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After Bournemouth’s 2‑1 triumph over Arsenal at the Emirates on Saturday, manager Andoni Iraola celebrated with a broad smile, acknowledging the win as the third victory in four encounters with the league leaders and a clear sign that his project is gaining momentum. Having risen from administration to the Premier League under Eddie Howe, the Cherries have long been viewed through the lens of Howe’s legacy. Iconic moments such as the 2019 4‑0 demolition of Chelsea cemented that era. Following Howe’s 2020 relegation, a succession of domestic appointments – Jason Tindall, Jonathan Woodgate, Scott Parker and Gary O’Neil – produced mixed outcomes, with O’Neil’s dismissal after a respectable finish highlighting the club’s desire for a new direction under owner Bill Foley. Iraola arrived from Athletic Bilbao, where he amassed over 500 appearances, bringing a philosophy that blends Bilbao’s directness with a British‑style width. Early on, his tenure appeared rocky: the first nine league games yielded no wins and left Bournemouth in 19th place, punctuated by a heavy 6‑1 loss to Manchester City. Yet a narrow victory over Burnley sparked a turnaround, culminating in a seven‑match unbeaten run that added 19 crucial points. Statistically, the Cherries have become more than occasional spoilers. While they previously earned just 0.42 points per game against the traditional ‘big six’, under Iraola they have improved to 1.5 points per game in both the 2024‑25 season and the current campaign, recording nine wins and seven defeats against top opposition. Their current 11th‑place standing reflects a blend of competitive resilience and entertaining football built on athleticism, work rate and on‑ball daring. The club’s on‑field evolution has translated into a remarkable transfer market windfall. Key departures include Dominic Solanke to Tottenham for £55 million, Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid for £50 million, Illia Zabarnyi to Paris Saint‑Germain for £54.5 million, Milos Kerkez to Liverpool for £40 million, Dango Ouattara to Brentford for £42 million and Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City for £62.5 million. Collectively, these sales amount to a staggering £304 million, underscoring Bournemouth’s emergence as a premier talent factory alongside clubs like Brighton and Brentford. Looking ahead, Iraola is set to depart at the end of the season, with speculation linking him to high‑profile roles at Manchester United, his native Athletic Bilbao or other continental giants. Bournemouth’s board has already identified Marco Rose – renowned for his high‑intensity approach that benefitted Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham – as a potential successor, signaling a commitment to maintain the club’s dynamic style. In the broader context, Bournemouth’s transformation illustrates how a mid‑table Premier League side can leverage strategic coaching, a clear playing identity and savvy player development to generate both on‑field success and substantial financial returns, effectively moving beyond the shadow of Eddie Howe.

Sudan, one of the world's most impoverished countries, has been ravaged by a civil war that began in 2023. The conflict, driven by a power struggle between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has left the nation unrecognizable. Over 40,000 people have been killed, and about 14 million – a quarter of the population – have been forced to flee their homes. Civilian infrastructure across the country has been extensively damaged.“We are not just facing a crisis – we are witnessing the systematic erosion of a country’s future,” Luca Renda, the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP’s) resident representative in Sudan, told Al Jazeera. A report by the UNDP and the Institute for Security Studies highlights the scale of Sudan’s economic collapse. Even under the most optimistic scenario of peace being achieved in 2026, Sudan would still lose an estimated $18.8 billion in gross domestic product (GDP) by 2043.The war has had a devastating impact on Sudan's infrastructure and basic services. $6.4 billion was lost in GDP in 2023 alone, reflecting a simultaneous collapse across all major parts of Sudan’s economy. The destruction of infrastructure has triggered displacement and made it difficult for people to secure adequate housing or access basic services. Up to 40 percent of power generation capacity has been lost, and key water infrastructure has been destroyed or seized, cutting communities off from clean water and sanitation.The labor market has also been severely affected, with agriculture – once the backbone of Sudan’s economy – severely hit. Cultivated land has shrunk, adversely impacting rural livelihoods. Average incomes have fallen back to levels last seen in 1992. About 90 percent of manufacturing activity has been destroyed in key economic hubs, eliminating thousands of jobs.The oil industry has suffered significantly, with oil output falling amid widespread instability and infrastructure damage. The Khartoum refinery, which previously processed up to 100,000 barrels per day, has been out of operation since July 2023. Key infrastructure, including pipeline routes carrying crude to Port Sudan, has been hit.The collapse of the Sudanese pound and supply chains has caused a sharp rise in living costs. Food prices have surged, with four pieces of bread now costing about 1,000 pounds, an amount that had previously bought six pieces. Wages have failed to catch up with inflation, leaving many households without access to necessities. Nearly half the population is now experiencing acute food shortages.The economic collapse has had a profound impact on Sudan's people, with 34 million people in need of assistance and 19 million facing acute food shortages. The war has caused death, trauma, and profound loss, casting a long shadow over Sudan’s future and dimming the prospects of a generation whose lives are being shaped by violence. If the conflict continues to 2030, Sudan’s economy in 2043 would be about $34.5 billion smaller than it would have been without the war, and GDP per capita would drop by roughly $1,700.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has released its latest World Economic Outlook, warning of a significantly darkened global economic outlook. The report cites the outbreak of war in the Middle East on February 28, 2026, as a major factor in the deteriorating outlook.The IMF's January report was titled “Steady amid Divergent Forces”; whereas the latest outlook is headlined “Global Economy in the Shadow of War”. The IMF now expects the global economy to slow compared to its previous forecast in January.The latest outlook notes that the global outlook has abruptly darkened following the outbreak of war. Far be it for the IMF to gloat, but its suggestion in January that “steady” was not a word to describe the global economy unless you were desperately trying to make the madness of Donald Trump seem normal has aged quite well.The IMF remains unwilling to name Donald Trump, while noting the lingering effects of the persistent rise in energy prices since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, it only talks about the Middle East conflict as though it sprang out of nowhere.The IMF warns of three possible scenarios: a bad scenario where Trump, Israel and Iran come to an agreement; an adverse scenario where things carry on for the rest of the year and oil stays around US$100 per barrel; and a severe scenario where nothing is resolved, oil prices reach $125 in 2027, gas prices increase by 200% over the same period, and food prices increase by 5% in 2026 and 10% in 2027.Even under the current bad scenario, the global economy is expected to slow compared to what the IMF forecast in January. But under the adverse and severe scenarios the global economy grows by just 2.0% this year and 2.2% next year.For context, over the past 40 years, the global economy has grown slower than 2.2% only three times – 1992 (global recession), 2009 (the GFC) and 2020 (Covid).The IMF has downgraded Australia’s growth by more than most. Even under the most optimistic scenario growth is 0.5% worse than was forecast last October – a bigger downgrade than all G7 nations.The IMF warns against governments doing popular things like energy caps or subsidies, designed to protect households and firms. It worries that such policies will increase inflation because we’ll all suddenly have so much more money to spend.Gas companies exporting LNG from Australia will be cheering on the war as it keeps gas prices – and their profits – ever higher. The senate is investigating changing the way gas is taxed. An ACTU proposal for a 25% tax on exports would raise roughly $17bn a year.

The International Monetary Fund has announced that the United Kingdom will grow 0.5 percentage points slower this year than it forecast in January, marking the steepest downgrade among the G7 economies. Against the backdrop of the escalating Iran war, the IMF warned that inflation is climbing toward 4% and that unemployment could hit its highest level in more than ten years, underscoring the widening economic strain on Britain. Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to attend the IMF and World Bank spring meetings in Washington, where she must navigate both the geopolitical fallout of a conflict not of the UK's making and a domestic fiscal squeeze. Even before the war, the UK entered the year with tepid growth, hampered by lingering tax uncertainties and a cost‑of‑living crisis that left households facing the highest inflation rates in the G7. IMF economic counsellor Pierre‑Olivier Gourinchas highlighted that the country's weak outlook is partly a “shadow effect” of its already sluggish growth, compounded by the war’s impact on global energy supplies—the biggest shock since the 1970s. The United Kingdom’s energy mix remains heavily dependent on gas, much of which is now imported at sharply higher market prices. As Gourinchas explained, higher gas costs are being passed through to wholesale energy prices, even though temporary household protections are in place. Reeves has signalled that her immediate priority at the IMF will be to advocate for de‑escalation of the Iran conflict. At the same time, she must contend with a public‑finance situation characterized by elevated debt and rising borrowing costs, limiting the government’s capacity to respond. Given the pressure on consumers and Labour’s lagging poll numbers ahead of the May local elections, the IMF expects the UK to roll out targeted emergency financial support in the short term. Looking further ahead, the fund urges Britain to insulate itself from future energy shocks by accelerating investment in renewable sources and fostering sustainable economic growth.

The Guardian’s latest photo feature offers a vivid look at Steve McQueen’s exhibition titled “Grenada”, a work that intertwines art and history through a series of compelling images.Central to the visual narrative are flowers that have “witnessed horrific things”, serving as silent witnesses to the island’s turbulent past. The photographs juxtapose the natural beauty of the flora with the lingering shadows of colonial trauma, inviting viewers to contemplate the complex legacy of Grenada.Each picture is carefully composed to highlight the contrast between the bountiful landscape and the weight of historical memory, underscoring McQueen’s intent to provoke reflection on how beauty can coexist with suffering.By presenting the exhibition in a picture‑rich format, the article allows readers to experience the emotional depth of the work without leaving the page, emphasizing the power of visual storytelling in contemporary art.

Energy prices in the United States have continued to surge, even after President Donald Trump's administration issued a 60-day waiver of the Jones Act, a maritime law that restricts foreign-flagged vessels from transporting goods between US ports.The waiver, which came into effect on March 18, was intended to alleviate pressure on energy supplies by allowing more foreign vessels to transport goods domestically. However, experts say the impact on oil prices has been negligible, with oil prices rising 4 percent on the day amid a US blockade of Iranian ports.“It is estimated that it’s going to be about 3 cents on the East Coast and it might go up on the Gulf Coast, but these changes are so small that they’re overshadowed by the spikes in oil prices, and the oil prices keep going up,” said Usha Haley, a professor of management at Wichita State University.The Containerized Freight Index, a benchmark for shipping container costs, has jumped more than 10 percent over the last month and is up more than 35 percent from this time last year. The average price of gas in the US has also increased to $4.125 per gallon, up from $3.63 at this time last month.Despite the waiver, shippers have adapted their routes, with more than 34,000 ships diverting from the Strait of Hormuz over the past month. Major vessel insurers have also cancelled war risk coverage for ships travelling through the waterway, dissuading ship owners from going through the Gulf.Experts predict that fuel prices will only normalise once traffic through the strait returns to pre-war levels. The ongoing conflict and disruptions to transit through the Strait of Hormuz have contributed to the sustained high energy prices.

The White House Council of Economic Advisers released an analysis estimating that the United States faces a shortage of roughly 10 million homes. The report argues that easing regulatory burdens could unlock a construction surge, stabilise home prices, expand home‑ownership and accelerate overall economic growth. President Donald Trump signed two executive orders in March directing federal agencies to reduce housing‑regulation costs and to facilitate mortgage lending by smaller banks. Yet, critics note that the administration has been slow to prioritize high housing costs amid falling approval ratings tied to tariffs, the US‑Israel conflict with Iran, and unmet inflation‑reduction promises. Mortgage rates have risen from just under 6 % to 6.37 % for a 30‑year loan, further inflating the cost of home purchase. Trump has publicly defended higher home prices to protect existing owners, stating, “I don’t want to drive housing prices down… I want to drive housing prices up for people that own their homes.” The housing chapter of the annual Economic Report of the President, obtained by the Associated Press, outlines a blueprint showing how increased homebuilding could benefit the middle class and the broader economy, providing a potential political narrative for the president. According to the report, if homebuilding had continued at its pre‑2008 pace, the nation would have **10 million more houses** today. The 2008 crisis, driven by risky lending and a housing bubble, still casts a long shadow. Home prices have surged **82 % since 2000**, while median incomes have risen only **12 %**, a disparity previously softened by historically low mortgage rates. The post‑COVID inflation spike and higher rates have made affordability a top concern for voters under 40. Regulatory costs—dubbed the “bureaucrat tax”—are estimated to add **over $100,000 per new home** through updated building codes, compliance fees and zoning approvals. The report projects that trimming these costs could enable the construction of **up to 13.2 million homes**, potentially delivering an **average 1.3 percentage‑point boost to annual GDP** over the next decade and supporting **two million manufacturing and construction jobs**. One administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, suggested that federal funding to states could be tied to regulatory reductions, creating a financial incentive for local governments. The analysis also criticises the green‑energy housing standards introduced under former President Joe Biden, which mandate more efficient HVAC systems and water‑heater requirements. Citing a 2021 National Association of Home Builders study, the report claims these standards could add **up to $31,000** to a new home’s price, with a **payback period of up to 90 years** for homeowners via lower utility bills. While rolling back such standards might lower upfront costs, the report acknowledges potential long‑term utility‑bill increases for owners. Legal challenges further complicate the picture: a Texas federal judge recently sided with 15 Republican‑led states, deeming the Biden‑era standards for federally backed housing **unlawful**. Overall, the White House’s proposal positions regulatory reform as a lever to address the housing deficit, stimulate economic growth, and generate jobs, while navigating the political and environmental trade‑offs inherent in the debate.

Chala Chala Nav Bala (Maze Baal, 1943) marks the debut of Asha Bhosle, who entered the film world at ten years old. Paired with her sister Lata Mangeshkar, her bright falsetto captures the youthful innocence of the Marathi romance, foreshadowing the emotive style that would define her career. Aaiye Meherbaan (Howrah Bridge, 1958) showcases Bhosle’s rise during Hindi cinema’s golden age, thanks to her partnership with composer O.P. Nayyar. The song’s sultry vibrato and lush orchestration set the tone for the film’s noir atmosphere, establishing her as a leading‑lady playback voice. Aao Huzoor Tumko (Kismat, 1968) became a chart‑topping hit, featuring intricate vocal runs over a flamenco‑style guitar. Bhosle’s lower‑register chorus broke the conventional shrillness of female playback, while her nuanced phrasing added depth to the on‑screen heroine’s drunken allure. Dum Maro Dum (Hare Rama, Hare Krishna, 1971) stands out as her most successful crossover, later sampled by Western rappers. The track, produced with R.D. Burman—her future husband—blends psychedelic Beatles‑inspired grooves with Hindi lyrics, demonstrating her ability to bridge Eastern and Western pop sensibilities. Piya Tu Ab To Aaja (Caravan, 1971) pushes the fusion further into jazz‑cabaret territory, with bold horn sections and cinematic guitar reverb. Bhosle’s breathy, suggestive delivery sparked controversy, yet the performance remains a masterclass in balancing sensuality with technical agility. Chura Liya Hai Tumne Jo Dil Ko (Yaadon Ki Baaraat, 1973) epitomises the “masala” film soundtrack, merging drama, romance, and crime. Over a gentle guitar backdrop, Bhosle’s tender humming conveys quiet longing, contrasting with the film’s high‑octane narrative. In Ankhon Ki Masti (Umrao Jaan, 1981) sees Bhoske venture into Urdu ghazals with composer Khayyam. Her lower, huskier timbre—adjusted a half‑step down—highlights her continued artistic experimentation even as she approached fifty. Bow Down Mister (1991) illustrates her early 1990s foray into international collaborations, lending wordless, soaring vocals to Boy George’s post‑Culture Club project. The track transforms into a rave‑infused anthem, underscoring Bhosle’s versatility across genres. Radha Kaise Na Jale (Lagaan, 2001) pairs Bhosle with a young A.R. Rahman, reaffirming her status as an elder stateswoman of Indian music. The duet with Udit Narayan blends tabla and flute with powerful vocal runs, marrying traditional Hindustani scales to contemporary film scoring. The Way You Dream (2002) features an unexpected partnership with REM frontman Michael Stipe on the 1 Giant Leap project. The eight‑minute piece weaves tabla rhythms, subtle guitar, and a dramatic breakbeat, proving that Bhosle’s voice can seamlessly inhabit New Age and electronic soundscapes.

In a dramatic climax to the men’s 200m final at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre, Gout Gout crossed the line in 19.67 seconds, eclipsing the previous Australian record of 20.02 seconds and becoming the first Australian to break the 20‑second barrier under legal wind conditions. Gout entered the race after posting a solid 20.11‑second heat, despite gusty, autumn‑like weather that had turned the track into a testing ground for speed. Early in the straight, he was shadowed by Aidan Murphy, the 22‑year‑old former national 200m champion whose personal best of 20.41 seconds suggested he could challenge the favourite. For most of the race the two athletes ran side‑by‑side, with Murphy refusing to fade. Gout eventually found his top‑end speed, pulling ahead to claim his second national title, but the margin was tighter than many pundits had anticipated. When the official time appeared—19.68 seconds—the stadium fell silent. A quick review adjusted it to 19.67 seconds with a tailwind measured at 1.7 m/s, comfortably within the legal limit. The result not only beat his own illegal 19.84‑second run from the previous year but also outpaced the best under‑20 performance ever recorded, aside from an unratified mark by Erriyon Knighton. Analysts noted that the time would have secured a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics and would have been fast enough for gold at the Sydney 2000 Games—faster than Usain Bolt ever ran at the same age. The performance therefore cements Gout’s status as a genuine global contender and fuels expectations for the upcoming Brisbane 2032 and Los Angeles 2028 Games. After the finish, Gout celebrated exuberantly, his arms aloft as manager James Templeton looked on, while Murphy, who finished just 0.21 seconds behind, quietly exited the track, having delivered the second‑fastest Australian 200m ever. The event was steeped in symbolism: the track had hosted the 2000 Olympic Games, the iconic Stadium Australia roof loomed overhead, and Gout stood on a dais bearing the vintage Sydney 2000 logo, underscoring the link between past glory and future ambition. With this landmark run, Gout Gout has not only rewritten the Australian sprint record books but also signalled that the nation’s sprinting renaissance is well underway, promising thrilling chapters ahead for Australian athletics.