(Photo credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images) Despite the ongoing conflict at home, the Iran men's national soccer team is 'fully prepared' to participate in the World Cup this summer, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said Wednesday, Al Jazeera reported. The team's involvement was called into question after the United States and Israel began air attacks on Iran in February.
'Character arc': Syrian leader watching dance performance to Missy Elliott song goes viral Submitted by Pauline Ertel on Wed, 04/22/2026 - 15:17 Seeing the militant-turned-president watch a choreographed dance in Damascus to 'Work It' caught the internet by surprise Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a session at Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, Turkey, on 17 April 2026 (Umit Bektas/Reuters) Off A video of interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa watching a dance performance to Missy Elliott's Work It has gone viral, sparking a mix of amusement and confusion on social media. The performance took place on Monday at the recently reopened al-Feyhaa Sports Hall in Damascus, which Sharaa had inaugurated earlier that day before a Syria-Lebanon basketball match later that evening. The game marks the first time Syria and Lebanon have played against each other since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
Up Against It and The Worm That Turned | War-readiness v human survival | White liberal response | A northern insult The Two Ronnies weren’t the first to write about a dystopian world run by women when they came up with the sketch series The Worm That Turned ( Is Sacha Baron Cohen and Rosamund Pike’s new gender swap comedy inspired by The Two Ronnies? , 20 April ). This was all covered much earlier by Joe Orton’s screenplay Up Against It, written for the Beatles in 1967, but rejected by them before the playwright’s death later that year.
Iran says it is ready for 2026 World Cup despite security concerns Iran said it is fully prepared for its national team to take part in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the US. Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said the sports ministry has completed all necessary arrangements for participation. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has said Iran is expected to compete in the tournament, scheduled from June 11 to July 19.
The Strokes frontman calls out 'US Zionists' on SubwayTakes Submitted by Dalia Anis on Wed, 04/22/2026 - 12:49 'American Zionists get the benefits of white privileged people, but talk like they are Black people during slavery,' Julian Casablancas said The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas (right) being interviewed by comedian Kareem Rahma for his online talk show (Screengrab/YouTube/@subwaytakes) Off The Strokes' lead singer Julian Casablancas slammed the "white privilege" of Zionists in the United States during an extended episode of the viral online talk show SubwayTakes. On board the New York City subway for comedian Kareem Rahma’s programme, where guests declare and defend their oft-humorous, sometimes serious "takes", the band’s frontman shared a series of opinions, from light-hearted views on banning long voice notes and modern cars being "just the worst", to more sober takes, including one which he says might "end his career". "American Zionists get the benefits of white privileged people, but talk like they are Black people during slavery," he argues in his fourth and final take in the extended version of the interview published on YouTube on Tuesday.
(260422) -- TEHRAN, April 22, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Seyed Reza Salehi-Amiri, Iran's minister of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts, receives an interview with Xinhua in Tehran, Iran, on April 18, 2026.
Among the damaged monuments were the Golestan Palace and Sa'dabad Palace in the capital Tehran, and the Chehel Sotoun Palace in the central Isfahan province, which are "masterpieces of the Iranian architecture" that represent different eras.
(260421) -- SANYA(HAINAN), April 21, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Players of Iran and the Philippines react after the beach handball men's preliminary round group A match between Iran and the Philippines at the 6th Asian Beach Games in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, April 21, 2026.
The Strokes' Coachella set criticising US foreign intervention goes viral Submitted by Hannah. Smith on Mon, 04/20/2026 - 13:17 The montage during the band’s final song with images of destroyed universities in Iran and Gaza sparked widespread reactions on social media Julian Casablancas from The Strokes performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California, 11 April 2026 (Daniel Cole/Reuters) Off “What side you standing on? ” sang Julian Casablancas, frontrunner of The Strokes, against the backdrop of the moment that al-Israa University, the last standing university in Gaza, was destroyed by Israeli forces in 2024 after they had been using it as a military base.
The Strokes' Coachella set criticising US foreign intervention goes viral Submitted by Hannah. Smith on Mon, 04/20/2026 - 13:17 The montage during the band’s final song with images of destroyed universities in Iran and Gaza sparked widespread reactions on social media Julian Casablancas from The Strokes performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California, 11 April 2026 (Daniel Cole/Reuters) Off “What side you standing on? ” sang Julian Casablancas, frontman of The Strokes, against the backdrop of the moment that al-Israa University, the last standing university in Gaza, was destroyed by Israeli forces in 2024 after they had been using it as a military base.
Palantir shares slide after manifesto post denouncing 'regressive' cultures Submitted by Alex MacDonald on Mon, 04/20/2026 - 13:45 Tech company faces backlash after 'cartoonishly evil' post denouncing pluralism, 'harmful' cultures and scrutiny of public officials Palantir CEO Alex Karp speaks onstage during the 2025 New York Times DealBook Summit at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, US, 3 December 2025 (Michael M Santiago/Getty Images via AFP) Off Shares in technology company Palantir slid on Monday after it posted a "manifesto" on social media over the weekend denouncing "regressive" cultures and espousing other far-right principles. The company, which has military contracts with the US , UK and Israel , among others, has already attracted controversy over a range of issues including involvement in Israel's genocide in Gaza . Palantir issued its 22-point manifesto in a post on Saturday, presaging it by saying "we get asked a lot about it".
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – American rock band The Strokes used the final song of their Coachella performance on Saturday to condemn US foreign interventions, including ongoing military aggression against Iran.
Video: Band closes Coachella festival set with Gaza and Iran visuals During their Coachella set, The Strokes concluded their performance with a large-screen visual montage that drew widespread attention for its political tone. The display included imagery referencing historical instances of US foreign intervention, including governments the CIA has overthrown, leaders the US has assassinated and the war crimes the US is committing in Iran and Gaza. During their Coachella set, The Strokes concluded their performance with a large-screen visual montage that drew attention for its political tone.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An official of Astan Quds Razavi said this year’s Ten-Day Karamat event will focus on national unity, hope-building, and strengthening the Iranian people’s spiritual connection with the teachings of Imam Reza (AS).
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An Iranian researcher’s views on sustainable livestock production have gained attention in a leading Indonesian magazine.
Thousands of girls of all ages took part in a march in Tehran on Friday to show their readiness to defend the homeland against any enemy aggression.
Need something brilliant to read this weekend? Here are six of our favourite pieces from the last seven days Continue reading...
Since the Middle East war started on 28 February, several sites of major cultural significance have come under attack in Israel, Iran and Lebanon. Ensuring their protection is the task of the UN agency for education, science and culture, UNESCO.
The Foundations of Zionism: An epic work of Palestinian scholarship now available in English Submitted by Hossam el-Hamalawy on Fri, 04/17/2026 - 08:34 Translated by his daughter Fidya, the landmark work by Sabri Jiryis arrives in English not as a museum piece, but as an important intervention Israeli flags atop the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, the occupied West Bank, on 24 April 2023 (Mosab Shawer/AFP) Off First published in Arabic across two volumes in 1977 and 1986, and now translated and edited by his daughter Fida, The Foundations of Zionism is a major work of Palestinian historical scholarship by Sabri Jiryis that feels uncannily timely in 2026. It is a long, rigorous, often relentless book, and that is part of its value. Jiryis is not interested in offering a softened primer or a liberal-humanist fable about misunderstanding on both sides.
The 12th edition of Revolutionary Art Week took place on Thursday, April 17, 1405, at 8:00 PM in Vali Asr Square. The event was scheduled to coincide with the Ramadan War and was attended by a significant number of participants in the capital's main squares.
