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The Lead: A New Prescription from the ArtsDaisy Fancourt’s debut for a popular audience, Art Cure, argues that artistic engagement can be as therapeutic as conventional medicine, drawing on personal experience of singing to her premature daughter and a growing body of research.Dissecting Art: The “Active Ingredients” FrameworkFancourt, a professor of psychobiology and epidemiology at University College London, breaks down every arts experience into measurable components—noise buffering, neurological stimulation, human contact and stress reduction—and suggests these can be prescribed like a drug cocktail.Quantifying the Benefits: Evidence and EconomicsStudies show singing to infants in intensive care lowers heart rate, improves breathing and boosts feeding.Creative activities reduce stress and pain, improve balance in Parkinson’s disease, and help ventilated patients breathe unaided.Economic analysis estimates a £1,500 pay‑rise per employee from wellbeing gains and a potential £1.5 bn annual saving for the NHS by delaying dementia.Arts funding in UK schools fell to £9.40 per pupil in 2022, and creative‑degree funding was halved in 2021.Policy and Cultural Implications: From “Seatbelt Moment” to Systemic ChangeFancourt warns of “artistic passivity” and calls for a collective “seatbelt moment” to recognise arts deprivation as a public‑health issue, urging policymakers to protect school arts programmes and integrate creative prescriptions into care pathways.Future Outlook: Embedding Creativity in HealthcareIf health systems adopt Fancourt’s framework, art could move from a peripheral luxury to a core component of preventive and therapeutic strategies, reshaping how clinicians address “what matters to patients” rather than merely “what’s wrong with them”.

Understanding Michael Wooldridge's Perspective on AI Michael Wooldridge, a renowned Oxford professor with over 30 years of experience in artificial intelligence, offers a unique perspective on the field. With more than 500 scientific articles and 10 books to his name, Wooldridge is a leading voice in AI research. His work on game theory and its applications to AI has provided valuable insights into the potential risks and benefits of AI. The Intersection of Game Theory and AI Wooldridge's latest book, Life Lessons from Game Theory: The Art of Thinking Strategically in a Complex World, explores the application of game theory to real-world scenarios. He argues that game theory can help us understand situations where self-interested parties interact with one another. This is particularly relevant in the context of AI, where multi-agent systems are becoming increasingly prevalent. The Dangers of Zero-Sum Mentality Wooldridge warns against the dangers of a zero-sum mentality, where one side's gain is seen as the other side's loss. He argues that this mentality is damaging and can lead to a more miserable and less agentive life. Instead, he advocates for a more cooperative approach, where parties work together to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes. The Future of AI: A Call for Responsible Development As AI continues to evolve, Wooldridge emphasizes the need for responsible development and deployment. He encourages developers to consider the potential risks and benefits of AI and to prioritize human values and well-being. By doing so, we can ensure that AI is used to augment human capabilities, rather than control or manipulate them. Conclusion Michael Wooldridge's insights on AI and game theory offer a valuable perspective on the future of AI. By understanding the potential risks and benefits of AI, we can work towards a more responsible and beneficial development of this technology. As Wooldridge notes, the real danger of AI is not a robot takeover, but rather the potential for AI to be used in ways that are detrimental to society.

The Rise of AI Chatbot Usage People are increasingly turning to AI chatbots for advice on their personal and social lives. But researchers and even some AI companies are beginning to worry that some users are becoming overly dependent on their chatbots. Share Your Experience The Guardian wants to hear from individuals who have used AI chatbots to make significant decisions and regretted it. The form provided allows users to share their experiences anonymously, if desired. Understanding the Impact This inquiry aims to shed light on the potential consequences of relying on AI chatbots for personal and social decisions. By sharing their stories, individuals can help researchers and AI companies better understand the implications of AI dependency. How to Share Your Story Users can share their experiences through the provided form. The form allows for anonymous submissions. Fields include name, location, age/background, details of the decision, and reasons for regret. Ensuring Privacy and Security The Guardian assures that all responses will be secure and encrypted, with only the Guardian having access to the contributions. Personal data will be deleted when no longer required for the purpose of the feature.

The Lead: A Disappointing Return to FormHirokazu Kore-eda's latest film "Sheep in the Box" has premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to largely negative reviews, with critics describing it as a "bafflingly unsatisfying and unconvincing muddle of ideas and moods." The film, which explores the concept of AI humanoid robot children replacing deceased children, represents a significant departure for the acclaimed director, whose previous works have been celebrated for their emotional depth and nuanced storytelling.The Film: A Futuristic Tale of Grief and Technology"Sheep in the Box" follows Otone (Haruka Ayasi), an architect, and her husband Kensuke (Daigo Yamamoto), a carpenter, who are offered a promotional free offer by a company called REbirth: an ultra-hi-tech humanoid robot replica of their deceased seven-year-old son Kakeru. The robot is designed to have the physical form, speech patterns, and memories of the original child, based on videos, photos, and other research materials provided by the grieving parents.The film presents several intriguing concepts: the robot being taken to the scene of the hit-and-run that killed the original Kakeru in hopes of recovering details about the culprit; the robot serving as a confessor for Kensuke to admit his guilt about his son's death; and a subplot involving other abandoned robot children planning a "replicant revolt." However, these ideas remain largely undeveloped, leaving audiences with more questions than answers.Critical Reception: A Missed OpportunityThe review from The Guardian is particularly scathing, noting that the film "isn't as interesting as films on similar themes including Kogonada's After Yang and Benjamin Cleary's Swan Song." The critic specifically faults Kore-eda's "quietist, un-emphasised style" for being unsuitable to the material, suggesting that the director's typically subtle approach doesn't work with the ambitious sci-fi concepts presented.One of the primary criticisms is the film's tonal inconsistency, attempting to be both a sci-fi dystopia and a relatable story about parental grief, with these two elements ultimately undermining each other. The performances are also noted as problematic, with the robot child being "unpersuasively performed in a returning keynote of bland serenity," while the human parents react with bizarre matter-of-factness to what should be an emotionally charged situation.Impact on Kore-eda's Legacy and AI CinemaThis film represents a significant departure for Hirokazu Kore-eda, whose previous works like "Shoplifters" and "Like Father, Like Son" have been celebrated for their emotional authenticity and humanistic approach. The negative reception of "Sheep in the Box" raises questions about whether the director can successfully transition into more genre-oriented territory while maintaining his signature style.In the broader context of AI cinema, the film joins a growing conversation about artificial intelligence and humanity in film, alongside works like Spike Jonze's "Her" and Alex Garland's "Ex Machina." However, where those films have been praised for their thoughtful exploration of AI ethics and human connection, "Sheep in the Box" appears to have missed the mark, failing to deliver either compelling drama or meaningful commentary on its central themes.Future Outlook: A Setback in an Otherwise Distinguished CareerWhile "Sheep in the Box" may represent a misstep for Kore-eda, it's unlikely to significantly impact the director's otherwise distinguished career. The filmmaker has previously demonstrated remarkable range and depth, and this ambitious if flawed experiment may ultimately be viewed as an interesting if unsuccessful detour rather than a definitive statement on his abilities.For audiences interested in exploring AI and humanity in cinema, the film serves as a cautionary tale about the challenges of blending emotional storytelling with complex technological concepts. As the conversation around AI continues to evolve in both society and art, "Sheep in the Box" may be remembered more for what it attempted than for what it ultimately achieved.

The LeadTwo Chinese oil tankers have exited the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz after waiting in the Gulf for more than two months, carrying approximately 4 million barrels of crude oil. This movement occurs as United States President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance publicly claim that a deal to end the US-Israel war on Iran is imminent, suggesting potential de-escalation in the region.The Strategic Movement of Chinese TankersShipping data from LSEG and Kpler confirmed that the Chinese-flagged Yuan Gui Yang and Hong Kong-flagged Ocean Lily have navigated out of the waterway. The Yuan Gui Yang loaded 2 million barrels of Iraqi Basrah crude on February 27, a day before the US-Israel war on Iran commenced, while the Ocean Lily loaded 1 million barrels each of Qatari al-Shaheen and Iraqi Basrah crude between late February and early March.South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun also reported that a Korean crude vessel was passing through the Strait on Wednesday, indicating a potential return to normal shipping operations in the region.The Diplomatic Signals from WashingtonThe tankers' departure coincided with significant diplomatic pronouncements from US officials. President Trump told US lawmakers that the war on Iran will end "very quickly" and "hopefully … in a very nice manner." Vice President JD Vance further reinforced this message at a White House news briefing, stating that Tehran-Washington negotiations are "in a pretty good spot here.""There's a lot of back-and-forth, a lot of good progress is being made, but we're just going to keep on working at it," Vance said. These statements come after Trump had previously threatened military action against Iran, giving the country "two to three days" to make a deal and claiming he had been an hour away from ordering an attack before postponing it.The Oil Market ResponseThe positive comments from the White House led to a brief relaxation in oil prices, with Brent crude, the international benchmark, falling to as low as $110.16 a barrel. However, energy experts warn that prices are likely to remain elevated even if Washington and Tehran reach a deal."Prices are likely to still exhibit some upside potential even if a deal is concluded, given that supply will likely not return to pre-war levels immediately," Emril Jamil, a senior oil research analyst at LSEG, told Reuters.The economic and political fallout from the US blockade on the Strait of Hormuz has reverberated globally, with Brent crude hitting its highest price since June 2022 last month due to fears of prolonged supply disruption.Global Economic ImplicationsThe United Nations has cut global growth forecasts to 2.5 percent for this year, down from an estimated 3 percent last year, citing higher energy costs and weaker trade as key factors.In its latest World Economic Situation and Prospects Report, the UN warned that low-income families in developing countries bear the heaviest burden "as higher food and energy prices take up a larger share of their spending and rising costs outpace wages." The prolonged disruption of oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz continues to have far-reaching consequences for the global economy.

The Record-Breaking Transoceanic JourneyA humpback whale has made a remarkable 15,000km journey from Brazil to Australia, marking what researchers believe is the longest distance ever documented between sightings of an individual humpback. The whale was first photographed in 2003 at the Abrolhos Bank, Brazil's main humpback whale nursery, off the coast of the north-eastern state of Bahia. In September 2025, it was spotted again in Hervey Bay off the Queensland coast, representing a travel distance of about 15,100km.Scientific Breakthrough in Whale IdentificationThe extraordinary discovery was made possible through the Happywhale platform, to which researchers and citizen scientists contribute whale sightings. The photographs allow individual animals to be identified by their flukes – the underside of their tails. A whale fluke is "unique to each humpback whale, very similar to the way fingerprints are unique to humans," according to Stephanie Stack, a PhD candidate at Griffith University and co-author of the research published in Royal Society Open Science.The Happywhale platform, co-founded by study co-author and Southern Cross University whale biologist Ted Cheeseman, uses an AI algorithm to identify matches, akin to facial recognition in humans. This technological advancement has enabled researchers to track individual whales across vast ocean distances and time spans.Research Methodology and Rare FindingsThe study drew on 19,283 fluke photos collected between 1984 and 2025 from eastern Australia and Latin America. The two record-breaking whales accounted for "only 0.01% of identified whales," highlighting the rarity of such long-distance migrations. Another whale was photographed in Hervey Bay in 2007 and seen again in the same area in 2013, then spotted off the coast of São Paulo six years later, covering a distance of about 14,200km.These two whales represent "the first recorded exchange in both directions" between the Brazilian and eastern Australian humpback populations. "Resighting intervals of six and 22 years suggest that these are rare, possibly single-lifetime events, rather than regular migratory shifts," the researchers noted.Implications for Marine ConservationThe discovery of these extraordinary whale journeys "is a good reminder that conservation of our marine resources needs to be collaborative between nations, because these are migratory animals that move across borders and between countries," Stack emphasized. The typical migration route for an Australian humpback whale is between feeding grounds in Antarctic waters and breeding grounds near the Great Barrier Reef – a round trip of about 10,000km, which is significantly shorter than the record-breaking journeys.As these whales traverse international waters, the findings underscore the importance of coordinated conservation efforts across national boundaries to protect critical habitats and migration routes.Future Outlook: Climate Change and Migration PatternsStack pointed out that it was "very likely" that climate change would affect migration patterns in the future. Dramatic changes are already occurring in the Southern Ocean feeding grounds, with Antarctic krill populations under threat. These environmental changes could potentially alter traditional migration routes, timing, and destinations for humpback whales and other marine species.As researchers continue to study these magnificent creatures through advanced identification technologies, they hope to gain deeper insights into how marine ecosystems are responding to changing environmental conditions and what measures might be necessary to ensure the long-term survival of these ocean travelers.

The LeadThe biggest Brexit donor Peter Hargreaves once said "insecurity is fantastic" while promoting Brexit, a policy that has demonstrably created insecurity for many Britons. This paradox lies at the heart of a political system where accountability appears increasingly dead, allowing figures who create chaos to benefit from it.The Historical Pattern of Political Accountability FailuresThroughout history, political accountability has been more myth than reality. Benito Mussolini fomented riots to push Italy into World War I, then capitalized on the resulting national humiliation to rise to power. Similarly, Winston Churchill's disastrous handling of the Norway campaign led to his predecessor's downfall, yet Churchill himself emerged as the replacement. These historical patterns suggest that those who generate insecurity often profit from it.Farage's Brexit and Its ConsequencesNigel Farage played a pivotal role in the Brexit decision, much like Mussolini did for Italy's entry into WWI. The policy has delivered "misery and retreat" rather than the promised benefits, yet Farage faces no electoral punishment. Instead, the insecurity and decline exacerbated by Brexit have enabled the rise of his Reform UK party, with further decline likely to boost his political prospects.The Psychology of Political AccountabilityResearch by Christopher Achen and Larry Bartels in "Democracy for Realists" reveals that voters possess almost no capacity for attribution. The theory of "retrospective voting" is essentially a fairytale. Voters consistently and systematically punish incumbents for conditions beyond their control while failing to hold actual responsible parties accountable. This psychological blind spot enables politicians to escape responsibility for their actions.The Crisis-Driven Political CycleModern politics increasingly operates through a crisis-driven cycle where leaders appear to create new crises to distract from old ones. Boris Johnson and Donald Trump have both demonstrated this pattern. The more dysfunctional and turbulent life becomes, the more such figures can position themselves as saviors and redeemers, effectively profiting from the chaos they help create.The Future of Political AccountabilityThe current political system is premised on a theoretical accountability that bears no relation to reality. Success in politics comes not from listing achievements but from demonstrating hope through powerful stories of transformation. Governments that spend on public services and show life is improving tend to fare better. The UK's current approach, which reinforces hopelessness and decline while alienating its base, appears destined to fail unless fundamental changes occur.

The Radical Tax Overhaul to Solve London's Housing Crisis The Centre for London has proposed a radical overhaul of London's property taxation, suggesting the scrapping of Stamp Duty and Council Tax in favor of a Proportional Property Tax (PPT). This proposal aims to address widening inequality, release housing stock, and fund the construction of 106,000 new social homes over the next decade. A Radical Shift in London's Taxation Model The core of the proposal involves replacing the current Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) and the outdated Council Tax system with a new annual property wealth tax. The new Proportional Property Tax (PPT) would be calculated as a percentage of a home's value, with rates increasing for higher-value properties. Base Rate: 0.39% on properties up to £800,000. Incremental Charges: Additional 0.01% for homes up to £999,999, and 0.02% for every £200,000 over £1m (capped at 0.82% for properties worth £5m). Under this model, a £500,000 home in Greenwich would pay £1,950 annually, saving the owner over £15,000 in the first 10 years compared to current taxes. Conversely, a £5m home in Westminster would pay £41,000 annually, saving £86,792 over a decade. Quantifying the Housing Inequality Gap The report highlights a stark disparity in space utilization and affordability. Despite London having more housing per person than 20 years ago, inequality has widened significantly. Floor Space Growth: Average floor space rose by 30% between 2004 and 2023. Income Disparity: Top 20% of homeowners saw a 27% rise in space, while the bottom 40% saw only a 6% rise. Price-to-Earnings: House prices are now 12 times earnings, up from 7 times in the early 2000s. The crisis is further evidenced by the fact that homelessness costs £5.5m daily and a third of children live in poverty after housing costs. Economic Implications for Renters and First-Time Buyers The proposed tax shift aims to alleviate the crushing financial burden on younger generations and renters. By removing Stamp Duty on primary residences, the thinktank estimates an extra 79,000 homes could be released annually as owners move. Renter Savings: Private renters would no longer pay Council Tax, saving more than £1,890 per year. First-Time Buyer Savings: Buyers would save £8,593 across five years of ownership. Deposit Support: The policy aims to help renters save for a deposit, which currently averages £150,000 without family assistance. The Future of London's Housing Market Rob Anderson, the director of research at the Centre for London, argues that the crisis cannot be solved by simply "building more homes." He emphasizes that the current system incentivizes holding onto property rather than downsizing or releasing stock. The proposal suggests that by removing the disincentives of Stamp Duty and Council Tax, the city can unlock existing housing stock and generate the necessary revenue to build 106,000 social and affordable homes, fundamentally altering the trajectory of London's housing affordability.

Jai Arrow, the 30‑year‑old back‑rower for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, announced his retirement from the NRL after a recent diagnosis of motor neurone disease (MND), concluding a decade‑long career that saw 178 games and a George Piggins medal.Diagnosis and Immediate Retirement DecisionIn a statement released on Wednesday, Arrow confirmed that after months of testing he received a diagnosis of a nerve and neurological condition. He explained that doctors have not cleared him to train or play, and he will focus on health, treatment, and rehabilitation.Career Statistics and Accolades178 NRL games played since debut in 2016Winner of the George Piggins Medal in 2025 for Rabbitohs’ best playerRepresented Queensland in 12 State of Origin matchesRecognised as clubperson of the year and community contributorBroader Impact on the NRL and Player WelfareArrow’s retirement brings renewed focus on player health monitoring and the support structures available for serious illnesses. Coaches, including Wayne Bennett, praised Arrow’s character and highlighted the need for clubs to provide comprehensive medical and psychological assistance.Looking Ahead: Support, Awareness, and the Future of MND in SportApproximately 2,750 Australians live with MND, a progressive and currently incurable disease. Arrow’s public battle is expected to boost fundraising and research initiatives, while the NRL may consider dedicated health programs to aid players facing similar diagnoses.