• James’ late three-pointer forces overtime in win

• Lakers can complete sweep in Houston on Sunday

LeBron James scored 29 points, including a tying three-pointer with 13 seconds left in regulation, Marcus Smart had eight points in overtime and the Los Angeles Lakers took advantage of a Houston Rockets team missing Kevin Durant for a 112-108 win Friday night to take a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference first-round series.

The Lakers rallied from a six-point deficit with under 30 seconds remaining and can sweep the series Sunday night in Houston.

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For all his sins, Johnson didn’t sacrifice others to save himself. That’s not leadership – and Starmer may learn that all too soon

• Simon Hart was government chief whip from 2022 to 2024

Sitting at the back of the public gallery watching Olly Robbins give his evidence to the foreign affairs select committee hearing on Tuesday felt horribly like the summer of 2022 all over again. Back then, the prime minister, Boris Johnson, had seen off numerous attacks on his integrity – most of them from Keir Starmer, for what it’s worth – mainly on the back of Partygate, but with the final blow being struck by the resignation of the little-known deputy chief whip after allegations of sexual misconduct.

The similarities are not lost on anyone like me who has witnessed all of this from relatively close quarters. In Johnson’s case, the main plank of his defence was either that he had been told nothing at all, or that what he was told (by officials or advisers) was selective at best. The trouble was that no one really believed him. He was PM and with that came the expectation that irrespective of the whys and wherefores, the buck had only one place to stop.

Simon Hart was government chief whip from 2022 to 2024, and is author of Ungovernable

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After a two-year wait, video of a young male crossing above a road gives hope that critically endangered species can survive habitat fragmentation

The critically endangered Sumatran orangutan has been filmed for the first time using a canopy bridge to cross a road.

In 2024, conservationists in the Pakpak Bharat district of North Sumatra in Indonesia built the bridge high over the Lagan-Pagindar road, which provides an essential route for local people but which became a barrier for animals.

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Abby, 25, a partnerships manager for film, meets Charlie, 26, a finance analyst

What were you hoping for?
A different kind of Friday night with good company and a fancy meal!

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Christine Dawood found herself trapped on the ship, waiting for signs that the Titan submersible carrying her family would surface. She talks in detail for the first time about those harrowing four days

Walking into Christine Dawood’s kitchen, it’s impossible not to be drawn to the model Titanic in the centre of the room. Sitting in its own glass-fronted cabinet, the Lego ship is almost 1.5 metres long, constructed of 9,090 of the iconic plastic bricks. Dawood’s 19-year-old son Suleman spent almost two weeks building it. “People are always a bit shocked to see it,” she admits. “But what was I going to do? Break it up? Hide it away? Suleman put all those hours in. He’d been fascinated with the Titanic since we went to a huge exhibition when we lived in Singapore.“

I went to that same exhibition when it came to London, and remember marvelling at the china dinner plates that had survived intact; the unused lifejackets that had failed to save someone; the sheet music belonging to the orchestra who had supposedly bravely played even as the ship went down. Instead of a ticket, you were given a replica boarding pass with a real passenger’s name on it. At the end, you could find out who survived and who didn’t.

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There is plenty of sunshine in this seductive, Sri Lankan-style potato curry that’s chock-full of evocative smells and flavours

I stitch myself up sometimes by planning on cooking something that’s native to a country – a Sri Lankan potato curry, say – then embellish it with my own desires (lemongrass, leeks, ginger) to such an extent that it can no longer really be called as such. But taste and memory work in mysterious ways. This recipe still evokes Sri Lanka for me: sunshine, spiced earth, the smell of cinnamon bundles and dense forest, and also the sound of the bread vans (playing Beethoven, curiously) and the distinctive squawk of the myna bird. I hope, if you cook it, it might evoke a little Sri Lankan sunshine for you, too.

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The piccolo tune could only have been written to intentionally drive people completely crazy

I’m sitting in the kitchen with my phone on speaker, listening to an instrumental work featuring a repeated piccolo melody, as I have been for the last half hour. At first it seemed to be a composition without end, cagily constructed to fold back on itself, but after giving it close attention for some minutes I realise it’s just a short section of a larger piece – comprising the four bars before the drums kick in, and the four bars after – that lasts exactly 30 seconds. At the end of the loop it briefly cuts out before starting over again, leaving a silent gap that makes you think a customer service representative is about to speak. But that never happens.

Around the 45 minute mark I make a quick calculation – twice per bar, 8 bars per 30-second cycle – that suggests I have now listened to the repeated piccolo melody more than 1,400 times. It’s hard to imagine this work being devised with any intention beyond driving people – perhaps prisoners – insane.

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Former US ambassador and Labour peer joins a long line of people who have gone out to meet awaiting paparazzi head-on

For a man at the centre of a storm that has rocked the political establishment, Peter Mandelson has spent the week looking remarkably relaxed. Day after day, as MPs have grilled civil servants over who knew what when about the former US ambassador’s security vetting, and police continue to investigate serious allegations over his own conduct, Mandelson has stepped out of his Regent’s Park mansion and pottered across the road to take his dog for a walk.

Smart-casually dressed in jeans and a jumper and holding in front of him a plastic ball-thrower, he has set off for the park like a weekending solicitor on his way to an egg and spoon race. There have been occasional small smiles for the photographers at his gate, but no comment. The message appears to be: I am insouciant, normal. Not in prison.

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A century on from the first tournament in London, the table tennis world championships are back – with a fascinating history attached

The way Wang Chuqin plays, ping-pong is a physical impossibility. By the time you made it to the end of the first two words of that sentence, Chuqin, the men’s world No 1, has seen the ball, calculated its speed, direction, and height, judged whether it is travelling with topspin, backspin, left or right sidespin, or a combination of the four, decided how to return, forehand, backhand, attack, block, push, spin, and where to aim, shifted his weight, positioned his feet, rotated his hips, brought his racket into position, and hit the ball. By the time you got to that first full stop, he has done it all 12 times over.

You almost certainly didn’t know it, but Thursday was world table-tennis day. The England Federation set up a trail of golden tables around London to mark the occasion, and raise a little publicity for the World Team Table Tennis Championships, that are being held in the city for the first time since 1954. During a sunny lunch hour outside Temple Bar, underneath the walls of St Paul’s, city workers are playing during their break, pick-pock, pick-pock, and in among all the noise of the city there’s that familiar rat-a-tat-tat of a runaway ball skipping away from the table into some far corner while the players scurry after it.

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The prodigious growth of running clubs, fuelled by young women, has seen the popularity of the event sky-rocket

There is always magic in the air on a London Marathon morning. But this year the event promises to dazzle and soar more than ever. A world-record 59,000 people will take part in Sunday’s race, raising close to £100m for charity while swallowing 93,024 Lucozade gels from Greenwich to the Mall. There are also whispers of a men’s world record attempt. But the biggest noise of all is coming from those hailing a new golden era of running.

The numbers are astonishing. The facts indisputable. More than 1.1 million people entered the ballot for this year’s race – 750,000 more than four years ago. Notably, a third of those were in the 18-29 category, with female entrants making up the biggest percentage of those under 30.

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In February 2025, a cheap Russian drone tore through Chornobyl’s confinement shelter. Workers warn the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident is not safe yet

The dosimeter clipped to your chest ticks faster the moment you step off the designated path inside the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. Step back, and it slows again – an invisible line between clean ground and contamination.

Above rises the “new safe confinement” (NSC) – the largest, movable steel structure ever built, taller than the Statue of Liberty, wider than the Colosseum, its arch curving overhead like an aircraft hangar built for giant planes.

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Testimony emerges from Babak Alipour, who spent three years on death row before being taken to gallows in March

Writing from his cell in the Rajai Shahr prison in the northern Iranian city of Karaj, Babak Alipour wanted to tell his friends about those who had already gone to their execution.

There was Behrouz Ehsani, 69, the elder statesman of the group, who was “never angry” about their predicament. Then there was Mehdi Hassani, a 48-year-old father of three who he saw a couple of times in the prison hospital and who would ask him to pass on to the children the message that he was “fine”.

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BB: Action Comics No. 1 heads to auction after a 40-year hold

Maine Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a bill that would have imposed the nation's first statewide moratorium on new data centers, saying she supported the idea in principle but would not block a major redevelopment project tied to jobs and local investment. Instead, she said she will create a council to study data centers' effects while also signing a separate measure to deny them certain state tax incentives. Politico reports: "After prior redevelopment efforts failed, the Town of Jay worked for two years on a $550 million data center redevelopment project to finally bring jobs and investment back to the mill site," Mills wrote, adding that she would issue an executive order establishing a council to examine the impact of data centers in Maine.

The legislation would have made Maine the first state to block the construction of new data centers, as both political parties grapple with how voters view them ahead of the midterm elections. In a statement accompanying the letter, the governor said she had signed a separate bill that would prohibit data center projects from receiving Maine's business development tax incentive programs

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Aan de Rotterdamsedijk in Schiedam woedt brand in de kelder van een winkel. Vanwege de brand en de rook die vrijkomt, zijn negen omliggende woningen ontruimd. De brandweer raadt mensen in de omgeving aan om ramen en deuren gesloten te houden.

In Schiedam woedt een grote brand in de kelder van een winkel aan de Rotterdamsedijk. Vanwege de brand en de rook die vrijkomt, zijn de omliggende woningen ontruimd. De brandweer raadt mensen in de omgeving aan om ramen en deuren gesloten te houden.

Waarom kocht Wim Beelen het attractiepark Rivoli voor 6,5 miljoen euro? Naar eigen zeggen dient zijn huidige aankoop puur als aanlegplaats voor een 122 meter lange Ark van Noach. Eerder schafte hij een groot stuk grond aan in de Amsterdamse haven, dat hij vier jaar later voor bijna het dubbele aan de gemeente verkocht.

Snoozing seal blocks road in popular coastal spot. Locals say they are not surprised the seal, described as a regular visitor, decided to stop for a snooze on the roadway.

Weer voor Rotterdam 🌤️ - 25-04-2026 07:15 CEST

In één oogopslag:
• 5.9°C · Licht bewolkt 🌤️ | Min 5.8°C / Max 16.9°C

Verwachting voor vandaag:
• Min 5.8°C, Max 16.9°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1021.1 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 13.0 km/u (3.6 m/s), richting: ↓ 352°

Uurlijkse voorspelling voor de komende 12 uur:

• 08:00: 5.9°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1021.1 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 5.4 km/u (1.5 m/s), richting: ↖ 122°
• 09:00: 6.7°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1021.3 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 3.6 km/u (1.0 m/s), richting: ← 94°
• 10:00: 8.9°C (Gedeeltelijk bewolkt) ⛅, 🧭 1021.4 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 2.9 km/u (0.8 m/s), richting: ↙ 36°
• 11:00: 11.2°C (Gedeeltelijk bewolkt) ⛅, 🧭 1021.6 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 3.6 km/u (1.0 m/s), richting: ↘ 336°
• 12:00: 13.7°C (Licht bewolkt) 🌤️, 🧭 1021.4 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 4.3 km/u (1.2 m/s), richting: ↘ 298°
• 13:00: 15.6°C (Zonnig) ☀️, 🧭 1021.1 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 8.3 km/u (2.3 m/s), richting: ↘ 316°
• 14:00: 16.4°C (Zonnig) ☀️, 🧭 1020.7 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 10.4 km/u (2.9 m/s), richting: ↘ 316°
• 15:00: 16.8°C (Gedeeltelijk bewolkt) ⛅, 🧭 1020.6 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 10.8 km/u (3.0 m/s), richting: ↘ 321°
• 16:00: 16.9°C (Licht bewolkt) 🌤️, 🧭 1020.6 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 11.5 km/u (3.2 m/s), richting: ↘ 313°
• 17:00: 16.3°C (Zonnig) ☀️, 🧭 1020.4 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 11.9 km/u (3.3 m/s), richting: ↘ 322°
• 18:00: 16.1°C (Zonnig) ☀️, 🧭 1020.4 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 10.8 km/u (3.0 m/s), richting: ↘ 318°
• 19:00: 15.6°C (Zonnig) ☀️, 🧭 1020.5 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 11.2 km/u (3.1 m/s), richting: ↘ 319°

Voorspelling voor de komende dagen:

• zondag 26 april: Min 9.1°C, Max 17.3°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1025.4 hPa ↗️ +4.3 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 15.1 km/u (4.2 m/s), richting: ↙ 60°
• maandag 27 april: Min 8.9°C, Max 16.8°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 0.4 mm, Kans op neerslag 5%, 🧭 1024.1 hPa ↘️ -1.3 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 12.3 km/u (3.4 m/s), richting: ↙ 49°
• dinsdag 28 april: Min 6.4°C, Max 16.6°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 0.4 mm, Kans op neerslag 3%, 🧭 1023.9 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 18.6 km/u (5.2 m/s), richting: ↙ 52°
• woensdag 29 april: Min 7.9°C, Max 18.0°C (Zonnig) ☀️, 🧭 1026.6 hPa ↗️ +2.7 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 19.7 km/u (5.5 m/s), richting: ↙ 66°
• donderdag 30 april: Min 9.1°C, Max 18.8°C (Zonnig) ☀️, 🧭 1027.2 hPa ↗️ +0.6 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 20.2 km/u (5.6 m/s), richting: ← 90°
• vrijdag 01 mei: Min 11.2°C, Max 25.1°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 1%, 🧭 1021.0 hPa ↘️ -6.2 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 14.1 km/u (3.9 m/s), richting: ↖ 140°

Details:
• 🌡️ Huidige temperatuur (om 07:15): 5.9°C (Licht bewolkt)
• 🤚 Gevoelstemperatuur: 3.8°C (-2.1°C)
• 💨 Windsnelheid: 6.1 km/u (1.7 m/s), richting: ↖ 121°
• 🌬️ Windstoten: 12.6 km/h (3.5 m/s)
• 💧 Luchtvochtigheid: 89%
• 🧭 Luchtdruk: 1021.1 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/3h
• 👁️ Zichtbaarheid: 50.0 km
• ☀️ UV-index: 0.5
• 🌅 Zonsopgang: 06:24 · 🌇 Zonsondergang: 20:56

Luchtkwaliteit:
• AQI: 32 🟢 (Goed)
• PM2.5: 13.5 μg/m³
• PM10: 17.1 μg/m³

Gegevens geleverd door Open-Meteo

#Rotterdam #Meteo #MeteoBot #MeteoNetherlands #OpenMeteo #FediMeteo