@weblog
Google maps geeft ook nieuw soort aanwijzingen, de dagen dat je kon lachen om in t Engels uitgesproken franse en Nederlandse plaatsnamen is voorbij.
Take the exit on the right. In plaats van Take the exit to Rocroi, Revin.
Niets is heilig.

EINDHOVEN (ANP) - De dieselprijs in Nederland heeft een recordhoogte bereikt door de oorlog in het Midden-Oosten, berekende consumentencollectief UnitedConsumers. De landelijke adviesprijs is gestegen naar 2,375 euro per liter.

Daarmee is het nu duurder om diesel te tanken dan benzine, terwijl dat doorgaans andersom is. Door de aanvallen van Israël en de Verenigde Staten op Iran en tegenacties van dat land in de Golfregio lopen de olieprijzen sterk op. Dieselprijzen reageren daar sterker op dan benzineprijzen.

Dat komt onder meer doordat de vraag naar diesel groot blijft, omdat vrachtverkeer en de industrie daar voor een groot deel van afhankelijk zijn en niet snel kunnen overstappen. Daarnaast importeert Europa relatief veel diesel, waardoor onrust op de oliemarkt snel invloed heeft op de prijs, stelt UnitedConsumers.

UnitedConsumers houdt de landelijke adviesprijzen voor diesel en benzine in Nederland bij, op basis van de adviesprijzen van de grootste oliemaatschappijen. Die prijzen gelden doorgaans alleen langs de snelweg, omdat tankstations op andere locaties vaak kortingen geven.

LONDEN (ANP/RTR) - De Britse politie heeft vier mannen gearresteerd die worden verdacht van spionage voor Iran. Nog eens zes anderen zijn aangehouden op verdenking van het helpen van een crimineel.

De vier hoofdverdachten, een Iraniër en drie mannen met zowel de Britse als de Iraanse nationaliteit, werden even na 01.00 uur in de nacht van donderdag op vrijdag opgepakt op adressen in Barnet en Watford, ten noorden van Londen. De verdachten zijn tussen de 22 en 55 jaar oud.

Helen Flanagan, commandant van de Londense Metropolitan Police, zei dat de arrestaties deel uitmaken van een langlopend onderzoek, omdat het vermoeden bestaat dat locaties en personen binnen de Joodse gemeenschap in Londen in de gaten worden gehouden. Alle verdachten zitten nog vast.

europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

These view from Copernicus Sentinel-2 part of a pair, reveal the landscape transformation in the area around Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

This comparison shows Dhaka and its surroundings in February 2026. The images have been processed in false colour using Sentinel-2’s near-infrared channel to show vegetation in red, water bodies in dark blue and black and built-up areas in tones of grey. The strong contrast of colours makes it easier to distinguish the scale of changes that have occurred in the area in the past nine years.

The city of Dhaka, visible in grey near the centre, lies on a plain crossed by a complex network of streams and rivers. The three rivers crossing the urban area are, from west to east, the Dhaleswari, Buriganga and Sitalakhya rivers, while the surrounding plain is bounded by the confluence of larger rivers: the Padma River to the west, the Jamuna River, an extensive interconnected channel system converging from the northwest, and the Meghna River to the east.

The Jamuna is the lower stream of the Brahmaputra River, which originates in Tibet before flowing through India and then southwest into Bangladesh. The Jamuna flows south and joins the Padma River, which is the lower section of the Ganges within Bangladesh. The resulting stream then meets the Meghna River, which eventually flows into the Bay of Bengal.

The area within these mighty rivers is a low-lying floodplain heavily influenced by monsoon-driven sedimentation and continuous hydrological change. Several areas of dry and exposed riverbeds are visible as light patches, especially along the Jamuna-Padma river system.

Comparing the two images, noticeable changes in the shape and width of the Padma River can be noticed, in particular at the confluence with the Meghna River.

The red tones dominating both images depict extensive lush vegetation. The 2026 image highlights the growth of urban sprawl around Dhaka. Built-up surfaces have expanded dramatically, engulfing former agricultural and wetland areas. Zones that were bright red in 2017 appear now duller, indicating soil exposure, construction or surface sealing.

With an estimated population of over 36 million, Dhaka is Bangladesh’s most populous city and is widely considered as one of the fastest growing metropolitan regions in South Asia. Like many other growing cities in the world, it is facing the daunting challenge of urban sprawl along with the rise in population density, both of which put pressure on urban land in the city, but also on agricultural land in the periphery, as well as on other natural resources.

Copernicus Sentinel-2 allows urban growth to be monitored accurately, providing essential information to urban planners and decision-makers. The mission is also mostly used to track changes in the way land is being used and to monitor the health of vegetation as well as inland water bodies.

Credits: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2017/2026), processed by ESA; CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

Sophie Adenot takes photographs of Earth from inside the Cupola aboard the International Space Station. Floating in microgravity, the European Space Agency astronaut uses the Station’s panoramic observation window to capture images of our planet and document its changing landscapes from orbit.

Earth observation photography is an important activity for astronauts on the station. These images help scientists monitor environmental changes, track weather patterns, and study natural phenomena on our planet. The Cupola, with its seven windows, offers one of the best vantage points in space for observing Earth and operating cameras.

Alongside scientific experiments and technical maintenance tasks during her mission, Sophie regularly documents life and work in orbit and shares views of Earth with people around the world.

Follow Sophie’s mission on the εpsilon page and on her social media platforms, such as X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn.

[Image description: ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot floats inside the Cupola of the International Space Station, holding a large camera and photographing Earth through the station’s windows. Her hair floats in microgravity as clouds and ocean are visible far below through the circular window above her.]

CREDIT
ESA/NASA - S.Adenot

europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

These view from Copernicus Sentinel-2 part of a pair, reveal the landscape transformation in the area around Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

This comparison shows Dhaka and its surroundings in February 2017. The image has been processed in false colour using Sentinel-2’s near-infrared channel to show vegetation in red, water bodies in dark blue and black and built-up areas in tones of grey. The strong contrast of colours makes it easier to distinguish the scale of changes that have occurred in the area in the past nine years.

The city of Dhaka, visible in grey near the centre, lies on a plain crossed by a complex network of streams and rivers. The three rivers crossing the urban area are, from west to east, the Dhaleswari, Buriganga and Sitalakhya rivers, while the surrounding plain is bounded by the confluence of larger rivers: the Padma River to the west, the Jamuna River, an extensive interconnected channel system converging from the northwest, and the Meghna River to the east.

The Jamuna is the lower stream of the Brahmaputra River, which originates in Tibet before flowing through India and then southwest into Bangladesh. The Jamuna flows south and joins the Padma River, which is the lower section of the Ganges within Bangladesh. The resulting stream then meets the Meghna River, which eventually flows into the Bay of Bengal.

The area within these mighty rivers is a low-lying floodplain heavily influenced by monsoon-driven sedimentation and continuous hydrological change. Several areas of dry and exposed riverbeds are visible as light patches, especially along the Jamuna-Padma river system.

Comparing the two images, noticeable changes in the shape and width of the Padma River can be noticed, in particular at the confluence with the Meghna River.

The red tones dominating both images depict extensive lush vegetation. The 2026 image highlights the growth of urban sprawl around Dhaka. Built-up surfaces have expanded dramatically, engulfing former agricultural and wetland areas. Zones that were bright red in 2017 appear now duller, indicating soil exposure, construction or surface sealing.

With an estimated population of over 36 million, Dhaka is Bangladesh’s most populous city and is widely considered as one of the fastest growing metropolitan regions in South Asia. Like many other growing cities in the world, it is facing the daunting challenge of urban sprawl along with the rise in population density, both of which put pressure on urban land in the city, but also on agricultural land in the periphery, as well as on other natural resources.

Copernicus Sentinel-2 allows urban growth to be monitored accurately, providing essential information to urban planners and decision-makers. The mission is also mostly used to track changes in the way land is being used and to monitor the health of vegetation as well as inland water bodies.

Credits: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2017/2026), processed by ESA; CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope successfully observed the extremely faint near-Earth asteroid 2024 YR4 (circled in green) on 18 February 2026 with its Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam).

By analysing the asteroid’s position relative to background stars whose locations are very well known, astronomers were able to rule out any chance that the asteroid could impact Earth’s Moon on 22 December 2032.

Click here to read the full news release

Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, M. Micheli (ESA NEOCC); CC BY 4.0

europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope successfully observed the extremely faint near-Earth asteroid 2024 YR4 (circled in green) on 26 February 2026 with its Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam).

By analysing the asteroid’s position relative to background stars whose locations are very well known, astronomers were able to rule out any chance that the asteroid could impact Earth’s Moon on 22 December 2032.

Click here to read the full news release

Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, M. Micheli (ESA NEOCC); CC BY 4.0

OpenAI CEO's principles lasted about 12 hours before $200M check arrived

Opinion  A week ago today, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said he'd draw the same lines as Anthropic. By that night, he'd signed a Department of Defense deal that included no such AI protections. What's going on here?…

​Het wordt steeds lekkerder weer en dat betekent dat er ook weer gevaren kan worden. Veel booteigenaren zijn daarom rustig aan hun vaartuigen uit de stalling aan het halen, aan het opknappen en nieuwe plannen aan het maken voor nieuwe zeiltochten. Zo vragen veel van hen zich af: op zeiltocht door de Straat van Hormuz, kan het al of nog even wachten?

“Je hoort wisselende verhalen. Aan de ene kant hoor je mensen zeggen dat het nu niet handig is, maar aan de andere kant hoor je mensen zeggen: ‘Ja, je kan nu niet vliegen die kant op, dus met de boot is het wel makkelijk’”, zegt de eigenaar van een groot jacht, Marius Deloor. “Die laatste mensen snap ik ook wel. Met een boot heb je het ook gewoon in eigen hand, zeg maar. Dan kan je gaan en varen waar je wil.”

Familie Versluis, die een rondtocht langs de wereld aan het maken is met een grote tweemaster, is er ook nog niet uit. “Wij waren al op weg die kant op, maar zien eigenlijk alleen maar boten ‘spookvaren’ langs ons. Sommige riepen nog wat in het Maltanees, maar dat konden we niet verstaan.”

Weer anderen zeggen dat je juist nu moet gaan: “Het toeristenseizoen is nog niet begonnen.”

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Photographer Murdo MacLeod patrols the snow with members of the Scottish Avalanche Information Service, which has for several decades published a vital daily avalanche forecast for mountain areas

Scottish avalanches are back. More than 200 have been recorded this winter, against the previous year’s record low of 42. The worst season for fatalities was 2012-13 when eight people died, four of whom were buried in deep snow when an avalanche struck without warning while they descended Glen Coe’s Bidean nam Bian.

Fortunately, so far – despite one person being carried a distance down Ben Nevis and two people falling through cornices and triggering slips – there have not been any confirmed avalanche deaths, though one person is still missing on Ben Nevis. The search goes on in and around the sites of recent avalanches.

A mountain rescue team looks for a missing climber in Observatory Gully on the north face of Ben Nevis, an area where there has been a succession of avalanches

Cheap semaglutide, the drug in Ozempic and Wegovy, could help millions with diabetes and obesity in 160 countries

Weight-loss jabs such as Wegovy and Ozempic could be made for just $3 a month, according to new analysis, potentially making the treatment available to millions in poorer countries as patents expire.

More than a billion people live with obesity worldwide, with rates rising fast in lower-income nations as they shift to westernised diets and more sedentary lifestyles.