WASHINGTON (ANP/RTR) - Het hof van beroep in Washington heeft de Amerikaanse president Donald Trump opgedragen de bouw van een balzaal aan het Witte Huis tot nader order stil te leggen. De uitspraak wordt pas over twee weken van kracht, om Trump de tijd te gunnen de zaak eventueel voor te leggen aan het Hooggerechtshof.

Trump had de zaak bij het hof van beroep aangespannen nadat een rechter hem tot tweemaal toe had verboden te beginnen met de bovengrondse bouw van het project. Dit omdat Trump geen toestemming had gevraagd aan het Congres voor het project. Ondertussen is wel de historische East Wing, waar traditioneel de presidentsvrouw kantoor hield, gesloopt voor de bouw van de balzaal.

De uiteenlopende en soms groteske ontwerpen die voorbij zijn gekomen voor de balzaal hebben tot veel kritiek geleid in de VS. Zo zou het bouwwerk gigantisch worden, en wellicht een 'droneport' op het dak krijgen, of een ondergronds ziekenhuis.

DELFT (ANP) - De dijken in het werkgebied van Delfland, tussen Den Haag en Rotterdam, hebben steeds meer te lijden onder de droogte. Inspecteurs van het hoogheemraadschap telden deze week ongeveer 180 scheuren. Tijdens de vorige inspectieronde waren dat er zo'n dertig.

Volgens een woordvoerster van het Zuid-Hollandse waterschap zijn achttien scheuren "kritiek", wat betekent dat Delfland die scherp in de gaten houdt. "Er zijn geen spoedreparaties nodig. Maar de keringen gaan de afgelopen weken wel zienderogen achteruit."

Waterschapsbestuurder Nieske Dijkshoorn benadrukt dat Delfland het nog beschikbare zoet water hard nodig heeft om de dijken te beschermen tegen uitdroging. "Als een dijk door droogte verzwakt, bijvoorbeeld door scheuren, verzakkingen en een droge bodem, kan de veiligheid van 1,25 miljoen inwoners van ons gebied in het geding komen. Dat willen wij koste wat kost voorkomen." Vooral veendijken kunnen bij langdurige droogte gaan lekken en zelfs verschuiven.

Gezuiverd rioolwater

Delfland heeft sinds woensdag een zogeheten onttrekkingsverbod, wat betekent dat er geen oppervlaktewater uit onder meer sloten gehaald mag worden. "Het beschikbare zoete water in onze regio wordt steeds schaarser", zegt Dijkshoorn. "We hebben dat water nu hard nodig om onze dijken en inwoners te beschermen."

Het hoogheemraadschap heeft de afgelopen dagen grote hoeveelheden zoet water opgeslagen in een natuurgebied en een polder, om te kunnen gebruiken als de situatie nog penibeler wordt. Delfland onderzoekt of het dan ook gezuiverd rioolwater (effluent) of brak (zouter) water kan inzetten. Glastuinders willen dat de sloten nu al worden aangevuld met effluent, dat wordt geloosd op de zee. Ze hebben aangeboden de benodigde extra zuivering te financieren. Delfland wil eerst onderzoeken of dit wel kan.

With more than 7m pairs reportedly sold in 2025, Meta’s Ray-Ban smartglasses are fast becoming the world’s most popular new gadget.

But while supporters say they are transforming photography and accessibility, others have labelled them ‘pervert glasses’, with some UK pubs and restaurants, including Wetherspoons, banning the technology from their premises.

Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s deputy Opinion editor Kirsty Major

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Counter-disinformation group says social media channels connected to Pravda network helped amplify message

Accounts with links to the Russian military promoting far-right messages reached more than 500,000 people in the early days of the Ceuta migration crisis, according to an analysis done by 411, a counter-disinformation group.

Russia-linked social media accounts frequently spread destabilising narratives in Europe, often promoting far-right talking points about immigration.

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Andrew and Tristan Tate remain in jail as they fight extradition to UK to face charges of rape, assault and more

Lawyers for Andrew and Tristan Tate urged a ⁠US judge on Friday ⁠to release the ​brothers from a Miami jail as they fight the British government’s efforts to extradite them to face charges of rape, assault and facilitating trafficking for ⁠sexual exploitation.

In a filing in Miami federal court, the Tate brothers’ lawyers said their “extraordinary public visibility” would make it impractical for them to try to flee, meaning there was ⁠no need to keep them behind bars until the extradition proceedings end.

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De longkankerstimulator Philip Morris had weer een of ander smerig trucje bedacht om nieuwe Europese tabakswetten te beïnvloeden.

europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

Last week, the Artemis III Orion spacecraft that will carry ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano and NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik, Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio, took a major step forward as engineers connected its crew and service modules at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA.

At the top of the spacecraft is the crew module, where the four astronauts will live and work during their mission.

Directly beneath it, visible here as a white ring, is the Crew Module Adapter. This structure links the crew module to the rest of Orion, carrying electrical power, data and fluids between the spacecraft’s two main elements.

The large white cylinder below is ESA’s third European Service Module, the powerhouse of Orion. It will provide propulsion, electrical power, thermal control, air and potable water for the crew.

The red covers visible in this image protect the module’s 24 reaction control thrusters, which are used to finetune Orion’s orientation in space. In total, the European Service Module carries 33 engines that will be used throughout the mission to support orbital manoeuvres and rendezvous and docking demonstrations with test versions of commercial human landing systems from Blue Origin and SpaceX. Orion’s four European-built solar array wings, which will generate power for the spacecraft, will be attached later.

At the bottom of the stack is the stage adapter cone, which connects Orion to the rocket that will launch it into space next year.

Read more about the connection process here.

Credits: NASA-A. Stevenson

europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

ESA's fourth European Service Module inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, on 31 July 2026.

This module will power Orion on Artemis IV, planned to be the first mission to return astronauts to the lunar surface since Apollo 17 in 1972.

Built by European industry under ESA leadership, the European Service Module is a truly pan-European effort. Its structure is produced by Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy, before final assembly and integration by Airbus in Bremen, Germany, with contributions from more than 100 suppliers across Europe.

After sailing from Europe aboard the BBC Livorno at the end of 2025, the module arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, where engineers connected it to the Crew Module Adapter, the structure that links Orion's crew and service modules.

In this image, the outer panels of the Crew Module Adapter have been removed to provide easier access during ongoing testing and assembly activities. The grey protective covering around the European Service Module shields the spacecraft's radiators and other sensitive hardware from dust, contamination and accidental damage while it remains in the cleanroom.

The European Service Module will provide Orion with propulsion, electrical power, thermal control, air and water, supporting the crew throughout their journey towards the Moon and back to Earth.

Credits: NASA-A. Notvest

europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

These Copernicus Sentinel-2 images show a stretch of the Danube river about 45 km north of the Hungarian capital, Budapest.

This is a satellite’s view from 9 August 2025, showing the river running through a summer landscape, with both yellow and green fields. This image shows the same stretch of river on 4 August 2026, where the level of the Danube is noticeably lower, with visible sandbanks and surrounded by much drier countryside.

The river’s level has fallen to a record low in Hungary due to a severe drought in central Europe. However, drought and heatwaves have become a perennial phenomenon as record low water levels have been recorded in the Danube since 2018.

This year the Danube’s low waters have caused energy and water shortages in and around Budapest as well as problems for river barges and ferries. The low levels of water also impact wildlife, with fish unable to survive as water temperatures and pollution concentration levels rise while oxygen levels decline.

The Danube is the European Union’s longest river and flows for 2860 km from Germany to the Black Sea. Record low levels have also been reported in Romania.

Credits: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2025/26), processed by ESA; CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

These Copernicus Sentinel-2 images show a stretch of the Danube river about 45 km north of the Hungarian capital, Budapest.

This is a satellite’s view from 9 August 2025, showing the river running through a summer landscape, with both yellow and green fields. This image shows the same stretch of river on 4 August 2026, where the level of the Danube is noticeably lower, with visible sandbanks and surrounded by much drier countryside.

The river’s level has fallen to a record low in Hungary due to a severe drought in central Europe. However, drought and heatwaves have become a perennial phenomenon as record low water levels have been recorded in the Danube since 2018.

This year the Danube’s low waters have caused energy and water shortages in and around Budapest as well as problems for river barges and ferries. The low levels of water also impact wildlife, with fish unable to survive as water temperatures and pollution concentration levels rise while oxygen levels decline.

The Danube is the European Union’s longest river and flows for 2860 km from Germany to the Black Sea. Record low levels have also been reported in Romania.

Credits: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2025/26), processed by ESA; CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO