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  • Judgement day for Man City and Arsenal in title showdown

    Judgement day for Man City and Arsenal in title showdown

    The English Premier League is gearing up for one of its most consequential matchweeks of the 2024-25 season, with a title-deciding showdown between league leaders Arsenal and defending-chasing Manchester City set to take center stage at the Etihad Stadium this Sunday. Beyond the top-of-the-table clash, the weekend also brings high-stakes battles for Champions League qualification, a historic first Merseyside derby at Everton’s new stadium, and a host of other fixtures that could reshape the final standings of England’s top flight with just six weeks remaining in the campaign.

    For Arsenal, Sunday’s trip to Manchester represents the defining moment of their bid to end a 21-year wait for a Premier League crown. Mikel Arteta’s side currently hold a comfortable six-point advantage over second-placed City, but their form has nosedived dramatically in recent weeks, putting their title momentum in question. The Gunners have dropped points across all competitions, suffering a League Cup final defeat to City, a shock FA Cup quarter-final exit to second-tier Southampton, and a damaging league loss to Bournemouth. Even their 1-0 aggregate win over Sporting Lisbon to reach the Champions League semi-finals was underwhelming, secured via a nervous, laborious goalless draw in the second leg. Arsenal have recorded just one victory in their last five matches across all competitions, while City enter the clash in peak form, having knocked off Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea in their previous three outings.

    Despite the slump, Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice says the squad is relishing the challenge of facing City on their own turf. “There’s no beating around the bush. We have to perform better than we did against Bournemouth and probably Sporting as well,” Rice told reporters ahead of the match. “Recently, we have made too many errors. The Etihad is the ultimate test but it’s why we play this game. So, bring it on. It’s beautiful. I can’t wait. When you’re a kid, you’re watching the Premier League, you see these big matches, these title-defining moments and it comes down to if you’re going to be ready and how much do you want it?”

    Down the table, the fight for the final Champions League qualification spots is reaching a fever pitch, with Chelsea and Manchester United set to clash at Stamford Bridge on Saturday night in a make-or-break fixture for the west London side. Chelsea have slumped to a dismal run of form, picking up just one win in their last seven league outings, leaving them on the brink of falling out of contention for a top-four finish. Sixth-placed Chelsea currently trail third-placed United by seven points, and sit four points behind fifth-placed Liverpool, leaving the Blues with zero margin for error with only six matches left to play. A loss against United would all but end Chelsea’s Champions League hopes, piling even more pressure on manager Liam Rosenior just one week after his side was booed off the pitch following a 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City.

    Blues midfielder Andrey Santos admitted the squad understands fan frustration, but says the players remain committed to turning their season around. “We understand the fans are frustrated. We are frustrated too. When you talk about Chelsea, you talk about winning games, which we’re not doing. It’s a difficult moment but we have to work hard and keep going. Of course we believe we can finish in a Champions League place.”

    Meanwhile, Merseyside rivals Everton and Liverpool will write a new chapter of their historic derby on Sunday, when Liverpool visits Everton’s brand-new Hill Dickinson Stadium for the first ever Merseyside derby at the venue. Liverpool is reeling from a bruising 4-0 aggregate Champions League exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain earlier this week, a result that has increased scrutiny on manager Arne Slot. The Reds suffered another major blow this week when French striker Hugo Ekitike was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a ruptured Achilles injury, leaving their attacking depth depleted heading into the final stretch of the campaign.

    Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch says a derby win would not only lift the mood for anxious Reds fans, but also keep the club firmly in the mix for Champions League qualification. “We have to pick ourselves up as Sunday is waiting,” he said. “We just want to play in the Champions League next year. We have to give it our all.”

    The full slate of fixtures kicks off on Saturday with an early London derby between Brentford and Fulham, followed by midday matches between Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Newcastle United against Bournemouth. Later that day, Tottenham Hotspur hosts Brighton & Hove Albion before the primetime clash between Chelsea and United. Sunday’s action opens with Aston Villa hosting Sunderland, followed by the Merseyside derby, Nottingham Forest against Burnley, and the highly anticipated title showdown between City and Arsenal. The matchweek wraps up on Monday night with Crystal Palace hosting West Ham United at Selhurst Park.

  • ‘AI shamans’ tell the fortunes of curious South Koreans

    ‘AI shamans’ tell the fortunes of curious South Koreans

    In a narrow alley in central Seoul, the soft jingle of traditional bells still signals the presence of a fortune-teller — but the mystic behind the sound is no longer a human shaman. It is an artificial intelligence-powered robot avatar, blending ancient Korean spiritual tradition with cutting-edge generative AI to meet the demands of 21st-century curious seekers.

    Shamanic fortune-telling has long held deep cultural roots in South Korea, where the centuries-old practice of saju, or the “four pillars of destiny”, uses a person’s birth date and time to map their fate. Traditional human shamans, called mudang, perform elaborate rituals, from vibrant ceremonial dances to channelling messages from ancestral spirits, to help visitors navigate life’s uncertainties. Now, a Seoul-based cultural goods store called Vinaida — whose name translates to “I pray earnestly” in Korean — has reimagined this tradition for the digital age, replacing human practitioners with AI-driven virtual shamans.

    Unlike the intimidating, often overwhelming experience of visiting a traditional shaman, the AI fortune-telling experience is designed to be approachable and low-pressure for casual visitors. The store’s virtual shamans are designed with visuals evocative of characters from the global hit animated film *KPop Demon Hunters*, which itself drew inspiration from Korean shamanic lore, making them instantly familiar to younger audiences and pop culture fans. Inside a private consultation booth, visitors input their name, gender, and birth details into a computer terminal, before a projected masked shaman avatar guides them to share their personal concerns via a connected headset.

    The system integrates advanced voice recognition technology with a generative AI chatbot to enable natural, real-time back-and-forth interaction between the visitor and the virtual shaman. It pulls from the core principles of saju to interpret birth details and generate a personalized fortune reading. After the consultation, customers receive a physical plastic talisman embedded with a QR code; scanning the code with a smartphone pulls up a full detailed version of their reading to keep. In a separate section of the store, a second AI-powered robot uses facial recognition and a mechanical drawing arm to sketch visitors’ faces and deliver a personalized fortune based on physiognomic principles drawn from traditional Korean divination.

    For 36-year-old visitor Kim Da-ae, the low-stakes nature of the AI experience is its biggest draw. “A visit with a real shaman can feel scary and burdensome,” she explained to AFP during her consultation. “But I was just walking by and read this AI sign… So I walked in with a light heart.” After receiving her reading — which described her fortune as bright and balanced, noting her resilience amid change and auspicious romantic and social connections — Kim said she was surprised by how accurately it aligned with her own self-perception. “I felt a sense of similarity with my fate because it matched my own personality, like valuing relationships while also being practical,” she added.

    The concept has quickly gained traction with locals and tourists alike. Since opening its doors in February, Vinaida has drawn roughly 100 visitors per day, with individual consultations costing up to 8,000 won, equal to approximately $5.50 USD. The service supports four languages — Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese — making it accessible to international visitors as well. Singaporean tourist Amos Chun, who tried the reading during a recent visit to Seoul, said he found the AI’s advice surprisingly relevant: the robot told him to “avoid impulse spending”, a habit Chun acknowledged is one of his personal pitfalls. “It’s quite a good reading, coming from AI,” Chun said with a laugh. “Because that’s something that I do.”

    Store manager Kim Hae-seol explained that the concept was developed to modernize a beloved cultural tradition for a new generation, noting that most visitors leave satisfied with their experience. “Customers have something tangible or meaningful to take away, which is probably why there aren’t many who feel dissatisfied,” Kim said. “We thought it had the potential to succeed, so we seized on this concept.” The growing popularity of AI fortune-telling in South Korea reflects a broader trend of blending emerging technology with long-held cultural practices, creating new accessible entry points for younger audiences to engage with traditions that have shaped Korean life for centuries.

  • RSPCA issues major warning over use of ‘barbaric’ steel-jaw traps after cat euthanised from being caught in trap

    RSPCA issues major warning over use of ‘barbaric’ steel-jaw traps after cat euthanised from being caught in trap

    Over the recent Easter long weekend in South Australia, three domestic cats fell victim to illegal steel-jaw traps, leaving one euthanized due to catastrophic injuries and sparking a urgent public warning from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) SA about the inherent danger of these banned devices. The first incident occurred in Nairne, where a black and white domestic cat was discovered caught in a triggered steel-jaw trap. The damage to the animal’s body was so extensive that humane euthanasia carried out by RSPCA animal welfare officers became the only possible option to end its suffering. In two separate cases across the same weekend, a second adult cat was recovered from a trap in Birdwood, while a young kitten was found snared in Port Augusta. Though both survived and did not require euthanasia, each suffered serious, permanent damage to their legs, leaving them with lasting harm. Andrea Lewis, head of animal welfare at RSPCA SA, emphasized that the ban on steel-jaw traps is rooted in profound humanitarian concern. Describing the devices as inherently barbaric, Lewis noted that they do not only target domestic cats—wild native species and other animals are equally at risk. Common victims include foxes and possums, and the organization has recently responded to reports of a young magpie that suffered a trapped leg. Several years prior, an echidna was also found stuck in one of the traps on the Fleurieu Peninsula. For animals that are not discovered quickly by rescue teams, Lewis explained, the outcome is a prolonged, agonizing death from untreated injury, dehydration or starvation. The RSPCA SA is reminding the public that setting steel-jaw traps carries serious legal consequences, pointing to a high-profile 2025 case as a clear precedent. In March of that year, a cat named Lunar endured two hours of unrelenting pain after being caught in a trap set in Rosewater. The man responsible was later convicted, and ordered to pay more than $4,000 to cover the cat’s veterinary treatment costs. Under South Australia’s current Animal Welfare Act, anyone caught setting an illegal steel-jaw trap faces an immediate fine of $2,500. If the case proceeds to prosecution, offenders can face maximum penalties of up to $20,000 in fines or two years of prison time. The RSPCA is urging members of the public who spot any suspicious traps to report the location to authorities immediately, to prevent further unnecessary animal deaths and suffering.

  • Wayne Bennett launches passionate defence of six again rule, explains why Latrell won’t play fullback

    Wayne Bennett launches passionate defence of six again rule, explains why Latrell won’t play fullback

    The National Rugby League’s contentious six again rule has sparked a heated divide between two of the code’s most long-serving and respected coaches, with legendary South Sydney Rabbitohs mentor Wayne Bennett doubling down on his support for the controversial regulation, arguing it has rescued the sport from more than a decade of slow, grapple-heavy stagnation.

    Bennett’s outspoken defense of the rule, which replaces traditional penalties for ruck infringements and offside offences beyond the 20-metre line with fresh set restarts, comes just 24 hours after Canberra Raiders head coach Ricky Stuart delivered a scathing rebuke of the policy, claiming it has eroded the core identity of rugby league. While the rule change has drawn widespread criticism from fans online, who argue its frenetic pace and frequent set changes have stripped the game of its traditional fabric, Bennett says the current format is a dramatic improvement over the slow, wrestling-dominated play that bogged matches down for 10 years.

    “There’s no doubt it’s a game-changer,” Bennett told reporters this week. “We’ve got a game that’s full of entertainment right now, some wonderful tries being scored, some great ball movement. Do we go back to when we had wrestle and we had all the other terms for different types of tackles that were making the whole game bog down? I don’t want to go back to that. We suffered for over a decade with that and I don’t want to go back there. If we find an answer for not having the six again then I’d be happy, but the reality of it is the onus is back on the players. The players are always playing on the edge with the rules and this is one they really can’t play on the edge with because it really hurts your team.”

    Beyond the rule debate, Bennett is facing a string of injury challenges ahead of his side’s Saturday night clash against the winless St. George Illawarra Dragons, and has made a surprising selection call to bring dynamic fullback Matt Dufty back for his first NRL outing in four years. Dufty, who most recently played in the UK’s Super League for Warrington Wolves, returned to Australia earlier than planned and linked up with the Rabbitohs, earning an unexpected call-up after starting fullback Jye Gray was sidelined for two to three weeks with an AC joint injury.

    Many fans and analysts expected Bennett would shift star back Latrell Mitchell from his current position at left centre back to fullback, a role Mitchell has played extensively throughout his career. But Bennett opted against a major reshuffle of his backline, noting Gray’s absence is only short-term, and that the team already has an injury gap on the left edge after second-rower David Fifita was ruled out for three to four weeks with a hamstring injury. “That was based on the fact that Jye will be back in a couple of weeks, probably two to three weeks max, so do I change one position or do I change four positions to put Latrell back at fullback?” Bennett explained. “That really wasn’t an option for me with only two or three weeks. If Jye had been out for a lot longer I might have made a different decision, but next couple of weeks I think we can get the job done there and it makes us more stable in our backline because these guys are playing together each week, and I think any coach in the game wants his players to play together as much as they possibly can.”

    Bennett added that Mitchell’s permanent shift to centre this season was already a deliberate choice made in the best interest of the club, and a short-term injury did not justify upending the entire unit. “I don’t see a world where he won’t go back to fullback eventually,” he said. “It was only a decision we made this year because we believed it was in the best interest of the club, and we made this decision again because I believe it’s in the best interest of the team that we have one new guy coming in rather than moving the whole backline around.”

    The Rabbitohs are already stretched thin in their forward pack, with five forwards currently sidelined in rehab. Prop Keaon Koloamatangi will play through a painful knee injury this weekend, after Bennett ruled out resting him, with the club awaiting the return of Junior Tatola next week to ease their forward depth crisis. “He’s a bit restricted as well. We probably need a week off for him, but we just can’t do it at the moment,” Bennett said. “We’ve got five forwards sitting in rehab at the moment with injuries and won’t be back for a couple of weeks, we’ll probably get Junior Tatola back next week, so we just need a bit of relief there and have to hang on a little bit longer for Keaon.” Dufty, a former Dragons player, will make his Rabbitohs debut against his old club this weekend, with Bennett saying the club is excited to welcome him to the squad. Assistant coach Ben Hornby has a long history of coaching Dufty, giving the South Sydney staff confidence he will fit in both on and off the pitch, Bennett added.

  • Escaped wolf in South Korea recaptured, returned to zoo

    Escaped wolf in South Korea recaptured, returned to zoo

    After nine days of evading hundreds of search personnel, roaming through wooded and urban areas of South Korea’s Daejeon, and triggering a series of public disruptions and official missteps, a young escaped gray wolf named Neukgu has been safely recaptured and returned to his home zoo, local authorities confirmed Friday.

    The 2-year-old male wolf, weighing 30 kilograms, first broke free from his Daejeon zoo enclosure on April 8 by digging an escape tunnel under his compound fence and breaking through an outer boundary. What followed was one of the most high-profile fugitive searches in the region in recent years: local officials mobilized a joint team of hundreds of police officers, firefighters, and military troops, deploying drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras and encouraging residents to report any potential sightings to authorities. But for nearly a week and a half, the young wolf repeatedly avoided capture, slipping out of search cordons even after multiple confirmed sightings across the city.

    The search concluded in the early hours of Friday, after officials received a credible citizen tip that the wolf had been spotted resting in a local Daejeon park, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency. Search teams moved in quickly, firing a tranquilizer dart to subdue the animal without injury, taking him into custody alive.

    In a celebratory post on the social platform X shortly after the capture, the Daejeon Metropolitan City government wrote: “Welcome back, #Neukgu!” The city also released official footage and photos of the capture, showing search teams carrying a sedated, sleepy Neukgu in a canvas sack before moving him into a secure transport crate. Subsequent images released by the city showed the shaggy-furred wolf sedated and resting on a veterinary examination table, fitted with a soft muzzle to protect medical staff.

    Preliminary veterinary checks completed after the capture confirmed Neukgu is in good condition, with normal pulse and body temperature readings, the city government added in an official statement. “We would like to thank everyone who offered their support to ensure Neukgu’s safe and healthy return. We also apologise to the public for the anxiety and concern this incident has caused,” the statement read.

    Neukgu’s escape sparked immediate public safety concerns across Daejeon, prompting a local elementary school to suspend in-person classes for at least one day out of caution. The incident also drew embarrassment for city officials after a fake AI-generated image, purporting to show Neukgu trotting across a busy Daejeon intersection, was widely shared by the city government and multiple major South Korean and international media outlets, including AFP, which later withdrew the image after an AFP analysis confirmed it was inauthentic.

    Now that Neukgu has been returned to the zoo, South Korean animal welfare advocates are calling for sweeping reforms to captive animal safety standards, pointing to a 2018 escape from the exact same Daejeon facility that ended in tragedy. In that earlier incident, a puma named Bborong escaped the zoo and was shot and killed by responding authorities.

    “The fact that Neukgu has returned to his cage at the zoo does not signify a ‘happy ending’ to the incident,” the Korean Animal Welfare Association said in a statement following the recapture, arguing that repeated escape incidents point to systemic failures in enclosure safety and captive animal care at the facility.

  • France makes reusable period products free for young women

    France makes reusable period products free for young women

    In a landmark step to address the growing crisis of period poverty across the country, the French government announced Thursday that it will fully reimburse the cost of reusable menstrual products, including menstrual cups and reusable period underwear, for two vulnerable groups of women: those under the age of 26, and low-income women of all ages experiencing financial hardship.

    The policy, which is set to take effect at the start of the 2024 autumn academic year, is projected to benefit approximately 6.7 million people — a figure that equals nearly one-tenth of France’s total population of 69 million. To access the reimbursement, eligible individuals need only present their state-issued French health insurance card when purchasing items at a registered pharmacy, with costs returned directly to their accounts after purchase.

    The measure was originally approved by French parliament as a key component of the country’s 2024 social security budget, but a months-long delay in issuing the formal executive decree required to put the policy into practice sparked widespread frustration from both feminist advocacy organizations and manufacturers of sustainable sanitary products, who had pushed for the reform to launch on schedule.

    Data from the French anti-poverty charity Dons Solidaires underscores the urgent need for this intervention. A November 2023 survey of 4,000 French women conducted by the organization found that 1 in 10 respondents have been forced to use makeshift alternatives to commercial period products — including ripped up clothing — because they cannot afford standard sanitary items.

    This new policy is the latest in a series of progressive reforms France has rolled out to improve menstrual equity over the past decade. Back in 2016, the country cut the sales tax on period products from 20 percent to 5.5 percent, reducing the financial burden for all women purchasing menstrual supplies. France is not alone in its push for global menstrual equity: in 2020, Scotland made history as the first nation in the world to pass legislation guaranteeing free universal access to period products in all public buildings, setting a benchmark for other countries to follow.

  • Embattled LIV Golf to make ‘surprise’ changes: CEO

    Embattled LIV Golf to make ‘surprise’ changes: CEO

    Embattled breakaway golf circuit LIV Golf is set to implement unexpected structural adjustments as it navigates swirling speculation that its primary backer, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, is preparing to end its massive financial support, chief executive Scott O’Neil confirmed Thursday.

    Recent reports from multiple international media outlets have claimed that the Saudi fund, which has poured billions into luring top-tier golf talent away from the established PGA Tour and DP World Tour since LIV launched in 2022, will imminently halt its funding commitments for the divisive league. Despite the uncertainty, LIV has insisted its ongoing 2024 season will proceed without interruption. This week’s tournament in Mexico City kicked off as scheduled Thursday, though broadcast coverage was disrupted for an extended period by local power outages that caused a blackout.

    In an on-air interview during the Mexico City event, O’Neil addressed the growing speculation head-on. “I talked about some structural changes. They’re coming,” he said, referencing a plan he had already presented to roughly 50 stakeholders during last weekend’s Masters tournament at Augusta. “We have one, and it is… It might surprise some people.”

    Since its debut in 2022, the Saudi-backed league has upended the global golf landscape, pitting the new circuit against traditional golf governing bodies. Built around a format of shorter, faster events with team-based competition and a geographically diverse tournament schedule, LIV has attracted some of the sport’s biggest names, including major champions Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm, while drawing large crowds to stops in emerging markets such as Australia and South Africa. However, the circuit has struggled to secure the lucrative multi-year media rights deals that are a core revenue stream for established major sports leagues.

    Industry estimates peg the Saudi sovereign wealth fund’s total spending on LIV Golf at roughly $5 billion to date. During a recent five-year strategy presentation, the fund signaled a shift to prioritize “increasing the efficiency of investments,” fueling rumors of an imminent pullback from the golf project.

    O’Neil acknowledged Thursday that LIV will “probably” need to secure new external capital to sustain operations, pointing to the league’s long-stated strategy of selling ownership stakes in its 12 existing team franchises. The circuit’s long-term business model is modeled after motorsport’s Formula 1, which relies on independently owned and operated team franchises. “I had two calls this morning” about stake sales, O’Neil confirmed. Prior to this week’s funding rumors, LIV had already been exploring the sale of minority or even controlling stakes in two teams to outside wealthy investors or corporations, and in January Bloomberg reported the league was targeting valuations as high as $300 million per team. No public valuation of the franchises has been released to date.

    O’Neil also pushed back against recent sensationalized media coverage of the league’s turmoil, specifically calling out a report from Britain’s *Telegraph* that claimed LIV executives had been called to an emergency emergency meeting in New York. “It’s a lot of reaching and grabbing for headlines and clickbait and stories,” he said. While he rejected claims of an imminent collapse, he did confirm that operational shifts are on the horizon. “Will there be a change in how we operate? Of course,” he added.

  • Iranian footballers say Australia has given them ‘hope’ for safe future

    Iranian footballers say Australia has given them ‘hope’ for safe future

    Two Iranian female footballers who have been granted political asylum in Australia have opened up about their new chapter, saying the country has given them a renewed chance to build a secure life where they can both live and compete without fear. Atefeh Ramezanisadeh and Fatemeh Pasandideh were part of a seven-member group of Iranian national team delegation that initially received humanitarian visas while participating in the 2024 Women’s Asian Cup hosted in Australia. In a surprise turn of events, the remaining five members of the group ultimately chose to return to Iran, reversing their initial decision to seek protection abroad.

    The crisis surrounding the team began shortly after the squad declined to sing Iran’s national anthem ahead of their opening tournament match, a silent protest that came just days after joint air strikes by Israel and the United States sparked deadly conflict in Iran starting February 28. After the protest, footage emerged of an Iranian state television host labeling the players as “traitors” who deserved punishment for their silence during the anthem, triggering widespread international alarm over the players’ safety if they returned home.

    In their first formal public statement since their asylum application was approved, Ramezanisadeh and Pasandideh expressed gratitude to supporters who have stood by them, while requesting space to adjust to their new lives. “At this stage, our primary focus is on our safety, our health and beginning the process of rebuilding our lives,” the joint statement reads. The pair added that they have been deeply moved by the warmth and generosity of Australia’s large Iranian diaspora community, saying that widespread community support has made them feel welcome and eased the isolation of their major life transition. They also extended thanks to the Australian government for granting them a safe haven in the country, and to Home Affairs department officials for their committed, personalized support throughout the visa and asylum process.

    The two players have already begun integrating into Australia’s domestic football landscape, with recent photos showing them training with A-League Women side Brisbane Roar. They confirmed in their statement that they aim to continue pursuing elite professional football careers in their new home.

    To understand the full context of the players’ decision, the sequence of events that unfolded during the Asian Cup offers critical context: after the anthem protest sparked backlash back home, the players were relocated from their original accommodation on the Gold Coast to Brisbane, roughly an hour’s drive north. It was there that they slipped away from the minders accompanying the Iranian delegation, seeking protection from the Australian Federal Police before starting their asylum claims.

    Human rights activists have long raised allegations that the five players who chose to return to Iran faced extreme coercion, arguing that Iranian authorities made threats against their immediate family members remaining in the country to force the players to reverse their decision to seek asylum. Speaking at the height of the crisis earlier this year, Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke acknowledged that the government could not ignore the immense external pressures that shaped each player’s impossible decision.

    The Iranian government has pushed back sharply against the events, with the country’s sports ministry claiming that the return of the five players proved they had “defeated the enemy’s plans” through national unity and patriotism. The ministry also accused the Australian government of advancing foreign political agendas, claiming Canberra was “playing in Trump’s field.” Tasnim News Agency, an outlet closely affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has further claimed that the two players who stayed were subjected to systematic “psychological warfare, extensive propaganda and seductive offers” from Australian actors to convince them to remain in the country.

    The case has drawn global attention to the risks facing Iranian athletes who speak out against their government, and has sparked renewed debate over Australia’s humanitarian visa obligations for at-risk sportspeople from conflict zones.

  • Global warming causes Colombian glacier to disappear

    Global warming causes Colombian glacier to disappear

    A stark visual testament to the accelerating impacts of human-caused climate change has emerged from the Colombian Andes, where the Cerros de la Plaza glacier has been officially declared completely vanished after more than a century of gradual retreat driven by rising global temperatures.

    New satellite composite imagery compiled from 2026 Copernicus Sentinel data illustrates the dramatic transformation: in late December 2015, the mountain peak still retained a visible layer of permanent ice and snow, but by the end of February 2026, no frozen cover remained, leaving only exposed bedrock where the glacier once stood. Official confirmation of the glacier’s total disappearance came last week from Colombia’s Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM), the government agency tasked with monitoring the country’s changing natural landscapes.

    Historical data compiled by IDEAM underscores the scale of the loss: at its peak in the 19th century, Cerros de la Plaza spanned 5 square kilometers (1.93 square miles) across the high peaks of the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy range in northeastern Colombia, where summits rise more than 5,000 meters above sea level. Decades of rising temperatures pushed the glacier into steady retreat, with the ice sheet shrinking incrementally from 2015 until it vanished entirely by March 2026.

    IDEAM’s official statement framed the loss as a tangible warning of climate change’s irreversible impacts. “Climate change is a reality that is already transforming our territories. And what is at stake is not only the landscape, but the very balance of these ecosystems,” the agency said.

    The Colombian Andes are recognized as one of the world’s most biodiverse mountain regions, hosting iconic threatened species including Andean condors and the rare spectacled bear, a mammal endemic to South America’s high altitude ecosystems. The Sierra Nevada del Cocuy glacial system is already one of only six remaining glacial networks left in Colombia, and national environment ministry data shows the country’s total glacial ice coverage has plummeted by 90% since the 19th century.

    Beyond biodiversity, the loss of Andean glaciers carries direct consequences for human communities across the region. Glacial melt feeds critical freshwater sources that sustain mountain ecosystems, and underpin key human activities ranging from agricultural crop irrigation to commercial and subsistence fishing.

    The disappearance of Cerros de la Plaza aligns with broader global climate trends: both the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service and U.S.-based non-profit research organization Berkeley Earth have confirmed that the past 11 years are the warmest ever recorded on Earth. A landmark 2023 study published in the *Science* journal projected that even if all nations meet their Paris Agreement commitments to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, half of the planet’s total glacier mass will have melted by the end of the 21st century.

  • Hungary’s Orban urges party ‘renewal’ after vote loss

    Hungary’s Orban urges party ‘renewal’ after vote loss

    After 16 consecutive years at the helm of Hungarian politics, nationalist outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orban has publicly called for a full overhaul of his long-ruling Fidesz party, just days after a landslide defeat to pro-European political newcomer Peter Magyar.

    Magyar, a conservative newcomer who rose rapidly to challenge Orban’s nationalist agenda, secured a two-thirds parliamentary majority in Sunday’s general election, a contest that saw a record voter turnout across the central European nation. The upset result brought an end to one of the longest-serving administrations in modern European history.

    In his first public remarks since the defeat, broadcast live on the YouTube channel Patriota, Orban acknowledged that the old governing model could not continue. “We cannot continue the way we have been operating until now,” he stated. “A complete renewal is needed, and this applies not only to Fidesz, but to the entire national conservative bloc.”

    The former prime minister admitted he was still processing the scale of the loss, saying he was “trying to somehow come out of this shock” and accepted full accountability for the defeat in his role as party leader.

    Orban outlined two immediate priorities moving forward: first, overseeing a smooth transition of power to the incoming administration, a process he confirmed is already underway. Second, he has begun convening party governing bodies, including a delegate national assembly and full party congress, to carry out the planned renewal process, with preliminary work already in motion.

    In a related announcement Thursday, Hungarian EU Minister Janos Boka confirmed on Facebook that Orban will skip next week’s informal EU heads of state summit in Cyprus, scheduled for April 23–24, to focus on the government handover. The summit would have forced Orban into a potential high-stakes confrontation over his ongoing veto of a €90 billion ($106 billion) EU macro-financial assistance package for Ukraine, a policy that has been a major point of friction between Budapest and Brussels for months.

    Orban’s longstanding close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and former U.S. President Donald Trump, paired with policies widely criticized as democratic backsliding, have put his administration at repeated odds with the European Union. Brussels previously froze billions in allocated cohesion funds for Hungary over rule of law concerns that went unaddressed during Orban’s tenure.

    Since his election victory, Magyar has pledged to dismantle the core structures of Orban’s nationalist administration and reset Hungary’s strained relationship with the EU, a move that would unlock the frozen billions in European funding for the country.

    Within 24 hours of Orban’s post-defeat remarks, EU officials confirmed that a preliminary negotiating delegation will travel to Budapest Friday to open talks with the incoming Tisza party government. EU spokeswoman Paula Pinho noted that the early talks are designed to avoid delays, saying: “These are preliminary talks that are taking place in order to make sure that once the government is in place, really, action can be taken if appropriate, and that we do not waste any time.”

    Magyar’s ‘regime change’ agenda accelerated further Thursday, when the Tisza party leader announced a symbolic break from Orban’s governance style: his administration will not occupy the Carmelite Palace, a hilltop monastery compound overlooking Budapest that Orban converted into his prime ministerial office in 2019. “Under the TISZA government, the prime minister’s office will not be located in the Carmelite Palace, but in a ministry building near the parliament,” Magyar wrote in a Facebook post.

    Orban’s 2019 move to the former monastery, located in Budapest’s historic Castle District, drew widespread criticism from opponents, who condemned the millions in public funds spent on renovations and the heavy security perimeter that restricted public access to the landmark, which the government appropriated for state use back in 2014.

    Magyar has also promised to suspend biased coverage from state-run media outlets, which opponents have long described as a propaganda mouthpiece for Orban and Fidesz. On Thursday, staff at Hungary’s state-owned national news agency MTI released an open letter calling for the immediate restoration of editorial autonomy, with one senior editor telling AFP that staff had “had enough of unlawful, external political interference” in newsroom operations.