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Conservationists and scientists have warned that the Minerals Council of Australia’s proposal to employ artificial intelligence for faster national environmental approvals could generate “Robodebt‑style” failures, further endangering already vulnerable species.The council has asked the federal government to allocate $13 million for a pilot that would use AI to help companies draft assessment applications and assist regulators in decision‑making.The Biodiversity Council – a consortium of independent experts from eleven universities – told Guardian Australia that while AI may assist with routine tasks, automating whole environmental assessments could lead to opaque, flawed decisions that push threatened species closer to extinction.“Robodebt” refers to the automated welfare‑debt recovery scheme that, between 2015 and 2019, wrongly accused hundreds of thousands of Australians of overpayments, highlighting the danger of opaque algorithmic judgments.Lis Ashby, the Biodiversity Council’s lead on policy and innovation, noted that the cornerstone of Australia’s environmental protection, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, is riddled with vague language and broad ministerial discretion, which hampers rule‑based decision‑making and would be even more problematic for an AI tool.She added that establishing clear rules in the National Environmental Standards, including explicit definitions of unacceptable outcomes, would accelerate assessment times even without AI and is essential for any future automation.Brendan Sydes, national biodiversity policy adviser at the Australian Conservation Foundation, expressed scepticism, stating that “technology can be a good servant but a poor master.” He urged the government to focus on closing existing data gaps on threatened species and habitats rather than relying on AI.Prof. David Lindenmayer, a forest ecologist at the Australian National University and Biodiversity Council member, highlighted that one‑third of Australia’s threatened species have not been monitored and many others suffer from patchy data, gaps traditionally filled by expert consultation.He warned that AI decisions are only as reliable as the data they are fed, and most threatened species lack publicly available information, even basic location data, risking decisions based on outdated or incomplete evidence.The Albanese government recently passed reforms to the EPBC Act after a 2020 review found the legislation failing to protect species and habitats.Prof. Hugh Possingham, a leading conservation biologist at the University of Queensland, argued that AI models need robust training material, and the past two decades of EPBC approvals are “clearly unsuitable” because the Act has demonstrably failed to safeguard the environment. He suggested that hiring more human assessors would be a more effective way to speed up evaluations.Tania Constable, chief executive of the Minerals Council, dismissed the Robodebt comparison as “disappointing,” insisting the proposal is innovative and could strengthen environmental protection while improving efficiency. She said the AI tools would support human decision‑making for both regulators and project proponents, helping navigate the complexity of EPBC assessments.A federal government spokesperson said budget decisions on the AI trial will be made “in due course,” but the environment department is exploring how AI could simplify application processes. The statement emphasized that “decisions about whether to approve projects must, and will, always be made by assessment officers, not by AI.”Nonetheless, officials acknowledged that AI tools have the potential to save time, reduce uncertainty, and translate technical language for stakeholders.

After a decade of becoming a staple of Augusta National’s gift shops, the beloved 14‑inch ceramic Masters gnome may be facing retirement at the 2026 tournament. While the club has declined to comment, collectors are already scrambling to purchase the final batches before the item potentially disappears from the merchandise lineup.First introduced in 2016 as a hospitality giveaway, the gnome was opened to the public in 2018 and quickly turned into a hot‑ticket collectible. The 2020 “Santa” edition, released during the pandemic‑shifted November Masters, has become especially prized, with complete sets now fetching upwards of $20,000 (£15,000) on the secondary market.According to sporting‑auctions specialist Ryan Carey, a 2016‑era gnome could command around $10,000 at auction, despite its original retail price of just $49.50. Resale platforms routinely list the figures at several multiples of cost, prompting owners to guard their gnomes as if they were cash.The demand is so intense that estimates suggest roughly 1,000 gnomes are stocked each day, yet they sell out within an hour. Fans line up for hours before the gates open, eager to secure the item that can dramatically boost their pension pots. Because attendees may re‑enter the course, many purchase the gnome, park it in their vehicle, and return later, turning the shop into a high‑stakes arena each Masters week.While the gnome trade thrives in a quasi‑black‑market environment, Augusta officials appear unconcerned about the financial implications. The tournament generates an estimated $70 million in annual merchandising revenue, and the removal of the gnome would likely elevate its underground value even further.For 2026, the gnome arrives with a functional umbrella—a whimsical nod to the fair weather forecast—but critics argue that the relentless “gnome‑hunting” may be eroding the overall patron experience. Limits on the number of gnomes an individual can purchase have done little to curb the frenzy.If Augusta decides to discontinue the gnome, its brief but spectacular lifespan will have left an indelible mark on golf culture, turning a simple ceramic figurine into one of the sport’s most coveted memorabilia.

The conflict between the US and Iran has taken a critical turn with mediators from Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey circulating proposals for an immediate ceasefire to both Washington and Tehran. The goal is to halt the five-week-old war and prevent further escalation, particularly in light of Donald Trump's threat to bomb Iran's power plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened.The mediators are pushing for both sides to agree to suspend hostilities and reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global oil shipments. This temporary ceasefire would be followed by a period of detailed negotiations aimed at reaching a more comprehensive peace agreement.Iranian officials have indicated that they would not agree to open the Strait of Hormuz as part of a temporary ceasefire. Additionally, reports suggest that Iran is wary of entering into an agreement that could be violated by periodic attacks from the US and Israel.Trump's ultimatum has been met with strong resistance from Iran. The country's foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, stated that peace negotiations are incompatible with ultimatums and threats of war crimes. Iran's central military command has warned of a 'much more devastating' retaliation should the US and Israel escalate their actions.Lawyers and experts have condemned the potential bombing of power plants and bridges as a likely war crime due to the disproportionate impact on civilians. The international community remains on high alert as the situation continues to deteriorate.Oil prices have fluctuated in response to the developments, with Brent crude futures initially falling by $1.92 to $107.11 a barrel on hopes of de-escalation before rising again. The conflict has already led to significant increases in oil prices, which were at $70 a barrel before the US and Israel attacked Iran at the end of February.The situation on the ground remains volatile, with Israel claiming responsibility for strikes on Iranian petrochemical facilities and Iran's Revolutionary Guards. There have been reports of casualties on both sides, including a missile strike in Haifa, northern Israel, and bombings in Beirut's southern suburbs.

President Donald Trump issued a stark warning on Sunday, giving Tehran until Tuesday night to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face U.S. strikes on Iranian power plants and bridges. The message, posted on his Truth Social platform, was laced with profanity and a deadline of 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time. Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad‑Bagher Ghalibaf, responded on social media, accusing the United States of “reckless moves” that would set the entire region ablaze and turn it into “living hell.” The latest escalation follows the rescue of a second U.S. crew member from a downed F‑15E fighter that crashed in southwestern Iran, an operation that saw American special forces and Iranian troops racing against each other in mountainous terrain. Trump has repeatedly shifted the deadline for Iran, extending it at least twice. In his expletive‑laden post he warned, “Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH!” Financial markets reacted instantly: the U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate rose 1.86 % to over $112 per barrel, while Brent crude climbed above $110. The surge underscores how geopolitical flashpoints can quickly translate into higher energy costs for consumers worldwide. Trump also hinted at a possible diplomatic breakthrough, telling Fox News there was a “good chance” of an agreement on Monday. Yet he added, “If they don’t make a deal and fast, I’m considering blowing everything up and taking over the oil.” Legal scholars warned that targeting civilian infrastructure would breach the Geneva Conventions. Yale professor of international law Oona A. Hathaway noted that the president offered no justification to reclassify power plants, bridges, or steel factories as legitimate military targets, and that any such attacks would likely constitute war crimes. Iranian authorities estimate that the ongoing U.S.–Israeli campaign has damaged roughly 81,000 civilian sites, including 61,000 homes, 19,000 commercial facilities, 275 medical centres, and nearly 500 schools. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the coalition has destroyed about 70 % of Iran’s steel production capacity, citing its alleged use in missile manufacturing. In retaliation, Iran has intensified attacks on Gulf shipping and infrastructure. Over the weekend Iranian drones struck a petrochemical complex in Bahrain, igniting thick black smoke, and hit multiple Kuwait Petroleum facilities, causing fires and “significant material losses” at power and desalination plants. The most dramatic recent strike was the demolition of Iran’s unfinished 136‑metre B1 suspension bridge, a $400 million project meant to link Tehran and Karaj. The attack killed 13 people and injured 95, prompting the bridge’s engineer to lament the loss of a symbol of national pride. Trump posted a video of the bridge’s destruction, framing it as a response to Iran’s alleged unwillingness to negotiate. He later told Axios that the U.S. had been “close to an agreement” but that Iran’s demand to meet “in five days” was a pretext for the attack. Domestic criticism was swift. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer denounced the president’s rhetoric as “unhinged” and warned that such threats could alienate allies and amount to war crimes. International law experts reiterated that civilian objects—such as power plants, bridges, and hospitals—are protected under the Geneva Conventions. Any deliberate targeting of these assets for bargaining leverage would violate the conventions and could trigger legal accountability for the United States and any cooperating parties.

German coaches have long joked about “following your opponent into the loo”, a tongue‑in‑cheek reference to the old‑fashioned man‑marking system that once defined their defensive work‑rate. That approach resurfaced after Atalanta’s surprise Europa League triumph in 2024, but the tactic proved disastrous when the Italian side faced Bayern Munich in the Champions League round‑of‑16, suffering a 10‑2 aggregate defeat that highlighted its limitations against superior individual talent.While a few Bundesliga sides have begun to experiment with tighter marking again, the author warns that such a strategy can only serve as a short‑term surprise element – it cannot sustain a full 90‑minute match on a pitch that is simply too large for pure man‑to‑man battles.In contrast, Spanish teams continue to perfect a ball‑oriented defensive structure built on clearly defined positions, coordinated movement and a collective “swarm” that shifts the battle into the opponent’s half. This philosophy demands constant cooperation and tactical intelligence, turning one‑on‑one duels into moments of brilliance rather than the default defensive method.The results speak for themselves: Spanish clubs have captured 24 titles across the Champions League, Europa League and Cup Winners’ Cup since 2000, far outpacing England’s 11, Italy’s five and Germany’s four. Over the past twelve seasons, La Liga has supplied the Champions League winner in seven instances, and this year it again provides the most quarter‑finalists – Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid.Even when Spanish clubs are not the outright favourites, their influence permeates the competition. Managers such as Mikel Arteta and Luis Enrique, both products of the Barcelona coaching lineage, embed the Spanish style into English and French clubs respectively, while still adding their personal nuances.Spanish coaches now dominate the European scene: in the last‑16 stage of the three major tournaments, eleven managers are Spanish, more than double the count from any other nation, and three Spaniards are already represented in the quarter‑finals.Notable figures include Xabi Alonso, who halted Bayern’s dominance with Bayer Leverkusen, Unai Emery, who consistently elevates second‑tier clubs like Aston Villa, and Cesc Fàbregas, who is reshaping Serie A with Como. Even Pep Guardiola, after a rare Champions League exit, is reinventing his Manchester City side with fresh personnel and tactical tweaks, proving that even the most successful systems must evolve.At the national level, Luis de la Fuente has overseen Spain’s rise to European glory, guiding the senior side to the 2024 Euro title and adding two more continental crowns in the past five editions – a dominance unmatched since Germany’s golden era of the 1970s‑80s.By contrast, Italy’s historic football school appears to be in decline. No Italian club has reached this year’s Champions League quarter‑finals, and the national team failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time, underscoring a widening gap between the Spanish and Italian models.The resurgence of man‑marking in Germany, even among elite defenders like Vincent Kompany at Bayern, hints at a possible tactical swing, but the author cautions that without a broader strategic framework it may prove as fleeting as the Atalanta experiment.Ultimately, the article posits that the Spanish coaching philosophy – a blend of technical excellence, positional discipline and collective intelligence – has become the benchmark for European success, leaving rivals to either adapt or risk obsolescence.

Elvira Notari—Italy’s first and most prolific female filmmaker—crafted a vivid portrait of early‑20th‑century Naples through melodramas such as È piccerella (1922). The film opens with bustling pilgrimage scenes at the Candelora festival, juxtaposing flamboyant revelry with stark images of poverty, a visual strategy that challenged the sanitized narratives favored by the fascist regime.According to film scholar Giuliana Bruno, Notari’s work was driven by a desire to document reality, exposing class tensions and gendered oppression that Mussolini’s censors deemed unacceptable. A 1928 censorship law explicitly banned Neapolitan films featuring “stallholders, beggars, urchins, dirty alleyways,” effectively silencing Notari’s authentic street‑level storytelling.Despite directing around 60 feature films—many hand‑coloured—alongside her husband Nicola at Dora Film, only three titles (A Santanotte, È piccerella, Fantasia ‘e surdato) and fragments survive today, a loss directly attributable to fascist suppression and the prohibitive cost of sound‑film conversion.The newly released documentary Elvira Notari: Beyond Silence, produced by Antonella Di Nocera and directed by Valerio Ciriaci, reconstructs Notari’s fragmented career by collaborating with contemporary “artisans”—photographers, visual artists, novelists, and musicians who reinterpret her silent‑film aesthetics. Ciriaci notes that the absence of personal archives made the film’s investigative approach essential, turning Notari’s silence into a creative catalyst.Critics emphasize Notari’s lasting influence on Italian‑American auteurs such as Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese. Elements of her chaotic street festivals anticipate the wedding scenes in *The Godfather* and *Goodfellas*, while her raw urban tableaux echo the gritty New York sequences of *Taxi Driver*.Beyond cinematic technique, scholars like Cristina Jandelli argue that Notari’s intertitles reveal a pronounced class consciousness and a critique of women’s marginalisation in early 20th‑century Italy. Her use of Neapolitan dialect and unvarnished depictions of squalor directly opposed the regime’s propaganda‑driven vision of a unified, pristine Italy.After Dora Film collapsed in 1930, Notari retired to Cava de’ Tirreni and died in 1946, largely forgotten until recent scholarly revival. The documentary positions her as a “symbol of the right to memories,” underscoring the ongoing relevance of silenced female voices in cultural history.*Elvira Notari: Beyond Silence* will premiere at New York’s Film Forum on 6 April 2026 and tour the United Kingdom throughout April and May, offering audiences a chance to reconnect with a pioneering filmmaker whose work was once erased by fascism.

Australia’s recent fuel squeeze is reshaping the second‑hand car market, with used electric vehicles (EVs) now commanding higher prices while traditional petrol and diesel models face steep discounts.MotorMetrics’ live inventory data shows that dealers have lifted prices on a range of EVs, most notably a more than 6% increase for the Tesla Model Y during the final two weeks of March. Similar upward pressure is evident for the Model 3, MG4 and Polestar 2, indicating dealer confidence that new stock will settle at these elevated levels.At the same time, the supply of used EVs is tightening, creating a classic demand‑supply imbalance that fuels price growth.Conversely, the same data reveal that many used diesel and petrol vehicles have been slashed by as much as 20%, reflecting a rapid shift in consumer preference toward electric power as fuel costs climb.Rental platform Turo reports a 70% jump in bookings for EVs and hybrids compared with the same period last year. Managing director Rob Chan describes the surge as a “unique wave of consumer interest” reminiscent only of the post‑pandemic “revenge travel” boom.Australia’s EV fleet is expanding steadily; the Electric Vehicle Council estimates that over 454,000 battery‑electric and plug‑in hybrid vehicles were on the road at the end of 2025, giving EVs roughly 13% of new car purchases. Analysts expect this share to rise further as more models enter the market and charging infrastructure improves.Economist Peter Esho warns that while oil shocks are not new, this one “could very well be one of the last”, as the current price environment makes EVs a financially sensible alternative for many drivers.Petrol prices rose almost daily throughout March across major cities, only easing after a government fuel‑excise cut. In parallel, Commonwealth Bank data shows a 161% increase in weekly loan volume for new battery‑electric vehicles in March versus February, underscoring growing consumer financing for EVs.Individual stories echo the broader trend. Sydney motorist Har Rai Singh, who rented several EVs through Turo to test long‑distance capability, says he now sees little reason to stick with a combustion engine, noting that “people are waiting for petrol pumps and paying over $100 to fill a tank – it doesn’t make sense any more to hold on to a combustion engine.”

Guy Singh-Watson, founder of organic veg box company Riverford, has expressed deep regret for the decades he spent confined by traditional masculinity. On International Women's Day, he found himself in a crowd of mostly women, listening to his wife discuss her experiences. This encounter made him realize that many issues discussed on IWD relate to male behavior, and men should be paying attention. Challenging Traditional Masculinity: Singh-Watson notes that success in farming and most businesses depends on building and maintaining relationships. He recalls that when Riverford first measured its gender pay gap in 2017, women earned an average of 91p an hour compared to their male colleagues' £1. Despite efforts to address the issue, progress was slow until a new, younger female farm manager, Maddie, took charge and transformed the workplace culture. Under Maddie's leadership, Riverford became one of the few veg farms with a waiting list for pickers. The company achieved this by creating a fun, emotionally safe, and fulfilling work environment. Singh-Watson acknowledges that he and other men in leadership roles often struggle with sensitive issues and tend to turn to women for resolution. A Shift Towards Inclusivity: The cultural shift at Riverford began with its transition to employee ownership in 2018. This process required introspection and evaluation of decision-making processes. With the help of a business change coach and the company's head of HR, a genuinely inclusive culture was built. As a result, Riverford now has a negative gender pay gap, with women earning 1.56% more per hour than men. Singh-Watson emphasizes that men can change and that embracing emotional literacy – kindness, openness, empathy, and compassion – makes them stronger. He encourages men to cast off limiting beliefs around what it means to be a man and to support each other and the women in their lives. Ultimately, inclusivity benefits everyone, and men must take responsibility for creating a more equitable and compassionate work environment.

House of Gloss invites viewers into the modest flat of Opal and Lana, a young trans femme couple living in Dundee. The walls are lined with photographs of spontaneous outings and vibrant sketches by Lana, a graffiti artist, while Opal’s makeup table holds an array of wigs that enable her drag performances after dark. Despite confronting pervasive discrimination outside, the couple’s home functions as a sanctuary of affection and mutual support.Director Mark Lyken adopts a gentle, slice‑of‑life visual style that feels less like a documentary and more like a personal visit. Intimate close‑ups and domestic scenes—cooking together, washing dishes—elevate ordinary moments into powerful expressions of love, especially given the pair’s history of family rejection. These simple gestures, captured with quiet reverence, underscore the resilience of their bond.The film also challenges conventional notions of family and home. In a striking sequence, Opal walks to a venue in full drag, confronting jeers and hostile stares that reveal lingering intolerance. By contrast, the documentary showcases the liberating atmosphere of queer club nights: neon lights, Lana at the DJ deck, and Opal dancing amid pulsating electronic beats. These scenes illustrate how safe, communal spaces serve as a vital “chosen family” for LGBTQ individuals.House of Gloss premieres on the True Story platform on 10 April, offering audiences a tender yet candid portrait of a modern queer partnership navigating love, identity, and community.