Global effort needed to limit effects of pollution, industrial fishing and climate crisis, World Ocean Assessment says

The world’s oceans are under “severe and accelerating” pressure from human activities, with the rate of sea-level rise double that of a decade ago, according to a damning assessment from the United Nations.

The “intensifying” stressors, which include pollution and large-scale industrial fishing, are cumulative, said the report, resulting in widespread biodiversity loss and putting ocean systems under “severe strain”.

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• ‘Do not have sufficient funds to operate in 26-27 season’

• Talks with potential investors ‘have fallen away’

Durham, the Women’s Super League 2 side, have issued an urgent plea for funding and warned that they will have to “cease operations” if they cannot find fresh investment within the next 21 days.

The independently run club, who are not affiliated to a professional men’s side, have been competing in the second tier of the English women’s football pyramid for 12 years, but say their owners can “no longer keep pace” with the women’s game’s development.

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• Nottingham Forest rejected City’s £80m bid for midfielder

• United’s Jason Wilcox also monitoring Mateus Fernandes

Manchester United remain intent on signing Elliot Anderson, with the club’s executives optimistic they can beat Manchester City in the race to acquire the 23-year-old midfielder, who is valued at about £100m by Nottingham Forest.

Jason Wilcox, United’s director of football, is also monitoring Mateus Fernandes as another option to strengthen the midfield department of Michael Carrick’s squad. West Ham are believed to want in the region of £80m for the 21-year-old Portuguese, though this may prove an unrealistic fee.

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De A15 is maandag ten hoogte van Papendrecht lange tijd in beide richtingen afgesloten geweest, omdat de weg bezaaid lag met takken. De hulpdiensten waren druk bezig om de boel op te ruimen, maar dit duurde enkele uren. Inmiddels is de weg weer vrij.

De A15 is ten hoogte van Papendrecht in beide richtingen afgesloten, omdat de weg bezaaid ligt met takken. De hulpdiensten zijn bezig om de boel op te ruimen, maar hoe laat de snelweg weer vrijkomt, is nog niet bekend. Op beelden is te zien dat er een enorme rij aan voertuigen achter de takkenbende staat.

Miniworld Rotterdam is failliet. Dat blijkt uit een brief aan de leveranciers van de attractie. De miniatuurwereld, die in maart 2007 haar deuren opende aan het Weena, verkeerde al langer in financieel zwaar weer. In de brief wordt duidelijk dat er geen nieuwe bezoekers meer zullen komen.

DEN HAAG (ANP) - Minister Pieter Heerma van Binnenlandse Zaken wil dat overheden kijken naar mogelijke discriminatie bij hun eigen werk. Hij roept hen op om zich te melden voor de zogeheten discriminatietoets, een middel voor overheidsorganisaties om risico's op discriminatie op te sporen.

Het discriminatieonderzoek voor overheden is bedacht door de Staatscommissie tegen Discriminatie en Racisme, die deze maandag haar eindrapport presenteerde. Daarin staat dat de overheid nu vooral reageert op incidenten met discriminatie, in plaats van die actief te voorkomen. De staatscommissie wil dat Heerma "concrete en meetbare doelen" opstelt voor het gebruik van de discriminatietoets.

De CDA-minister gaat later uitgebreider in op de adviezen van de staatscommissie, maar voor nu houdt hij het bij zijn oproep. Eerst wil Heerma meer ervaring opdoen met de discriminatietoets, verklaart hij. Ook denkt hij dat overheden serieuzer bij zichzelf gaan kijken naar discriminatie als ze het vrijwillig doen dan als het verplicht wordt. "Er is veel enthousiasme om ermee aan de slag te gaan."

De brancheorganisatie van supermarkten, het Centraal Bureau Levensmiddelenhandel (CBL), heeft het kabinet een brandbrief gestuurd over een “enorme inflatiegolf” bij voedsel. Volgens het economisch bureau van Rabobank liggen de prijzen van voedingsmiddelen eind dit jaar al zo’n vijf procent hoger dan een jaar eerder, om medio 2027 op bijna tien procent voedselinflatie uit te komen.

Supermarkten zeggen dat klanten dat in elk gangpad gaan voelen: van brood en groente tot frisdrank en snacks.

Oorlog, olie én Den Haag

Een deel van de prijsstijging wordt veroorzaakt door factoren waar Den Haag weinig greep op heeft.

De oorlog in het Midden-Oosten jaagt brandstof- en energieprijzen op, en die hogere kosten komen uiteindelijk terecht in de supermarktprijzen.

Daarnaast investeren supermarkten in duurzaamheid, gezondheid en statiegeldsystemen, wat de kostprijs verhoogt, maar volgens de sector ook minder milieubelastende producten oplevert.

Waar de supermarkten vooral boos over zijn, zijn nieuwe en geplande overheidsmaatregelen die de rekening extra verhogen.

Dit maakt je kar extra duur

In de brandbrief zet het CBL een serie maatregelen op een rij die direct in de prijzen zouden doorwerken.

• Een suikertaks op suikerhoudende dranken en producten
• Een vrachtwagenheffing voor transport
• Extra energieheffingen
• De verhoging van het minimumloon en het minimumjeugdloon
• Extra nationale regels bovenop Europese wetgeving

Volgens de supermarkten hebben al deze maatregelen één gemeenschappelijk effect: ze maken de bedrijfsvoering duurder zonder dat de klant daar direct iets voor terugkrijgt, behalve een hogere kassabon.

Het minimumloon is sinds januari 2020 al met 39 tot 54 procent gestegen, terwijl de cao-lonen in het bedrijfsleven met 30 procent omhoog gingen. Per 1 juli stijgt het minimumloon naar 15 euro per uur, waar dat eerder nog rond de 10 euro lag.

Minimumloon als breekijzer

De snelle loonstijging zorgt voor forse spanningen binnen het bedrijfsleven. Grote ketens als Ahold en Jumbo zegden hun lidmaatschap bij werkgeverskoepel VNO-NCW op omdat die volgens hen te weinig tegen de minimumloongolf heeft gelobbyd.

Ook economen plaatsen kanttekeningen. Hoogleraar Arnoud Boot noemt de combinatie van hoge lonen, dure energie, hoge huren en administratieve lasten “zeer frustrerend” voor ondernemers. Retaildeskundige Paul Moers waarschuwt voor een “eindeloze inflatiespiraal”, waarin hogere lonen weer leiden tot hogere prijzen, die vervolgens opnieuw tot looneisen leiden.

De Rabobank rekent voor dat van de verwachte voedselinflatie in 2027 zo’n 0,5 tot 1 procentpunt direct is toe te schrijven aan de verhoging van het jeugdloon.

De rekening voor de consument

Ondertussen merken consumenten de prijsdruk al dagelijks in hun mandje. In de reacties onder het artikel bij De Telegraaf schrijven lezers dat boodschappen “onbetaalbaar” worden en geven ze voorbeelden van saladebakjes en broodjes die in korte tijd fors duurder zijn geworden.

Het kabinet zegt bereid te zijn om extra koopkrachtsteun te geven, maar het CBL vraagt vooral om een pauze in nieuw beleid dat de prijzen verder opdrijft. Volgens de supermarkten zou die brandbrief er zonder oorlog en energiecrisis niet zijn geweest, maar is er nu alle reden om prijsverhogende maatregelen uit te stellen.

Als Rabobank gelijk krijgt, staat de Nederlander de komende anderhalf jaar voor een ongemakkelijke rekensom: ofwel minder in het karretje, ofwel meer aan het eind van de maand naar de supermarkt.

Wil je dat ik deze tekst nog explicieter toespits op jouw lezers (bijvoorbeeld met een kopje “Wat betekent dit voor jouw portemonnee?” en enkele concrete productvoorbeelden)?

LEIDSCHENDAM (ANP) - Boodschappen worden volgend jaar tot wel 10 procent duurder. Daarvoor waarschuwt supermarktkoepel CBL in een brandbrief aan het kabinet. De prijsstijgingen zijn volgens de branchevereniging deels te wijten aan maatregelen van de overheid.

Het CBL stelt dat maatregelen waaronder de suikertaks, de vrachtwagenheffing, energieheffingen, verhoging van het minimumloon en het minimumjeugdloon en diverse toevoegingen bovenop de Europese wetgeving kostenverhogend zijn zonder dat daar een toegevoegde waarde tegenover staat voor de klant in de winkel. De brancheorganisatie roept daarom "met klem" op de voorgenomen beleidsmaatregelen de komende tijd niet uit te voeren.

De supermarkten zijn bang dat deze maatregelen bovenop de prijsstijgingen door de wereldwijde ontwikkelingen en de oorlog in het Midden-Oosten de boodschappen nog extra duurder maken. "Afhankelijk van het product kan die verhoging van de prijs vier tot twaalf maanden duren", aldus het CBL.

DEN HAAG (ANP) - ASN Bank is nog niet klaar voor een besluit over eventuele privatisering. Dat schrijft minister Eelco Heinen (Financiën) aan de Tweede Kamer. Hij baseert zich op een rapport van NLFI, de stichting die de aandelenbelangen van de overheid in financiële instellingen beheert. De VVD-bewindsman wil de bank graag verkopen of naar de beurs brengen, maar daarvoor is het onder meer nodig dat eerst de kosten verder omlaag gaan.

ASN - voorheen de Volksbank - is sinds 2013 in overheidshanden. Toenmalig minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem van Financiën besloot toen het noodlijdende SNS Reaal te nationaliseren, om een faillissement met verstrekkende gevolgen voor de gehele financiële sector te voorkomen. De verzekerings- en vastgoedactiviteiten werden al wel weer verkocht.

De door Heinen gewenste privatisering van ASN stuit op weerstand in de Tweede Kamer. Niet alleen grote oppositiepartijen als PRO en de PVV, maar ook regeringspartij CDA ziet deze stap niet zitten. Heinen legde de oproep van een Kamermeerderheid om de voorbereidingen stop te zetten evenwel naast zich neer.

Heeft werkgeversorganisatie VNO-NCW de afgelopen jaren wel goed gezorgd voor alle ondernemers in Nederland – van de multinational tot de buurtsuper om de hoek? Nee, zeggen de supermarkten. En daarom verlaten ze de werkgeverskoepel.

Het hele eerste jaar van de coronapandemie bleef het kabinet het virus onderschatten. Zo werd de opgebouwde crisisstructuur in de zomer van 2020 te rap afgebouwd en hoopte het…

Sinds 1 november 2025 mogen gedetineerden in de EBI nog maar twee advocaten hebben. Nu hebben twee cocaïnesmokkelaars – die door het nieuwe regime geen contact kunnen hebben met hun advocaat bij het Europese hof – zich beklaagd. „Deze regeling schiet haar doel voorbij”, zegt hun advocaat.

Na anderhalf jaar mag Feyenoord-coach Robin van Persie alweer vertrekken. De nieuwe directie van de club gelooft niet dat de clubicoon de juiste man is om het spel en de prestaties te verbeteren. „”We willen structureel succesvol worden.”

UBUNTU SUMMIT Canonical is still experimenting with the format of the Ubuntu Summit series of free conferences, and its most recent instance, the 26.04 edition, was a primarily online event. There was a small in-person invited audience, which by our informal estimate was about half the size of the one at last October's edition. The event opened with a keynote from Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth, and his opening sentence set the tone for much of what would follow: The agentic revolution will touch every aspect of human endeavor. We take that to mean the use of LLM "agents" to develop software, translate between human languages and from speech to text, and so on. For all that this vulture might personally dispute just how revolutionary this is, there were some 21 full-length talks over the two days of the summit, and about half of them were about AI, or at least touched upon the subject. Shuttleworth's keynote also contained the biggest Canonical product announcement of the event: the new Workshop sandboxed LLM development environments (at the 20-minute mark in the video above). Workshop uses Canonical's LXD "containervisor" and snap packaging to make it easy to install and run LLM agents, while keeping them isolated in sandboxes so that they can only access specific limited resources in that user's home directory. For instance, they can access the machine's GPUs and nominated local files, while being walled off from personal data such as stored credentials. As Shuttleworth put it: You can run random code, from the internet, on your laptop, without handing it root. Canonical also announced Workshop online the same day, with a collection of documentation already available, including a tutorial. Workshop is an open source project with the source code on GitHub. Later that day, engineering manager Dmitry Lyfar gave a talk on the new tool, titled Introducing Workshop. Shuttleworth's keynote was followed by another by VP of engineering Jon Seager. As we reported last month in our article on AI integration into Ubuntu and Fedora, Seager recently published a blog post about the company's AI intentions. In his keynote, Seager said that this post had been "SEO'd to death," but he too devoted a substantial part of his talk to AI, saying: Ubuntu can't be in the conversation about AI and open source unless it has a position and a stake. Seager also spelled out some of what this will mean, from small feature improvements such as improving auto-focus in webcams and making power management more intelligent, to more significant features. He called out accessibility as a key area for investment and improvement. He said that "existing Linux screen readers suck" – harsh, but not entirely unfair – and that there is "so much room for improvement" in that area. He continued that the plan is "to enable speech-to-text everywhere in the desktop," but said "AI is transformative for people with disabilities" and that the company soon hopes to preview the "first AI-powered context-aware desktop features." In case, this sounds niche or unimportant, it really isn't. Speech-to-text is a vital tool for people with physical impairments that make typing difficult. This vulture has written at length about the importance of keyboard user interface design, as well as about how few Linux desktops fully and correctly implement it, leaving Apple with a significant edge in this area. As it happens, this author is a keyboard-intensive user with relatively poor eyesight, so this matters to us. Register accessibility columnist Colin Hughes has written about the importance of speech-to-text UI. For now, Linux's usability in this area is much poorer, and as Wayland displaces X11 from the big-name desktops, it's about to get a lot worse, as the recent blog post from "nocoffei" describes: My Accessibility Stack and the future on Wayland. "nocoffei" links to the same series of blog posts by TapType developer Aaron Hewitt that we did back in March, under the collective title "I Want to Love Linux. It Doesn't Love Me Back." We recommend them again: Built for Control, But Not for People: Linux is already broken before you even start The Audio Stack Is a Crime Scene: You can't hear anything – and it's not your fault Interlude – A Thank You, Where It's Due: This is what it looks like when people care In part 4, he takes a surprising new direction: Wayland Is Growing Up, And Now We Don't Have a Choice: The future is Wayland. Let's make sure we're invited. In that, he reports on significant strides in keyboard-driven accessibility for blind users with GNOME on Wayland – but as nocoffei's post spells out, that is no help to those who can see fine but can't type. If the integration of AI into Ubuntu can address this or improve on the current situation, that will go further toward ameliorating this vulture's deep skepticism about the viability of LLMs than anything else. Bootnotes Canonical invited The Register to attend the Summit in person, and paid for our travel and accommodation during the event. Indeed, if you look closely at the 30-second mark of the highlight reel – it's only 50 seconds long, so it's not too arduous – you can see The Reg FOSS desk's hands typing away industriously into Logseq. Back in April 2023, severe injuries from a road traffic accident very nearly cost the author one of those hands, which is part of the reason for his interest in accessibility tools – as well as the reason for the MacBook Air visible in that video, into which his articles were dictated for the next few months. On the subject of AI integration into desktop distros, it's interesting to note that since we wrote about AI tooling in Fedora a month ago, there has been considerable pushback from the user community, and two committee members have changed their votes to oppose it. ®

At the recent TNB Energy Transition Conference, ZTE showcased an integrated portfolio of digital utility, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and intelligent infrastructure technologies. The display highlighted how advanced connectivity and digitalization can support the evolving needs of modern power utilities while driving Malaysia's broader energy transition ambitions. The technologies presented by ZTE encompassed a broad range of digital utility and intelligent infrastructure solutions designed to support the evolving needs of modern power systems. These included Digital Utility Solutions that demonstrate global best practices in utility digitalization and smart grid communications, AI-driven platforms that enhance operational intelligence and predictive decision-making, as well as integrated grid connectivity technologies that enable secure, resilient and wide-area communications for critical utility operations. The showcase also featured Smart Energy Innovations that apply AI technologies to energy optimisation, forecasting and sustainability initiatives, alongside Next Generation Optical Transport Networks that provide secure, high-capacity backbone connectivity for digital utility infrastructure. Collectively, the integrated technologies demonstrate how intelligent digital infrastructure can help utilities improve operational visibility, strengthen grid resilience, enhance efficiency and support more advanced energy management capabilities. The solutions are aligned with broader digital utility transformation efforts, including initiatives undertaken by utilities such as Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), by supporting capabilities such as real-time monitoring, operational efficiency, enhanced visibility of network performance and intelligent utility management. Liu Bang, Managing Director of ZTE Malaysia, said: "These technologies demonstrate how AI-driven platforms, intelligent connectivity, and optical transport networks can support the future of digital utilities and smart grid development." "Through our collaboration with Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) on selected technology initiatives, ZTE continues to contribute its expertise and innovation capabilities. We remain committed to supporting utility digitalization and Malaysia's broader energy transition aspirations," Liu added. In addition to its digital utility and intelligent infrastructure solutions, ZTE also showcased its latest mobile gaming devices, demonstrating the company's continued innovation across both enterprise and consumer technology segments. Among the devices on display was the nubia Neo 5 GT 5G, an affordable gaming smartphone equipped with a built-in cooling fan designed to maintain performance during extended gaming sessions. ZTE also presented the REDMAGIC 11 Pro, its latest flagship gaming smartphone featuring an advanced liquid cooling system and an under-display front camera design that delivers a true full-screen gaming experience without a visible camera cut-out. The devices reflect ZTE's broader commitment to technological innovation across communications infrastructure, artificial intelligence, digital utilities and next-generation smart devices. Beyond the technologies presented during the conference, ZTE has participated in technology validation and assessment activities relating to smart metering communication solutions. These activities have provided valuable insights into the performance, reliability and applicability of the technology within utility operating environments. Aside from that, the readiness of ZTE's local delivery and technical support teams, together with ecosystem partners, will support long-term utility digitalization initiatives across Malaysia. As the country advances its National Energy Transition Roadmap ("NETR") ambitions, ZTE believes intelligent utility technologies will play an increasingly important role in accelerating Malaysia's energy transition by enabling accurate metering, improving operational transparency, strengthening grid resilience, and supporting more efficient energy usage. The technologies are also expected to support TNB's broader AMI ambitions, while enabling future smart energy applications such as rooftop solar integration, EV charging optimization, and demand-side energy management capabilities for households and businesses. Through continuous innovation and strategic collaboration, ZTE aims to support utilities in building intelligent, scalable and resilient infrastructure capable of supporting the future demands of the energy sector. Contributed by ZTE.

The devil may wear Prada, but soon Moon-bound astronauts will be sporting unmentionables from the high-fashion brand. Okay, to be honest, Prada hasn’t actually designed haute-couture Italian astronaut underthings for casual rocket missions so much as its existing collaboration with Axiom Space has been expanded to include a base layer for the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), which the pair announced in 2024. One can’t be caught in an unfashionable Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment (LCVG) inside a fashion house EVA suit, after all. Axiom rolled out the LCVG in New York City over the weekend, describing it as the companion piece that future NASA Moon explorers will be issued when humans return to the lunar surface as part of the Artemis IV mission in 2028, provided that the timeline doesn’t change again. According to Axiom and Prada’s announcement, the new LCVG will be much like old designs, inasmuch as the ensemble is outfitted with a bunch of tubes circulating chilled water across an astronaut’s body and moving hotter stuff toward the suit’s life-support system, where heat is expelled. The ventilation portion of the acronym involves a series of oxygen tubes “delivering fresh oxygen across an astronaut's face to continuously wash away exhaled carbon dioxide,” which is then removed by carbon dioxide scrubbers in the suit’s life support system. The Prada/Axiom LCVG differs from older models in its redundancy, the companies said. The suit includes “a fully redundant cooling circuit” to ensure no one has to come back to the ship sweatier and nastier than they have to be. Because NASA is envisioning extended spacewalks on the Moon, Axiom and Prada designed the AxEMU to support eight-hour spacewalks on the Lunar South Pole, which the new LCVG is also designed to support. While the companies didn’t give specifics about the materials or other elements of the LCVG, the announcement did mention Prada’s “expertise in engineered knitting and innovative design concepts,” along with advanced 3D modeling, contributed to a “high-performance” suit that includes “specialized fibers that allow the garment to be worn repeatedly across long-duration missions.” Axiom didn’t respond to our questions before publication, so we're left to wonder what those fibers will do - maybe reduce the stink inherent in a long-term lunar mission? Astro-BO doesn’t matter if you can’t make it to the Moon No one wants to be stuck in a tiny capsule with several people unable to clean themselves with much more than wet wipes and dry shampoo, but presumably stink-suppressing Prada space suit unders don’t really matter if future Artemis missions have trouble getting to space. Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket recently exploded, leading to extensive damage at its Cape Canaveral launch complex and what could be more than a year of reconstruction to get the platform ready for its next launch. SpaceX’s Starship, one of NASA's options for getting astronauts back to the Moon, hasn't done much better of late, and is running short on time to prove it can meet the agency's lunar mission needs. And then there's Axiom and Prada's part in the whole show, which NASA's watchdog has raised concerns about as well. NASA's Inspector General said in an April report that while Axiom currently plans to have demonstration suits ready in 2027, historical testing timelines suggest the agency might not see flight-ready demonstrations until 2031. As it currently stands, Artemis IV is the mission NASA intends to land at the Moon’s south pole, and it plans to do so in 2028. That timeline has already slipped once, and given recent setbacks, could very well slip again, likely giving Axiom and Prada a bit more time to get their interplanetary fashion house in order. ®

Ellie Eli Hayeli (Eliake resident) has added a photo to the pool:

╭─── ⛩️ ───╮
　　🌿　☀️　🌿
　 風神祓い
　　夜を朝へと
　　　花流る
　 　🌸　🍃　🌸
╰─── ⛩️ ───╯
　天之御中主神へ

The wind purifies
The Night becomes the Light
Spring Petals flow away

The folks at Fred Rogers Productions have launched a YouTube channel dedicated to Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. They plan to post compilations, clips, and full episodes, some of which haven’t been seen on PBS in years & years. One of the first complete episodes they’ve posted is the one about how crayons are made!

Other full episodes include A Visit with Officer Clemmons, The Very First Episode (from 1968), and Koko the Gorilla Meets Mister Rogers.

And there’s also this 30-minute compilation of fan-favorite factory visits.

Again, here’s the channel if you want to subscribe or explore more.

Tags: Fred Rogers · Mister Rogers' Neighborhood · TV · video · YouTube