mind

As Washington escalates threats of military action against Iran, negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme continue behind the scenes. But while the Trump administration insists that the standoff is about security, Iran’s state media are pushing a very different narrative: that the crisis is a deliberate distraction from the Epstein scandal that continues to implicate the US president.

Contributors:
Dina Esfandiary – Middle East Lead, Bloomberg Economics
Fereshteh Sadeghi – Iranian journalist
Jamal Abdi – President, National Iranian American Council
Sina Toossi – Senior Fellow, Centre for International Policy

On our radar:

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Israel this past week in a carefully choreographed display of solidarity. While Modi’s trip was celebrated in the Israeli media, criticism by Indian journalists was blocked back home. Leaving the two leaders to sign arms deals that will boost an already significant military partnership.

The Rise of Digital Micro-Bolsonaros

Nearly two years after Jair Bolsonaro’s fall from power in Brazil, the movement he built is searching for a new figurehead. A rising generation of young, evangelical, and hyper-online politicians is stepping in.

They are leveraging a sophisticated, decades-old religious media machine that evolved from radio and television into a powerful force on social media. Brazil’s political right is being reshaped for the digital age.

Featuring:
Anna Virginia Balloussier – Journalist, Folha de Sao Paulo
Caro Evangelista – Executive Director, ISER
Magali Cunha – Editor-in-Chief, Berreia Project

While seven league defeats have curtailed Celtic’s defence of the title, 11 draws have left Rangers frustrated in their pursuit of Hearts.

The most recent was a 2-2 draw from two down at Livingston last week while Celtic lost at home to Hibernian. The weekend before, Rangers recovered from 1-0 and 2-1 down to defeat Hearts 4-2 at Ibrox.

“My team showed character, big personality in the last couple of weeks,” Rohl added.

“Also to come back away in Celtic, in the stadium there after 1-0 down, showed that even if the game goes in one direction, what we don’t want, we always have a chance to come back.

“Yeah, we dropped two points [at Livingston]. We missed two points. But let’s turn it in a positive way. At the end, we won one point after 2-0 down.

“When you are a manager and you have the chance to play at home this kind of game, then you are also on fire. We are on fire. It was a good training week so far.

“I feel the confidence, I feel the belief. It’s not just about the shape and the tactic, but it’s also about how we go in duels, how we win the balls, how we play forward.”

The German said: “It’s a crucial game, but no team will be out after this game because there are still 27 points you can take. It’s two matchdays and you are in the title race again.

“It’s a crucial one because when you come closer and closer to the end of the season and there is more and more in, then you know every game is important.”

For casting director Gabriel Domingues, putting together the ensemble of “The Secret Agent” meant materializing characters inspired by director Kleber Mendonça Filho’s recollections.

“It’s not that he was showing us a picture and saying, ‘They must look like this.’ They were ideas of memories that could change,” Domingues says of the Brazilian period thriller about a father on the run during an interview at The Times newsroom. One of the nominees for this year’s inaugural Academy Award for casting, Domingues appreciates how politically charged Mendonça Filho’s films are. His narratives are often fertile ground for an eclectic mix of performers.

And there are no throwaway roles in “The Secret Agent”: “Even the small characters represent ideas about Brazilian life and its contradictions,” Domingues adds.

To honor his large cast, a “panorama” of his country’s people, Mendonça Filho includes a montage at the end of the film in which each actor is acknowledged individually. The director thinks of this as the cinematic equivalent of a curtain call or final bow at the end of a stage production.

“Gabriel tries to find an interesting mix of experienced actors and people that we can discover,” says producer Emilie Lesclaux about Domingues, with whom she’s worked on multiple projects. He first collaborated with Mendonça Filho and Lesclaux on “Aquarius” as a casting assistant.

Domingues believes working on “Aquarius” was instrumental in developing his casting method, which involves searching for the least obvious option to cast the character. He prides himself on doing the shoe-leather work of looking for fresh, compelling faces in cities where others might not think to look — those without a prominent arts scene, for instance.

Gabriel Leone as Bobbi/Abdias  (Victor Juca)

Hermila Guedes as Claudia  (Victor Juca)

Luciano Chirolli as Henrique Ghirotti  (Victor Juca)

Roberio Diogenes as Euclides Cavalcanti  (Victor Juca)

Tânia Maria as Dona Sebastiana  (Victor Juca)

Joalisson Cunha as Frentista  (Victor Juca)

Isabel Zuaa as Tereza Victoria  (Victor Juca)

Kaiony Venancio as Vilmar  (Victor Juca)

That’s not to say the entire cast was discovered. Mendonça Filho had lead Wagner Moura in mind from the outset, while others sprung to mind as he wrote the screenplay: Maria Fernanda Cândido, a famous soap opera actor, as a crucial ally to Moura’s character; and the late Udo Kier, who had previously appeared in the director’s blood-soaked film “Bacurau,” as a German Jewish immigrant who lived through World War II.

The filmmaker admits that envisioning parts with a specific person in mind is “dangerous.” “I can write a character thinking of you, but I never know if you will want to make the film,” says Mendonça Filho. “And I grow attached to the image.”

Among the other supporting roles, the most challenging to cast, the team agrees, was that of Euclides, the sleazy police chief. Though the character is “repulsive,” it also required an edge of charisma to make him more emotionally layered. Eventually, they came across actor Robério Diógenes. “Robério has studied the clown art in the theater, and he’s a very funny guy, so he adds a component of ridiculousness to this character,” Domingues says.

For Vilmar, an impoverished man hired as a subcontractor for a murder, Mendonça Filho had in mind a real-life contract killer he’d seen in a 1970s TV program. The actor had to convey a certain ambiguity not often afforded to people of a lower social class. There’s no doubt Vilmar is acting out of necessity, but he is not entirely without agency since he negotiates his payment. Domingues found the ideal embodiment of this complex character in Kaiony Venâncio, an actor from the city of Natal who had mostly worked in short films.

Then there’s the scene-stealing Tânia Maria, who plays the endearing, chain-smoking Dona Sebastiana. The 79-year-old talent first appeared in “Bacurau” as an extra. “I just could not help thinking of her,” says Mendonça Filho about casting her in his latest film. “I even pre-ad-libbed many of her lines knowing what she might say.”

Before finding her way onto the screen, Tânia Maria has long made a living as an artisan handcrafting rugs. “I never thought about being an actress. I only thought about sewing,” she says with an endearing smile. “All of this came as a surprise.”

Igor de Araujo as Sergio  (Victor Juca)

Joao Vitor Silva as Haroldo  (Victor Juca)

Robson Andrade as Clovis  (Victor Juca)

Maria Fernanda Candido as Elza/Sara Gerber  (Victor Juca)

Alice Carvalho as Fatima  (Victor Juca)

Thomas Aquino as Valdemar  (Victor Juca)

Licinio Januario as Antonio  (Victor Juca)

Udo Kier as Hans  (Victor Juca)

And though she’s still sewing, her acting prospects look bright. She’s already appeared in another film, “Yellow Cake,” premiering at the Berlin International Film Festival this month. That Tânia Maria also recently starred in humorous local commercials for Burger King and Heineken is proof of her current status in Brazilian pop culture — as are the Dona Sebastiana costumes that have become popular during this year’s Carnival.

“I can’t go out on the street without people stopping me. They ask me for autographs, for photos, they want to talk to me, they ask me questions,” she says in Portuguese via an interpreter while on a video call from her home. “I make time for everyone, and I’m enjoying all of it.”

Undaunted by what she calls the most challenging aspect of acting — memorizing the lines — Tânia Maria is eager to continue exploring this unexpected new facet. “I don’t want to stop because I’m not old! I’m waiting for more invitations to move forward in acting,” she says.

The success many of the actors have found thanks to “The Secret Agent” very much pleases the filmmakers, but it also has a major downside.

“That’s all that we want for the people that we work with, that the film is good for them and their career,” says Lesclaux. “But for us, it also makes things more complicated for the next film because we will want to work with them, and they might not be available.”

Drayton Manor has launched a K-Pop themed takeover for half term, and while it had some fun moments, our favourite attraction was worlds away from the glittering world of K-Pop music

If you have a child of primary school age, the soundtrack to your life is likely to be the cheery sounds of K-Pop. K-Pop, which stands for Korean Pop, has been on many music fans’ radar for years now, but 2026 is likely to be a big year for the genre.

Not only has K-Pop Demon Hunters become the most-watched original title in Netflix history with 500 million views – quite a few of which have come from my house – but K-Pop bands have been all over the charts. In August 2025, a record seven K-Pop tracks made the top 40 singles chart, including BLACKPINK and Stray Kids. A recent tour announcement by BTS saw a Taylor Swift-style clamber for tickets and UK dates sold out in 30 minutes.

So, it wasn’t a huge surprise to see that Drayton Manor, a theme park in the West Midlands, would be hosting a K-Pop Takeover for February half term. My daughter was thrilled to be going to a K-Pop themed day and wore her favourite HUNTR/X hoodie for the occasion. And of course, Spotify was cued up with an appropriate playlist on the way.

While the park isn’t fully open during February half term, in addition to the K-POP activities the ticket price includes Thomas Land, a handful of rides, plus the zoo. With tickets starting at £19.90, the price reflects that you won’t get the full theme park experience.

We arrived just in time for ‘K-Pop games’ on the park’s main stage, and a very enthusiastic entertainer was leading some kids in a game of red light, green light, followed by some singing along to the tune of Golden. There was also a K-Pop themed dance workshop later on, with excited kids dancing in front of the sparkly stage.

Other than some Korean fried chicken being served in the burger bar, and some Korean souvenirs in the gift shop, there wasn’t a huge amount of K-Pop theming throughout the park. However, the end of day K-Pop concert definitely brought in the crowds and seemed to be widely enjoyed.

Three entertainers, dressed as a K-Pop girl group, sang songs by HUNTR/X, Saja Boys, and Rosé, bringing the day to a close with a water show in the park’s lake. Kids and adults were bopping along to the tunes, and I was impressed that the group’s lead singer managed to tackle the high notes in Golden.

But the real draw at Drayton Manor is Thomas Land. While it took the silver award for Best Theme Park for Toddlers in 2025, people of all ages seem delighted when wandering around the Sodor-themed attraction. Even grown adults were posing for photos with Thomas, showing the nostalgia around the show never went away.

It seemed to be a good time to visit. Queues were pretty minimal on most of the rides, although we did unfortunately wait half an hour to get on Winston’s Whistle-Stop Tours only for the ride to break down. However, quite a few of the smaller rides had no queue at all, and it meant we got a couple of turns on Toby’s Tram Express and some other favourites.

Thomas Land also had regular shows, and we got the chance to meet Sir Topham Hatt, or depending on your age, the Fat Controller. The performer was great, and I noticed he could communicate in Makaton – a type of sign language often used for children with learning or communication difficulties. It would be great to see more theme parks train staff in this way to make the entertainment more inclusive.

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So, is this review Golden or is it a Takedown? Overall, I’d say it’s worth visiting the park for the K-Pop Takeover. Outside of the main stage, there’s not a whole lot of K-Pop theming, but enough to keep fans happy. The end of day concert was definitely a highlight for my youngest and she hasn’t stopped talking about it, and concert only tickets are available if you just want to visit later on. But Thomas Land is always worth a day out. Just make sure you bring your big coat.

You can find out more on draytonmanor.co.uk.

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