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I wish I were wrong, but all I see is a paranoid state digging inIran is caught in yet another round of widespread civil unrest. These lines are written amid an internet blackout and I didn’t know if I’d be able to send them out. Ever since the 2009 post-election uprising, sporadic outbursts of public anger have become somewhat the order of the day, mostly silenced – brutally for a while – only to fester and uncork again on another occasion.The street protest is not the sole medium through which opposition has tried to convey its dissent. Iranians have tried everything – be it the very narrow and funnelled channel of elections between the limited choices offered by the state, or on social media, in universities and at public events. The demand for meaningful change is repeated through different means, again and again, yet to no avail. Ever since the 2000s, the Iranian state heeds little in the way of democratic demands. And when there has been a narrow crack in the state bulwark, the likes of Donald Trump – by the reimposition of sanctions and violating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – sabotaged and derailed civil attempts at reforming the Islamic republic.The writer lives in IranDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

The Jan. 19, 2026, edition of WWE Monday Night RAW emanating from Belfast, Northern Ireland, was a sort of homecoming for Judgment Day member Finn Bálor, who was born in Bray, Ireland. While making his entrance, which was set to his OG theme, Bálor hilariously missed his timingon his taunt. Social media did not let this go unnoticed, with one X, formerly Twitter, user joking, “Unc forgot how to do his old entrance.” Unc forgot how to do his old entrance pic.twitter.com/I7njnyay0d — Zashy (@Zashy120) January 19, 2026 However, Bálor spoke into the camera, explaining the snafu. It appears the reaction to his entrance was so loud that he couldn’t hear his music to sync his moves to. “Can’t even hear the music,” he said, repeating, “can’t even hear the music.” WWE star Finn Bálor’s emotional homecoming on Belfast RAW Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images. For the first time in what feels like ages, Bálor competed for a world championship during the Belfast RAW. He faced CM Punk in the main event for the World Heavyweight Championship. Unfortunately, he did not come out on top. Despite his best efforts, Punk was able to hit a GTS (Go To Sleep) late in the matchup that put him away. Could this loss lead to a babyface turn for Bálor? Punk gave him his flowers after the match, and Bálor lingered by ringside. Perhaps WWE is planting the seeds for his eventual face turn. If he does, it will have been a long time coming. Bálor has been a heel for the last few years as part of Judgment Day. Maybe he will get a redemption arc. While Bálor failed to win the World Heavyweight Championship on RAW, he is a former Universal Champion. He became the inaugural Universal Champion after beating Seth Rollins at the 2016 SummerSlam event. However, an injury caused him to vacate the title the following night. Since then, he has had several title matches, but he has always failed to win main roster world title gold. He did win the NXT Championship twice throughout his career, though. As part of Judgment Day, he has won a lot of Tag Team Championships with the likes of Damian Priest and JD McDonagh. The post WWE’s Finn Bálor reveals real reason he botched OG entrance on homecoming RAW appeared first on ClutchPoints.

To have come so close and yet finish so far — nothing is more heartbreaking in competitive sports. On Monday night, the Miami football program could scarcely finish with a more devastating outcome than to fall short in the CFP National Championship game, 27-21, after putting up such an excellent fight against college football’s most dominant team in recent history, the Fernando Mendoza-led Indiana Hoosiers. Miami simply could not execute against an Indiana defense that buckled down towards the end of the fourth after Malachi Toney put head coach Mario Cristobal and his men to within three against the Hoosiers. Indiana football then sealed the deal with a field goal with around a minute and a half left in the ballgame. It is tempting to think that Miami, with a few tweaks, could return to this level and perhaps break through next year. But the Hurricanes head coach is dispelling the notion that getting this far in the CFP is easy, saying that nothing is given and they have to earn their way back. “That’s the biggest misconception in sports — ‘well, they almost got there, they’ll be back next year.’ That’s a bunch of bull. You’ve got to improve from a roster standpoint, a regimen standpoint, discipline, everything, and move forward,” Cristobal said, per Nicole Auerbach of NBC Sports. Miami football looks to get over the hump next season Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images It is both a refreshing and frustrating thing that there is always a new season in sports. On the one hand, a program’s hopes are renewed. On the other hand, they have to do it all again — sometimes failing to do so considering how emotionally and physically taxing getting to the mountaintop is. As for Cristobal, they will be looking for a new quarterback to replace Carson Beck, who is pro-bound (at last) this year. The post Miami football’s Mario Cristobal shreds ‘biggest misconception in sports’ appeared first on ClutchPoints.

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