Formula One racing driver who took up hand-cycling after an accident and went on to become a paralympic gold medallist

Alex Zanardi, who has died aged 59, was a Formula One driver and two-times champion in Cart (previously IndyCar); he was also a paralympian who won four gold medals as a hand-cyclist. Perhaps above all he was esteemed as an inspirational figure who reinvented his life after losing both legs in a racing accident in 2001.

In September that year, Zanardi was competing in a Cart race at Lausitzring in north-east Germany, the first time the American series raced in Europe, and was leading the race when he made a late refuelling stop. He lost control while exiting the pits, spun across the track and was hit broadside-on by Alex Tagliani. The impact sheared Zanardi’s car in half. “Part of the car stayed with me, and the other part left, with parts of me in it,” Zanardi recalled in his autobiography My Story (2004).

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Dealer in antiquities who discovered large-scale thefts from the collections of the British Museum

With a doctorate in Roman religion and a university chair, Ittai Gradel, who has died of cancer aged 61, might have confined his achievements to a successful scholarly career. However, in 2008, bored with routine bureaucracy, he left his post at Reading University, and returned to his native Denmark to deal in antiquities.

His disillusionment with academia was reinforced when, a few years later, he discovered that large-scale thefts had been taking place from the British Museum’s collections. At first reluctant to believe the accumulating evidence, Gradel contacted the museum in 2021 only when it became impossible to deny – and was told nothing was missing.

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For more than two decades, Pardington has been photographing taonga (Māori cultural treasures) and natural history specimens in museums around the world. In the South Canterbury museum, she was struck by a collection of stuffed native birds which had been subject to taxidermy – many of them now extinct or endangered. They inspired a new human-scale portrait series of these manu (birds), revered within Māori culture as intermediaries between human and divine worlds. The resulting works will be exhibited at the 2026 Venice Biennale.

Pardington invites viewers to reconsider how they think of birds, and how we might better protect them

• Fiona Pardington: Taharaki Skyside will be exhibited at the Aotearoa New Zealand pavilion at the Venice Biennale from 9 May – 22 November 2026

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Mum taught us to stay kind and honest, even when things were hard. Now I feel her presence in choices that don’t feel easy, but feel right

• Making sense of it is a column about spirituality and how it can be used to navigate everyday life

Mum was kind and gentle in a way that felt so natural. She raised all five of us pretty much on her own after Dad passed away. Those were not easy years, and there were many moments when life could have pushed us in the wrong direction, but she never let that happen. She taught us to stay kind and honest, even when things were hard.

Her father named her Ţalā, which means gold in Farsi. But she was even more precious than that.

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He didn’t just shout me a drink, he made me feel understood and seen. I’ve never forgotten his gesture

I had picked up a box of books at work when my back just went – I have never experienced pain like that in my life. I was off work for weeks, consumed by the agony of it and barely able to move. In desperation, I tried every treatment I could – massage, physiotherapy, herbal compresses. You name it, I’d given it a go.

On one such Hail Mary mission I went to a back pain clinic, where my lower back was injected with anaesthetic. The treatment was so painful, I left the clinic in tears. I remember walking out in such a state and thinking, “How am I even going to get myself home?” As I stumbled along, it occurred to me that I needed something to calm myself down. Spotting a chocolate shop, I stepped inside.

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PM’s attendance at European Political Community meeting in Yerevan seen as part of effort to build new ties after US rupture

Canada is to become the first non-European country to attend a meeting of the European Political Community when the prime minister, Mark Carney, joins Monday’s summit of the 48-plus nation grouping in Yerevan, Armenia.

Carney has said he is determined to build a new network of trade and diplomatic alliances after the loss of US markets under Donald Trump. His presence will also represent a show of western support for Armenia in its efforts to distance itself from Russia at a time when Washington’s approach to Moscow’s opponents, such as Ukraine, is at best ambiguous. Canadian diplomats have rejected suggestions Ottawa might seek EU membership.

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DOESJANBE (ANP) - Judoka Yael van Heemst heeft bij de Grand Slam in Doesjanbe in Tadzjikistan zilver veroverd in de klasse tot 78 kilogram. De 24-jarige judoka verloor met ippon in de finale van Jelizaveta Litvinenko, die uitkomt voor de Verenigde Arabische Emiraten. Marit Kamps greep in dezelfde klasse brons.

Het zilver op het grandslamtoernooi is voor Van Heemst haar beste prestatie bij de senioren. Ze werd eerder in 2024 Europees kampioen onder 23.

Voor Kamps was het toernooi in Doesjanbe haar eerste optreden in de klasse tot 78 kilogram. Ze kwam hiervoor uit in de klasse boven 78 kilogram, maar viel 25 kilogram af. Ze won de strijd om het brons van Wu Hongtao uit China op waza-ari.

AMSTERDAM (ANP) - Rapper Sef heeft zondag een oproep gedaan aan Nederland om op 4 mei stil te zijn voor de slachtoffers van oorlogen, maar om zich de rest van het jaar wel uit te spreken over alle internationale conflicten en oorlogsslachtoffers. Hij deed de oproep op Instagram. De rapper meldde twee maanden geleden dat het Nationaal Comité 4 en 5 mei hem had geschrapt als ambassadeur voor de vrijheid. Volgens Sef had dat te maken met zijn uitlatingen over de oorlog in Gaza.

Het comité wilde in eerste instantie niet reageren op de claim van Sef, maar stelde deze week dat hij was afgevallen, omdat is gekozen voor artiesten die "minder uitgesproken" zijn. De Stichting Bevrijdingsfestivals stelde met klem Sef heel graag als ambassadeur te hebben gezien.

"Dit gaat niet om mij, of om een helikopter, of over de leden van het Comité", aldus Sef. "Dit gaat over de manier waarop we omgaan met ongemakkelijke gesprekken. Over hoe we onze eigen rol in 'internationale conflicten' moeten blijven benoemen om herhaling te voorkomen."

BOURGES (ANP/AFP) - De Franse minister van Binnenlandse Zaken Laurent Nunez heeft beloofd strenger te gaan optreden tegen illegale feesten. Nunez vloog zondag met een helikopter over een illegale rave in Zuid-Frankrijk, die vrijdag begon en waar tienduizenden bezoekers op afkwamen.

De organisatoren zeggen de rave juist te hebben georganiseerd vanwege mogelijke nieuwe wetgeving rond illegale feesten. Voor het organiseren of faciliteren van raves kunnen boetes en celstraffen worden gegeven als die wordt aangenomen. De organisatie zegt ook de locatie van het feest expres te hebben uitgekozen omdat die in de buurt van de geboorteplaats van de minister ligt.

Vooraf waarschuwden de autoriteiten voor mogelijke onontplofte explosieven uit de Tweede Wereldoorlog op het militaire terrein. Daarvan zijn er al twee verwijderd tijdens de rave, meldt BFMTV.

Volgens de organisatie bezochten 40.000 mensen de rave, maar de minister denkt dat het er 17.000 zijn. Zeshonderd mensen zouden al een boete hebben gekregen.

Al Jazeera meldt details over het nieuwste vredesvoorstel van Iran, dat via Pakistan aan de Verenigde Staten is voorgelegd. Volgens bronnen van de zender bestaat het plan uit drie fasen en is het erop gericht het bestand binnen dertig dagen om te zetten in een einde aan de oorlog.

Het plan voorziet in een belofte van non-agressie, ook van Israël, om een ​​terugkeer naar oorlog te voorkomen. Het voorstel verwerpt de ontmanteling van de nucleaire infrastructuur. De Amerikaanse sancties tegen Iran dienen te worden opgeheven.

De eerste fase zou de Straat van Hormuz geleidelijk openstellen en de Amerikaanse blokkade van Iraanse havens opheffen, terwijl Teheran verantwoordelijk is voor het onschadelijk maken van zeemijnen.

Veiligheidssysteem

In de tweede fase hervat Iran de uraniumverrijking, waarbij het land toezegt nooit uranium op te slaan.

In de derde fase gaat Iran een ​​dialoog aan met Arabische landen in de regio om een ​​veiligheidssysteem op te bouwen dat het hele Midden-Oosten omvat, aldus Al Jazeera.

LEYSIN (ANP) - Tadej Pogacar heeft de Ronde van Romandië op zijn naam geschreven. De wereldkampioen van UAE Team Emirates won de slotrit van Lucens naar Leysin en boekte zo zijn vierde etappezege in de Zwitserse rittenkoers.

Voor Pogacar was het de eerste rittenkoers dit jaar. Hij won vier etappes en het eindklassement. De Sloveen had eerder de zege gepakt in de eendagskoersen Strade Bianche, Milaan-Sanremo, Ronde van Vlaanderen en Luik-Bastenaken-Luik.

De slotrit in Zwitserland eindigde met de 14 kilometer lange beklimming naar Leysin. Met nog 6 kilometer te gaan werd de Nieuw-Zeelander Finn Fisher-Black als laatste van de vluchters teruggepakt. Op 3 kilometer van de streep plaatste Lipowitz zijn aanval. Alleen Pogacar volgde en nam over. In de sprint was hij veel sneller dan de Duitser, die voor de derde keer als tweede eindigde.

In het algemeen klassement eindigde Pogacar met 42 seconden voorsprong op Lipowitz. Lenny Martinez uit Frankrijk werd derde op 2.44 minuten.

A technical infringement for Isack Hadjar will see the Red Bull driver start the Miami Grand Prix from the back of the grid.

Greg Adams Photography posted a photo:

In een regenachtig Sittard heeft Feyenoord zichzelf een goede dienst bewezen. De formatie van hoofdtrainer Robin van Persie leek averij op te lopen tegen Fortuna Sittard, maar sleepte de punten toch uit het vuur door een late treffer van Givairo Read. Het gat met NEC bedraagt door de 1-2 zege nu vijf punten.

Pancreatic cancer is a notorious killer. With seven out of eight patients dying within five years, it is the third leading cause of cancer deaths. A new therapeutic mRNA vaccine has been developed which is showing tremendous promise in early-stage clinical trials. Of 16 trial patients, seven who received the treatment have survived now for six years . What needs more investigation: why did half the patients not respond to the vaccine? And most importantly, can the result be reproduced in a larger cohort? What is promising: 1. The same approach is being tested on other hard-to-treat cancers and is a harbinger of personalized cancer treatment (Sci Am archive.ph link). 2. There are minimal side effects and immunity to the cancer appears to persist. A detailed talk by lead researcher Vinod Balanchandran on the road to the vaccine.

Balachandran, director of the Olayan Center for Cancer Vaccines at Memorial Sloan Kettering, used deep-learning to analyze a sample of the patient's tumour and identify the highest-profile neo-antigens for that patient. Neo-antigens are abnormal protein fragments. They present themselves on the surface of pancreatic cancer cells. The computational process is a finely-tuned algorithmic approach that delineates the "self" from the "non-self". The mRNA vaccine causes the patient's body to produce these neo-antigens in great quantities triggering an immune response. The T-cells that are spawned home in on the neo-antigens and kill the tumor cells. The vaccine essentially "lights up" the tumour so that the immune system can see it. Bottom line: Circumstantially, there are sound reasons why this treatment will be proven definitively effective. Balachandran did a prior study of long-term survivors of pancreatic cancer and found they had elevated levels of T-cells that attacked high-profile neoantigens. His treatment mimics that scenario. Despite these promising results, we should keep in mind there have been many false starts in the history of pancreatic cancer treatment. Notably the GVAX vaccine which showed 50% improvement in survival rates in Phase 1 trials but no measurable effect in Phase 2. On the other hand GVAX was a general vaccine, a "shot in the dark" and not a personalized vaccine that homes in on cancer cells. Previously (an earlier description of the trial result from last year).

Pancreatic cancer is a notorious killer. With seven out of eight patients dying within five years, it is the third leading cause of cancer deaths. A new therapeutic mRNA vaccine has been developed which is showing tremendous promise in early-stage clinical trials. Of 16 trial patients, seven who received the treatment have survived now for six years . What needs more investigation: why did half the patients not respond to the vaccine? And most importantly, can the result be reproduced in a larger cohort? What is promising: 1. The same approach is being tested on other hard-to-treat cancers and is a harbinger of personalized cancer treatment (Sci Am archive.ph link). 2. There are minimal side effects and immunity to the cancer appears to persist. A detailed talk by lead researcher Vinod Balanchandran on the road to the vaccine.

Balachandran, director of the Olayan Center for Cancer Vaccines at Memorial Sloan Kettering, used deep-learning to analyze a sample of the patient's tumour and identify the highest-profile neo-antigens for that patient. Neo-antigens are abnormal protein fragments. They present themselves on the surface of pancreatic cancer cells. The computational process is a finely-tuned algorithmic approach that delineates the "self" from the "non-self". The mRNA vaccine causes the patient's body to produce these neo-antigens in great quantities triggering an immune response. The T-cells that are spawned home in on the neo-antigens and kill the tumor cells. The vaccine essentially "lights up" the tumour so that the immune system can see it. Bottom line: Circumstantially, there are sound reasons why this treatment will be proven definitively effective. Balachandran did a prior study of long-term survivors of pancreatic cancer and found they had elevated levels of T-cells that attacked high-profile neoantigens. His treatment mimics that scenario. Despite these promising results, we should keep in mind there have been many false starts in the history of pancreatic cancer treatment. Notably the GVAX vaccine which showed 50% improvement in survival rates in Phase 1 trials but no measurable effect in Phase 2. On the other hand GVAX was a general vaccine, a "shot in the dark" and not a personalized vaccine that homes in on cancer cells. Previously (an earlier description of the trial result from last year).