⚽️ Nations League updates from the 7.45pm BST kick-offs
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The other one:

I hear there’s some news around, but there’s a game or two on as well. So while you’re wading through the redacted findings of an independent commission, taking in the Premier League v Manchester City, you can have a glance here as well for Scotland v Switzerland, Spain v Croatia, and others. No, we don’t have the excitement of “sham” contracts, but we’ve got the magic of the Nations League! I’m not selling this well, am I? Anywho, we’ve got seven 7.45pm BST kick-offs to keep tabs on, with Rob Smyth watching over Czechia v England. Keep me company with all your hopes, dreams and fears.

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⚽️ Nations League updates, 7.45pm BST kick-off in Prague
⚽️ Live scores | Follow us over on TikTok and Instagram

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Nations League game between Czechia and England in Prague. Big game, this. A win for England would reduce the slowly growing pressure on Thomas Tuchel; a defeat would give it more fertiliser and leave England up against it in the admittedly not-that-important battle to reach the Nations League quarter-finals.

England did a lot of good things against Spain on Saturday, and losing to the best team in the world should never be a crime. But rightly or wrongly, the mood around the England team has been febrile since their collapse against Argentina, so tonight matters. A good result – and an emphatic performance – would come in handy.

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Relations between the two countries soured in January when a UAE-backed force was defeated by Saudi Arabia in Yemen

Saudi Arabia is being urged to reconcile with the United Arab Emirates over Yemen as the price Riyadh must pay to form a military alliance capable of driving the Houthis back.

Relations between the UAE and Saudi Arabia in Yemen, where both had backed anti-Houthi forces, plummeted in January this year when a force with which it had been aligned – the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) – was attacked and defeated by Saudi Arabia in a move intended to squash its attempt to recreate a separate southern state. The UAE subsequently effectively quit Yemen.

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Mark Hughes and Giorgio Piola analyse McLaren's major Baku upgrade package and explain why the team emerged encouraged despite an imperfect debut.

Lucho Maya has added a photo to the pool:

De inspectie legde deze zomer boetes op aan de uitgevers van twee kranten, waaronder NRC. Dat gebeurde na een handhavingsverzoek van een medicijndistributeur.

Door een omstreden aandeleninkoop is de Indonesische zakenman Haji Isam nu een van de machtigste steenkoolmagnaten ter wereld. Hij zet zijn fortuin met succes in om politieke invloed te kopen.

Weer voor Rotterdam ☀️ - 29-09-2026 19:15 CEST

In één oogopslag:
• 23.5°C · Zonnig ☀️ | Min 16.4°C / Max 25.4°C | Kans op neerslag 20%

Verwachting voor vandaag:
• Min 16.4°C, Max 25.4°C (Zware motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 1.2 mm, Kans op neerslag 20%, 🧭 1015.5 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 16.6 km/u (4.6 m/s), richting: ← 107°

Uurlijkse voorspelling voor de komende 12 uur:

• 20:00: 21.9°C (Helder) 🌕, 🧭 1015.4 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 10.1 km/u (2.8 m/s), richting: ← 95°
• 21:00: 21.4°C (Helder) 🌕, 🧭 1015.4 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 12.6 km/u (3.5 m/s), richting: ← 110°
• 22:00: 21.6°C (Licht bewolkt) 🌕, 🧭 1015.7 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 13.7 km/u (3.8 m/s), richting: ↖ 141°
• 23:00: 21.6°C (Helder) 🌕, 🧭 1015.7 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 14.8 km/u (4.1 m/s), richting: ↑ 163°
• 00:00: 21.0°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1015.7 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 13.0 km/u (3.6 m/s), richting: ↖ 152°
• 01:00: 20.4°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1015.5 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 13.3 km/u (3.7 m/s), richting: ↖ 156°
• 02:00: 19.9°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1015.4 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 13.3 km/u (3.7 m/s), richting: ↖ 143°
• 03:00: 20.0°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1015.6 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 13.7 km/u (3.8 m/s), richting: ↖ 143°
• 04:00: 19.8°C (Gedeeltelijk bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1015.3 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 14.4 km/u (4.0 m/s), richting: ↖ 145°
• 05:00: 19.6°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1015.1 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 13.0 km/u (3.6 m/s), richting: ↖ 138°
• 06:00: 19.7°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1014.9 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 13.3 km/u (3.7 m/s), richting: ↖ 139°
• 07:00: 19.5°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1014.8 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 13.3 km/u (3.7 m/s), richting: ↖ 143°

Voorspelling voor de komende dagen:

• woensdag 30 september: Min 18.4°C, Max 25.3°C (Zware motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 2.6 mm, Kans op neerslag 27%, 🧭 1015.8 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 17.3 km/u (4.8 m/s), richting: ↑ 170°
• donderdag 01 oktober: Min 15.6°C, Max 18.6°C (Lichte regen) 🌧️, Neerslag 2.1 mm, Kans op neerslag 43%, 🧭 1021.4 hPa ↗️ +5.6 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 16.2 km/u (4.5 m/s), richting: ↗ 213°
• vrijdag 02 oktober: Min 12.7°C, Max 19.5°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 0.3 mm, Kans op neerslag 3%, 🧭 1029.5 hPa ↗️ +8.1 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 8.8 km/u (2.4 m/s), richting: ↗ 211°
• zaterdag 03 oktober: Min 11.6°C, Max 19.2°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 3%, 🧭 1029.1 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 7.8 km/u (2.2 m/s), richting: ↗ 244°
• zondag 04 oktober: Min 11.8°C, Max 17.8°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 6%, 🧭 1028.9 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 5.2 km/u (1.4 m/s), richting: ↓ 339°
• maandag 05 oktober: Min 11.5°C, Max 18.5°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 5%, 🧭 1024.1 hPa ↘️ -4.8 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 9.6 km/u (2.7 m/s), richting: → 253°

Details:
• 🌡️ Huidige temperatuur (om 19:15): 23.5°C (Zonnig)
• 🤚 Gevoelstemperatuur: 22.7°C (-0.8°C)
• 💨 Windsnelheid: 11.2 km/u (3.1 m/s), richting: ← 101°
• 🌬️ Windstoten: 19.4 km/h (5.4 m/s)
• 💧 Luchtvochtigheid: 72%
• 🧭 Luchtdruk: 1015.4 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/3h
• 👁️ Zichtbaarheid: 18.8 km
• ☀️ UV-index: 0.0
• 🌅 Zonsopgang: 07:39 · 🌇 Zonsondergang: 19:24

Luchtkwaliteit:
• AQI: 58 🟡 (Matig)
• PM2.5: 10.5 μg/m³
• PM10: 19.2 μg/m³

Gegevens geleverd door Open-Meteo

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

Philip Glass

Scientists have identified two new contenders for the world’s loudest bird—the bare-throated bellbird and the red-legged seriema—both of which can exceed 120 decibels, which is louder than a jackhammer, according to a study published on Tuesday in Evolution. 

These two bird species are now in the same league as the white bellbird, which shattered the record for loudest bird in 2019 after its bizarre call was first measured and reported by Jeff Podos, a professor in the department of biology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. It’s worth taking a moment to listen to the bellbird’s otherworldly call, which the males unleash over their remote habitat in the northern Amazon rainforest.

In the new study, Podos and former UMass Amherst graduate student João C.T. Menezes report that the bare-throated bellbird and the red-legged seriema occupy the same decibel range as the white bellbird. It's tough to declare a clear winner among the three birds due to differences in measurement techniques and individual variations within each species. 

Regardless, this trio is a special class that is much louder than the fourth runner-up, the screaming piha, which tops out around 116 decibels. In addition to identifying the ear-splitting avians, the team captured unprecedented measurements of vocal amplitude in 123 bird species, an effort that represents “a step forward in uncovering what enables birds to produce the loudest acoustic signals of all terrestrial fauna,” according to the study. 

“We were interested in a pretty basic question that's still out there because we know so little about amplitude,” said Menezes in a call with 404 Media. “We were basically interested in finding out why some species sing louder than others. For that, the more diverse the sample, the better.” 

“We wanted to know the softest species we could get, and the loudest species we could get, and everything in between,” he continued. “The more variation, the better for answering this type of question. Of course, along the way, we found the two new contenders for loudest species, and that's super cool. But every species in the sample has their value for us to answer the actual question.”

Given the remarkable diversity of avian calls, it is no surprise that birdsong is one of the most well-researched topics in behavioral ecology. But unlike call features like tempo or frequency, vocal amplitude has been notoriously difficult to measure in the wild because it is dependent on distance to the animal, which can be tough to figure out in remote field environments, such as the Amazon rainforest. 

Menezes and Podos were able to overcome this longstanding hurdle with the same laser rangefinders used by golfers to gauge the distance to holes.

“The laser rangefinders help us determine the distance between the recorder and the bird, which is important in our report as it allows us to correct our recordings of amplitude for distance,” Podos told 404 Media in an email. “But the actual recordings and thus readings of amplitude are made with another kind of device, a Sound Level Meter (normally used in industrial acoustics, but that can also serve in working with animals!).”

Using this new approach, the researchers were able to record the first clear amplitude measurements for dozens of species, from hummingbirds at the low end of the decibel range to the three loudest belters.  

“I've been a bird watcher since childhood, so it was just adding another layer to bird-watching.” Menezes said. “And since amplitude is known for so few species, we could basically go anywhere and we could have like a new amplitude for a new species, even from my window here in São Paulo, or Jeff's backyard” in Massachusetts. 

When they began their field research, Menezes and Podos predicted that the loudest birds in their measurements would have bigger bodies and wider beak openings, which proved true in the most deafening birds. But they were surprised to discover that there was no clear link between extreme loudness and ecological factors, like habitat or sexual behavior. 

The two bellbird species live in dense forest and are highly polygamous, so only the male bellbirds make loud calls to attract females. In contrast, the red-legged seriema lives in open habitats, including pastures, and forms long-term monogamous pair bonds.  

“If you look at the top three birds, we can see perfect counterexamples for each of those factors,” Menezes said. “That was definitely a surprise—those parallel routes to extreme loudness.” 

Menezes plans to keep delving into the particular ecological factors that lead to high vocal amplitudes in his future research. While he thinks that other birds may be capable of calls over 120 decibels, it would be unexpected to find even louder birds, as that volume seems to be an upper limit across terrestrial animals.

“There does seem to be a ceiling with terrestrial animals about the 120 to 125 [decibel] mark,” Menezes said. “Elephants can't go beyond that. There are really loud bats that use vocalization for echolocation, and they also don't go beyond that.”

“Based on that, my hunch is that we're not going to find a much louder bird, but I do think we'll find others that fall in that same category,” he concluded.

Nog geen halfjaar geleden redde Yolanda uit Schiedam haar 2-jarige hondje Brisa uit Spanje. Maar afgelopen week sloeg het noodlot toe voor de vrolijke viervoeter. Door een mogelijke vergiftiging stierf Brisa een vreselijke dood: “Ze lag in een hele plas bloed”.

Nog geen halfjaar geleden redde Yolanda uit Schiedam haar 2-jarige hondje Brisa uit Spanje. Maar afgelopen week sloeg het noodlot toe voor de vrolijke viervoeter. Door een mogelijke vergiftiging stierf Brisa een vreselijke dood: “Ze lag in een hele plas bloed”.

SpaceX might not be the ISS's only ride after NASA and Boeing claimed that Starliner - aka the aerospace giant's Calamity Capsule - will fly again and carry a crew in 2028. The plan is to launch an uncrewed vehicle, the Starliner-1, in the December 2026 / January 2027 timeframe, and a crewed vehicle, Starliner-2, sometime in 2028. Starliner-1 will ferry cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) and, if all goes well, humans will take their turn on Starliner-2. NASA also intends to exercise options for a fifth and sixth flight to and from the ISS and to get the Vulcan rocket certified for use after the Atlas V, which has launched Starliner to date, is finally phased out. In 2025, NASA pared back the Starliner contract and modified its order from six to four missions. At the time, Boeing was aiming for no earlier than April 2026 for Starliner-1, something that has now slipped to the end of the year and might go beyond. An observer might wonder what the point is of splashing cash on a program that has managed one crewed flight since the contract was awarded in 2014. 2024's flight test ended with an empty capsule returning to Earth after controllers decided multiple failures had made it too risky for humans. The crew, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, had to wait on the ISS for months until returning as part of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission. Boeing's Starliner has struggled, but SpaceX's Crew Dragon is proven and essential for getting crews to and from the ISS. Its run may be ending though. NASA recently added three more Crew Dragon missions to the ISS, and 2028 appears to be the end of the road (at least for now). That uncertainty, plus the coming wave of commercial stations that will need crew access, could give Starliner an opening. NASA says maintaining a US crew transportation capability is essential to winding down the ISS responsibly, transitioning to commercial stations, and expanding commercial success. Boeing stated that 19 of the 21 in-flight "anomalies" noted during the crew flight test are now closed, with the remainder due to close in October. Changes made to the spacecraft include the replacement of valves on all 12 of the crew module reaction control thrusters, improvements to the parachute joint design, and upgraded battery systems from NASA. It remains difficult to escape the words "sunk-cost fallacy" when considering the billions spent on the Starliner program. However, given the limited time available and the need to continue commercial access to orbit using US vehicles in a possible post-Crew Dragon environment, the desire to finally make the Calamity Capsule operational is understandable. ®

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Bij ons gaan dieren al over hun theewater als je de klok een uurtje verzet, laat staan dat je het halve land bedekt onder een vangnet van flinterdunne glasvezelkabel waar ze écht helemaal geen reet van snappen. Het zijn die andere slachtoffers van de Russische agressie: dieren. En dus niet per se omdat ze een raket op hun kop krijgen (zoals vannacht wel gebeurde bij een dierenasiel in Odessa), maar omdat ze vast komen te zitten in die glasvezelcrack. Is de schuld van drones, die in veel gevallen dus niet draadloos zijn, maar aan een flinterdunne glasvezelkabel van gemiddeld 5 tot 20 KILOMETER hangen. De kabel maakt ze ongevoelig voor verstoring door jammers, en bovendien houdt de dronepiloot zo altijd haarscherp beeld. Probleem: de kabels blijven massaal achter in de natuur en dieren zijn er veel te achterlijk voor. Paar voorbeeldjes.

Uil

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Hert

Sperwer

Ree

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Er is ook goed nieuws

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Sfeermuziek: Funeral of the Land

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Known for his fantastical paintings of hybrid flora and fauna, Jon Ching channels the otherworldly in vibrant and meticulously detailed canvases. His precise renderings of regal creatures conjure elemental energies like fire and water, merged with the personalities of mammals, birds, and marine life. Inspired by his island upbringing on O’ahu, Hawai’i, Ching continues to turn to nature as a boundless source of wonder and solace.

The Los Angeles-based artist’s forthcoming solo exhibition, Path of Least Resistance at KP Projects, highlights recent portraits of owls, hummingbirds, fish, orchids, and more. Navigating both the socio-political realities of the past few years and the daily challenges and rewards of parenthood and partnership, Ching invokes symbolic tributes to power and resilience. He highlights a sense of mutual cooperation, paired with a kind of fullness and vigor that mirrors hope and determination.

Ching worked relatively intuitively for this new collection, allowing preliminary sketches to sometimes turn into completely different compositions. “There were pieces that I worked on and tried to force to be one thing, only for them to define themselves as another. And there were pieces that seemed to float down from the muses and land neatly at the end of my brush,” he says in a statement.

Characteristics of the earth take on symbolic qualities in Ching’s paintings, such as rocks that evoke stability and endurance. “Water, both a force of opposition and support, serves as wisdom to find ways around obstacles to get past them, following the path of least resistance when needed,” the gallery says, referencing the origin of the show’s title.

The different stages of the common dandelion, for instance, represent the passage of time through a tender rendering of a lioness with her cubs in “Dandilion.” And in “Thin Air,” a floral-headed cockatoo grips a wisp of smoke in a nod to nature’s transience—and the effects of human-induced habitat loss. There is also a spiritual element to the paradoxically flaming shark in “Force of Nature” and the third eye of the lynx in “Ajna’s Path in Bloom,” which references the eponymous sixth chakra of the body according to Hindu yogic philosophy.

“Path of Least Resistance, is a reflection of the artist’s inner world and personal life,” says a gallery statement. “At a moment when the demands of every day have become increasingly consuming, Ching has found himself distilling larger ideas into simpler and purer form, allowing the work to emerge from more personal experiences, emotions, and small moments that define his present state of mind.”

The artist also examines crucial social issues, like in his nod to George Orwell’s seminal book 1984 in a painting of the same name. Eyes peer out from the center of tropical flowers, reflecting one of the dystopian novel’s main themes of nonstop, ubiquitous surveillance. We can infer the artist’s response to current concerns over privacy in an era where cameras have proliferated—Flock license plate readers, doorbell cameras, CCTV on sidewalks and in parking lots—but there is also another way of looking at Ching’s “1984”: nature knows all.

Path of Least Resistance opens on October 3 and continues through November 7 in Los Angeles. See more on Ching’s Instagram.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Fantastical, Elemental Hybrids Persevere in Jon Ching’s Metaphysical Paintings appeared first on Colossal.

The Bizarre, Murky History of Soviet-Born Tetris. “Ironically, Tetris’s success began because the totalitarian Soviet regime did not recognize what we take for granted in the West: the freedom to publish.”