism.During his first term, Trump imposed financial sanctions and a visa ban on the ICC’s then-prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, and other senior officials and staff in 2020. Describing it as a “kangaroo court,” his then-administration made the move after Gambian-born Bensouda launched an investigation into allegations of war crimes against US soldiers in Afghanistan.While his order at the time did not name Israel, Trump administration officials said they were also angered by Bensouda’s opening of a probe into the situation in the Palestinian territories in 2019.President Joe Biden lifted the sanctions soon after taking office in 2021.Prosecutor Khan later effectively dropped the United States from the Afghan investigation and focused on the Taliban instead.  Biden strongly condemned the “outrageous” warrant against Netanyahu in November.The US House passed a bill last month to sanction the ICC, but Senate Democrats blocked it last week, saying the bill could backfire on US allies and firms.But Democrats have also expressed anger at the sanctions on Netanyahu.

Hong Kong will file a complaint with the World Trade Organization in response to heightened US tariffs on its goods, a government spokesperson said Friday, days after Beijing announced a similar move.US President Donald Trump over the weekend launched the opening salvo in an escalating trade war with China, imposing a 10 percent tariff hike on goods coming from mainland Chinese and Hong Kong.A spokesperson for the financial hub said Friday the Hong Kong government “will formally launch procedures in accordance with the WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism against the US’ unreasonable measures to defend our legitimate rights”.The US tariffs are “grossly inconsistent with the relevant WTO rules and ignore our status as a separate customs territory”, the spokesperson said, adding that the government “strongly opposes” the measures.Mainland China also filed a complaint with the WTO to defend its “legitimate rights and interests”, its commerce ministry said.After reverting to Chinese rule in 1997, Hong Kong has been run as a special administrative region and is classed as a separate customs territory.It has been a WTO member for three decades.Hong Kong’s secretary for commerce and economic development Algernon Yau said Thursday that the tariffs “are not expected to have a large impact”.Goods exported from Hong Kong to the United States in 2023 were valued at around HK$6.1 billion ($780 million) and made up only 0.1 percent of the city’s total exports, Yau added.City officials have for years tread a fine line by insisting Hong Kong is a separate entity in international trade, but politically an “inalienable part” of China.The United States removed Hong Kong’s special trading privileges in 2020 after Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on the former British colony to curb dissent.Trump at the time said in an executive order that Hong Kong was “no longer sufficiently autonomous to justify differential treatment in relation to (China)”.

The crack of a gunshot and the blonde man flinches behind the lectern, clutching his ear.But instead of horrified gasps, the crowd erupts in laughter and applause.”It’s a bullet! It wants to put me in the grave,” Hong Kong actor Loong Koon-tin sings, in the high-pitched falsetto that is the hallmark of traditional Cantonese opera.The attempted assassination of Donald Trump, recreated as part of an absurdist play in Hong Kong, has given fresh inspiration to a centuries-old art form, drawing hundreds to witness the spectacle at a beloved theatre on the verge of shutdown.Older theatre-goers recall a time when operas were mostly about Chinese stories and legends.The Trump show — which debuted in 2019 and has been updated twice — is part of an effort to modernise the genre and connect with younger audiences, for years an uphill battle for the industry.”Audiences want to see how the assassination scene can be done using Cantonese opera,” said playwright and feng shui master Edward Li, citing four techniques — singing, acting, recitation and acrobatics.The sold-out show, which runs for nearly four hours, begins with Richard Nixon meeting Mao Zedong in 1972 then spirals into a tale about Trump searching for his lost Chinese twin.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also makes an appearance.”It’s Cantonese opera with black humour,” Li said. “We are not making fun of the situation, but the audience finds it funny.”The novelty factor is key to the appeal of “Trump, the Twins President” and there are plans to take it on tour, he added.”Trump is someone the whole world wants to know.”- Legacy theatre  -Crowds last week flocked to the 52-year-old Sunbeam Theatre, an ornate venue with a huge neon sign and posters overlooking a busy intersection in Hong Kong’s North Point neighbourhood. Its lobby is adorned with calligraphy, a gong and drum for good luck — as well as 108 signature round lamps suspended from the ceiling. Cantonese opera originated in southern China and became a staple of post-war Hong Kong’s cultural life, with its popularity peaking around the 1960s.But with changing tastes, Sunbeam ran into financial trouble and nearly closed in 2012 before Li, the playwright, took it over.”We live in an era when Cantonese opera is at its lowest and closest to death. We need to give it an adrenaline shot to revive it,” he said.But the revival couldn’t last. Following a sale, the theatre will close its doors for good on March 3 and its new owners plan to convert it into an evangelical church.Hong Kong officials say they have spent HK$200 million ($26 million) in the span of two decades to promote Cantonese opera. A purpose-built theatre was opened in 2019.But Dennis Cheng, a supporting actor, said he was “not positive” about the future of the art, citing the lack of venues and dwindling audience.It will be hard to match how Sunbeam — with its history and communal spaces — felt like home to performers, he added.”(Sunbeam) carries the energy of veteran actors, as well as the emotions and dreams of many people,” said Man Chan, who plays Ivanka Trump.- Bowing out -Since its 2019 premiere, the Trump show has sparked both acclaim and ridicule, becoming the subject of memes.As it wrapped up a three-day run, questions remain as to whether newcomers who bought tickets out of curiosity can be persuaded to stay for more conventional fare.High school student Matthew Tsui told AFP that he was introduced to Cantonese opera by his grandmother and fell in love with the elaborate costumes.But he admitted it was “tough to sit in a theatre for hours to watch patiently” and that his classmates preferred K-pop.Fanny Cheng, a self-described Cantonese opera superfan, said she enjoyed both traditional and modern takes and hoped that Sunbeam Theatre ought to be preserved.”It’ll be a pity to lose Sunbeam,” said Cheng, 60. “But if the landlord wants to sell the property, there’s nothing we can do.”