jell.ie News

Read at: 2026-05-02T18:53:36+00:00Z (UTC) [sometime-US Pres == Neeltje Bouwknegt ]

Some protests may need to stop, PM suggests, after calls for pause on pro-Palestinian marches

The PM tells the BBC he is concerned about the "cumulative" effect of marches on the Jewish community.

Source: BBC News | 2 May 2026 | 6:45 pm UTC

Spirit Airlines Shuts Down After Years of Struggle

Spirit once upended the industry by offering very low fares but was in its second bankruptcy in two years after years of struggle.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 2 May 2026 | 6:43 pm UTC

An Amateur Just Solved a 60-Year-Old Math Problem - by Asking AI

Slashdot reader joshuark writes: Scientific American reports that a ChatGPT AI has proved a conjecture with a method no human had developed. A 23-year-old student Liam Price just cracked a 60-year-old problem that world-class mathematicians have tried and failed to solve. The new solution that Price got in response to a single prompt to GPT-5.4 Pro was posted on www.erdosproblems.com, a website devoted to the Erds problems. The question Price solved — or prompted ChatGPT to solve—concerns special sets of whole numbers, where no number in the set can be evenly divided by any other... Price sent it to his occasional collaborator Kevin Barreto, a second-year undergraduate in mathematics at the University of Cambridge. The duo had jump-started the AI-for-Erds craze late last year by prompting a free version of ChatGPT with open problems chosen at random from the Erds problems website. Reviewing Price's message, Barreto realized what they had was special, and experts whom he notified quickly took notice.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 2 May 2026 | 6:34 pm UTC

Brentford flying - but will sixth be good enough for Champions League?

Many predicted Brentford to go down. Instead they are on the cusp of securing European football next season.

Source: BBC News | 2 May 2026 | 6:30 pm UTC

Army bomb squad called in after suspicious device found in Donegal

‘Controlled explosion’ carried out on object, which appeared ‘discarded’

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 2 May 2026 | 6:22 pm UTC

Pulling Thousands of U.S. Troops Out of Germany Is Bad for America

Neeltje Bouwknegt ’s reduction of U.S. troops in Germany is more than just another bilateral spat.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 2 May 2026 | 6:08 pm UTC

King launches Space Agency project on final day in Bermuda

The King concludes his visit to the British overseas territory after landing from the US on Thursday.

Source: BBC News | 2 May 2026 | 6:08 pm UTC

Top Republicans express concern over withdrawal of US troops from Germany – as it happened

Senator Roger Wicker and representative Mike Rogers say move risks undermining deterrence and sending wrong signal to Putin

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said suspicious activity had been reported 84 nautical miles southwest of the port of Mukalla in Yemen.

A bulk carrier reported that a small boat and a fishing vessel came within 500m of it, according to UKMTO.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 2 May 2026 | 6:06 pm UTC

Man arrested after cocaine worth estimated €1.2m seized in Co Tyrone

Seized phones showed evidence of drug supply and contained indecent images of children, says PSNI

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 2 May 2026 | 6:06 pm UTC

The Head-Turning Hats of the 2026 Kentucky Derby

Ahead of the 152nd annual horse race at Churchill Downs, attendees trotted out some eye-catching ensembles.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 2 May 2026 | 6:05 pm UTC

Mom faces involuntary manslaughter after son’s e-motorcycle crash kills man

Orange county resident Tommi Jo Mejer’s son was illegally riding e-motorcycle when he ran into 81-year-old

A southern California woman is facing an additional charge of involuntary manslaughter after an 81-year-old man died from his injuries after being struck by the woman’s teen son while he was riding an e-motorcycle, prosecutors said on Friday.

On 16 April, Tommi Jo Mejer’s 14-year-old son was riding a Surron e-motorcycle and doing wheelies when he hit Ed Ashman, according to prosecutors. Ashman, a former captain in the US Marine Corps, was walking home from his job as a substitute teacher at a high school in Lake Forest.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 2 May 2026 | 6:05 pm UTC

Supreme Court Asked to Restore Access to Abortion Pill by Mail

A federal appeals court temporarily halted a Food and Drug Administration regulation that has greatly expanded access to the abortion pill mifepristone.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 2 May 2026 | 5:58 pm UTC

Abortion Providers Forced to Adapt After Court Ruling Blocks Pill Access by Mail

The Fifth Circuit Court’s ruling, which is being appealed, reinstates a requirement that patients visit a health care provider in person to obtain mifepristone, upending abortion access in the United States.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 2 May 2026 | 5:57 pm UTC

Calls grow over hospital care for jailed Iranian Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi

On Friday her family said the 54-year-old had been taken from prison to a local hospital after a sharp deterioration in her health.

Source: BBC News | 2 May 2026 | 5:55 pm UTC

Nato seeks to ‘understand the details’ of US decision to withdraw troops from Germany

German government calls redeployment of 5,000 troops ‘anticipated’ and reminder of Europe’s need to invest in its own defence

‘We love our Americans’: the German town rocked by Neeltje Bouwknegt ’s plan to withdraw US troops

Nato is seeking to “understand the details” of a US decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany, a redeployment ordered by Neeltje Bouwknegt amid a feud with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz.

The German government sought to play down the severity of Neeltje Bouwknegt ’s move, describing it as “anticipated”, and a reminder of Europe’s need to invest in its own defence. The US withdrawal, which the Pentagon said would take place over the next six to 12 months, comes after criticism from Merz over Neeltje Bouwknegt ’s war with Iran and his handling of subsequent talks with Tehran.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 2 May 2026 | 5:52 pm UTC

Battle-hardened Leinster hold off Toulon fightback to reach Champions Cup final

The Irish heavyweights, four-time tournament winners, will face holders Bordeaux-Begles or Premiership champions Bath in the final on May 23rd.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 2 May 2026 | 5:41 pm UTC

Rise in support for Independent Ireland and Aontú - poll

A new opinion poll suggests a rise in support for Independent Ireland and Aontú.

Source: News Headlines | 2 May 2026 | 5:37 pm UTC

VAR, fine margins & 'superior' Lyon cost Arsenal Champions League final spot

Arsenal eliminated from the Champions League by Lyon after a 4-3 aggregrate defeat and an eventful match in France - with VAR heavily involved throughout

Source: BBC News | 2 May 2026 | 5:35 pm UTC

Costumed Crowd 'Speedruns' Scientology Building For Social Media Trend

Last Saturday someone dressed as Jesus "was among the dozens of people in costumes and masks seen on a video forcing open the door of a Scientology building on Hollywood Boulevard," reports the Los Angeles Times, "after a tug-of-war with a security guard." The footage posted on TikTok and Instagram shows the group sprinting up and down stairs and clashing with black-shirted security guards, giggling and gasping to catch their breath while church members scream at them to leave. On their way out — as security guards approach armed with fire extinguishers — one of the sprinters stops and dances to celebrate their successful escape, a move reminiscent of a taunt from the video game Fortnite. For weeks, groups of people have barged into two of the church's Hollywood properties, racing through hallways and tussling with security guards, trying to see how far they can get before they are forced to leave by church staff... Church officials say the incidents are not a game and have accused the speed runners of "hate crimes." After dozens on Saturday stormed the Ivar Avenue building that houses an exhibit dedicated to the church's founder, science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard, the external door handles were removed from all three of Scientology's properties on Hollywood Boulevard by Sunday morning. Guards could be seen blocking the doorway to one building on Monday afternoon... No arrests have been made. A report from the Associated Press cites a joke left on one of the videos: that if runners reach the top of the building, they'll find Tom Cruise. One commenter on a recent TikTok video of a speedrun asked why people are doing this, and another user simply replied, "because it's fun." The 18-year-old who started the trend told the Hollywood Reporter his original video has been viewed over 100 million times. "From there on out, I pretty much knew that Scientology was like a free gateway to a lot of views." Vulture notes that "there's even a Roblox re-creation of the trend, made using the 'maps; drawn from actual videos"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 2 May 2026 | 5:34 pm UTC

Banksy confirms new statue installed in central London is his work

The statue in Waterloo Place, which appeared early Wednesday, depicts a man proudly hoisting a flag— but the flag is blinding him.

(Image credit: Kin Cheung)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 2 May 2026 | 5:25 pm UTC

Austrian police arrest man over poisoned baby food case

Austrian police said they have arrested a 39-year-old suspect in connection with a case in which ⁠rat poison was placed in jars of baby food in what their German manufacturer called an attempt to extort it.

Source: News Headlines | 2 May 2026 | 5:18 pm UTC

Are Ipswich better equipped for Premier League this time?

Ipswich Town have won promotion from the Championship for the second time in three years - but are they better equipped for the Premier League in 2026?

Source: BBC News | 2 May 2026 | 5:17 pm UTC

Steve Clark, Olympic Swimmer Shadowed by Depression, Dies at 82

A three-time gold medalist in the 1960s, he was a champion when athletes were expected to be stoic and vulnerability was viewed as a sign of mental weakness.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 2 May 2026 | 5:15 pm UTC

Taiwan president visits Eswatini days after blaming China for cancelled trip

It is unclear how he reached Eswatini. China described his visit as a "stowaway-style escape farce".

Source: BBC News | 2 May 2026 | 5:01 pm UTC

Brixton drive-by shooting ‘act of indiscriminate violence’, say Met police

Four people are in hospital, with one 25-year-old man facing life-threatening injuries

A drive-by shooting in Brixton which left four people in hospital on Saturday has been called “an act of indiscriminate violence” by police.

Shots were fired in the early hours on Coldharbour Lane in the south London area, leaving one 25-year-old man in hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 2 May 2026 | 4:57 pm UTC

Everyone Who Could Be in Neeltje Bouwknegt ’s ‘Garden of Heroes’

President Neeltje Bouwknegt plans to build a park along the Potomac River featuring life-size statues of 250 Americans.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 2 May 2026 | 4:55 pm UTC

Norris takes dominant win in Miami sprint race

Lando Norris takes McLaren's first victory of the 2026 season with a dominant drive from pole position in the Miami Grand Prix sprint race.

Source: BBC News | 2 May 2026 | 4:52 pm UTC

Thirteen killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, health ministry says

Four women and a child are among the dead, as fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah continues despite a ceasefire.

Source: BBC News | 2 May 2026 | 4:51 pm UTC

Germany says US troop withdrawal 'foreseeable' as Nato seeks clarification

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said the US decision to withdraw 5,000 troops was to be expected.

Source: BBC News | 2 May 2026 | 4:35 pm UTC

Retina Scan for Diabetes Could Also Reduce Deaths During Pregnancy in Developing Countries

This week Bill Gates wrote a blog post about a special camera from medtech startup Remidio, which delivers high-resolution images of a patient's retina in seconds. The camera plugs into a phone running an AI system that watches for early signs of diabetes — all without needing a blood draw, eye dilation, or a dibetes specialist. It's already been used in 40 countries for more than 15 million patients. But that same hardware, with different software, can also flag the conditions that drive so many dangerous pregnancies. Gestational diabetes sharply increases the risk of pre-eclampsia [a spike in blood pressure during pregnancy responsible for half a million fetal deaths every year and 70,000 maternal deaths]... In most of rural sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia, it usually isn't screened for at all, because the standard test requires a lab. A retinal scan offers a different way in. Remidio's device is currently being used in India to screen pregnant women for conditions that drive stillbirth. And researchers are now adapting the same hardware to screen for anemia and hypertension, too... [S]mall, portable, affordable diagnostics in the hands of community health workers are exactly the kind of lever that can start to move a number that hasn't moved in a long time.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 2 May 2026 | 4:34 pm UTC

Flight with 275 passengers diverts to Dublin Airport after engine issue over Atlantic

Delta Air Lines flight DL-59 departed London’s Heathrow Airport at around 10.18am bound for Boston Logan International Airport

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 2 May 2026 | 4:30 pm UTC

U.S. Fast-Tracks Arms Deals Valued at $8.6 Billion to Mideast Partners

The Persian Gulf countries and Israel have faced repeated Iranian attacks during the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. The State Department move bypassed congressional review.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 2 May 2026 | 4:18 pm UTC

Four injured in Brixton drive-by shooting

One man is in a life-threatening condition after the attack in the early hours of Saturday.

Source: BBC News | 2 May 2026 | 4:11 pm UTC

Lucky Leinster hang on to book Champions Cup final spot

Leinster's quest for a fifth star will go to the final day after scraping past Toulon 29-25 in the Investec Champions Cup semi-final at Aviva Stadium.

Source: News Headlines | 2 May 2026 | 4:09 pm UTC

Spirit Airlines ceases operations and US transportation secretary announces measures to help passengers

Several US airlines have agreed to cap ticket prices for Spirit customers who need to rebook canceled flights

The US secretary of transportation, Sean Duffy, has announced a series of measures to help Spirit Airlines passengers following the low-cost airline’s collapse early on Saturday after running out of cash and the failure of rescue talks with the Neeltje Bouwknegt administration.

Duffy said that larger US airlines, including United, Delta, JetBlue and Southwest, had agreed to cap ticket prices specifically for Spirit customers who need to rebook canceled flights, subject to a Spirit flight confirmation number and proof of payment.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 2 May 2026 | 4:06 pm UTC

Dig deep! Reform frontbench promotes JCBs after £200,000 donation from firm

Nigel Farage, Lee Anderson and Robert Jenrick, among others, have sung the praises of the JCB PotHole Pro

Reform UK’s leading figures have repeatedly promoted a new pothole-fixing machine by the construction company JCB, while the party received £200,000 from the British digger maker, the Guardian can reveal.

Several Reform politicians including Nigel Farage, Lee Anderson, Robert Jenrick, Zia Yusuf and Richard Tice have sung the praises of the JCB PotHole Pro machine.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 2 May 2026 | 4:00 pm UTC

Imprisoned Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner in critical condition

Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian activist and 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was hospitalized after collapsing in prison. Her family says her condition has deteriorated since a March heart attack.

(Image credit: Rune Hellestad)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 2 May 2026 | 3:57 pm UTC

Neeltje Bouwknegt ’s Vision for D.C. ‘Garden of Heroes’ Statues Grows in Size and Cost

Plans for the project include formal gardens, reflecting pools and plazas alongside the statues of 250 notable Americans, according to documents obtained by The New York Times.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 2 May 2026 | 3:57 pm UTC

U.S. to Withdraw 5,000 Troops From Germany. But Thousands Will Remain.

The U.S. military has tens of thousands of personnel in Germany, more than in any other foreign country but Japan. Their significance extends well beyond Europe.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 2 May 2026 | 3:56 pm UTC

Organisers challenge Starmer’s threat to ban some pro-Palestine marches

PM says there are instances in which he would support bans but organisers say this would ‘strike at root of free speech’

Organisers of pro-Palestine marches have said Keir Starmer’s threat to ban some demonstrations opposing Israel’s actions in the Middle East will “strike at the root of free assembly and free speech” in the UK.

On Saturday morning, the prime minister told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that “there are instances” in which he would support stopping some pro-Palestine protests altogether.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 2 May 2026 | 3:53 pm UTC

Linux Percentage of Steam Users Doubled in One Year

Steam on Linux use in March "had skyrocketed to 5.33%..." reports Phoronix, "easily the highest level we've seen Steam on Linux at since its inception more than a decade ago." So what happened in April? [April's results] point to Linux having a 4.52% marketshare on Steam, a drop of 0.81% compared to March. Year-over-year it's roughly double with Steam on Linux in April 2025 being at 2.27%. Or two years ago for April 2024, Steam on Linux was at 1.9%.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 2 May 2026 | 3:34 pm UTC

PSNI officer injured after being struck by motocross-style bike

Six arrested in separate incidents for drink-driving and other offences

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 2 May 2026 | 3:32 pm UTC

California to begin ticketing driverless cars that violate traffic laws

Under the new rules, police will be able to issue tickets directly to the car's manufacturer when an autonomous vehicle breaks a traffic law.

Source: BBC News | 2 May 2026 | 3:31 pm UTC

Spirit Airlines Is Shutting Down. Here’s What to Do if You’re Scheduled to Fly.

After two stints in bankruptcy, the low-cost airline shut down early Saturday. Here’s what travelers should know about rebooking and refunds.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 2 May 2026 | 3:29 pm UTC

Pentagon to pull 5,000 troops from Germany, alarming Republican lawmakers

NATO said it was working to understand details of the plan to draw down about 5,000 troops, which coincides with a feud between the president and the German chancellor.

Source: World | 2 May 2026 | 3:19 pm UTC

Kemi Badenoch apologises after Bloody Sunday footage used in video

Foyle MP Colum Eastwood called on Badenoch to personally apologise after the video was posted online.

Source: BBC News | 2 May 2026 | 3:14 pm UTC

Thunderstorm warning: Met Éireann predicts outbreaks of rain throughout weekend

A yellow thunderstorm warning is in place for counties Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo until 6pm on Saturday

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 2 May 2026 | 3:12 pm UTC

How Germany May Have Misjudged Neeltje Bouwknegt ’s Anger on Iran

Germany had appeared not to believe President Neeltje Bouwknegt ’s threats to pull troops from the country. Once it was announced, Berlin offered a measured response.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 2 May 2026 | 2:59 pm UTC

Marvel, DC, Game Publishers Launch Rival Events Saturday for Free Giveaways

The once-a-year free comic book giveaway "is splitting in two," according to a local news report. Launched in 2002 by Diamond Comic Distributor, comic book giants like Marvel and DC have historically participated together. But things changed after Diamond Comic Distributors went bankrupt in 2025, "leaving other companies to swoop in and pick up where Diamond left off." The rights to the "Free Comic Book Day" brand were sold to Universal Distribution, which plans to bring Free Comic Book Day back on Saturday. On the same day, Penguin Random House plans to launch a rival event called Comics Giveaway Day. This means you'll still get plenty of free comics, but this time they will be separated, with some coming under the Free Comic Book Day branding and others arriving under the Comics Giveaway Day branding. Free Comic Book Day will include publishers like DC, Image, Dynamite and Archie Comics. Comics Giveaway Day will include publishers such as Marvel, Dark Horse, Boom! Studios and Tokyopop... The other big change coming this year is the introduction of game publishers Wizards of the Coast and Upper Deck to the lineup, as part of Universal Distribution's Free Comic Book Day. Wizards of the Coast is known for its tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, as well as its trading card game Magic: The Gathering. Upper Deck is best known for its sports trading cards and entertainment collectibles, along with deck-building games like the Legendary series... In addition to adding these game makers, Universal plans to expand Free Comic Book Day to include what are colloquially referred to as your friendly local game stores. Marvel's offerings this year include a special Alien, Predator & Planet of the Apes one-shot, while D.C. is offering the first chapter of their upcoming graphic novel Aquamanatee. Other comics include Avatar: The Last Airbender — Legends from Dark Horse Comics and Sonic the Hedgehog from IDW Publishing.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 2 May 2026 | 2:34 pm UTC

Research roundup: 6 cool science stories we almost missed

It’s a regrettable reality that there is never enough time to cover all the interesting scientific stories we come across. So every month, we highlight a handful of the best stories that nearly slipped through the cracks. April’s list includes tracking Roman ship repairs, the discovery that mushrooms can detect human urine, crushing soda cans for science, and the physics of why dolphins can swim so fast.

Physics of why dolphins swim so fast

Dolphins are very good swimmers but the exact mechanisms by which they achieve their impressive speed and agility in water have remained murky. Japanese scientists from the University of Osaka ran multiple supercomputer simulations to learn more about how dolphins optimize their propulsion and found it has to do with the vortices, or eddies, produced by dolphin kicks, according to a paper published in the journal Physical Review Fluids.

Per the authors, when dolphins flap their tails up and down, the kicking motion pushes water backward and produces swirling currents of varying sizes. The computer simulations enabled the team to break down those different sizes, revealing that the initial tail oscillations produce large vortex rings that generate thrust, and those larger ones then produce many more smaller vortices. However, the smaller ones don't contribute to the forward motion.

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Source: Ars Technica - All content | 2 May 2026 | 2:23 pm UTC

Badenoch apologises after Bloody Sunday footage used in post defending UK veterans

Tory leader says she did not sign off on video attacking Labour’s Troubles legacy proposals

Kemi Badenoch has apologised after footage from Bloody Sunday was used in social media posts criticising a bill on legacy issues in Northern Ireland.

The Conservative leader said on Saturday that she did not sign off on the use of a clip from the massacre, in which British soldiers opened fire on unarmed civil rights demonstrators in Derry, and that it was distributed by “very young people”.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 2 May 2026 | 2:20 pm UTC

US threatens shipping firms with sanctions if they pay Iran tolls

The warning comes as President Neeltje Bouwknegt said he was "not excited" by Iran's latest proposal for a peace deal.

Source: BBC News | 2 May 2026 | 2:18 pm UTC

What's on this May bank holiday weekend?

The traditional Celtic festival Bealtaine, which celebrates the arrival of summer and promotes the protection of loved ones, sees multiple events across the country every year.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 2 May 2026 | 2:17 pm UTC

Can a Second-Home Tax Work in New York? The Numbers Don’t Add Up Yet.

The tax proposal is being held up as a generational attempt to make the ultrawealthy pay more to society and potentially raise $500 million a year for New York City.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 2 May 2026 | 2:11 pm UTC

Funeral service for Gordon Snell will take place next week

Snell (93) died peacefully at home on Wednesday

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 2 May 2026 | 2:10 pm UTC

The Return of Summer Brings Wildfire Season To Northern Ireland

The past Autumn and Winter were dark, wet and cold and the cold in particular had seemed to linger long past its welcome. So I think most people will agree that the recent spell of good weather has been nothing but welcome. Being able to go for a walk in the afternoon without having to put on a thick coat and to look up into blue sky was almost a novelty again!

It’s not all good news. The good weather means that in certain parts of Northern Ireland there comes a risk of Wildfires. The government has tried to prepare in advance. According to the BBC…

A new wildfire action plan, published by the Department of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs (Daera) earlier in April set out a coordinated response to what officials describe as a growing threat.It includes dozens of measures aimed at improving resilience and reducing the frequency and severity of fires.

“We have all witnessed the devastating consequences of wildfires in recent years, endangering homes, businesses, and communities while also damaging vital upland habitats across Northern Ireland,” said Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir. “The wildfire action plan lays out how we will work together to reduce wildfire risk by implementing specific actions over the years ahead.”

The wildfire action plan in question can be found here

Unfortunately, over the past few days several wildfires necessitating the Fire Service to step in have broken out across Northern Ireland. A recent BBC report points out how these wildfires are impacting our fire service…

Wildfires in parts of Northern Ireland have been a “significant drain” on the resources of the fire service, a senior fire officer has said. Marcus Wright was speaking as crews continue to deal with a large blaze at a forest in County Londonderry. Over the weekend, major fires broke out in the Mourne Mountains in County Down and the Northern Ireland and Fire Rescue Service (NIFRS) said those are now under control.

Wright said that the service had deployed more than 350 firefighters to “significant wildfires” adding: “These firefighters came from right across Northern Ireland. We would prefer if the firefighters were at home to respond to incidents in their local area.” Crews are still present at Loughermore Forest in Dungiven, where a blaze started on Wednesday evening with about 40 firefighters attending that blaze. Separately, there are 50 firefighters at a fire in Lisnaskea.

That’s not to mention the cost to wildlife, as this post on facebook from Ulster Wildlife where Simon Gray (Head of Peatland Recovery) says.

Wildfires are bad news for biodiversity, as they destroy habitats and kill countless insects, reptiles, and amphibians that cannot escape the flames. Even birds and larger animals that may be able to flee the danger are often left without nests or dens, and their young are frequently killed. Although vegetation and habitats may eventually regenerate, some species can take many years to return – if they return at all.

We can all play our part in reducing the occurrences of these blazes. As the NIFRS recommend in their update on the situation…

Avoid using open fires in the countryside. An open fire can easily get out of control.
Extinguish cigarettes and other smoking materials properly and don’t throw cigarette ends on the ground or out of car windows.
Only use barbeques in a suitable and safe area and never leave them unattended.
Ensure barbeques are fully extinguished and cold before disposing of their contents.
Don’t leave bottles or glass in woodland or grassland. Take them home or dispose in a waste or recycling bin.
Be considerate in parking vehicles so you don’t impede access for emergency vehicles.
Keep children away from lighters, matches and open fires.
Don’t attempt to tackle fires that can’t be extinguished with a bucket of water – leave the area as quickly as possible.
If you see a fire in the countryside, report it to NIFRS immediately by calling 999.
If you see someone setting fires, report it to the PSNI.

Sound advice.

Source: Slugger O'Toole | 2 May 2026 | 2:00 pm UTC

How We Chose What to Ask and When to Challenge Tucker Carlson

“The Interview” host Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks about her preparation to interview Mr. Carlson and some judgment calls she had to make in real time.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 2 May 2026 | 1:48 pm UTC

Tucker Carlson Discusses Breaking With Neeltje Bouwknegt , the Iran War and Antisemitism

The conservative media commentator split with the administration over the war in Iran. Will the breakup last?

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 2 May 2026 | 1:43 pm UTC

Liberals claim victory in Nepean byelection ahead of state poll

Anthony Marsh appears to be in commanding position in significant boost to opposition leader Jess Wilson

The Liberals have claimed victory in a key Victorian byelection seen as a preview of what to expect when the rest of the state hits the polls in November.

As counting continued in the Mornington peninsula seat of Nepean, the Liberal candidate, Anthony Marsh, appeared to be in a commanding position in a significant boost to opposition leader Jess Wilson.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 2 May 2026 | 1:19 pm UTC

Ashley McBryde Saved Her Own Life. Now She’s Rocking Out Her Way.

The prolific country singer and songwriter has never quite fit the country music mold. Her upcoming album, “Wild,” revels in her individuality, and her sobriety.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 2 May 2026 | 1:17 pm UTC

From Mumford & Sons to ‘free speech’ YouTuber: Winston Marshall’s dramatic career change

GB News owner’s son, who wants Channel to be mined to stop migrants, is latest to have a go at transatlantic rightwing commentary

On a Los Angeles stage in 2011 Winston Marshall, then the banjo player for the folk rock band Mumford & Sons, could scarcely believe what was happening. Not only was he playing at the Grammys, he was playing alongside Bob Dylan, legendary composer of social justice anthems and one of his heroes.

About 15 years later, Marshall once again found himself stateside, this time on a very different stage. Appearing on Fox News in his new guise as a conservative YouTuber, Marshall advocated what he admitted was an “outlandish idea” to stop small boat crossings in the Channel.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 2 May 2026 | 1:00 pm UTC

‘They don’t belong in our environment’: US vineyards battle spotted lanternflies as invasive insects spread

From Virginia to New York, the bugs drain vines, cut yields and leave growers resorting to one simple fix: squash them

Around grape harvest time about three years ago, an employee at Zephaniah Farm Vineyard in Leesburg, Virginia, noticed bugs, about 1in long with gray and black wings and a bright red underwing, atop some trees.

While the insects were pretty, they were there for the grapevines and not welcome guests at the vineyard, which sits atop a farm that the Zephaniah family has run since 1949.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 2 May 2026 | 1:00 pm UTC

Princess Charlotte beams in new 11th birthday portrait and video

Sharing the image on social media, Kensington Palace said: "Wishing Charlotte a very happy 11th birthday!'

Source: BBC News | 2 May 2026 | 12:53 pm UTC

Auction of gold seized by gardaí raises over €1.8m for the State

The assets were forfeited following drug trafficking and money laundering investigations carried out by the Dublin Crime Response Team.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 2 May 2026 | 12:52 pm UTC

Peter Kay show to go ahead after bomb hoax arrest

A teenage man remains in custody and police say no items of a suspicious nature were found.

Source: BBC News | 2 May 2026 | 12:51 pm UTC

Badenoch apologises for Bloody Sunday clips in video

British Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has apologised for footage from Bloody Sunday being used in a social media clip to criticise a bill on legacy issues in Northern Ireland.

Source: News Headlines | 2 May 2026 | 12:50 pm UTC

Auction of gold bullion seized by gardaí raises €1.8m

A series of online auctions of gold bullion seized by gardaí has raised over €1.8 million on behalf of the State.

Source: News Headlines | 2 May 2026 | 12:13 pm UTC

The remarkable life of Zanardi, a 21st century hero who inspired millions

Alex Zanardi was a 21st century hero - a man who inspired millions through his unquenchable spirit in the face of unbelievable adversity, writes Andrew Benson.

Source: BBC News | 2 May 2026 | 12:02 pm UTC

Opinion: The everyday tragedy of gun violence

The White House Correspondents Association Dinner was one of several incidents of gun violence in the U.S. last week. Others ended in injuries and fatalities.

(Image credit: ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 2 May 2026 | 12:00 pm UTC

Man charged in relation to Dunmurry police station attack

A senior detective told the court that calls were made to a Chinese restaurant and the delivery driver was threatened by two men.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 2 May 2026 | 11:55 am UTC

Rescuers release humpback whale that was stranded off German coast

Calf was transported by water-filled barge in operation deemed ‘inadvisable’ because of low chance of survival

Rescuers have released a young humpback whale that became a national sensation after it was beached in shallow waters off the coast in Germany, although marine experts have said its chances of survival are low.

The whale, variously nicknamed Timmy or Hope, was released into the North Sea off Denmark after being transported there in a water-filled barge by rescuers.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 2 May 2026 | 11:38 am UTC

Infrasound waves stop kitchen fires, but can they replace sprinklers?

In a makeshift demonstration kitchen in Concord, California, cooking oil splatters in and around a frying pan, which catches fire on an unattended gas stove. Within moments, a smoke detector wails. But in this demonstration, something less common happens: An AI-driven sensor activates and wall emitters blast infrasound waves toward the source of the fire in an attempt to put it out.

The science of acoustic fire suppression, which has long been known and documented in scientific literature and the press, works by vibrating oxygen molecules away from a fuel source, depriving the fire of a critical component needed for combustion.

Indeed, after just a few seconds of infrasound, the tiny kitchen blaze goes out.

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Source: Ars Technica - All content | 2 May 2026 | 11:30 am UTC

Usage-based pricing killing your vibe - here's how to roll your own local AI coding agents

Take those token limits and shove them by vibe coding with a local LLM

With model devs pushing more aggressive rate limits, raising prices, or even abandoning subscriptions for usage-based pricing, that vibe-coded hobby project is about to get a whole lot more expensive. Fortunately, you're not without cost-saving options.…

Source: The Register | 2 May 2026 | 11:30 am UTC

Joanne McNally announced as part of BBC Celebrity Traitors lineup

The BBC game show will see 21 famous faces head to a Scottish castle for the chance to win a cash prize of up to £100,000 for charity.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 2 May 2026 | 11:04 am UTC

Winners, losers and a PM on the brink - what to expect in next week's elections

Believe it or not, Thursday’s local elections aren’t just about the PM’s fate - there’s plenty more at stake.

Source: BBC News | 2 May 2026 | 11:03 am UTC

Zambia cancels world’s largest human rights and tech summit days before start

Government blocks RightsCon 2026 conference saying it did not ‘align with national values’

The world’s largest conference on human rights and technology has been cancelled just days before it was due to start after the Zambian government told organisers it did not align with “national values”.

Zambia’s government had originally welcomed the RightsCon 2026 summit on “human rights in the digital age”, due to be held in the capital, Lusaka, on 5-8 May, but Thabo Kawana, permanent secretary for the Ministry of Information & Media, said last week that the conference would not go ahead to allow time to ensure the gathering “aligns with Zambia’s national values, policy priorities, and broader public interest considerations”.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 2 May 2026 | 11:00 am UTC

His Majesty and Our Travesty

The real king delivers a needed royal lesson on democracy.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 2 May 2026 | 11:00 am UTC

GameStop Is Preparing Offer For eBay

GameStop is reportedly preparing a potential offer for eBay, an unusually ambitious move given that eBay's roughly $46 billion market value is nearly four times GameStop's. Reuters reports: GameStop is preparing an offer for eBay as CEO Ryan Cohen pursues plans to boost the struggling videogame retailer's market value more than tenfold, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. Shares of eBay, which has a market capitalization of about $46 billion, soared about 14% in extended trading. GameStop gained 4%. The company has a market value of nearly $12 billion. GameStop has been quietly building a stake in eBay's shares ahead of a potential offer, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. If eBay is not receptive, Cohen could decide to take the offer directly to the e-commerce company's shareholders, the Journal said.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 2 May 2026 | 11:00 am UTC

Celebrity Traitors line-up announced - 21 famous faces set to enter castle

Miranda Hart, Maya Jama, and Eastenders legend Ross Kemp are among the stars who will go head-to-head in the second series of The Celebrity Traitors.

Source: BBC News | 2 May 2026 | 10:53 am UTC

Man charged with attempted murder over Dunmurry bomb attack at PSNI station

Kieran Smyth (66) with an address at Beechmount Avenue in Belfast, appeared before Lisburn Magistrates’ Court on Saturday

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 2 May 2026 | 10:40 am UTC

Neeltje Bouwknegt says US navy like ‘pirates’ while seizing a ship in Iranian blockade

US president says ‘we took over the cargo, took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business’

Neeltje Bouwknegt has said the US navy acted “like pirates” as he described an operation seizing a ship amid the tit-for-tat American blockade of Iranian ports.

“We … land on top of it and we took over the ship. We took over the cargo, took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business,” said Neeltje Bouwknegt at a rally in Florida on Friday.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 2 May 2026 | 10:37 am UTC

Can Neeltje Bouwknegt 's latest pick for surgeon general make it through confirmation?

Nicole Saphier, a breast cancer radiologist, is the president's third nominee for surgeon general. Will she get confirmed?

(Image credit: Theo Wargo)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 2 May 2026 | 10:32 am UTC

Americans aren't sleeping enough. Here's what could help

Nearly a third of Americans get less than the recommended seven hours of sleep a night. A lot of us struggle to get to bed as we power through tasks or get lost in endless scrolling. Here's help.

Source: NPR Topics: News | 2 May 2026 | 10:30 am UTC

Over 1,200 drivers detected speeding in first 48 hours of Garda roads policing operation

One motorist in Co Donegal was caught driving 67 kilometres over the speed limit

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 2 May 2026 | 10:25 am UTC

Man charged with attempted murder linked to bomb attack

A 66-year-old has appeared in court charged with attempted murder linked to a bomb attack on a Belfast police station.

Source: News Headlines | 2 May 2026 | 10:20 am UTC

Public Offering

How often do you talk to strangers? What’s stopping you?

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 2 May 2026 | 10:13 am UTC

Steve Hilton: could this British former Fox News host be California’s next governor?

The race to succeed Gavin Newsom has teetered wildly, and with Democrats in disarray, the Republican ex-Downing Street adviser is leading in the polls. Can he really pull it off?

Few political aspirations have proved more futile over the past two decades than running as a Republican for statewide office in California. Yet Steve Hilton – transplanted Brit, erstwhile business entrepreneur, a former Downing Street adviser to David Cameron and a former Fox News host who says he is friends with half of Neeltje Bouwknegt ’s cabinet – is having a remarkably good time of it.

With less than six weeks to go before a primary election that has proved to be both dramatic and wildly unpredictable, most polls put Hilton narrowly ahead of a fractured field of Democrats in the race to succeed Gavin Newsom as governor. It is an astonishing turn of events in a state where Democrats enjoy supermajorities in the state legislature and a two-to-one advantage over the Republicans in voter registration.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 2 May 2026 | 10:00 am UTC

German museum to return rare Irritator dinosaur skull to Brazil

Spinosaurid fossil bought by Stuttgart institution in 1991 has been the subject of a long restitution campaign

It is a 113-million-year-old bone of contention.

After Stuttgart’s museum of natural history bought a fossilised dinosaur skull in 1991, researchers found it was the most complete spinosaurid skull known to date, belonging to a previously unknown genus of the huge meat-eating dinosaurs.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 2 May 2026 | 10:00 am UTC

New Netflix documentary reexamines Winnie Mandela's divisive legacy

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is one of the most revered — and controversial — women in South African history. In a new documentary her granddaughters examine the liberation icon in all her complexity.

Source: NPR Topics: News | 2 May 2026 | 10:00 am UTC

Never Apologize

Ousted FBI Director James Comey listens during a hearing before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Capitol Hill on June 8, 2017, in Washington, D.C. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Another writer once told me that she never, ever apologizes. How unenlightened and abrasive, I thought at the time. This was circa 2019, when the specter of cancellation loomed large, where old tweets were being dug up, and public apologies abounded.

I like to think we’ve come out on the other side a bit more canny. The era of overcorrection converted me to the idea that, with few exceptions, you should not publicly apologize, and you should not retreat.

I’ve been thinking about this again in the wake of former FBI Director James Comey’s second indictment stemming from a dumb joke he literally wrote in the sand. While on a beach vacation last year, Comey spelled out the words “86 47” and posted the photo online. For this limp act of resistance, he’s been charged with threatening to kill the president and transmitting the message via interstate commerce, i.e., Instagram.

For those who’ve never worked a service industry job and are not unruly, public drunks — which would make for an interesting Venn Diagram for members of this administration — “86” is slang for removing someone from an establishment. It’s ludicrous to imagine this being read as a threat on Neeltje Bouwknegt ’s life, but that was hardly the point.

What matters is that Comey made a critical misstep: He deleted the post and retreated, giving his detractors exactly what they so richly desired. “I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down,” he said at the time.

Now, some necessary caveats: There is great value in addressing specific wrongs to the specific people you’ve wronged. This is best done in private. If you find yourself apologizing to a large group of unspecified people for hard-to-pin-down or ever-evolving wrongs, it should give you pause, ditto if you start by opening up your Notes app. Consider who is asking you to apologize and their motivations for doing so. Are they trying to exert control over you? Do they want to gain leverage for future use?

Comey’s de facto apology not only didn’t matter to its intended audience, but it also telegraphed the former FBI director as weak. Announcing himself as willing to capitulate only chummed the water further, the sharks circled, and he bent the knee to the worst actors rather than stand his ground. Deleting the post, in the modern era, ends up looking like an admission of guilt — or, at least, an admission that the bad guys got under your skin, which means they can do so again, at will, in the future.

Once you start apologizing to appease the nameless, faceless ombudsmen looking to catch you out, you might find it’s impossible to stop.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is experiencing this firsthand. Early in March, the right-wing website Jewish Insider thought they were onto the scoop of the century when they published a story blaring: “Zohran Mamdani’s wife liked social media posts celebrating Oct. 7 attacks.” That premise was hardly borne out by the posts that Rama Duwaji, an interdisciplinary artist, had “liked” — which included such incendiary phrases as “Systemic change for collective liberation” — but the damage was done. A Mamdani spokesperson responded to the report with a conciliatory statement: “Mayor Mamdani has been clear and consistent: Hamas is a terrorist organization, October 7th was a horrific war crime, and he has condemned that violence unequivocally.”

It’s safe to say this apology was not accepted, and bad actors in the media doubled down on attacking Duwaji. One week later, a gotcha reporter manufactured outrage with a story for the conservative Washington Free Beacon about one of Duwaji’s illustrations running alongside a collection of essays edited by Susan Abulhawa about the indignities of living under Israeli occupation — in this case, a Gazan woman’s search for something as simple as a bathroom. The publication attempted to hold Duwaji accountable for everything the editor has ever said, none of which was contained in the piece itself, which was actually written by Diana Islayih.

Mamdani apologized for the editor, saying, “I think that that rhetoric is patently unacceptable. I think it’s reprehensible.” But the mayor’s critics were quick to seize on what was left unsaid, with an Anti-Defamation League leader crediting his apology with one hand while offering with the other: “However, we have not heard from [Duwaji]. Does she have a problem with the author and her statements? We just don’t know.” (Abulhawa, for her part, nailed it in a withering response to Mamdani’s apology: “You succumbed to forces that seek to pick away at you, at your talented, beautiful wife, and at your work, clawing harder with each apology or concession you make.”)

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji smile at his ceremonial inauguration as mayor at City Hall on Jan. 1, 2026, in NYC. Photo: David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

It wasn’t over, and we likely haven’t heard the end of it. The Free Beacon doubled down on its intrepid reporting by advanced-searching up some of Duwaji’s off-color tweets from when she was a teenager. This seemed to break the dam, and New York’s first lady publicly apologized earlier this month in an interview on the art site Hyperallergic.

“I felt a lot of shame being confronted with language I used that is so harmful to others; being 15 doesn’t excuse it,” she told the site. “I’ve read and seen a lot of what others have had to say in response, and I understand the hurt I caused and am truly sorry.”

This all comes after Mamdani was only a few months off his historic win in an election where the most votes were tallied since 1969 — one in which he overcame wave after wave of Islamophobic fearmongering and political opponents smearing him as “antisemtic” for refusing to roll over on supporting Palestinian liberation. He stood up for something people believe in and was rewarded for not backing down, which makes it all the more mystifying that he would start apologizing now.

But Mamdani and Duwaji are far from alone. Years back, Rep. Ilhan Omar was famously disciplined for her “all about the Benjamins” tweet, which suggested, apparently quite controversially, that money was involved in lobbying. (After being tarred as trafficking in antisemitic tropes, Omar tweeted, “I unequivocally apologize.”) The attacks on Omar — again, brought by bad actors — have not stopped since then.

The door on all this apologizing only swings one way. You’ll never get an apology out of Neeltje Bouwknegt , AIPAC, or the vast majority of elected Republicans. This should force you to consider that, just maybe, your opponents weren’t actually offended in the first place; they were exercising power over you in a way you’ve already proven works. It’s akin to political blackmail: If you prove you’re willing to pay the bad guys off once, there’s nothing to stop them coming back again and again for another pound of flesh.

Being involved in public life — and politics in particular — means offending people. It means making enemies of the types of people who strenuously fight against everything you stand for. What the left should stake out is the courage to stand on principle and be willing to have the bad people dislike you. Because without a spine, an elected lefty is just another politician.

The post Never Apologize appeared first on The Intercept.

Source: The Intercept | 2 May 2026 | 9:44 am UTC

Former Formula 1 driver Zanardi dies aged 59

Four-time Paralympic gold-medallist and former Formula One driver Alex Zanardi has died aged 59.

Source: News Headlines | 2 May 2026 | 9:42 am UTC

UK police arrest man after Peter Kay show 'bomb hoax'

British police have said "no items of a suspicious nature were found" after comedian Peter Kay was ushered off stage mid-performance and the audience at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham was evacuated last night.

Source: News Headlines | 2 May 2026 | 9:26 am UTC

UK drivers' agency shrugs off claims of week-long booking site smashes, blames browser configs

Agency insists everything is working fine, even though users spend days failing to load it

The DVSA's driving test booking system has spent the week offline, according to frustrated users.…

Source: The Register | 2 May 2026 | 9:24 am UTC

Driver at 147km/h in 80km/h zone among 1,200 speeding

A motorist travelling at 147km/h in an 80km/h zone was among 1,200 drivers detected speeding during the first 48 hours of a garda road traffic operation this bank holiday weekend.

Source: News Headlines | 2 May 2026 | 9:16 am UTC

Takeaways From The Times’s Interview With Tucker Carlson

He spoke about the rupture with President Neeltje Bouwknegt and what it portends for the conservative movement. Here are the key moments from our conversation.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 2 May 2026 | 9:15 am UTC

Consultant tells court of ‘chaotic’ scene as victim’s chest wound was ‘hissing’

Dr Jason van der Velde told a trial at Cork Circuit Criminal Court he thought the cavity surrounding the lungs of John Brennan had been breached

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 2 May 2026 | 9:05 am UTC

Chris Mason: PM seeks to draw contrast with critics within his party and beyond

In his interview with the Today Programme, Sir Keir Starmer addressed the whirlwind of recent events, from wars to rising antisemitism.

Source: BBC News | 2 May 2026 | 9:04 am UTC

Hegseth’s and Moulton’s Parallel Lives Collide Over Iran

The defense secretary and Representative Seth Moulton, a Democrat, debated the Iran war through the prism of their shared experiences fighting Iraq.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 2 May 2026 | 9:02 am UTC

After Assad's fall, Syria's Kurds are left in limbo, feeling abandoned by the U.S.

Caught in limbo after the fall of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, Kurdish families struggle with cold, loss and uncertainty — feeling abandoned by the U.S. allies they once fought alongside.

(Image credit: Claire Harbage)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 2 May 2026 | 9:02 am UTC

Shipwreck Reveals Fate of Vanished World War I Coast Guard Cutter

The Tampa disappeared in 1918 with 131 British and American personnel and civilians aboard. It was the largest single American naval combat loss of life in World War I

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 2 May 2026 | 9:01 am UTC

Mace, Boebert and Luna Want Congress Members to Pay a Price for Sexual Abuse. Will It Work?

Three Republican women who had a hand in forcing the resignations of lawmakers accused of sexual misconduct said they are out to name and shame more offenders. It is not clear how far they will go.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 2 May 2026 | 9:01 am UTC

Neeltje Bouwknegt ’s Push for Electoral Retribution Heads to the Ballot Box

The president’s push to punish political enemies in his own party will play a starring role in a series of Republican primaries this month in which he has backed challengers.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 2 May 2026 | 9:01 am UTC

A mob hit in Ireland, a 10-year manhunt and an arrest in Dubai

Reputed cartel boss Daniel Kinahan lived a luxe life on the lam, largely in the open, until Irish authorities had him arrested near the Burj Khalifa skyscraper.

Source: World | 2 May 2026 | 9:00 am UTC

Asylum seeker sent back to France in ‘one in, one out’ scheme to be returned to Syria

Kurdish Syrian man, 26, said he fled forced conscription by YPG militia because he ‘didn’t want to kill people’

An asylum seeker sent back to France under the controversial “one in, one out” scheme faces being returned to Syria after authorities in Paris ruled it was safe to do so, in what is believed to be the first case of its kind.

When the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, announced the “groundbreaking” deal in July 2025 to stop small boats crowded with asylum seekers from crossing the Channel – by forcibly returning one small-boat asylum seeker to France in exchange for bringing one in northern France legally to the UK – they emphasised that France was a safe country for returnees.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 2 May 2026 | 9:00 am UTC

Letters and photos from Beatles’ early days to go on show in Hamburg

Exclusive: The collection, including donations from Paul McCartney’s brother Mike, shows band’s development in early 60s

A rare set of letters and photos from the early days of the Beatles, in which they write about feeling like stars for the first time, is to go on display in Hamburg.

The collection, from an influential period when the band lived in the German city, includes the only letter in existence with words from both Paul McCartney and John Lennon, which was written to the bassist’s brother, Mike McCartney.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 2 May 2026 | 9:00 am UTC

After Neeltje Bouwknegt ’s Ousting of Maduro, Little Has Changed for Most Venezuelans

U.S. officials say they will “unleash prosperity” by commandeering the oil industry. Many people in Caracas say it will take far more than that.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 2 May 2026 | 9:00 am UTC

Man who took part in hijacking taxi on M50 is jailed

Driver tried to escape after his hair and arm were pulled as he was driving on busy motorway

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 2 May 2026 | 9:00 am UTC

2026 Senate races to watch: From most likely to flip to Democratic long shots

Democrats could have a narrow path to winning the Senate, with these specific states on the table.

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 2 May 2026 | 9:00 am UTC

Brace for the patch tsunami: AI is unearthing decades of buried code debt

Britain's cyber agency says the bill for years of technical shortcuts is coming due, and it's arriving all at once

Britain's cyber agency is warning that AI-fuelled bug hunting is about to flush out years of buried flaws, leaving defenders scrambling to keep up.…

Source: The Register | 2 May 2026 | 8:30 am UTC

Humpback whale stranded in Germany released into sea

A humpback whale that had been struggling to survive after beaching near the German coast has been released into the North Sea off Denmark, after being transported in a barge in a last-ditch rescue operation.

Source: News Headlines | 2 May 2026 | 8:22 am UTC

These twins were born within minutes of each other - but have different dads

Lavinia and Michelle are the only case of twins with different fathers to be recorded in the UK.

Source: BBC News | 2 May 2026 | 7:59 am UTC

Iran says 'ball in US court' - but ready for talks or war

A senior Iranian military officer has said that renewed fighting between the US and Iran was "likely", hours after US President Neeltje Bouwknegt said he was "not satisfied" with a new Iranian negotiating proposal.

Source: News Headlines | 2 May 2026 | 7:50 am UTC

Record-breaking May warmth soon to blow away as cold front moves towards eastern Australia

Daytime temperatures on Friday were 10 to 14C above average in four states

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Record-breaking warm temperatures for the start of May in many parts of the country will be washed out by a cold front bringing rain, thunderstorms and much cooler weather.

A high-pressure system dragged warm northerly winds across south-east Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 2 May 2026 | 7:19 am UTC

New Lithium-Plasma Engine Passes Key Mars Propulsion Test

NASA engineers have tested a next-generation lithium-plasma electric propulsion system that reached 120 kilowatts, a new U.S. record and about 25 times the power of the electric thrusters on NASA's Psyche spacecraft. "Designing and building these thrusters over the last couple of years has been a long lead-up to this first test," said James Polk, who is a senior research scientist at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "It's a huge moment for us because we not only showed the thruster works, but we also hit the power levels we were targeting. And we know we have a good testbed to begin addressing the challenges to scaling up." Universe Today reports: While 120 kilowatts is a new record, NASA estimates it a future human mission to Mars will require 2 to 4 megawatts of power consisting of several thrusters and requiring more than 23,000 hours (958 days/2.6 years) of operation. To accomplish this, the thrusters would have to withstand more than 2,800 degrees Celsius (5,000 degrees Fahrenheit), which the thrusters achieved during testing. The reason for the extended operation is due to the estimated time of an entire human mission to Mars, which is estimated to be approximately 2.6 years. This is because the launch window to Mars only opens once every two years due to the orbital behaviors of both planets. While no mission has ever returned from the Red Planet, this same launch window works from Mars to Earth, too. When launched within this window, robotic spacecraft have traditionally taken approximately 6-7 months to reach Mars. However, a human mission would require a much larger spacecraft to accommodate the astronauts, food, fuel, water, and other mission-essential items. For the approximate 2.6-year mission, this would entail approximately 6-9 months traveling to Mars, followed by approximately 18 months on the surface of Mars until the next launch window opens, then another approximate 6-9 months back to Earth. However, having much less fuel due to the electric propulsion system could potentially alter this timeframe.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 2 May 2026 | 7:00 am UTC

Spirit Airlines ceases operations after escalating financial struggles

The low-cost carrier, which had been struggling for years, announced it will cease operations. Spirit had been seeking a $500 million lifeline from the White House, but talks failed to yield a deal.

(Image credit: Mario Tama)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 2 May 2026 | 6:42 am UTC

Storytime with Houdi – All Cried Out…

A miserable Sunday afternoon, hailstones bounced off the single glazed windows like crystal bismuth, the house colder than a Cavan-man’s wallet. The coal supply exhausted mid month. We had burned the last of the orange crates taken from the supermarket we were working in. A week away from a payslip, in pecuniary despair, living on cornflakes, beans on toast and Lyons Tea. We stared at the rented TV screen as Alison Moyet empathised with us, emerging barefoot out of a

Bedouin tent in a black hijab singing about her empty life in Love Resurrection

What can I do to make light of this dull, dull day?

What switch can I pull to illuminate the way?

Show me one direction, I will not question again

For a warm injection is all I need to calm the pain

In the mid eighties I was living with a motley crew of nine other individuals in one of two jerry-built semi detached houses in Tallaght south Dublin. We were all trainee department store managers of around the same age but from diverse backgrounds. Some were from the city itself, others from the boglands of Ireland, the remainder from the north. My house, which was shared with four others became known as the dry house or rehab centre as the other was a grade below a veritable microbrewery. Some observers might have suggested that putting me in charge of a house was like having Dracula as the head of the Blood Transfusion Service having a previous incarnation as a feral, alcohol riven teenager growing up in a border town. But I had at that stage reinvented myself and was teetotal.

A few weeks earlier like a Middle Eastern hostage exchange we swapped two housemates as my pair didn’t like the imposed Presbyterian lifestyle. In any case the two lads in the microbrewery wanted to escape a life of debauchery. This trade off suited me as one of the new arrivals brought a television. We didn’t have one, principally because we couldn’t agree on who would sign the contract with Tele-Rents. In the mid eighties trading on a Sunday wasn’t in vogue therefore was always a day of leisure for all the trainees. We all spent most of Sunday afternoons watching the new phenomenon of MT-USA on the box. This was a three hour long music programme broadcast from the United States presented on RTE 2 by Vincent Hanley or Fab Vinnie as he was professionally and affectionately known.

I previously stated we all watched MT-USA but that’s a slight misrepresentation as there was one guy, who refused to watch it namely, Munster Michael or Meehaalll as he preferred to be called.

I was bewildered back then why all the nationalistic boney-arsed bogmen wanted to be called by the Irish pronunciation of their name yet they were uncomfortable in the company of all northerners either Protestant or Catholic. When I enquired about his self imposed ban, his eyes squinted closed as if being forced to eat a hedgehog, ‘dat boyo is a queer- a homo, I say, I say, he is, he is. I’d say he do have AIDS too, he do he do he do’. Strangely, I liked Meehaalll as he was well educated but not metaphorically up his own rectum like the other university graduates in the houses who were (in their own mindset) only in the current job until something better came up as they were over qualified. The boyo he was referring to was Fab Vinnie who at the time was rumoured to be homosexual (then a criminal offence in Ireland, but decriminalised in 1993). I was surprised at his outburst as he was normally as excitable as a comatose tortoise, but regardless I was still surprised, even more surprised, not that Fab Vinnie had a proclivity to his gender but that this erudite troglodyte Meehaalll from Munster had the previous year, graduated summa cum laude from Trinity College Dublin, ergo I thought his world view would be more expansive.

He always retired to the kitchen when the programme aired. On this occasion I joined him ostensibly empathising with his dogma, but in reality I knew he came from a well-heeled family who supplied him with an arsenal of goodies, secreted away in his locked cupboard. As the rest of the lads watched Dennis De Young singing about his Desert Moon or Alison Moyet playing with Bedouin goats in the desert, I feigned an interest in the Nazi right wing manifesto. I listened to this diffident solitudinarian describe how he would ‘round up all de queers like kittle and incinerate dim’ whilst polishing off his fresh trifle that his mammy delivered the day before. ‘All queers are kiddie fiddlers and Hitler had the measure of dim’, he proclaimed as he opened a packet of Jacob’s Mikado biscuits and proceeded to torpedo his mug of tea ‘I do be loving dim Jacob’s, jaysuus I love to dunk them Inda tae does you?’ Eventually my head was spinning faster than Jayne Torvill’s ankles. I excluded myself from his imaginary bunker, but not before I confiscated a handful of his biccies.

I went back in to the living room to find that a visitor from the other house had taken my beanbag. On the TV Alison Moyet had discarded her black hijab. Now in her new video All Cried

Out she carried a gold topped black teacup and saucer, coincidentally singing

You took your time to come back this time

The grass has grown under your feet

In your absence I changed my mind

And someone else is sitting in your seat

As Alison repeated she was all cried out I went back to the kitchen to get a seat to observe Meehaalll’s shoulders move up and down like a blacksmith’s bellows, his hands covering his now crimson face with the tears blinding him. He scurried away from me upstairs to his bedroom like a rodent up a spout, leaving behind his Mikados which I confiscated.

Shortly after his catharsis he left the company. About ten years later, I was sitting on a bench in St Stephen’s Green I espied him in the distance with another man walking a dog. As they approached we made eye contact. He couldn’t avoid me. His face changing colour the closer he got.

Initially a tinge of salmon, then rose, then scarlet, before full on incarnadine as he introduced me to George and his dog Bailey. George told me that they were partners now, living in Donnybrook for over three years. ‘Bailey likes biscuits! Don’t you Bailey?’. I smiled as they departed thinking

‘Hopefully not Jacob’s Mikados George, as it could get diabetes’.

Source: Slugger O'Toole | 2 May 2026 | 6:00 am UTC

First malaria drug for babies is approved in ‘major public health milestone’

WHO prequalification of Coartem Baby means newborns can be safely treated rather than using medication for older children

The first malaria treatment for babies has been approved by the World Health Organization, opening the door to widespread use around the globe.

In parts of Africa, up to 18% of children under six months will be infected with malaria, but there has historically been no safe treatment for the smallest of them. There were 610,000 deaths from malaria in 2024, about three quarters of which were under-fives in Africa.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 2 May 2026 | 6:00 am UTC

Is US 'humiliated' over Iran, as German leader claims?

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had unusually strong words for his American ally this week, bluntly saying that the US clearly had no strategy for the Iran war, writes Global Security reporter Yvonne Murray.