Ukraine has not commented on whether Volodymyr Zelensky asked Robert Fico to deliver a message to the Russian leader.

M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool
What Simon has lost in vocal power he has added in intimacy and authority – and this hushed performance makes for an arena concert like no other

In 2018, Paul Simon’s triumphant Homeward Bound: The Farewell Tour was intended as his goodbye to decades of full-scale touring. However, even chronic hearing loss hasn’t dimmed his desire to perform again. Here, assisted by partial recovery, specialised sound monitoring and sheer power of will, A Quiet Celebration is different from anything he – or perhaps anybody – has done before, certainly in arenas. Requiring silence and understanding, it’s a hushed and introspective reinvention rather than a euphoric victory lap. Drums are mostly stroked with brushes. The 84-year-old singer-songwriting legend’s voice has lost power and range, but frailty and vulnerability have brought intimacy and authority. Smiling as he addresses a cheering Merseyside audience for likely the last time, he calls it a “humbling experience”.

The evening begins with a complete performance of Seven Psalms, the 2023 song cycle which came to him in dreams. It’s a series of quietly haunting musings on life, love, God and death, laden with calm insights and occasional truth bombs, such as Trail of Volcanoes’ comment on the refugee crisis: “It seems to me we’re all walking down the same road, to wherever it ends.”

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Prominent holdouts of this year’s ball sponsored by Jeff Bezos included Zohran Mamdani, Zendaya and Taraji P Henson

It’s the Met Gala in New York on Monday and as photos stream out from the red carpet, the people I find myself thinking about most are three prominent holdouts. The annual ball, which raises money for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum, has always summoned a strong turnout from the have-your-cake-and-eat-it community, notably Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a few years ago in her “tax-the-rich” dress. This year, that role was assumed by the actor Sarah Paulson, who wore a dollar bill covering her eyes in apparent reference to the “blindness” of the 1%, a protest she undertook while nobly taking one for the team by refusing to sit out the $100,000-a-head event.

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Right-back has unique skill but there is more to his game as he targets European football and an Italy call-up

There is only one place to start with Brentford’s Michael Kayode: his unique baby gender reveal at an empty Gtech Community Stadium in February. The 21-year-old walked towards the West Stand, the frame of the goal covered in balloons, and after wiping the ball with a towel, it was time for his trademark long throw, though on this occasion only from the edge of the D. After the ball rippled the net, pink smoke confirmed his partner, Eleonora, is expecting a girl.

Given Kayode launched the ball 65.4 metres last September – further than any other player in the Premier League since Opta began recording such data in 2019-20 – it is hard not to think he was underselling himself. “I didn’t want to miss,” he says, breaking into laughter, “so I just kept it easy.” Family, friends, a videographer and photographer, plus the couple’s pomeranian, Kiri, were the only ones present. “It was a really special moment and celebrating like this was unbelievable … I just have to say thanks to Brentford for giving me use of the stadium.”

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Legislature has eliminated the state’s one Democratic, Black-majority congressional district

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Here are some details about the seismic impact last week’s US supreme court ruling will have on the voting power of racial minorities going forward, courtesy of my colleague Sam Levine:

The US supreme court ruled that Louisiana will have to redraw its congressional map, in a landmark decision that effectively guts a major section of the Voting Rights Act.

In a 6-3 decision along partisan lines, the court rendered ineffective section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, the last remaining powerful provision of the 1965 civil rights law that prevents racial discrimination in voting. Section 2 has long been used to ensure minority voters are treated fairly in redistricting.

The court’s decision is a major upheaval in US civil rights law and gives lawmakers permission to draw districting plans that weaken the influence of Black and other minority voters.

Asked by reporters on Wednesday whether states should redraw their congressional maps in response to the ruling, Donald Trump said: “I would.” In a dissenting opinion, Justice Elena Kagan wrote the court had now accomplished a “demolition of the Voting Rights Act”. You can read more here:

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The Republic of Memory by Mahmud El Sayed; The Rainshadow Orphans by Naomi Ishiguro; No Ghosts by Max Lury; Palaces of the Crow by Ray Nayler; Moon Over Brendle by Jeff Noon

The Republic of Memory by Mahmud El Sayed (Gollancz, £22)
On a gigantic spaceship halfway through its 400-year voyage to a new world, hundreds of Earth colonists are kept in frozen stasis by the ever-increasing maintenance crew. Not all the crew are happy with the way their lives are harshly controlled by the Administration, and peaceful protests have inspired whispers of revolution. The multicultural city-ship has two official languages: Inglez and Arabek. Iskander Ezz is a translator between Crew and Administration, aware that “when you speak a different language, you become another person”. Damietta, his younger cousin, finds the unofficial Nupol better for communicating with her fellow protesters. Nupol, an argot made up of many “dead Earth” languages, is used throughout the book by several viewpoint characters, adding a distinctive flavour to a speculative fiction its author calls Arabfuturism. Partly inspired by the historic Arab spring, this is a thoughtful, exciting space opera.

The Rainshadow Orphans by Naomi Ishiguro (Solstice, £20)
The first volume of a trilogy inspired by Japanese pop culture is set in bustling, crowded Rainshadow City, where hi-tech wealth and a corrupt emperor exist alongside magic, poverty and criminality. Toshiko, Jun and Mei are the Kawakamis, haphazardly seeking revenge on the Lucky Crow gang for the murder of their adoptive Aunt. When Toshiko almost accidentally steals a precious dragon pearl from a powerful gangster, they’re plunged into a fast-moving adventure involving a conspiracy to deport all the city’s illegal immigrants to certain death, and replace low-paid workers with attractive female robots. Various plot strands see characters discovering magical powers, a mother dragon desperate to save her baby’s life, and a strangely helpful cat. Trope-heavy, entertaining fun, with a cartoonish vibe.

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The Brooklyn-based artist’s songs seem to follow private trains of thought, which shift their subtle musical colours in a way that will slink in to your head, too

From Brooklyn, New York
Recommended if you like Cate Le Bon, Astrid Sonne, Julia Holter
Up next New single No Avatar out now

“No, I won’t take a photo / Just walking around with no avatar,” Frances Chang sings on No Avatar, conversational and serene against little whorls of piano, skittish drum fizz and softly flaring synths. Like Astrid Sonne’s fragmented songwriting, the Brooklyn-based musician’s songs are hard to pin down, mirroring the single’s desire to avoid outward definition. Her songs work to an internal logic, evoking a sort of uncanny domesticity: casual piano refrains, rainy percussion; the melty haze of a horizon at dusk; grooves slinking in at the end of a song like next door’s cat making itself at home. It’s a sound that shares a lot with the modern Copenhagen scene of which Sonne is a key fixture, but with more welcoming softness and warmth: Chang’s January single I Can Feel the Waves is a six-minute suite that starts out a little edgy, then yields with gorgeous warped piano and disarmingly intimate focus.

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The 1930s artists, poets and intellectuals who united to defend Europe, memories of Cambodia, blooming marvellous painters a beautiful reclining nude – all in your weekly dispatch

Comrades in Art: Artists Against Fascism
In the 1930s Europe was descending into extremism. Artists as well as poets and intellectuals tried to fight the fascists, reveals this exhibition based on a recent book about the AIA (Artists International Association).
• Towner Eastbourne, until 18 October

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In an exclusive interview, a seafarer describes the strike on the MKD Vyom in the Gulf of Oman that killed his friend and crewmate, Dixit Solanki

The blast tore through the engine room of the tanker MKD Vyom without warning on the morning of 1 March. “There were immense shock waves and a fireball,” says Basis*, a seafarer on one of the first ships to suffer a fatal attack in the Gulf of Oman during the US and Israeli airstrikes against Iran.

“For one or two seconds, I was knocked out,” he says. “Everything went black. The power was gone. I looked up – fire and thick black smoke was pouring down.”

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The Guardian analyzed ICE records from January-August 2025, as advocates say the family-separation crisis will lead to generational trauma

After three months in immigration detention, 1,500 miles (2,400km) away from her 13-month-old daughter, LT was running out of options.

Her baby, who was allergic to formula and had other food sensitivities, had been vomiting constantly and needed breastmilk. But the government refused to release LT – an asylum seeker from Haiti – on bond. So, the family’s pediatrician petitioned the government to allow her to pump and mail her breastmilk from the Dilley detention center in Texas to her baby in Florida. That request was denied.

During the first seven months of 2025, the administration arrested 18,400 parents – including 15,000 fathers and 3,000 mothers. They are the parents of 27,000 to 32,000 children.

The administration arrested the parents of at least 12,000 US citizen children.

Nearly 7,500 fathers and 1,000 mothers who were arrested had a different nationality than at least one of their children. In about half of these families, siblings had different citizenships from each other.

On average, the Trump administration has been arresting about 2,300 parents each month and deporting 1,400 parents every month. The Biden administration, in comparison, deported about 700 per month in 2024.

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De politie zoekt zes verdachten die betrokken zijn bij zeven verschillende oplichtingszaken. De criminelen slagen er telkens in om hun slachtoffers, vooral bejaarden, geld afhandig te maken: in totaal 20 duizend euro.

With Red Bull's Gianpiero Lambiase set to join McLaren in 2028, Zak Brown has addressed speculation over whether there is a possibility of Max Verstappen following in the future.

The Patchwright is a new cyberpunk short (21. min), by "Zach London", AKA "Gossip Goblin" Studios in Stockholm. A synthetic A.I. vision of post-Blade Runner aesthetics, mutated cybernetic creatures, existing in the slurry ruins of the future.

The Hollywood Reporter: A Former Anthropology Student From Los Angeles Might Be the George Lucas of AI.

Weer voor Rotterdam ☁️ - 08-05-2026 13:15 CEST

In één oogopslag:
• 18.9°C · Bewolkt ☁️ | Min 10.2°C / Max 20.0°C | Kans op neerslag 1%

Verwachting voor vandaag:
• Min 10.2°C, Max 20.0°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 1%, 🧭 1018.1 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 13.3 km/u (3.7 m/s), richting: ← 81°

Uurlijkse voorspelling voor de komende 12 uur:

• 14:00: 19.4°C (Gedeeltelijk bewolkt) ⛅, Kans op neerslag 8%, 🧭 1018.0 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 7.6 km/u (2.1 m/s), richting: ← 82°
• 15:00: 19.8°C (Gedeeltelijk bewolkt) ⛅, Kans op neerslag 7%, 🧭 1017.9 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 8.3 km/u (2.3 m/s), richting: ← 76°
• 16:00: 20.0°C (Gedeeltelijk bewolkt) ⛅, Kans op neerslag 4%, 🧭 1018.0 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 9.0 km/u (2.5 m/s), richting: ← 71°
• 17:00: 20.0°C (Gedeeltelijk bewolkt) ⛅, Kans op neerslag 2%, 🧭 1017.7 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 8.6 km/u (2.4 m/s), richting: ← 69°
• 18:00: 19.6°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 1%, 🧭 1017.6 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 9.4 km/u (2.6 m/s), richting: ↙ 64°
• 19:00: 19.4°C (Gedeeltelijk bewolkt) ⛅, 🧭 1017.6 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 9.0 km/u (2.5 m/s), richting: ↙ 62°
• 20:00: 18.5°C (Gedeeltelijk bewolkt) ⛅, 🧭 1017.8 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 11.2 km/u (3.1 m/s), richting: ↙ 36°
• 21:00: 17.5°C (Zonnig) ☀️, 🧭 1018.1 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 11.5 km/u (3.2 m/s), richting: ↙ 31°
• 22:00: 16.4°C (Helder) 🌕, 🧭 1018.7 hPa ↗️ +0.6 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 10.4 km/u (2.9 m/s), richting: ↙ 36°
• 23:00: 15.9°C (Helder) 🌕, 🧭 1019.1 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 10.1 km/u (2.8 m/s), richting: ↙ 66°
• 00:00: 15.3°C (Gedeeltelijk bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1019.1 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 12.6 km/u (3.5 m/s), richting: ← 86°
• 01:00: 14.9°C (Gedeeltelijk bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1019.3 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 13.3 km/u (3.7 m/s), richting: ← 101°

Voorspelling voor de komende dagen:

• zaterdag 09 mei: Min 11.8°C, Max 22.3°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 0.1 mm, 🧭 1018.3 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 18.4 km/u (5.1 m/s), richting: ↙ 59°
• zondag 10 mei: Min 8.6°C, Max 20.2°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 3%, 🧭 1014.2 hPa ↘️ -4.1 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 24.8 km/u (6.9 m/s), richting: ↙ 33°
• maandag 11 mei: Min 7.1°C, Max 12.4°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 0.3 mm, Kans op neerslag 7%, 🧭 1012.2 hPa ↘️ -2.0 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 19.7 km/u (5.5 m/s), richting: ↓ 350°
• dinsdag 12 mei: Min 7.6°C, Max 13.1°C (Matige motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 1.8 mm, Kans op neerslag 4%, 🧭 1016.2 hPa ↗️ +4.0 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 18.5 km/u (5.1 m/s), richting: → 258°
• woensdag 13 mei: Min 8.5°C, Max 11.9°C (Matige motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 4.2 mm, Kans op neerslag 24%, 🧭 1004.1 hPa ↘️ -12.1 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 21.3 km/u (5.9 m/s), richting: → 263°
• donderdag 14 mei: Min 8.1°C, Max 11.7°C (Matige motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 4.2 mm, Kans op neerslag 55%, 🧭 998.9 hPa ↘️ -5.2 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 16.8 km/u (4.7 m/s), richting: → 262°

Details:
• 🌡️ Huidige temperatuur (om 13:15): 18.9°C (Bewolkt)
• 🤚 Gevoelstemperatuur: 17.7°C (-1.2°C)
• 💨 Windsnelheid: 6.5 km/u (1.8 m/s), richting: ← 86°
• 🌬️ Windstoten: 22.3 km/h (6.2 m/s)
• 💧 Luchtvochtigheid: 29%
• 🧭 Luchtdruk: 1018.0 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/3h
• 👁️ Zichtbaarheid: 45.1 km
• ☀️ UV-index: 3.4
• 🌅 Zonsopgang: 05:59 · 🌇 Zonsondergang: 21:17

Luchtkwaliteit:
• AQI: 45 🟢 (Goed)
• PM2.5: 14.9 μg/m³
• PM10: 16.5 μg/m³

Gegevens geleverd door Open-Meteo

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

VK: Biënnale van Venetië begint met 24-uursstaking wegens deelname van Israël

MAASTRICHT (ANP) - De moeder die verdacht wordt van het doodsteken van haar 14-jarige dochter in haar ouderlijk huis in Blerick blijft negentig dagen langer vastzitten. Dat meldt een woordvoerder van de rechtbank Limburg.

Het slachtoffer werd op 20 april in een woning aan de Elzenstraat in het Limburgse dorp om het leven gebracht. Het Openbaar Ministerie verdenkt haar moeder van moord dan wel doodslag.

De vader van het slachtoffer is vrijgelaten, maar blijft wel verdachte in het onderzoek. Zijn rol bij de dood van zijn dochter wordt nog onderzocht.

SANTA CRUZ (ANP) - Het Nederlandse cruiseschip Hondius moet "als de laatste passagier van boord is" meteen doorvaren naar Nederland. Dat zei de regionale leider van de Canarische Eilanden, Fernando Clavijo, volgens Spaanse media. Volgens de topbestuurder is het niet zinvol om de Hondius nog dagen voor anker te laten liggen bij de eilandengroep.

De Hondius wordt op zondag verwacht bij Granadilla op Tenerife en daarna worden de passagiers naar een vliegveld gebracht. "We weten zeker dat er geen passagiers van het schip zullen gaan als het vliegtuig niet geland is, omdat het de bedoeling is dat ze met de voorbereide voertuigen naar de vliegtuigtrap gaan en niet hoeven te wachten, zodat de tijd die ze op de Canarische Eilanden doorbrengen minimaal is en met alle veiligheidsgaranties", aldus Clavijo.

De regiopresident zou vrijdagmiddag nog een gesprek hebben met een vertegenwoordiger van Nederland. Dan moet alle "onduidelijkheid" worden weggenomen over wat er met het schip gaat gebeuren.

MOSKOU (ANP/RTR) - De Russische president Vladimir Poetin wil best met Europa praten maar zal niet zelf besprekingen aanknopen, zegt het Kremlin. De roep in Europa om met Rusland te gaan praten klinkt de laatste tijd steeds luider en er wordt nagedacht over wie namens Europa zou kunnen optreden.

De Europese Unie bereidt zich met de zegen van Oekraïne voor op mogelijke besprekingen, schreef de Financial Times donderdag. President Zelensky zei maandag nog dat het overleg met Moskou niet buiten Europa om moet gaan, zoals tot dusver wel steeds de praktijk is.

Poetin staat klaar om met wie dan ook te onderhandelen, de Europeanen inbegrepen, zei zijn woordvoerder vrijdag. Sinds de Amerikaanse president Trump onderhandelingen over het beëindigen van de oorlog in Oekraïne opstartte, pendelen de VS als bemiddelaar tussen Oekraïne en Rusland. Soms praten de VS Europa bij of doen ze een beroep op Europese landen. Europa wil van meet af aan voluit meepraten omdat zijn veiligheid ook in het geding is.

Students around the world have an excuse to bunk off after hacking crew ShinyHunters did something nasty to educational SaaS Canvas. Canvas is widely used by schools and universities to communicate with students, publish and store course material, and collect assignments. An outfit called Instructure develops the software and an entry on its Status Page dated May 2 features Chief Information Security Officer Steve Proud stating the org "recently experienced a cybersecurity incident perpetrated by a criminal threat actor." "We are actively investigating this incident with the help of outside forensics experts. We are working quickly to understand the extent of the incident and actively taking steps to minimize its impact," he added. Numerous posts report that attempts to log into Canvas earlier this week failed, but did produce a notice from an entity claiming to be the notorious hacking crew ShinyHunters, who claimed the outage was only possible due to lax patching. The crew also claimed to have stolen data from institutions that use Canvas and threatened to leak it unless a "settlement" is reached by May 12. Canvas has thousands of customers, meaning any confirmed breach could have wide impact. As of Thursday evening US time, Canvas says its wares are now available "for most users" and won't offer further comment. A student of The Register's acquaintance – OK, one of my kids – shared an email advising that his uni has prevented access to Canvas while it tries to understand the situation and the risk of data leakage. We've seen multiple universities posting notices about the incident that say more or less the same thing. Most also warn students of heightened phishing risk and urge caution. Several also advise that as they require students to lodge assignments in Canvas, students can assume they have an extension on deadlines. Your correspondent's offspring does not mind this one little bit. This is an evolving story. The Register will update it as more information becomes available. ®

Engeland loopt uit voor de honderdste verjaardag van natuurvorser Sir David Attenborough. Er is een wesp vernoemd naar de productieve documentairemaker, die zelf het liefst een luiaard was geweest.