Some of the most important lessons in my life didn’t come from business meetings or boardrooms. They came from sport. My father introduced me to boxing at a young age - not just how to throw a punch, but how to control myself. Discipline. Respect. Self-control. Focus under pressure. Later, I trained in karate, and over time developed a real passion for MMA. What always struck me was this: the best fighters are usually the calmest people in the room. They understand control, responsibility, and limits. Combat sports teach something many people forget: strength is not aggression. Real strength is discipline. You learn to stay composed when emotions rise. You learn to respect your opponent. And you learn that success comes from consistency - not excuses. It took me time to realise that the same principles apply far beyond combat sports. In chess, like in fighting, the biggest mistakes happen in moments of lost control. One second of impatience. One emotional decision. And the position changes completely. Different arena - same discipline. These lessons have stayed with me in business, leadership, and everyday life. Sport builds character. Combat sports reveal it. Chess tests it.

The moment propaganda becomes truly powerful is when nobody recognises it as propaganda. The leaders of the USSR understood this - and they had a name for it: agitprop. Today, we see it everywhere. The term originated shortly after the Russian Revolution. In 1920, the Bolsheviks established the Department of Agitation and Propaganda (Agitprop) under the Central Committee. Lenin viewed agitation and propaganda as essential revolutionary tools. Agitation was designed to stir emotions and mobilise the masses around simple, powerful messages. Propaganda aimed at deeper ideological indoctrination of party cadres and intellectuals. Together, they formed a systematic effort to control how people thought, spoke and interpreted reality. The Soviets used agitprop aggressively through posters, films, newspapers, theatre, education and workplace meetings. Its goal was not merely to inform, but to create a new consciousness aligned with Marxist-Leninist ideology. Dissenting views were not debated - they were pathologised as “bourgeois”, “reactionary” or “counter-revolutionary”. This approach proved highly influential beyond the USSR. Modern leftist movements have adapted many of its core techniques. Contemporary identity politics, critical theory and institutional activism often operate through similar methods: framing language as a site of power, portraying disagreement as moral failure, and using institutions (universities, media, corporations, and NGOs) to enforce ideological conformity. Rather than seizing factories, today’s agitprop focuses on capturing culture and institutions. The methods have become more sophisticated and less overtly violent, but the underlying logic remains consistent: reshape perception, control the narrative and make alternative viewpoints socially and professionally costly. What began as a Bolshevik instrument of total ideological control has evolved into a subtler but no less powerful strategy for advancing collectivist goals in open societies.

Emotions running high throughout Tehran, as millions of people prepare for "The final meeting" with their martyred Grand leader, The Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei. And I'm here as press to share it with those who were not able to attend and others interested in one of the most historic funeral processions in Iran's history.

PLAYOFF EMOTIONS 🗣️ The @Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year Keldon Johnson (21 pts, 8-11 fgm, 2 stl) and the @Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama (27 pts, 17 reb, 3 blk) led the way in last night's Game 5 victory giving the Spurs a 3-2 series lead! Spurs/Wolves Game 6 tips off Friday at 9:30 PM ET on Prime!