President Trump backed Nasry Asfura days before the Nov. 30 election and denounced his opponents. In a close race, that has potentially tipped the scales.

Frenzied bidding pushed the polarizing F.P. Journe timepiece into near-record territory despite one dealer calling the design “goofy.”

The authorities accused “some foreign media” of smearing the government’s response to a fire at a high-rise complex, saying: “Do not say you have not been warned.”

The cash-and-stock deal would give the world’s largest paid streaming service expansive power over theater owners and entertainment-industry unions.