Noble Audio has announced its new flagship in-ear monitors, the Kronos, with a price point that’s firmly in cavernous-pocket territory.
Launching at $4500 / £4100 / €4750 (Australian pricing and release date are currently unavailable), the Kronos represents an evolution of Noble’s limited-edition Chronicle model, originally created for the company’s 10th anniversary.
According to Noble, strong demand from collectors prompted the company to develop this production version, with refined specs and premium materials.
The latter centres around precision CNC-machined titanium shells, paired with some rather funky, eye-catching titanium damascus faceplates – an exotic material choice compared to more conventional aluminium or resin materials found in most high-end IEMs.
It goes some way to explaining the price tag, at least.
Under the hood, Noble has engineered a complex nine-driver hybrid configuration within each earpiece, utilising a six-way crossover network with precision-matched drivers.
(Image credit: Noble Audio)
The system incorporates two dynamic drivers (7mm bass, 10mm sub-bass), a dual-membrane bone conductor, four Knowles balanced armatures covering mid and high frequencies, plus two Sonion electrostatic drivers handling ultra-high frequencies.
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Noble states that this setup achieves sub-35 ohm impedance, ensuring compatibility with smartphones alongside dedicated digital audio players and portable amplifiers. The design also includes an integrated stainless steel wax guard for durability.
Each unit is hand-assembled, with individual driver matching by Noble’s in-house team.
The package includes a custom hybrid cable featuring palladium-plated pure silver and OCC silver conductors, terminated with 4.4mm balanced connectors with a titanium yoke design and 2-pin connectors. A premium case and accessories are also supplied.
Overall, the Kronos represents the company’s most ambitious pricing strategy to date, costing many times more than our current recommended pair of high-end earbuds – the Sennheiser IE 900.
Naturally, we’ll have to reserve judgement on its price-to-performance ratio until we get a chance to take it for a spin ourselves.
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Gaypalani Waṉambi grew up surrounded by art, with her family home in north-eastern Arnhem Land doubling as a studio where her parents and siblings painted on bark and wooden poles. In her late teens, she started assisting her father, esteemed artist Mr W Waṉambi, who taught her how to paint the clan’s ancient designs, using traditional materials such as ochre. As he branched into more experimental forms such as animation and etching on metal, she too began to experiment with these new mediums.
On Friday night, the Yolŋu woman was awarded the $100,000 top prize at the 42nd National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art awards (Natsiaas), one of Australia’s richest and most prestigious art prizes, for an artwork that honoured his legacy while forging her own path.
Waṉambi’s work was among seven winners across categories ranging from bark painting to multimedia, with six of the awards won by women, including senior Pitjantjatjara artist Iluwanti Ken, who won the painting award. Each category winner receives $15,000.
Gaypalani’s winning work, Burwu, blossom, is a shimmering large-scale depiction of one of her clan’s ancient songlines, etched on to the back of discarded metal road signs Photograph: Natsiaa
Gaypalani’s winning work, Burwu, blossom, is a shimmering large-scale depiction of one of her clan’s ancient songlines, etched on to the back of discarded metal road signs; a powerful fusion of ancient stories and knowledge with contemporary technologies and materials, and a tribute the cultural inheritance passed down by her father.
Created on a 3 sq metre assemblage of 15 metal road signs, the artwork’s surface depicts hundreds of stringybark blossoms and thousands of bees, referencing the songline of Wuyal, the honey hunter – an important ancestor for the Marrakulu clan. Viewing the etched illustrations from different angles, they seem to shimmer with movement – like the vibrating of tiny wings.
The back of the work is a collage of red and yellow road signs: “DETOUR” reads one; “ROAD CLOSED AHEAD”, another.
In a joint statement, the judging panel – Yamatji curator Stephen Gilchrist, Meriam artist Gail Mabo, and Bundjalung, Muruwari and Kamilaroi artist and researcher Brian Martin – described Burwu, blossom as “an exceptional work that visually and materially explores different relationships to and understandings of Country”, saying: “Each jewel-like panel shimmers with exquisitely rendered designs that are deeply anchored to Yolŋu philosophies.”
In Yolŋu culture, sacred designs are passed down by knowledge holders to the younger generations. For a long time it passed between men, but from the 1970s onwards senior men began to teach their daughters. Gaypalani’s father taught her to paint the miny’tji for the clan’s saltwater stories, and she assisted him in creating the detailed depictions of schools of wawurritjpal (sea-mullets) he was renowned for. He also taught her the designs for the freshwater Wuyal songline.
Gaypalani Waṉambi, pictured with her winning work. Photograph: Charlie Bliss
“I showed these designs to him, to my father – my paintings of the honey,” Gaypalani said in a prerecorded statement in Yolŋu Matha. “That is when he told me ‘Great! You will take this design now as your own. And you will paint this when I am no more.”
Mr Waṉambi died unexpectedly in 2022, aged 59. Writing about the Wuyal songline for the landmark international exhibition Madayin, which he co-curated, Mr Waṉambi wrote: “When we see the flowers blossoming, we sing dhaŋarra, and it reminds us of all the spirits of the people who have gone before us and will bloom again.”
Gaypalani’s etchings on metal are part of the found-art movement that has blossomed in Yirrkala in recent years, spearheaded by artists such as Gunybi Ganambarr. Fuelled by a spirit of innovation, these artists started using discarded road signs and detritus from mining operations as canvases, etching designs on to their surfaces.
Gaypalani is the only Yolŋu woman, so far, to make art in this medium.
Iluwanti Ken’s Walawuru Tjurkpa (Eagle story), winner of the 2025 general painting category. Photograph: Georgina Campbell/MAGNT
A spirit of innovation was present across this year’s finalists, which are now all on show at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) in Garramilla/Darwin.
“I think the Natsiaas provide a platform for people to try something new; to experiment and push their practice a bit further,” says Kate ten Buuren, a Taungurung artist and curator who worked with Keith Munro, the Museum of Contemporary Art’s director of First Nations art and cultures, and Balanggarra artist Karen Mills to select this year’s 71 finalists from more than 200 entries.
Jahkarli Felicitas Romanis’ work Pitta Pitta (Extracted) (left) and Pitta Pitta (Google’s Gaze), which won the 2025 multimedia category. The photographs are freeze frames from Google Earth that show the transition from aerial view to street view on Pitta Pitta Country. Photograph: Mark Sherwood/MAGNT
The winner of the multimedia category, Jahkarli Felicitas Romanis, a Naarm/Melbourne-based photographer of Pitta Pitta descent, experimented with Google Earth mapping and visualisation tools to create distorted images of Pitta Pitta Country for her winning diptych: Pitta Pitta (Extracted) and Pitta Pitta (Google’s Gaze).
“Mapping has historically been used as a tool of power and control, and it’s a really detached way of connecting to place,” Romanis said. “We never connect with place in that way. It’s always feet on the ground.”
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Naomi Hobson’s photograph Present & Beyond, which won the Natsiaa work on paper category. Photograph: Georgina Campbell/MAGNT
Naomi Hobson, hailing from the tiny riverside community of Coen, Cape York, won this year’s work on paper award for her photo Present and Beyond, which shows a teenage boy relaxing by the river. While it appears carefully staged, Hobson said she took the photo moments after seeing him playing with his younger brothers and a wooden boat, and he chose the pose himself.
It’s a stark contrast to how Hobson’s ancestors were photographed. “There’s old photos of my great-grandfather, and what was done for him to be in that photo wasn’t comfortable, it wasn’t nice,” she said. “And so I wanted to respond to that, and say [to the people I photograph]: this is your image. You own it. You take ownership of it.”
Her Natsiaa win is more than just a personal achievement, she added: “It’s not just me. It’s his win. It’s his celebration as well as his family’s … this is a celebration for all of us, for all the families, the community, for all the young people out there that can look at this image and know that they can achieve their goals and dreams and be proud of themselves.”
The Natsiaa exhibition is on at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory until 26 January 2026
Dee Jefferson covered the Natsiaas as a guest of NT Tourism
The full list of 2025 Natsiaa winners
Telstra Art award: Burwu, blossom by Gaypalani Waṉambi, Yolŋu Matha language, lives in Yirrkala, Northern Territory
General painting award: Walawuru Tjurkpa (Eagle story) by Iluwanti Ken, Pitjantjatjara language, lives in Amata community, South Australia
Bark painting award: Bawáliba & Ngalyod by Lucy Yarawanga, Gurr-Goni language, lives in Maningrida, NT
Work on paper award: Present & Beyond by Naomi Hobson, Southern Kaantju and Umpila languages, lives in Coen, Cape York, Queensland
Wandjuk Marika Memorial 3D award: Ngalkodjek Yawkyawk by Owen Yalandja, Kuninjku language, lives in Maningrida, NT
Multimedia award: Pitta Pitta (Extracted) and Pitta Pitta (Google’s Gaze) by Jahkarli Felicitas Romanis, Pitta Pitta language, lives in Naarm (Melbourne)
Emerging artist award: Mat by Sonia Gurrpulan Guyula, Djambarrpuyngu language, lives in Dhondji Homeland, NT
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Once considered a technology follower, the Middle East is rapidly redefining its role on the global stage, emerging as a powerhouse in artificial intelligence (AI). Driven by visionary policies, sovereign investment, and an unwavering commitment to data and compute sovereignty, Gulf nations are advancing AI far beyond experimentation into the core of national economies.
“Artificial intelligence is no longer experimental here,” says Avtar Sehmbi, member of the Forbes Technology Council and Fast Company Executive Board. Sehmbi, a global executive who has planned and executed large-scale transformations at HSBC, Deloitte, Cigna, and Verizon, believes the region is setting a precedent. “The Gulf is operationalising it at enterprise scale and anchoring it into national economic models. That combination is rare, even among developed markets.”
State-led strategy and global ambition
The momentum is rooted in top-down leadership. In 2017, the UAE became the first nation to appoint a Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, launching the National AI Strategy 2031. Saudi Arabia swiftly followed, embedding AI within Vision 2030 and establishing the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA).
“When AI becomes a national agenda item, not just a technology function, governance and funding align in a way that accelerates deployment,” Sehmbi explains.
A June 2025 Reuters report revealed the UAE’s Stargate project, one of the world’s largest AI compute campuses that will house more than 100,000 Nvidia GPUs. The five-gigawatt facility, led by G42 and US chipmakers, positions the UAE as a sovereign hyperscale compute leader.
Capital investment driving innovation
While many regions rely on private sector innovation, the Gulf’s AI transformation is strategically state-backed. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has committed over $40 billion to future technologies. Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala is deploying $100 billion under its MGX platform to support AI, quantum computing, and biotech.
“Capital alone is not enough,” Sehmbi says. “Sustainable advantage comes from ecosystem design, governance maturity, and execution discipline. The Gulf is showing it understands all three.”
Global hyperscalers such as AWS, Google, and Microsoft have also established regional data centers to comply with data residency laws, while firms like G42 are engineering locally compliant compute platforms.
Investing in homegrown talent
To secure long-term leadership, the region has built an AI talent pipeline unmatched anywhere in the world. Abu Dhabi’s Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) remains the world’s first graduate-level AI university, collaborating with MIT and Oxford to merge global academic expertise with local applications. Saudi Arabia’s National AI Training Program, developed with AWS and the PIF, aims to upskill 100,000 professionals by 2026.
“These are not just training schemes,” Sehmbi says. “They are capability-building mechanisms embedded into national strategies. Homegrown AI fluency is what ultimately separates sustained innovation from one-off pilots.”
Golden visas and fast-track licensing for AI ventures are further enabling both global talent and local entrepreneurs to co-develop the ecosystem.
Operationalising AI across critical sectors
While other markets remain in the pilot phase, Gulf nations are embedding AI into mission-critical systems. Dubai’s Electricity and Water Authority uses AI to optimize power distribution, while Saudi Arabia’s NEOM smart city deploys digital twin systems for urban planning and infrastructure risk management.
In healthcare, MBZUAI researchers have developed graph-based AI models for early Alzheimer’s detection, demonstrating applied AI’s impact on global health.
“These are not soft use cases,” Sehmbi emphasises. “These are mission-critical systems being rearchitected with AI. That tells us the Gulf is serious.”
A 2018 PwC report projected AI could add over $320 billion to Middle East GDP by 2030, with the UAE alone expecting AI to comprise nearly 14 per cent of national output.
Building Trust and Regulatory Readiness
Recognizing that innovation requires governance, regulators such as Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) and Saudi Arabia’s SAMA are implementing sandbox frameworks for safe AI experimentation.
“Incorporating AI oversight at the board level is no longer optional,” Sehmbi adds. “If trust, auditability, and ethical clarity are not engineered from the start, the technology will never reach systemic scale.”
The Return of Global Talent
Perhaps the most telling signal of maturity is the return of top global technologists to the region. Senior leaders from London, New York, and Singapore are now spearheading national AI programs and enterprise transformations across the Gulf.
“They bring global playbooks, but they are grounded in local understanding,” Sehmbi notes. “That combination is going to define the region’s competitive edge.”
Artificial intelligence in the Middle East is no longer an emerging concept; it is a strategic operating model. Through sovereign infrastructure, bold policy, talent development, and massive investment, the Gulf is setting a new global standard.
As companies and investors evaluate where to build next-generation capabilities, Sehmbi is unequivocal: “The Gulf is not catching up. It is overtaking. And it is doing so with purpose.”
Dietary fiber has long been known to be highly beneficial for gastrointestinal health, exerting a regulatory effect on digestive processes such as absorption, transit time, and stool formation, as well as having important microbial effects.
Unfortunately, modern diets in the Western industrialized world are notoriously low in fiber, with this deficiency linked to an array of gut and metabolic diseases. Some consumer research suggests the public is aware of the benefits of fiber, and that most people believe they consume enough. However, national consumption surveys indicate that only about 5% of the population meets recommendations, and inadequate intake of fiber has been called a public health concern.
But now, a new trend on social media may be changing the way people view and consume fiber. Called “Fibermaxxing,” it is being promoted by wellness content creators and being enthusiastically endorsed by some dietitians as “good for digestion, stable energy, and even a happier mood.” Other influencers suggest it can help with weight loss. A recent article in The New York Times quotes a 25-year-old wellness creator whose videos of herself consuming large quantities of fiber in the form of food such as chia seed puddings have garnered more than 10 million views.
Jennifer Chapler, MS, RD, CDN
“But is this really a new trend, or is it merely recycling an older version of the high-fiber diet?” muses Jennifer Chapler, MS, RD, CDN, a dietitian at Nutrition Transformations in Bergen County, New Jersey. “And is it a healthy trend to follow, or is it simply another fad diet that will disappear?”
The answer, according to Chapler, is both: Increasing the consumption of fiber is indeed beneficial, especially given the paucity of fiber in the standard Western diet. The question is how should you increase fiber intake, what type of fiber should you be consuming, and how much?
Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Fiber
An impressive number of studies have found that for each increase in dietary fiber intake of 7 g/d, there is a statistically significant reduction in the risk for cardiovascular disease, stroke, colorectal cancer, rectal cancer, and diabetes. A 2019 meta-analysis of 185 epidemiologic studies (encompassing close to 135 million person-years) found that high fiber intake (25-29 g/d) was associated with a reduced risk for all-cause mortality, as well as mortality from coronary heart disease and cancer, and a lower risk for stroke, diabetes, and colorectal cancer compared with lower fiber intake.
And, according to a review by Samantha K. Gill and coauthors, increasing dietary fiber can be regarded as a potential therapeutic intervention for disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, including irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and diverticular disease, as well as management of specific gastrointestinal symptoms such as constipation. The therapeutic benefits of fiber derive from its impact on nutrient digestion and absorption, improvement in glycemic and lipidemic responses, regulation of plasma cholesterol through limiting bile salt resorption, influencing gut transit, and promoting microbiota growth and metabolism, Gill and coauthors explained.
Dietary fiber consists of carbohydrates and lignins that are not hydrolyzed or absorbed in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract. It includes many complex substances, each having a unique chemical structure and physical properties, and is commonly classified according to solubility in water. Total dietary fiber can be divided into two groups: “water soluble” (viscous substances such as pectin, gums, and mucilage) and water insoluble (nonviscous substances, such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin). Unlike insoluble fibers, which remain discrete particles, soluble fibers have a “high affinity for water.”
“Through the process of digestion, soluble fiber from food mixes with water in the digestive track, forming a gel-like substance,” Chapler explained. “As this substance moves from the small intestine into the colon, it contacts the gut microbiota, which break it down through fermentation.”
The end result is short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which play a number of “key roles” in the gastrointestinal tract, wrote Gill and coauthors. In animal studies, SCFAs were shown to affect gastrointestinal motility; bridge communication between mucosal microbiota and the mucosal immune system, suggesting potential anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects; maintain intestinal barrier integrity; and regulate appetite. They also indirectly help maintain gastrointestinal homeostasis through reducing luminal pH.
Insoluble fiber prevents constipation by adding bulk to the stool and clears the gut of harmful toxins, potentially contributing to the prevention of colorectal cancer, Chapler said. By improving gut transit time, it can contribute to controlling diverticulitis, and by increasing the sense of satiety following meals, it may potentially play a role in reducing overeating and assisting with weight loss.
Too Much of a Good Thing?
The wellness influencers advocating for “fibermaxxing” typically recommend basically healthy foods, Chapler noted. Their guidance is generally on the right track, she said, including recommending whole-food carbohydrate sources of fiber, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables; berries and apples; and beans, lentils, nuts, oatmeal, and chia seeds. These can be incorporated into the diet in creative ways, such as sprinkling chia into smoothies, yogurt, puddings, stir-fries, and oatmeal.
But “fibermaxxing” influencers often encourage people not only to meet but also to exceed daily recommendations, she said. Recommended daily fiber intake is 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men, according to the USDA, and 30 grams for all adults in the UK, but some influencers are encouraging people to eat 50 grams or even 100 grams of fiber a day.
“It’s not good to overdo anything, including fiber,” she emphasized. Instead, it’s better to “eat a variety of foods, including protein, complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, and leafy greens — the more colorful the plate, the more nutrients the food will contain.”
Excessive consumption of fiber can cause bloating and flatulence and can even interfere with the absorption of nutrients from food, she said. “Eating fiber all day can also cause internal irritation and can interfere with absorption of medications.”
Fazia Mir, MD, DABOM, a gastroenterologist who practices in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is affiliated with Presbyterian Hospital, agreed. She does not recommend fibermaxxing to her patients. In fact, consuming large amounts of fiber — more than 40-50 grams — can not only cause bloating but also actually cause constipation, she told Medscape Medical News. And the sense of fullness can prevent people from eating other varieties of food, leading to nutritional deficiencies. “Just adhere to the recommended daily intake,” advised Mir, who is a spokesperson for the American Gastroenterological Association.
It’s also important to increase fiber intake slowly rather than rapidly incorporating large quantities into one’s diet. This allows the gastrointestinal tract to adjust, Chaplin said. It’s equally important to drink sufficient fluids. “Fiber absorbs fluid as it moves through the digestive tract, so insufficient fluid intake can cause constipation, hard, dry stools, bloating, flatulence, and abdominal discomfort.”
The Role of Supplements
Yakira Escott Berkowitz, RD, a registered dietitian with a private practice in Bergen County, said that many of the clients who come to her seek advice about whether to use a fiber supplement.
Yakira Escott Berkowitz, RD
Taking a supplement can be “helpful and is better than nothing for people whose diet is deficient in fiber,” she told Medscape Medical News. “But I prefer people get their fiber from foods.”
If that’s not possible, she recommends products that are third-party tested. “I advise patients to look for the letters ‘NSF’ on any supplements.” This means they have been tested by the National Sanitation Foundation, an independent nongovernmental organization focused on public health and safety standards.
Chapler also thinks that getting fiber from food is preferable to getting it from a supplement. She recommends Fiber One cereal. “It’s a food, not a supplement, but it’s almost like taking a supplement. For patients really struggling with constipation, I’ll recommend they eat it twice daily.”
If patients require a supplement, psyllium — a bulking agent frequently used for treating constipation — can be recommended. It has established benefits, both for gastrointestinal and cardiometabolic health. Additionally, adding psyllium to a normal diet has been shown to improve body composition, lipids, glucose, and insulin in patients who have overweight or obesity. The combination of a healthy diet plus fiber supplementation yields the greatest improvements.
When Is Fibermaxxing Contraindicated?
There are several gastrointestinal diseases, such as Crohn’s disease and intestinal obstruction, in which fiber intake should be limited and increased only under medical supervision. Patients with malabsorption issues or those who have undergone bowel surgery should consume fiber with caution, also under medical supervision.
Chapler and Berkowitz both recommend that patients work in conjunction with a physician if they have any type of gastrointestinal condition or are taking medications because fiber can affect the absorption of several drugs. For example, large quantities of fiber can lower blood levels of metformin and can affect levothyroxine, digoxin, penicillin, and amoxicillin absorption. Consumption of pectin or oat bran together with lovastatin can reduce the medication’s absorption, and fiber should not be taken at the same time as antiarrhythmic drugs.
Constipation is common in people taking opioids, and the first approach to treatment is typically to encourage lifestyle changes and ensure adequate daily intake of water and fiber, together with avoiding heavy meals and highly fatty foods and evacuating as soon as the urge to defecate arises. Because opioid drugs inhibit intestinal motility, excess fiber could lead to bloating, flatulence, and fecalomas, so daily intake of fiber should not exceed 20 grams.
All the experts agreed that increased fiber intake should be part of an overall health plan that includes well-balanced, nutritious eating; sufficient intake of fluids; adequate amounts of physical exercise; and controlling calories and portion sizes.
Chapler also emphasizes the importance of mindful eating and chewing food well, which enhances utilization of fiber in the gastrointestinal tract. A review of 71 studies found that chewing is an important contributor to the swallowing process and physiologic/pathologic processes in the gastrointestinal tract. However, some fiber-rich foods are difficult to chew — a problem that particularly affects older adults who are often partially or fully edentulous who may then exclude high-fiber foods from their diet.
It is important for this population to work closely with a dietitian who can help them maximize nutritional intake in general, and fiber intake in particular, as there are many fiber-rich foods that are not difficult to chew, Chapler said.
On balance, she believes that the new focus on fiber due to the “fibermaxxing” trend can be a positive development, and that clinicians should encourage and support patients in their efforts to responsibly increase their consumption of this very important nutrient.
Chapler, Berkowitz, and Mir reported having no relevant financial relationships.
Batya Swift Yasgur, MA, LSW, is a freelance writer with a counseling practice in Teaneck, New Jersey. She is a regular contributor to numerous medical publications, including Medscape Medical News and WebMD, and is the author of several consumer-oriented health books, as well as Behind the Burqa: Our Lives in Afghanistan and How We Escaped to Freedom (the memoir of two brave Afghan sisters who told her their story).
There is a saying in Sanskrit – ‘Ati Sarvatra Varjayet.’ Loosely translated into English, it means, too much of anything is harmful! Currently, that indicates too many spy thrillers! Like, I am literally 10 minutes away from surrendering if I am introduced to any more Spy Universe any further. The latest one is Naveen Kasturia and Mouni Roy, infiltrating Pakistan amidst a nuclear mission in this spy thriller titled Salakaar!
Created and directed by Faruk Kabir, this web series seems to be a film that was later very badly edited into five episodes to accomodate the space of a web series, no idea why! Even the trailer felt like a film but it was later revealed to be a web series!
Any which way, film or web series, all of them have a basic need to fulfil – good storyline and even better writing. Salakaar ticks the first box but surrenders to the latter! The basic premise is intriguing, timeline builds up the anticipation well in the first 20 minutes but then the entire series crashes and dilapidates with only ruins remaining! You cannot even rebuild them, it is that disturbed!
Salakaar Review: Naveen Kasturia Impresses In A Vague Show! ( Photo Credit – YouTube )
Salakaar Review: What’s It About:
The story of Salakaar is dissected into two time frames – 2025, where a RAW agent, Maryam alias Srishti, played by Mouni Roy, is trying to know about a plan by Pakistani Colonel Ashfaqullah (Surya Sharma) that involves the making of a nuclear bomb. She is being aided by a Salakaar – National Security Advisor Purnendu Sharma, who has links with the Pak Colonel.
The second timeline reveals that the NSA is Naveen Kasturia, a RAW Agent, working in Pakistan with the alias Dayal Sharma, trying to stop Pakistani General Zia, played by Mukesh Rishi, from making a nuclear reactor. So, this is the basic premise of this web series, which makes a lot of sense, but that is it. Beyond this point, this series did not make any sense, making Pakistan look like an absolutely stupid nation, if I may say so!
Salakaar Review: What Works:
The biggest win of Salakaar is its length – 5 episodes of 30 minutes each. Not because it turns into a gripping tale, but only because one can thank them that this ended! The basic problem in Faruk Kabir’s film-turned-series is the lazy writing. The attempt to create a jingoistic vibe is so childish that it simply shows the neighboring country as stupid. Period! It is such a juvenile attempt that after a certain point I seriously want to chant Hindustan Zindabad and get done with this once and for all!
Salakaar Review: A Spy Thriller That Forgets To Spy! ( Photo Credit – YouTube )
Salakaar Review: Star Performance:
Coming to the characters, as the young protagonist, Kasturia is the heart of the series. He delivers a committed, quiet, and intense performance, trying his best to inject life into a poorly written character. However, it is Mukesh Rishi as the Pakistani General, who holds this show, for whatever timeframe he can hold. He brings an authority that the entire show desperately needs but fails to achieve! The biggest disappointment here is Mouni Roy’s Sakshi! And I exactly pointed out the issue, why!
Salakaar Review: What Doesn’t Work:
The web series promised a gripping, intelligent cat-and-mouse chase game between India and Pakistan’s intel teams. However, what it delivered was a masterclass in missed opportunities and how not to create a Spy Thriller! Because the basic element missing in this thriller is the thrill itself. In fact, it is exhausting to watch a strong concept die a slow death under the weight of shoddy writing, predictable cliches, and a fundamental misunderstanding of the genre – thriller. There are too many spies, but the thrill has already been explored previously in Mission Majnu, properly in the exact manner, so much so that it is a replica of Raazi on a fundamental level.
The 1978 timeline, while more engaging and historically inspired, quickly gives way to juvenile plot points and a script that often borders on the absurd. Characters make baffling, illogical decisions. The plot, at times, is so focused on ridiculing Pakistan that it loses all sense. Also, I am so done with female spies being used as sex bombs to make Pakistani Generals go weak on their knees! I mean, seriously?! Even if it happens, it is disgusting and so discomforting to watch on screen! I mean, imagine a female RAW officer not using her intellect but her body to get things done! In which Universe is this 50 Shades of Grey taking place?
Salakaar Review: Mouni Roy Disappoints As A Secret Agent! ( Photo Credit – YouTube )
Salakaar Review: Last Words:
Salakaar is a Spy thriller that forgot to spy and was too lazy to deliver a thrill! And it is heartbreaking to watch a good premise go for a toss and a talented cast wasted! A cast that was on a mission not to deliver content, while I was on a mission not to sleep till I surrendered!
1.5 star
For more such reviews of web shows, stay tuned to Koimoi.
Must Read: Special Ops 2 Review: Himmat Singh’s Spy Universe Ft. Kay Kay Menon Is Expanding Without Any ‘Besharam Rang’ – A No-Nonsense Sequel That Doesn’t Fail!
If you ever want to know what two countries really care about, don’t listen to the speeches. Watch what words they never quite say alone. In the case of Iran and Pakistan, one word keeps showing up as part of a suspiciously inseparable duo: “trade and security.” And when “security” is always lurking right behind “trade,” it’s a fair bet that commerce is not the real driver.
On paper, the relationship between Tehran and Islamabad should be one of the Muslim world’s great alliances. Two large Muslim nations, sharing a border of nearly 900 kilometers, facing similar economic challenges, and possessing overlapping cultural and religious ties. In reality, their history has been a masterclass in polite distance, occasional suspicion, and the kind of neighborly “cooperation” that tends to happen only when there’s a common problem to solve — or a common threat to avoid.
Yet, in recent months, observers have noticed something strange: Pakistan’s most pro-Washington military regime in years, led by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Asim Munir, has been exchanging warm smiles with the Islamic Republic of Iran. In February, Iran voiced strong solidarity with Pakistan during its border tensions with India. In April, Pakistan loudly condemned Israel’s 12-day military assault on Iran. To the casual observer, this might look like a long-overdue brotherly embrace.
It is not.
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A relationship built on sand
To understand why, we have to go back to 1979 — the year that changed the Middle East and South Asia in ways still playing out today. Iran’s Islamic Revolution toppled the Shah, infuriated Washington, and created a Shia theocracy with a revolutionary ideology. Almost immediately, Saudi Arabia — America’s indispensable ally in the Gulf and the self-appointed defender of Sunni Islam — began countering Iran’s influence by funding Sunni religious movements across the Muslim world.
Pakistan, for its part, became one of the key battlegrounds in this Saudi-Iranian rivalry. While Islamabad officially maintained good relations with both Riyadh and Tehran, the reality on the ground was more complicated — and bloodier.
By the early 1990s, Pakistan was suffering from a surge in sectarian violence. Extremist Sunni groups, many with Saudi funding, targeted Shia communities. Iran, in turn, was accused of backing Shia militant groups in Pakistan. The “brotherhood” narrative looked increasingly like a polite fiction masking a dangerous proxy war being fought on Pakistani soil.
The result was thousands of lives lost, an erosion of social trust, and a hardening of sectarian divides that still fester today. Whatever “warm” relations existed between Islamabad and Tehran were almost always transactional — tied to moments when the two countries needed each other for security reasons, not because of some shared vision of Muslim unity.
The Imran Khan interlude
When Imran Khan became prime minister in 2018, he made no secret of his desire to uphold the nation’s sovereignty, to advance social justice, the rule of law, and human rights, and to have Pakistan be a part of a Muslim renaissance. He saw Iran as a crucial partner in that vision, particularly in breaking free from what he viewed as the stifling dominance of Washington and the Gulf monarchies over Pakistan’s foreign policy.
But Khan’s tenure coincided with intense regional turbulence: the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani by an American drone in January 2020, and escalating US–Iran tensions in the Persian Gulf. While Khan managed to improve atmospherics with Tehran, his broader regional vision was cut short by his ouster in April 2022 — a move widely seen as a Washington-backed regime change operation orchestrated by Pakistan’s powerful military establishment, which had grown uncomfortable with his independent streak.
Enter Gen. Asim Munir, a man far more comfortable in Washington’s orbit, yet — paradoxically — now the one clinking tea cups with Iranian officials.
The real agenda: security
The smiles, the handshakes, the press conferences about “enhancing bilateral trade” — all make for pleasant optics. But the real conversation is about security, and both sides know it.
Iran’s position is straightforward, and it has been repeated in various forms for decades: stay out of our fights with the US and Israel, keep American and allied military activity off your soil, and don’t let your territory be used for subversive operations against us.
This is not an abstract concern. Tehran remembers very clearly how Washington, particularly in the 2000s, used Pakistan’s Balochistan province as a launchpad for anti-Iranian operations. These included support for Iranian Baloch separatists, covert backing of the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), and other militant outfits eager to cause trouble inside Iran.
The irony, of course, is that some of these same networks later turned their sights on Pakistan itself. After 9/11, as the US military footprint in Afghanistan expanded, Baloch separatists and other armed groups became useful tools not just for pressuring Iran, but also for destabilizing Pakistan when Washington wanted to exert leverage.
Iran has long been aware of the double game. And while Tehran is pragmatic enough to maintain relations with Islamabad even under pro-US leadership, it also has red lines. As one senior Iranian official reportedly told Pakistani counterparts during the recent delegation visit:
“We want a very good relationship with Pakistan. But if Pakistan restarts cooperation with the US in subversive activities from Balochistan, Iran will make Balochistan a nightmare for Pakistan.”
Balochistan: The powder keg no one can ignore
Balochistan, which makes up almost half of Pakistan’s landmass but has less than 6% of its population, is a perpetual headache for Islamabad. The province is resource-rich — with vast reserves of natural gas, minerals, and a strategic coastline — yet remains the country’s most underdeveloped and politically alienated region.
Contrary to popular perception, the majority of Balochistan’s population is actually Pashtun, not Baloch. But it is the Baloch nationalist insurgency, fueled by decades of economic neglect and heavy-handed military operations, that dominates headlines.
From Iran’s perspective, Balochistan is a shared vulnerability. Iran’s own Sistan-Baluchestan province, bordering Pakistani Balochistan, has faced attacks from Sunni militant groups that Tehran accuses of being armed and funded by foreign powers — often via Pakistani territory.
For Pakistan’s military regime, however, the problem is compounded by the fact that they are fighting on multiple fronts: Baloch separatists, the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), and other insurgent or terrorist groups. Yet — in a twist that would be comical if it weren’t so damaging — a staggering portion of the country’s intelligence resources is currently devoted not to counter-insurgency, but to monitoring and suppressing anti-Munir and pro-Imran Khan material on social media. One imagines the Pakistani taxpayer might be slightly irritated when her hard-earned rupees are being spent to monitor comments and ‘likes’ on Facebook and TikTok.
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Why now?
The sudden uptick in Iran–Pakistan engagement is not happening in a vacuum. The Middle East is on edge. The Gaza genocide has dragged on, Iran and Israel are trading increasingly direct blows, and the US has repositioned forces across the Gulf. Tehran is making it clear to all regional actors that if war with Israel and the US breaks out, it will not tolerate neighboring countries — especially those with US military ties — being used as staging grounds.
Pakistan, with its long border with Iran and history of serving as a covert corridor for foreign intelligence operations, is high on Tehran’s watch list. Gen. Munir’s Pakistan might be happy to nod along to Washington when convenient, but the last thing the military establishment wants is an open conflict with Iran — particularly when the country is already politically unstable, economically strained, and facing internal security crises.
Thus, the “trade talks” and “joint projects” being announced with such fanfare are less about economic integration than they are about confidence-building — a diplomatic insurance policy to keep Pakistan off Iran’s target list if the region ignites.
The mirage of brotherhood
For all the lofty talk of Muslim unity, the Iran–Pakistan relationship has never been about unshakable brotherhood. It has been about managing proximity. Both sides understand the risks of alienating the other, but neither forgets the history of mistrust. Iran knows Pakistan’s military has deep ties to Washington and Riyadh. Pakistan knows Iran has cultivated networks inside its borders that could cause trouble if unleashed.
And so, we have the carefully choreographed dance: smiling photo-ops, communiqués about trade corridors and energy cooperation, and an unspoken agreement that the real conversation — about red lines, insurgents, and covert operations — stays behind closed doors.
The ending no one will say out loud
Diplomats will keep talking about “enhancing bilateral trade” because it’s the safe script. But beneath the surface, Iran is buying insurance, and Pakistan is trying to avoid opening yet another front in its already sprawling security crisis.
The truth is that in the geopolitics of this region, “brotherhood” is often a mirage shimmering above the desert. Up close, it’s just the harsh terrain of mutual suspicion, historical grievance, and pragmatic calculation.
The Pakistani military regime might think it can balance Washington’s expectations with Tehran’s warnings. But as history has shown — from the sectarian bloodshed of the 1990s to the shadow wars in Balochistan — when you try to serve two ‘mafia dons’ in this part of the world, both will eventually want proof of loyalty.
And when that day comes, “trade” will be the last thing on anyone’s mind.
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The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.
Real Madrid C. F., its president and its Board of Directors would like to express their deepest regrets at the death of Manuel Esteban Fernández, Manolete, one of the historic sports journalists of our country.
Real Madrid wishes to express its condolences and affection to his family, to his colleagues, to all his loved ones and to all the media outlets with which he was associated.
Manolete had an extraordinary professional career that saw him become one of the most popular sports journalists in Spain, and he was much loved by his colleagues, readers and listeners.
He was a big Atlético Madrid fan, so our club would like to extend its condolences to all Atlético fans and his lifelong club.
