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‘One of the oldest urban centres on the planet’: Gaza’s rich history in ruins
ByWilliam Dalrymple October 17, 2025

The territory’s ancient heritage has too often been ignored. As we mourn incalculable human losses, learning about its past can help us better understand the presentAs a ceasefire brings a measure of peace to the Dresden-like hellscape that Gaza has be…

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Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | Benjamin Netanyahu | Comedy | Culture | Donald Trump | Gaza | Human rights | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Middle East and north Africa | Nuclear weapons | Omid Djalili | Palestinian territories | Petrol prices | Saudi Arabia | Stage | World news

Comedy in Riyadh is a sign of progress | Letter
ByGuardian staff October 16, 2025

Omid Djalili responds to criticism of his decision to perform at a comedy festival in Saudi ArabiaWhat the critics of the Riyadh comedy festival may have missed (Letters, 13 October) is the fact that performing comedy or any live event in Saudi Arabia …

Read More Comedy in Riyadh is a sign of progress | Letter
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | Benjamin Netanyahu | Comedy | Culture | Donald Trump | Gaza | Human rights | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Middle East and north Africa | Nuclear weapons | Omid Djalili | Palestinian territories | Petrol prices | Saudi Arabia | Stage | World news

Comedy in Riyadh is a sign of progress | Letter
ByGuardian staff October 16, 2025

Omid Djalili responds to criticism of his decision to perform at a comedy festival in Saudi ArabiaWhat the critics of the Riyadh comedy festival may have missed (Letters, 13 October) is the fact that performing comedy or any live event in Saudi Arabia …

Read More Comedy in Riyadh is a sign of progress | Letter
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | Benjamin Netanyahu | Culture | Documentary films | Donald Trump | Film | Gaza | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Middle East and north Africa | Nuclear weapons | Palestinian territories | Petrol prices | Society | Women | World news

Cutting Through Rocks review – the female firebrand fighting the patriarchy in rural Iran
ByPhuong Le October 13, 2025

Sara Shahverdi refuses to accept the norms of her deeply conservative village as she becomes its first female councillor. But for every step forward, as this dynamic documentary shows, a further obstacle is thrown in her pathBeing the first anything is…

Read More Cutting Through Rocks review – the female firebrand fighting the patriarchy in rural Iran
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | Benjamin Netanyahu | Culture | Donald Trump | Gaza | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel-Gaza war | Israel–Iran War | Middle East and north Africa | Nuclear weapons | Palestine | Palestinian territories | Petrol prices | US news | World news

Boycotting Israel has gone mainstream: ‘We’ve never seen such traction before’
ByDavid Smith in Washington October 11, 2025

After decades of being dismissed as fringe, the boycott call has been taken up by leading figures across arts, sports and politicsFor more than a decade Shouk offered an Israeli-inspired, plant-based and kosher menu in and around Washington. Last week …

Read More Boycotting Israel has gone mainstream: ‘We’ve never seen such traction before’
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | Benjamin Netanyahu | Comedy | Culture | Donald Trump | Freedom of speech | Gaza | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Middle East and north Africa | Nuclear weapons | Palestinian territories | Petrol prices | Saudi Arabia | World news

We know what the comedians got out of the Riyadh comedy festival. What about the Saudi regime? | Jonathan Liew
ByJonathan Liew October 9, 2025

The tawdry event was an ultimately doomed attempt by the Saudi government to buy the kind of authentic grassroots culture it is unwilling to countenance Continue reading…

Read More We know what the comedians got out of the Riyadh comedy festival. What about the Saudi regime? | Jonathan Liew
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | Benjamin Netanyahu | Comedy | Culture | Donald Trump | Freedom of speech | Gaza | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Middle East and north Africa | Nuclear weapons | Palestinian territories | Petrol prices | Saudi Arabia | World news

We know what the comedians got out of the Riyadh comedy festival. What about the Saudi regime? | Jonathan Liew
ByJonathan Liew October 9, 2025

The tawdry event was an ultimately doomed attempt by the Saudi government to buy the kind of authentic grassroots culture it is unwilling to countenance Continue reading…

Read More We know what the comedians got out of the Riyadh comedy festival. What about the Saudi regime? | Jonathan Liew
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | Aziz Ansari | Benjamin Netanyahu | Celebrity | Comedy | Culture | Dave Chappelle | Donald Trump | Gaza | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Jack Whitehall | Jimmy Carr | Life and style | Louis CK | Middle East and north Africa | Mohammed bin Salman | Nuclear weapons | Omid Djalili | Palestinian territories | Petrol prices | Saudi Arabia | Stage | World news

‘Amoral, evil’: vitriolic backlash builds against comics who played Riyadh festival
ByHannah Jane Parkinson October 9, 2025

Murder by bone-saw, lashings for rape victims, punitive amputation, jail for satirists … these are the Saudi human rights abuses fuelling the fury being directed at the likes of Louis CK, Dave Chappelle and Jimmy Carr. How have they responded?To paraph…

Read More ‘Amoral, evil’: vitriolic backlash builds against comics who played Riyadh festival
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | Aziz Ansari | Benjamin Netanyahu | Celebrity | Comedy | Culture | Dave Chappelle | Donald Trump | Gaza | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Jack Whitehall | Jimmy Carr | Life and style | Louis CK | Middle East and north Africa | Mohammed bin Salman | Nuclear weapons | Omid Djalili | Palestinian territories | Petrol prices | Saudi Arabia | Stage | World news

‘Amoral, evil’: vitriolic backlash builds against comics who played Riyadh festival
ByHannah Jane Parkinson October 9, 2025

Murder by bone-saw, lashings for rape victims, punitive amputation, jail for satirists … these are the Saudi human rights abuses fuelling the fury being directed at the likes of Louis CK, Dave Chappelle and Jimmy Carr. How have they responded?To paraph…

Read More ‘Amoral, evil’: vitriolic backlash builds against comics who played Riyadh festival
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | Benjamin Netanyahu | Books | Culture | Donald Trump | Gaza | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Middle East and north Africa | Nuclear weapons | Palestine | Palestinian territories | Petrol prices | US news | World news

‘They didn’t even read the book’: Palestinian American children’s authors censored in US
ByJoseph Gedeon in Washington October 9, 2025

Authors tell of book bans, cancellations and harassment – ‘they’re trying to disconnect us from our stories’Jenan Matari had just begun promoting her debut children’s book this summer when the cancellations began. First, Chevalier’s Books in Los Angele…

Read More ‘They didn’t even read the book’: Palestinian American children’s authors censored in US