Bibby Boys photo exhibition documents experiences of the men who lived on the former asylum seeker vessel in Dorset and the local community that rallied around them

The Bibby Stockholm barge, which was moored off Portland, Dorset, to accommodate asylum seekers, attracted many negative headlines – from evacuation after the discovery of legionella bacteria, to the suicide of Albanian asylum seeker Leonard Farruku and angry far-right protests.

But an exhibition launching this week reveals a less reported side of life on the barge, where enduring connections between asylum seekers and members of the local community were forged and continue long after the last group of asylum seekers left the vessel in November 2024.

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Sonia Bompastor ‘a bit sad’ at League Cup changes while Andrée Jeglertz steels Manchester City for season’s climax

Sonia Bompastor said losing the opportunity to play in the League Cup was a “bit sad,” but she understood the reason for excluding teams that qualify for the Champions League next season. With Chelsea rarely outside the European places the Blues’ 2-0 League Cup final victory over Manchester United on Sunday may well be their last foray in the competition for some time. “I think I understand the reason why the decision is made,” she said after goals from Lauren James and Aggie Beever-Jones secured the win. “For a club like Chelsea, we are playing a lot of games, our schedule is busy, so I understand the reason behind the decision. As much as we want to be competing in every competition and going as far as possible and grabbing as many titles and trophies as possible, I understand. Of course, when you have one competition that is probably going away from you it’s a bit sad.” Suzanne Wrack

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Food production in many African countries depends heavily on fertiliser imported from the Gulf through the strait of Hormuz

Countries in Africa, where farmers depend heavily on imported fertiliser and a large share of household income goes on food, are particularly vulnerable to supply chain disruptions caused by the war in the Middle East, experts have said.

The conflict has drastically disrupted trade through the strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane not just for oil and gas but also for fertiliser, which is produced in vast quantities in the Gulf.

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The Trump administration’s cuts to biodiversity funding have imperiled species, habitats and the people who defend both. Now the world is seeking a new way forward

On 22 January 2024, at the inauguration of the current Liberian president, Joseph Boakai, the US-based Liberian poet Patricia Jabbeh Wesley paid tribute to the west African nation’s tropical forests – one of the places where, she said, “our fathers came / centuries ago, and planted our umbilical cords / deep in the soil”.

The forests of Liberia are among the most diverse on the planet, home not only to humans and their ancestral ties but also to rare species such as forest elephants, pygmy hippopotamuses and western chimpanzees. They are also chronically threatened by industrial development, including illegal logging and mining.

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As Emerald Fennell’s film sparks debate, we celebrate the pioneering brilliance of the siblings’ work

This was the first novel that Charlotte Brontë completed. It was rejected by publishers nine times. Written in the voice of a male narrator, William Crimsworth, it offers a downbeat story of everyday middle-class striving as the protagonist travels to Brussels to establish his career as a teacher. But the last publisher to see it thought it showed promise, despite being too short and insufficiently “striking and exciting”. Had the author anything else to offer? Luckily, Jane Eyre – which amply supplied the earlier book’s deficiencies – was already in train and was soon accepted with alacrity. Although The Professor remained unpublished in Charlotte’s lifetime, she continued to believe that it was “as good as I can write”; its subtly ironised male voice reveals her underlying literary sophistication.

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The comedian Graeme Garden celebrated and a look at misdirecting geographic capitals

Sometimes our puzzles have themes; sometimes they don’t. A solver might notice some of the themes while others may pass them by: it doesn’t usually matter, but there’s an extra gratification when we get feedback such as this letter:

Thanks to Soup for the splendid birthday compliment to Graeme Garden (Cryptic crossword, 18 February). It brought back joyous memories of The Goodies, and reminded me of how many years I’ve been hooting with laughter at I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue. Many happy returns, Graeme – and all power to your setting, Soup.
Julie Mottershead
Deal, Kent

4d Tense aquatic bird crushed by snake somewhere in South Africa (8)
[ wordplay: T (‘tense’) + SWAN (‘aquatic bird’), both inside BOA (‘snake’)
[ definition: somewhere in South Africa ]

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Parts of US face another winter storm with severe conditions also pushing into Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland

Nearly two months since a major storm brought widespread heavy snow and freezing rain to eastern parts of the US, a new winter storm is sweeping across north-eastern US states and south-eastern Canada.

An area of low pressure, which first developed in north-western parts of the US late last week, intensified rapidly as it pushed north-east through central parts of the US.

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PM says he wants conflict to end as soon as possible due to the impact on the cost of living

Keir Starmer is speaking at his press conference.

The war is entering its third week, he says.

First, we will protect our people in the region.

Second, while taking the necessary action to defend ourselves and our allies, we will not be drawn into the wider war.

Moments like this also tell you about leadership … Now, there are others who would have made a different decision two weeks ago.

They would have rushed the UK headlong into this war without the full picture of what they were sending our forces into and without a plan to get us out.

It is no surprise that our closest and most important ally is so disappointed. The Labour government’s response to the crisis in Iran has been shameful.

We should have been supporting our allies, not making it harder for them. Even now Starmer is still trying to sit on the fence, which is a complete failure of leadership.

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​​De Speld Sport Quote van het weekend.

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&

Back button blunder in WebFiling service run by Companies House revealed confidential paperwork

Companies House was forced to pull down its record-filing platform for the entire weekend to rectify a "security issue" that exposed the personal details of company directors and other data to any logged in users.…

Weer voor Rotterdam ☀️ - 16-03-2026 13:16 CET

In één oogopslag:
• 10.1°C · Zonnig ☀️ | Min 6.9°C / Max 10.9°C | Kans op neerslag 38%

Verwachting voor vandaag:
• Min 6.9°C, Max 10.9°C (Matige motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 1.8 mm, Kans op neerslag 38%, 🧭 1017.1 hPa ↗️ +1.3 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 32.4 km/u (9.0 m/s), richting: → 261°

Uurlijkse voorspelling voor de komende 12 uur:

• 14:00: 10.6°C (Zonnig) ☀️, Kans op neerslag 26%, 🧭 1015.8 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 19.1 km/u (5.3 m/s), richting: → 272°
• 15:00: 10.9°C (Licht bewolkt) 🌤️, Kans op neerslag 16%, 🧭 1015.9 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 16.6 km/u (4.6 m/s), richting: → 274°
• 16:00: 10.9°C (Zonnig) ☀️, Kans op neerslag 8%, 🧭 1016.3 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 14.0 km/u (3.9 m/s), richting: → 267°
• 17:00: 10.4°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 5%, 🧭 1016.7 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 13.7 km/u (3.8 m/s), richting: → 257°
• 18:00: 10.2°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 5%, 🧭 1017.1 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 13.7 km/u (3.8 m/s), richting: → 251°
• 19:00: 9.6°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 6%, 🧭 1017.3 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 12.6 km/u (3.5 m/s), richting: ↗ 235°
• 20:00: 9.1°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 11%, 🧭 1017.5 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 11.5 km/u (3.2 m/s), richting: ↗ 224°
• 21:00: 8.9°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 18%, 🧭 1017.9 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 11.9 km/u (3.3 m/s), richting: ↗ 209°
• 22:00: 9.1°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 22%, 🧭 1018.2 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 13.7 km/u (3.8 m/s), richting: ↗ 207°
• 23:00: 9.1°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 18%, 🧭 1018.2 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 14.4 km/u (4.0 m/s), richting: ↗ 210°
• 00:00: 9.0°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 11%, 🧭 1018.1 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 13.7 km/u (3.8 m/s), richting: ↗ 220°
• 01:00: 9.1°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 0.1 mm, Kans op neerslag 6%, 🧭 1017.8 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 16.6 km/u (4.6 m/s), richting: ↗ 221°

Voorspelling voor de komende dagen:

• dinsdag 17 maart: Min 9.1°C, Max 13.4°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 0.2 mm, Kans op neerslag 2%, 🧭 1018.5 hPa ↗️ +1.4 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 16.6 km/u (4.6 m/s), richting: ↑ 190°
• woensdag 18 maart: Min 7.3°C, Max 14.9°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1024.3 hPa ↗️ +5.8 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 17.3 km/u (4.8 m/s), richting: ↖ 113°
• donderdag 19 maart: Min 4.2°C, Max 14.8°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1026.2 hPa ↗️ +1.9 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 8.9 km/u (2.5 m/s), richting: ↙ 50°
• vrijdag 20 maart: Min 4.2°C, Max 11.9°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1023.3 hPa ↘️ -2.9 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 10.9 km/u (3.0 m/s), richting: ↙ 49°
• zaterdag 21 maart: Min 1.5°C, Max 11.9°C (Gedeeltelijk bewolkt) ⛅, Kans op neerslag 1%, 🧭 1019.5 hPa ↘️ -3.8 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 14.4 km/u (4.0 m/s), richting: ↙ 47°
• zondag 22 maart: Min 2.9°C, Max 11.4°C (Zonnig) ☀️, Kans op neerslag 3%, 🧭 1017.6 hPa ↘️ -1.9 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 12.3 km/u (3.4 m/s), richting: ↙ 64°

Details:
• 🌡️ Huidige temperatuur (om 13:15): 10.1°C (Zonnig)
• 🤚 Gevoelstemperatuur: 6.1°C (-4.0°C)
• 💨 Windsnelheid: 19.4 km/u (5.4 m/s), richting: → 267°
• 🌬️ Windstoten: 39.6 km/h (11.0 m/s)
• 💧 Luchtvochtigheid: 54%
• 🧭 Luchtdruk: 1015.8 hPa ↗️ +0.5 hPa/3h
• 👁️ Zichtbaarheid: 50.0 km
• ☀️ UV-index: 2.5
• 🌅 Zonsopgang: 06:53 · 🌇 Zonsondergang: 18:47

Luchtkwaliteit:
• AQI: 35 🟢 (Goed)
• PM2.5: 4.4 μg/m³
• PM10: 11.3 μg/m³

Gegevens geleverd door Open-Meteo

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

F1 The Movie has won an Academy Award for 'Best Sound' having been nominated in four different categories.

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

ajpscs posted a photo:

the SQUARE
© ajpscs

DEN HAAG (ANP) - Minister-president Rob Jetten heeft maandag een "indringend gesprek" gehad met vertegenwoordigers van de Joodse gemeenschap. Aanleiding voor het onderhoud waren recente aanslagen op een joods gebedshuis en een joodse school in Rotterdam en Amsterdam.

"Het was een heel indringend gesprek waar ook veel boosheid in zit. Dat is begrijpelijk. Want op deze manier wordt gepoogd om de Joodse Nederlandse gemeenschap te intimideren, angst aan te jagen en dat past ook in een breder patroon van toenemend antisemitisme in Nederland", aldus Jetten.

Er is onder meer gesproken over de aanpak van antisemitisme. Dat moet volgens de premier gebeuren door betere educatie en continue aandacht voor de strijd tegen antisemitisme. Bij het gesprek waren ook de minister van Justitie en de coördinator antisemitismebestrijding aanwezig.

AMSTERDAM (ANP) - Het AI-cloudbedrijf Nebius heeft een overeenkomst met Meta ondertekend ter waarde van zo'n 27 miljard dollar (ongeveer 23,5 miljard euro). Het bedrijf zegt infrastructuur voor kunstmatige intelligentie (AI) te gaan leveren aan de eigenaar van Facebook en Instagram.

Nebius komt voort uit een afsplitsing van het Russische technologiebedrijf Yandex en heeft zijn hoofdkantoor in Amsterdam. Volgens de vijfjarige overeenkomst gaat het bedrijf vanaf begin 2027 voor 12 miljard dollar aan capaciteit leveren op meerdere locaties. Daarnaast heeft Meta volgens Nebius toegezegd tot 15 miljard dollar aan extra rekencapaciteit te kopen. Nebius is op dit moment van plan deze capaciteit te verkopen aan externe klanten van zijn AI-cloudactiviteiten. Wat daarvan overblijft, zal Meta kopen.

Met deze deal breidt Nebius de bestaande samenwerking met Meta uit. Het bedrijf sloot vorig jaar een miljardendeal met Microsoft om AI-infrastructuur aan die techgigant te leveren.

Defend-leden waren aanwezig bij zeker 21 lokale anti-azc of anti-migratiedemonstraties, aldus stichting Justice for Prosperity en Pointer.

Bij een inval aan de Bilderdijkstraat in Zwijndrecht is maandagochtend een grote hoeveelheid militaire spullen en geld gevonden. Het gaat onder meer om een voorraad aan wapens, helmen en legertenten. De politie denkt dat het grotendeels om gestolen spullen gaat. De bewoner van het adres, een medewerker van Defensie, is aangehouden.