Good morning. Despite Labor’s temporary halving of the fuel excise, savings might take a while to be passed on to customers, experts warn. Meanwhile the war behind the fuel crisis rumbles on, with Spain expressing its outrage by closing its airspace to US aircraft involved in the attacks on Iran.
In other news, we report from Thologolong in the Victorian high country, where fugitive Dezi Freeman was shot dead yesterday by police, and examine how he might have got there and remained undetected for so long.
Plus: despite shifting attitudes to parental roles, a new survey has found a majority of gen Z fathers think a man’s sole role is to financially provide for his family. And we have an update for fans of one of Australia’s most famous improvised speeches: the one about a “succulent Chinese meal”.
Australia
Gender roles | Younger fathers are more likely to cling to outdated ideas that frame men as the money earners and women as caregivers, new research has found.
Freeman mystery | How did Dezi Freeman get from Porepunkah to Thologolong, and how did he elude police for seven months? There are theories, but still more questions than answers.
Fuel crisis | Australians expecting relief from punishing fuel prices in time for Easter travel are set to be disappointed: the industry says the effects of Labor temporarily halving the excise will take days or even weeks to reach some bowsers.
State politics | The Victorian Liberals will hold another preselection to elect a candidate for a top spot on the party’s upper-house ticket after it was revealed the man who replaced Moira Deeming wrote a court character reference for a friend who was convicted of grooming a 15-year-old girl.
Democracy manifest | Jack Karlson’s “succulent Chinese meal” speech has been added to the National Film and Sound Archive’s collection of sound recordings that reflect the historical, cultural and aesthetic significance of Australia.
World
Access denied | Spain has ramped up its opposition to the US-Israel war on Iran by closing its airspace to US aircraft involved in attacks, underlining its position as Europe’s leading critic of the conflict. Follow the Middle East crisis live blog here.
Middle East | Israel’s parliament has passed a law imposing the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of fatal attacks, a measure sharply criticised as discriminatory by European nations and rights groups.
Second-in-command | JD Vance, the vice-president of the United States, said that he considers aliens to be “demons” on a conservative podcast amid multiple domestic and global crises.
International manhunt | Authorities in Congo-Brazzaville have applied to Interpol for an international arrest warrant against Jean-Guy Blaise Mayolas, the president of the country’s football federation, Fecofoot, after he was convicted of embezzling $1.1m in Fifa funds.
Art discovery | A portrait in a UK collection that has long been dismissed as a workshop copy of an almost identical painting by Rembrandt was in fact also painted by the 17th-century Dutch master, according to a leading scholar.
Full Story
Dezi Freeman: what we know about the fugitive’s shooting
Fugitive Dezi Freeman, the man allegedly responsible for the shooting deaths of two police officers at Porepunkah, has been killed after a seven-month manhunt in rural Victoria. Reged Ahmad speaks to justice and courts reporter Nino Bucci.
In-depth
Australian and British expats living in Dubai have faced a remarkable lack of sympathy to their situation while the Iran war engulfs the region. The proximity of the city to an active war zone has exposed influencers’ wilful blindness to the exploitation it was built on, writes Brigid Delaney. Delaney writes: “Recent weeks have revealed our lack of compassion for the suffering of Dubai expat influencers, a distaste with the origins of the Dubai project and perhaps our growing lack of trust in the act of influencing itself.”
Not the news
One of the main food draws at this year’s Sydney Easter show is the butter-dipped soft-serve ice-cream. Is the viral treat merely a good Instagram post or does the dairy-on-dairy dessert live up to the hype? Isabella Lee reports.
Sport
World Cup | Australia’s friendly against Curaçao today is the crucial audition for players to show the Socceroos coach, Tony Popovic, they deserve a ticket to the US.
Basketball | The Adelaide 36ers have lodged a formal complaint with the NBL over body-shaming comments allegedly made by Sydney Kings co-owner and assistant coach Andrew Bogut.
Cricket | Australia have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in their ODI series against West Indies with a 90-run win in the second match at St Kitts’ Warner Park.
Media roundup
A federal government watchdog is investigating five social media companies for allegedly failing to comply with the under-16 user ban, reports the ABC. Per the Sydney Morning Herald, Uber trips are almost 40% more expensive due to the company’s new pricing model. There are concerns about the over-concentration of super funds in Australia’s biggest companies due to the conflict in the Middle East, reports the Financial Review.
What’s happening today
Perth | Liam Alexander Hall, accused of the Perth Invasion Day attempted bombing, will appear in court
Data | The State of Voluntary Assisted Dying report will be released
Canberra | Health minister Mark Butler will give a keynote at the National Diabetes Summit
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
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