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The film 'Palestine 36' delves into the 1936 Palestinian revolt, a pivotal moment in history that nearly changed the course of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Director Annemarie Jacir sheds light on the often-forgotten roots of today's crisis and why this history still feels painfully present.Before the Israeli occupation, there was British colonialism. The film provides a unique perspective on the events leading up to the current situation, offering insights into the complex and tumultuous history of the region.Key aspects of the film include its exploration of the revolt's impact on the region and its people, as well as its relevance to contemporary issues. The director's work aims to bring attention to the historical context that has shaped the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.The episode also features recommended stories related to the topic, including discussions on the 'Greater Israel' project, Iran's stance on the US, and the significance of universities in the region.

Ukraine has made significant gains on the battlefield, halving the Russian rate of advance in the past three months and reclaiming 470sq km of occupied territory this year. The country's military has also dealt a major blow to Russia's oil export capacity, striking key terminals and refineries, including Ust-Luga and Primorsk, which account for about 60% of Russia's oil export capacity.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has secured agreements with several Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, to export Ukrainian drone know-how in return for joint drone production support. This has enabled Ukraine to increase its drone production and effectively counter Russian advances.The Ukrainian military has also targeted Russian munitions production, striking the Promsintez explosives plant in the Samara region, which produces 30,000 tonnes of military explosives annually. According to estimates, Russia has lost 45% of its missile production capacity due to Ukrainian strikes.In response to Ukrainian attacks, Russia has begun to extend its drone strikes throughout the day, imitating Iran's tactics against the US and Israel. However, Ukraine has successfully shot down over 90% of the drones launched by Russia.

Cameron Boozer earned the Associated Press men’s college basketball Player of the Year honor, marking the fifth time a freshman has captured the award and the second consecutive year a Duke freshman has done so. The 6‑foot‑9 forward was a cornerstone of a Duke squad that posted 35 victories, topped the AP Top 25 poll, secured the No. 1 overall seed for March Madness and advanced to the Elite Eight. Boozer’s versatility—scoring against physical defenses, stretching the floor with perimeter shooting, and facilitating the offense—proved decisive throughout the campaign. Joining the ranks of Cooper Flagg (2025), Zion Williamson (2019), Anthony Davis (2012) and Kevin Durant (2007), Boozer joins a short list of freshmen who later became top‑two NBA draft picks. He noted, “It’s not just about me; the team’s success amplifies these recognitions.” In the AP voting, Boozer secured 59 of 61 votes, with the remaining two cast for BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa, who averaged a national‑best 25.5 points per game. Statistically, Boozer averaged 22.5 points (ninth in Division I) and 10.2 rebounds (twelfth), while dishing out 4.1 assists. His shooting efficiency stood at 55.6% from the field and 39.1% from three‑point range**, and he tied for the national lead with 22 double‑doubles. These numbers underscore his readiness for the professional level. Highlights of his season include a career‑high 35 points against Arkansas, a 29‑point effort versus defending champion Florida, and a dominant 18‑point, 15‑rebound performance against Michigan State. Even in Duke’s season‑ending loss to UConn, Boozer contributed 27 points despite a swollen right eye from an early‑game blow. Duke associate head coach Chris Carrawell praised Boozer, saying the program has been “fortunate to have two of the best freshmen ever play back‑to‑back,” and placed him “right up there” with the sport’s recent legends. In related honors, Fred Hoiberg was named AP Coach of the Year after guiding Nebraska to a breakthrough 28‑win season.

The weekend's sports action kicks off with FA Cup quarter-final matches and the start of the county cricket season. In the FA Cup, Manchester City hosts Liverpool at the Etihad, with both teams seeking to advance to the semi-finals. Chelsea takes on Port Vale at Stamford Bridge, while Southampton faces Arsenal at St Mary's. In county cricket, Nottinghamshire begins their title defense against Somerset at Taunton. The season's early rounds will also see Surrey, the 2022, 2023, and 2024 champions, in action with a strong lineup including Alec Stewart, Ollie Pope, and Jamie Smith. Additionally, the 197-year-old Boat Races on the Thames between Oxford and Cambridge will take place, with the women's race followed by the men's. This event has moved to a new TV home on Channel 4 as part of a five-year broadcast deal. On Sunday, a bumper Easter Sunday schedule features multiple FA Cup matches, including West Ham vs Leeds and Livingston vs Hearts in the Scottish Premiership.

The Artemis II crew has made contact from space, marking a crucial step in their mission. While details of the communication are scarce, the achievement underscores the progress of NASA's Artemis program aimed at returning humans to the Moon.The crew's ability to establish communication from space highlights the advancements in space technology and the resilience of the spacecraft's systems. This development is a positive indicator for the mission's overall success and future endeavors in space exploration.

The world of Major League Baseball has witnessed a significant transformation in pitching, with velocity and accuracy reaching unprecedented levels. This arms race is largely attributed to advances in pitching analytics, often developed by individuals without a traditional baseball background.Rob Friedman, known as PitchingNinja online, has authored a new book titled 'Unhittable: How Technology, Mavericks and Innovators Engineered Baseball's New Era of Pitching Dominance.' The book explores how technology and data analysis have revolutionized the art of pitching.In the past, pitchers like Bob Feller were renowned for their speed, but today's pitchers routinely exceed triple digits on the radar gun. Friedman notes that technology brings out the best in everybody, allowing pitchers to refine their skills and achieve remarkable results.The use of heat maps, slow-motion cameras, and AI has become commonplace in analyzing pitching performance. These tools help quantify not just velocity but also accuracy, enabling pitchers to deliver the ball to the plate with precision.Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates, last year's National League Cy Young winner, and Nolan McLean of the New York Mets are examples of pitchers benefiting from analytics. Friedman praises McLean's exceptional skills, describing his stuff as 'absolutely nasty.'The debate surrounding pitcher-friendly conditions continues, with some arguing that the game has become too favorable to pitchers. Friedman counters that pitchers are on offense, and their performance is a reaction to the hitter's actions.Injuries to pitchers are on the rise, and while there is no consensus on the cause, Friedman suggests that excessive velocity may contribute to the problem. He cites Trevor Bauer as an example of a pitcher who successfully adopted analytics and training methods to enhance his performance.The intersection of analytics and tradition remains a contentious issue, with some players and coaches skeptical of data-driven approaches. Friedman advocates for a bridge between both sides, emphasizing that analytics provide valuable information to inform pitching decisions.

Barcelona demolished rivals Real Madrid 6-0 to progress to the women’s Champions League semifinals with a convincing 12-2 aggregate score. The Catalan football giants, led by Alexia Putellas, shone in their first game at the rebuilt Camp Nou, building on their 6-2 quarterfinal first leg victory. Caroline Graham Hansen netted twice and Putellas also scored in Thursday’s rout, as three-time winners Barca reached an eighth consecutive semifinal. Pere Romeu’s dominant side, runners-up to Arsenal last year, will face Bayern Munich in the semifinals after the German side knocked out Manchester United on Wednesday. Despite missing key player Aitana Bonmati, Barca put on a tour de force to entertain a 60,000-strong crowd, the fourth-highest attendance in the competition’s history. Putellas put Barca ahead on her 500th appearance for the club early on, turning home a rebound after Misa Rodriguez saved from Ewa Pajor. Graham Hansen swiftly added the second for the Liga F leaders with a header from a Putellas cross, as Irene Paredes headed home from a corner for Barca’s third. Polish striker Pajor grabbed the fourth with a close-range finish, while Graham Hansen netted Barca’s fifth early in the second half. Esmee Brugts notched the sixth with a tap-in after a neat move involving Patri Guijarro and Clara Serrajordi. Barca’s jubilant fans gave Putellas a deserved ovation as she was replaced late on, with the 32-year-old star out of contract at the end of the season.

Argentina has taken a significant step in its diplomatic relations with Iran by expelling the Iranian charge d'affaires in Buenos Aires, Mohsen Tehrani. This move comes in response to Iran's rejection of Argentina's decision to blacklist the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a 'terrorist' group.The Foreign Ministry of Argentina stated that Iran's response contained 'false, offensive and unfounded accusations against the Argentinian Republic and its highest authorities.' The ministry emphasized that these statements constitute unacceptable interference in Argentina's internal affairs and a deliberate misrepresentation of decisions adopted in accordance with international law and national law.Iran's Foreign Ministry had condemned Argentina's move against the IRGC, calling it an 'action against Iran's security and national interests.' Tehran accused Argentina of making this decision 'under the influence of inducements and pressures from the genocidal and occupying Zionist regime,' referring to Israel.The designation of the IRGC as a 'terrorist' group by Argentina follows similar moves by the US in 2019 and the European Union in January. Argentina's President Javier Milei, who has taken staunchly pro-Israel positions, described himself as 'the most Zionist president in the world.'The relationship between Argentina and Iran has been strained, particularly over the 1994 bombing of a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires, which an Argentinian court ruled was carried out by Iran. Iran has denied its involvement in the attack.Milei's government cited the 1994 attack in its decision to blacklist the IRGC. The Argentinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Iran of failing to cooperate with the probe or hand over suspects in the case, stating that 'The Argentine Republic will not tolerate grievances or interference from a State that has systematically failed to comply with its international obligations and that persists in obstructing the progress of justice.'

Microsoft AI is aggressively expanding its internal capabilities with the release of three new foundational models, marking a significant step in its strategy to compete directly with OpenAI and Google. The new suite, developed by the MAI Superintelligence team, includes tools for transcription, voice generation, and video creation, all centered around a 'Humanist AI' philosophy. The Trinity of Multimodal Models: MAI-Transcribe, Voice, and Image The announcement details three distinct models designed to handle different aspects of human-machine interaction: MAI-Transcribe-1: A high-speed speech-to-text tool that supports 25 different languages. It is reported to be 2.5 times faster than Microsoft's previous Azure Fast offering. MAI-Voice-1: An advanced audio-generating model capable of producing 60 seconds of audio in just one second. It allows users to create custom voices, enhancing personalization. MAI-Image-2: A video-generating model that was originally tested on MAI Playground and is now being rolled out to a wider audience via Microsoft Foundry. Pricing Strategy: Undercutting the Giants Microsoft is leveraging cost as a primary differentiator in a crowded market. The company’s blog post highlights that these models are significantly cheaper than those offered by Google and OpenAI. MAI-Transcribe-1: Starts at $0.36 per hour. MAI-Voice-1: Costs $22 per 1 million characters. MAI-Image-2: Pricing is set at $5 per 1 million tokens for text input and $33 per 1 million tokens for image output. The Humanist AI Philosophy and Suleyman's Strategy Leading the MAI Superintelligence team is CEO Mustafa Suleyman, who emphasized a distinct approach to model development. The strategy focuses on 'Humanist AI,' prioritizing human-centric communication and practical utility over raw performance metrics. Suleyman wrote in a blog post that the models are optimized for how people actually communicate. Outlook: A Dual-Track AI Strategy Despite releasing its own proprietary models, Suleyman reaffirmed Microsoft's commitment to its partnership with OpenAI. He noted that recent renegotiations of the partnership have granted Microsoft the autonomy to pursue this superintelligence research. This suggests a dual-track strategy where Microsoft both invests billions in OpenAI and builds its own stack to ensure competitive pricing and redundancy in the market.