The bomb that killed Iranian nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahamdi Roshan on Wednesday was not very big, as photos of his mostly-undamaged auto reveal. But the murderously efficient device may have moved the world closer to a vastly bigger blow-up, because it came at a time when Iran's unpredictable government is on edge.
Iranian officials and diplomats wasted no time in blaming the US and Israel. The Americans issued a denial; the Israelis were blandly silent. Certainly somebody is systematically attacking Iran's nuclear programme; no actuary would believe that so many killings, bombings, and computer disasters are mere bad luck.
This case, though, maybe is different from the previous ones. In recent weeks Iran has become more than ever a pariah state, as economic sanctions cut the country off, slowly but relentlessly, from the world economy. Reacting to impending sanctions with imprudent military bluster, Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz.
Shippers, and their insurers, know that only a few maritime mines could choke off much of the world's crude-oil flow. Several governments, most importantly the one in Washington, reacted to that by calmly citing international maritime law. The Americans also dispatched a second aircraft-carrier battle group to the region.
The latest assassination, then, risks intensifying the drumbeat of pressure on Iran. The danger now is that the government there, a strange mixture of clerical, political and military power centres often apparently at odds with each other, could do something frantic or irrational.
From the point of view of Iran's neighbours, then, the timing of this killing was awful. Only a player eager to see Iran fighting the US would welcome this new higher peak of tension.
Even without the killing however, the world community has for months been backing Iran forcefully into a corner because of its unwise ambiguity about its nuclear ambitions.
A rational regime would by now have abandoned this opacity and forsworn nuclear weapons. Nobody wants a bomb in the region, but the danger is that those who keep tightening the screws are also expecting a rational response from Tehran.
It remains to be seen if that is itself a reasonable expectation.
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The Matrix Resurrections
Director: Lana Wachowski
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick
Rating:****
UAE v Ireland
1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets
2nd ODI, January 12
3rd ODI, January 14
4th ODI, January 16
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Astra%20Tech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdallah%20Abu%20Sheikh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20technology%20investment%20and%20development%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20size%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24500m%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Checks continue
A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Hot%20Seat
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Europa League group stage draw
Group A: Villarreal, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Astana, Slavia Prague.
Group B: Dynamo Kiev, Young Boys, Partizan Belgrade, Skenderbeu.
Group C: Sporting Braga, Ludogorets, Hoffenheim, Istanbul Basaksehir.
Group D: AC Milan, Austria Vienna , Rijeka, AEK Athens.
Group E: Lyon, Everton, Atalanta, Apollon Limassol.
Group F: FC Copenhagen, Lokomotiv Moscow, Sheriff Tiraspol, FC Zlin.
Group G: Vitoria Plzen, Steaua Bucarest, Hapoel Beer-Sheva, FC Lugano.
Group H: Arsenal, BATE Borisov, Cologne, Red Star Belgrade.
Group I: Salzburg, Marseille, Vitoria Guimaraes, Konyaspor.
Group J: Athletic Bilbao, Hertha Berlin, Zorya Luhansk, Ostersund.
Group K: Lazio, Nice, Zulte Waregem, Vitesse Arnhem.
Group L: Zenit St Petersburg, Real Sociedad, Rosenborg, Vardar