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Iran's national football team made a poignant statement before a friendly match against Nigeria in Turkey on Friday. As their anthem played, the players held up school bags and wore black armbands, a powerful gesture of protest against the killing of schoolgirls in a recent US-Israeli strike.The friendly match, held in the resort town of Belek, comes as Iran's participation in the upcoming World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada hangs in the balance due to the ongoing conflict. The team's actions were a clear reference to the attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, which Tehran claims resulted in the deaths of over 175 people, including children and teachers, on the first day of joint US-Israeli strikes.An Iranian team spokesperson confirmed that "the players are holding the school bags close to their heart in remembrance of the 165 girls the Americans killed in an Iranian school." This dramatic gesture underscores the team's stance on the issue and highlights the human cost of the conflict.The incident has sparked significant controversy, with some members of Iran's women's football team refraining from singing the national anthem during an Asian Cup match earlier this month. State TV in Tehran responded by labeling them "traitors."Iran's football federation had sought to have their national team's World Cup games relocated from the US to Mexico, but this request was rejected by Fifa. The team, which lost Friday's game 2-1 to Nigeria, is set to play Costa Rica in another friendly match in Turkey on Tuesday.

Andris Nelsons' tenure with the Boston Symphony may have been cut short, but his work with the Gewandhaus Orchestra is a testament to his exceptional skill. This collection of Mendelssohn's symphonies and oratorios, recorded live between 2021 and 2024, highlights Nelsons' ability to bring out the best in the orchestra. The tempi are brisk but never rushed, and it's the phrasing that truly brings these performances to life. The Italian Symphony's opening movement is ultra-lithe, and the Scottish Symphony's scherzo features intricate woodwind work. Nelsons elevates the often-overlooked First Symphony to stand alongside its more colorful counterparts. The set includes two oratorios, Elias (Elijah) and Paulus (St Paul), sung in German. Elias boasts a distinguished lineup, including Golda Schultz and Wiebke Lehmkuhl, with Andrè Schuen delivering a standout performance in the title role. Nelsons' interpretation of Paulus is particularly noteworthy, bringing out the drama in this lesser-known work. This collection is a must-listen for classical music enthusiasts, offering a unique insight into Mendelssohn's works and Nelsons' exceptional conducting style. Stream it now on Apple Music or Spotify.

The Coruna and DarkSword Threat For years, the prevailing narrative among iPhone security experts was that breaking through Apple's defenses was a rare, high-barrier event requiring significant resources. However, recent investigations by Google, iVerify, and Lookout have shattered this assumption. Researchers have documented broad-scale hacking campaigns utilizing two specific tools, Coruna and DarkSword, which have been used to target victims globally who are not running the latest software updates. Attack Vectors: Hackers are compromising legitimate websites and creating fake pages to deliver spyware. Key Actors: Involvement of Russian spies and Chinese cybercriminals. Tool Availability: The source code for these tools has leaked online, allowing anyone to launch attacks against older iPhones. The Two-Tier iPhone Security Landscape The discovery of Coruna and DarkSword highlights a critical data point in the current security ecosystem: the existence of two distinct classes of iPhone users. This bifurcation is driven by the introduction of Memory Integrity Enforcement in iOS 26, a feature designed to prevent memory corruption bugs—the very vulnerabilities exploited by DarkSword. Class A (Secure): Users on the latest iPhone 17 models running iOS 26 are protected by memory-safe code and Lockdown Mode, making them resistant to these specific memory-based hacks. Class B (Vulnerable): Users running iOS 18 or older versions remain exposed to memory corruption attacks, as these older systems lack the new safety enforcement layers. Challenging the 'Rare Hack' Myth The widespread use of these leaked tools suggests that spyware attacks are becoming more common and less exclusive. This shift is fueled by a thriving "second-hand" market for exploits, where brokers resell vulnerabilities before they are patched. Experts argue that the rarity of iPhone hacks has been overstated simply because they are rarely documented. As noted by Patrick Wardle, the baseline capability for such attacks is now accessible to a wider range of actors, moving beyond state-sponsored actors to include cybercriminals. The End of the 'Rare Hack' Era The future of mobile security appears to be one of continuous escalation. With the code for Coruna and DarkSword now public, the barrier to entry for launching attacks against older devices has lowered significantly. This indicates that memory-based exploits will continue to plague lagging users, and the market for exploit development will likely expand as brokers seek to monetize vulnerabilities before updates are applied.

The Dual Threat: Coruna and DarkSwordSecurity researchers have identified two distinct but equally dangerous hacking toolkits, Coruna and DarkSword, that have leaked onto the open web. These advanced exploit kits, capable of breaking into iPhones and iPads, were originally developed for high-level government surveillance but are now available for anyone to download.Coruna: Targets iOS 13 through 17.2.1. Linked to Trenchant, a unit within U.S. defense contractor L3Harris, and previously used in Operation Triangulation against Russian targets.DarkSword: Targets iOS 18.4 and 18.7. Leaked on GitHub, making it "plug-and-play" for cybercriminals.The Scale of VulnerabilityThe scale of this exposure is staggering. According to Apple's statistics, nearly one-in-three iPhone and iPad users are still not running the latest software. With over 2.5 billion active devices globally, this implies hundreds of millions of users are susceptible to these attacks.DarkSword is particularly concerning because it targets newer devices running iOS 18.4 and 18.7. Researchers have already tested the leaked code, successfully hacking their own devices to demonstrate the ease of use.From State-Sponsored Espionage to Public ExploitationThis leak marks a dangerous shift in the cybersecurity landscape. Historically, sophisticated tools like Coruna were the domain of state-sponsored actors targeting specific regions, such as the Uyghurs in China or activists in Hong Kong.However, the release of DarkSword represents a move toward indiscriminate cybercrime. The tool is written in web languages like HTML and JavaScript, allowing attackers to launch attacks simply by hosting a malicious website. Victims in China, Malaysia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Ukraine have already been targeted.The Future of Zero-Day WeaponizationThe leak of these tools mirrors the infamous 2017 WannaCry ransomware attack, which was fueled by leaked NSA exploits. Once powerful zero-day vulnerabilities are released into the wild, they are nearly impossible to fully contain.Experts recommend immediate action: users must update to iOS 18.7.6 or iOS 26.3.1. For high-risk individuals, enabling Lockdown Mode remains the most effective defense, as there is currently no public evidence of hackers bypassing its protections.

Oil prices have climbed higher amid fading hopes of deescalation in the Iran war following Tehran’s denial that talks with the United States are under way.Futures for Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose nearly 2 percent on Thursday to top $104 per barrel after Tehran dismissed reports of direct negotiations with US President Donald Trump’s administration.The rise comes after oil prices eased on Wednesday following reports that Trump had shared a 15-point plan for ending the war with Iran.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with state media aired on Wednesday that Tehran was not engaged in direct talks with Washington and has “no intention of negotiating for now”.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt warned on Wednesday that Iran would be “hit harder” than ever before if Tehran did not accept military defeat.Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for one-fifth of global oil supplies, and its attacks on energy facilities across the Middle East have prompted a surge in energy prices worldwide.Oil prices are up more than 40 percent compared with before the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, prompting numerous countries to implement fuel rationing and other energy conservation measures.Market-watchers say prices are likely to rise further until shipping is free to traverse the strait, despite efforts by countries to bolster supply by tapping emergency stockpiles in coordination with the International Energy Agency.While Tehran has repeatedly claimed that the strait is open to ships that are not aligned with its enemies, daily transits have all but collapsed since the start of the conflict.Four vessels were tracked transiting the waterway via their automatic identification systems on Tuesday, down from an average of 120 daily transits before the conflict, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward.

A recent study conducted by researchers at Adelaide University has revealed that sperm in microgravity environments become disoriented and struggle to navigate through a simulated female reproductive tract. This finding has significant implications for the future of human reproduction in space, particularly as plans for lunar and Mars settlements gain momentum. The researchers used a machine to mimic microgravity, similar to the conditions experienced by astronauts on the International Space Station. They found that sperm tumble around like untethered astronauts, unable to determine their direction. This disorientation resulted in a 40% reduction in the number of microgravity-exposed human sperm that successfully navigated the maze compared to the control group. The study, published in the journal Communications Biology, highlights the challenges of reproduction in space. Dr. Nicole McPherson, the lead researcher, noted that understanding the effects of microgravity on sperm navigation is crucial for the success of future space missions. The study also found that adding progesterone helped overcome the sperm's disorientation, suggesting a potential solution for improving fertility in space. The research has broader implications for both space exploration and earthly reproductive science. As NASA's Artemis mission and private companies like SpaceX plan for human habitats on the moon and Mars, understanding the effects of microgravity on reproduction becomes increasingly important. The study's findings also contribute to the ongoing discussion about the feasibility of human settlements on Mars and the need for sustainable reproductive technologies. The Adelaide researchers collaborated with the university's Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources to conduct the study. Their work builds on a history of research into reproduction in space, including NASA's 2018 mission to study the effects of weightlessness on human sperm. As space exploration advances, the need for further research into reproductive health in space becomes increasingly urgent.

Brendan Gleeson has been named best actor at the Critics' Circle theatre awards for his West End debut in Conor McPherson's pub drama The Weir. He beat fellow nominees including Bryan Cranston and Paapa Essiedu, both recognised for All My Sons, and James Hameed and Arti Shah, the duo who together portray Paddington in the new musical about Michael Bond's bear.The Weir, directed by McPherson, was entirely omitted from the nominations for this year's Olivier awards and is being turned into a film with Gleeson and the rest of the West End cast.All My Sons, a critically adored production of Arthur Miller's 1946 classic at Wyndham's theatre, won in two categories at the Critics' Circle awards: best revival of a play or musical and best director for Ivo van Hove. A new production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into the Woods, directed by Jordan Fein at the Bridge theatre, also won two prizes – best designer (Tom Scutt) and the inaugural award for best ensemble or cast.The winners, voted for by professional theatre critics, were revealed at a ceremony at the National Theatre in London on Thursday. Paddington: The Musical, with music and lyrics by Tom Fletcher and book by Jessica Swale, won best new musical. James Graham's Punch, based on the real story of a fatal blow, received the Michael Billington award for best new play (named in 2019 in honour of the Guardian's theatre critic after he stepped down from reviewing). Ava Pickett won most promising playwright for her Tudor drama 1536, which was staged at the Almeida theatre in London in 2025, transfers to the West End in May and is being turned into a BBC drama series.Rosamund Pike saw off competition from Kate Fleetwood (Into the Woods), Marianne Jean-Baptiste (All My Sons) and Rachel Zegler (Evita) to win best actress for her acclaimed performance as a judge in Suzie Miller's Inter Alia. Ruby Ashbourne Serkis was named most promising newcomer for her performance in a revival of Tom Stoppard's Indian Ink which opened at Hampstead theatre days after the revered playwright's death. The award for best Shakespearean performance went to Hayley Atwell for her Beatrice (alongside Tom Hiddleston, nominated for the same prize, as Benedick) in Much Ado About Nothing at Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

Afghanistan's authorities have released US citizen Dennis Coyle, who was detained in the country for over a year. The release was announced by the country's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, stating that Coyle's detention period was deemed sufficient by the Supreme Court of the Islamic Emirate.The decision to release Coyle was made on humanitarian grounds and as a gesture of 'goodwill'. The UAE facilitated the release, which came after a meeting between Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, former US Special Envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, the UAE Ambassador to Kabul Saif Mohammed al-Ketbi, and a member of Coyle's family.Coyle, a linguist and researcher, was detained in January 2025 while working to support Afghan language communities. He was held 'in near-solitary conditions' without access to adequate medical care, according to the Foley Foundation. The Taliban authorities stated that Coyle was held 'due to violations of Afghanistan's applicable laws'.The release is seen as a positive step towards ending the practice of hostage diplomacy. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio thanked the UAE and Qatar for their support in securing Coyle's release, stating that it is a positive step towards ending the practice of hostage diplomacy.This is not the first time the Taliban has released US citizens as a goodwill gesture. Last year, five other US citizens were released under similar circumstances.

In a groundbreaking experiment conducted in Colorado's Rocky Mountain meadows, scientists heated a patch of land by 2C for 29 years. The results are alarming: the area transformed from a lush, diverse grassland into a desert-like scrubland dominated by sagebrush. This 'shrubification' process, driven by rising temperatures, threatens the very existence of alpine grasslands worldwide.The experiment, conducted at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, involved warming five plots of 30 sq meters each by 2C using electric infrared radiators. The results showed a 150% increase in shrubs in warmed plots compared to those without heating. The surface soil dried by up to 20%, and shallow-rooted plants became stressed, leading to the extinction of some wildflowers.The implications extend far beyond Colorado. Alpine grasslands, which host 50% of European flora on just 3% of land, are particularly vulnerable. As temperatures rise, these ecosystems are likely to be irrevocably changed, leading to a loss of biodiversity. The phenomenon of 'shrubification' is not limited to mountain environments; it's also observed in Arctic landscapes, where shrub cover expanded by 2.2% each decade between 1984 and 2020.Conservation ecologists warn that while shrubs and trees bring benefits like shelter and carbon sequestration, their rapid expansion in cold environments is a symptom of climate change. The speed and scale of these changes are concerning, with potential knock-on impacts on the carbon cycle and ecosystem balance.As Lara Souza, lead researcher, notes, 'It's like flowers on steroids.' However, this vision of abundance is tinged with sadness at the prospect of irreversible changes to fragile landscapes. The future of these ecosystems, and many others like them, hangs in the balance as global temperatures continue to rise.