If Anna Wintour’s reign was limited to the world of fashion, she would not be half as powerful. If her domain was clothes, accessories and outfits, she would never have endured. No, the former Vogue editor’s real gift – that allows her to identify, approve or condemn a trend or a muse or a lifestyle – is her shrewd understanding of the attention economy, and her willingness to adapt her own tastes to court it.
It is why she heralded a new era of celebrity when she put Kim Kardashian and Kanye West on the cover of her magazine in 2012, why she marked another when she finally embraced The Devil Wears Prada by appearing on it with Meryl Streep to mark its sequel last month, and it is why, under her stewardship, the Met Gala has transformed into the ultimate obscene parade of celebrity, absurdity and excess.
The Met Gala had been running for nearly 50 years before Wintour took it on in 1995, a staid society fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute – the one curated collection in the museum that must pay for itself, so reluctant was the establishment to recognise fashion as art. Socialites and designers and models would attend, but it was of little interest to anybody else.
Then, a year after Wintour took over, Princess Diana showed up in a navy Dior slip dress and changed everything. Suddenly this was a pop culture sensation: it girls, rock stars, film stars, politicians, anyone with the right adjacency to glamour who wanted to assert their relevance and was important enough for a designer to dress them.
From then, the Met Gala grew to become the most important and exclusive invitation in the celebrity calendar. Its red carpet became a deliberate collision of the worlds of fashion and celebrity, confected to encourage “moments” and attention and in which all willing participants proved themselves desperate to outdo each other, competing for eyeballs like a sport.
Anna Wintour and her daughter Bee Shaffer (Photo: Noam Galai/GC Images)
And like a sport, the public are invited to watch on. We are voyeurs, desperate for gossip about fights in elevators (Solange Knowles and Jay-Z), damaged dresses (Kim Kardashian in a vintage Bob Mackie number worn by Marilyn Monroe) and sneering at fancy dress cats (there were several terrifying tributes to Karl Lagerfeld’s Choupette in 2023). It is streamed on Vogue’s website by around a billion people every year. As Wintour said herself in the 2016 documentary The First Monday in May, “If it takes a little bit of Rihanna dancing on a tabletop to get attention, then so be it.”
It is this quote that has stuck in my mind the past few weeks, as controversy has grown around this year’s event. With Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez as co-patrons, there have been mounting calls for stars and designers to boycott the “Bezos Ball”. Activist groups have been campaigning across New York, filling the Met with 300 bottles of fake urine in a nod to employees in Amazon fulfilment centres denied toilet breaks. Interviews with workers were projected onto the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building and the Bezoses’ penthouse.
Critics have called the appointment of the couple “reputation laundering”, called the event an “oligarch-orchestrated clown show”. The socialist mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, did not attend, as part of his focus on “affordability”. In a city where one in four people are thought to live below the poverty line, and a country divided in recent years over issues like ICE, Covid, police brutality,the climate crisis and the war in Gaza, an event charging $100,000 a ticket is a disgusting celebration of evil super-elites.
Well yes, obviously. But that is precisely the point. We might all like to believe we look at the Met Gala red carpet to appreciate fashion’s artistry, legacy, and cultural importance but really it’s excess and access: a glimpse at an isolated, shrinking world of riches and beauty and fantasy that we will never be a part of. This is exactly as Anna Wintour planned it.
Exclusivity is the point of the Met Gala. It’s not just about the ticket – which money can’t buy, even if you have it. Wintour must deem you are important and interesting enough – and approve your outfit; a fashion house must want to dress you and believe you beautiful and worthy of their clothes. Edward Enninful once said that a viral moment on the Met red carpet is as valuable to a designer as 10 runway shows.
Heidi Klum’s living statue costume (Photo: Stephanie Augello/MG26/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
We know little of what goes on inside, other than that phones and smoking are banned (both rules frequently broken), that if you miss your timed slot on the red carpet you’re not coming in, and that couples are separated in order to encourage mingling and interesting conversations. The mystery is the point: everything is by design untouchable, unrelatable, over the top. The attendees, by their presence and their chosen looks, turn themselves into artefacts as sacred, delicate and out of reach as those on display in the museum itself.
This year’s theme was Fashion Is Art – promoting the Met’s exhibition “Costume Art”, looking at fashion through different bodies: pregnant, disabled, naked. Cue a split on the red carpet between those channelling artists from Goya to Van Gogh to Singer Sargent with their black lace and irises and bulging silhouettes, to those interpreting the “body” – Kylie and Kendall Jenner both in constructed nipples, Bad Bunny ageing himself a few decades with prosthetics, and Cardi B in a bulging fleshy gown reminiscent of an unfortunate growth. There wasn’t much madness, besides Heidi Klum turning herself into a statue, and little protest beyond Sarah Paulson’s bloodless outcry at the One Per Cent by covering her eyes with dollar bills (maybe just don’t show up?).
The Met Gala has always been about money, though. It is as much about commerce as high art – though its participants hate to admit it – and has now made so much that the museum no longer needs its funding. The Costume Institute has moved to a bigger and more prominent space in the museum and is the first thing visitors will see when they enter its Great Hall: Anna Wintour has proven to the establishment that fashion is indeed art. It took the gross, out of touch and hypocritical Met Ball to do it. But she has never been above that, if it guarantees attention.
O ministro-chefe de Karnataka, Siddaramaiah, discursa em uma entrevista coletiva conjunta, em Krishna, em 5 de maio de 2026. | Crédito da foto: ANI
Acusando o BJP de ceder a uma ‘conspiração criminosa’ para adulterar os boletins de voto postais e roubar votos no distrito eleitoral da assembleia de Sringeri, o ministro-chefe Siddaramaiah disse na terça-feira (5 de maio de 2026) que o resultado anunciado após a recontagem será contestado.
“Isto é voto dacoity. O BJP não acredita em eleições justas e imparciais. Também no passado, tentou adulterar a lista de eleitores através de uma organização chamada Chilume. Em Aland, foram feitos esforços para retirar eleitores genuínos da lista. Eles não hesitam em adulterar o processo eleitoral”, disse o Ministro-Chefe a jornalistas aqui, acrescentando que este foi o primeiro caso de conspiração criminosa no país.
A equipe que desenvolve um videogame baseado em Magia: A Reunião anunciaram na terça-feira que se sindicalizaram, descrevendo a mudança como parte de uma tentativa de melhorar as condições de trabalho na Wizards of the Coast, com sede em Renton, Washington, e criar jogos melhores.
Feiticeiros Unidos da Costaoperando em parceria com a Communications Employees of America, representa especificamente a equipe que trabalha em Magic: The Gathering – Arenauma adaptação on-line do antigo jogo de cartas colecionáveis. UWOTC-CWA afirma que representa “o trabalho coletivo de mais de cem designers de jogos, programadores, produtores, artistas, controle de qualidade e muito mais”.
“Acreditamos que, através do nosso poder coletivo, podemos trazer melhores condições de trabalho para nós e para a indústria em geral”, escreveu o sindicato no seu web site. “A United Wizards of the Coast é apenas um entre um número cada vez maior de esforços sindicais no mundo dos jogos. Não somos os primeiros a lutar pelos nossos direitos e não seremos os últimos.”
Os objetivos declarados do UWOTC-CWA incluem abordar “decisões injustas” da Wizards, que supostamente incluem mandatos de retorno forçado ao cargo, discrepâncias salariais graves, “crise” (um termo da indústria de jogos para horas extras obrigatórias significativas) e muito mais.
De acordo com Kotakuos esforços da UWOTC-CWA para se sindicalizar foram inicialmente estimulados pelas demissões surpresa que foram implementadas na Wizards em dezembro de 2023.
“Isso levou anos para ser feito, mas as coisas realmente decolaram no último ano”, disse Rogue Kessler, gerente de produto digital da Wizards of the Coast, em um e-mail para GeekWire. “A ameaça de demissões imprevisíveis, combinada com o mandato RTO que foi implementado no ano passado, levou muitos de nós a conversas sindicais.”
O sindicato também planeja abordar iniciativas da Wizards que exigiam que os trabalhadores usassem ferramentas de IA.
“Tem havido um forte impulso da administração para adotar ferramentas de IA em nosso trabalho, mas não existem diretrizes fortes que estabeleçam barreiras sobre como a IA será usada no native de trabalho”, diz Kessler. “Com um sindicato e, eventualmente, um contrato sindical, estamos trabalhando para garantir que a IA seja usada de forma eficaz e responsável em todas as nossas equipes e projetos.”
Kessler continua: “Os trabalhadores devem ter uma palavra a dizer sobre a utilização das ferramentas de IA e deve haver limites razoáveis sobre como essas ferramentas podem ser utilizadas”.
GeekWire entrou em contato com a Wizards of the Coast para mais comentários.
Atualização, 29 de abril: “Recebemos o pedido e estamos analisando-o cuidadosamente. Nossos funcionários são a força important daquilo que nos torna excelentes e estamos comprometidos em promover um native de trabalho onde cada pessoa se sinta ouvida, valorizada e apoiada”, disse um representante da Wizards of the Coast por e-mail.
“Acreditamos que temos uma forte conexão com todos na Wizards of the Coast e que o relacionamento direto com nossos funcionários é essencial para a forma como trabalhamos juntos para capturar a imaginação de nossos fãs e jogadores, inspirando um amor vitalício por nossos jogos. Agradecemos ouvir sobre as necessidades e interesses de nossos funcionários através deste registro e responderemos através do processo apropriado.”
O próximo passo da organização é solicitar que a Wizards of the Coast e sua controladora Hasbro reconheçam voluntariamente o sindicato, e solicita que Magia fãs assinam seu petição oficial. O prazo closing para a petição é 1º de maio, Dia Internacional dos Trabalhadores.
Enviornment é uma versão digital gratuita de Magia para Home windows, MacOS e dispositivos móveis, com lançamento completo em setembro de 2019. É operado em um modelo “freemium”, onde os jogadores podem jogar sem custo inicial, mas têm a opção de adquirir novos cartões virtuais e moeda do jogo em troca de dinheiro actual.
De acordo com anúncios oficiais da Hasbro, havia mais de 13 milhões de contas registradas no Enviornment em 2023. No momento em que este artigo foi escrito, rastreadores independentes, como Gráficos Steam registraram cerca de 7.700 jogadores diários no Enviornment nos últimos 30 dias, o que é um número respeitável para um jogo moderno de serviço ao vivo e uma melhoria significativa ano após ano.
Esta história foi atualizada desde a publicação com declarações da Wizards of the Coast e do membro do UWOTC-CWA Rogue Kessler.
Aparentemente não satisfeito com a falência da Sears, Toys R Us, Radio Shack e inúmeras outras empresas; comprar e depois mutilar o Washington Put up; e liderando a virada à direita do Tech Bro para o MAGA, Jeff Bezos fez o seu melhor para arruinar o Met Gala deste ano.
Simplesmente por fazer parte disso.
A preparação normalmente espumosa para a arrecadação anual de fundos de moda exagerada na noite de segunda-feira para o Costume Institute do Metropolitan Museum of Artwork de Nova York foi menos sobre quais celebridades compareceriam e quem elas usariam e mais sobre quais celebridades compareceriam e quem elas estariam vestindo. moratória sobre Bezos e sua esposa, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, que patrocinou o evento e atuou como copresidentes honorários.
Nem mesmo uma ligação com a tão esperada e gratificante estreia de “O Diabo Veste Prada 2” (que abre com Miranda Priestly, de Meryl Streep, saindo do que parece ser o Met Gala) poderia impedir as notícias de protestos anti-Bezos e apelos a boicotes.
O grupo de ativistas guerrilheiros Todo mundo odeia Elon cobriu Nova York com sinalização anti-Bezos e, na sexta-feira, ativistas colocaram 300 garrafas cheio de urina falsa dentro do museu, chamando a atenção para reclamações de trabalhadores da Amazon de que não têm permissão para ir ao banheiro.
(Embora, honestamente, isso também pudesse ter servido como sátira da moda – muitas das roupas usadas pelos participantes da gala parecem desafiar a capacidade para atender ao chamado da natureza.)
Prefeito de Nova York, Zohran Mamdani recusou seu convitedizendo que queria concentrar seu tempo na “acessibilidade”. Streep foi arrastado pessoalmente para a briga; sua ausência, assim como a de outros, incluindo Zendaya, fez com que alguns se perguntassem se certos membros das celebridades estavam muito indignados com a bezosificação do evento para comparecer. (Ninguém, incluindo Streep e Zendaya, disse que estavam boicotando; segundo seus representantes, Streep nunca foi à festa de gala porque “nunca foi o cenário dela”.)
Como diz o jornalista Macaulay Connor em “The Philadelphia Story”, “A visão mais bonita neste belo mundo é a classe privilegiada desfrutando de seus privilégios”. O Met Gala, que começou em 1948, sempre foi uma presença constante nas páginas da sociedade de Nova York, mas nos últimos 10 anos tornou-se uma fixação cultural de todos os olhos.
À medida que aquela “bela visão” esbarrava num fosso socioeconómico cada vez maior, esse prazer foi tingido de controvérsia. Há cinco anos, a deputada Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (DN.Y.) usava um vestido branco estampado com “Tax the Wealthy” (tendo alugado o vestido com desconto, mais tarde descobriu-se que ela violava as regras de presentes do Congresso e foi forçada a pagar o valor complete).
Em 2024, enquanto o mundo convulsionava em torno do bombardeamento de Israel na Faixa de Gaza em resposta ao ataque de 7 de Janeiro, muitos recorreram às redes sociais para comparar os participantes da gala com os cidadãos do Capitólio enfeitados com elegantes que aplaudiram o assassinato de crianças em “Jogos Vorazes”.
A boa notícia é que a gala sobreviveu à mancha de Bezos. Muitas pessoas adoráveis e elogiadas percorreram o tapete vermelho em um Rose Parade da moda para se misturar em uma exposição que celebrava todas as formas do corpo humano. No ano passado, o evento arrecadou US$ 31 milhões para o Costume Institute; este ano provavelmente arrecadará mais.
Mas não houve como evitar o nível de atenção e o vitríolo provocados pela participação de Bezos ou pelas questões mais amplas que ela reflete.
Nos Estados Unidos, o dinheiro novo tem uma longa tradição de cortejar a respeitabilidade (juntamente com incentivos fiscais e oportunidades de nomeação), através de doações pesadas a várias instituições culturais. Com algumas excepções, no entanto, os titãs da tecnologia de Silicon Valley têm sido criticados há muito tempo pela sua falta de filantropia tradicional, particularmente na área das artes (não digitais). Mas o que poderia ter sido visto como Bezos finalmente conseguindo o programa consagrado pelo tempo é visto por muitos como sua tentativa de, como disse a estrela de “Intercourse and the Metropolis” Cynthia Nixon, se envolver em “lavagem de reputação”.
Bezos tem um patrimônio líquido estimado em cerca de US$ 250 bilhões, uma quantia insondável de dinheiro que o torna uma das pessoas mais ricas do mundo. Outrora considerado um inovador astuto, e depois, com a sua compra do agitado Washington Put up, um cavaleiro branco, ele tornou-se desde então a personificação do capitalismo descontrolado.
Enquanto o resto do país luta para ganhar a vida num mundo abalado pela revolução digital, os seus criadores deleitam-se com estilos de vida que fazem com que as alturas vertiginosas de Versalhes pareçam pitorescas.
Numa época em que despedimentos massivos alimentam regularmente as partes do ciclo de notícias não dedicadas ao aumento dos preços e à insegurança económica international causada pela guerra no Irão, o Met Gala já parecia surdo para muitos. A participação de Bezos forneceu um ponto de inflamação, a cereja podre no topo de todo o fedorento “deixe-os comer bolo”.
A aparição da gala em “O Diabo Veste Prada 2” já tinha um gosto um pouco amargo. Assim como o romance de Lauren Weisberger no qual foi baseado, “O Diabo Veste Prada” foi um hino à moda e ao jornalismo de moda. Miranda (baseada em Anna Wintour) fez da Runway (baseada na Vogue) uma força dominante tanto na moda quanto no próspero ecossistema da mídia tradicional. No closing, Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) finalmente rejeita suas botas Chanel por um calçado de jornalista diário, uma mudança de carreira que, embora não fosse glamorosa, ainda period financeiramente viável.
No segundo filme, nem tanto. Andy, como tantos jornalistas, é demitida (por mensagem de texto!) enquanto recebe um prêmio da indústria, enquanto a Runway está atolada em um escândalo, tão magra quanto qualquer uma de suas modelos e agarrada aos últimos resquícios de relevância cultural.
Tal como acontece com tantas publicações, incluindo esta, as suas histórias e fotografias tornaram-se “conteúdo”, o seu futuro medido em cliques.
Num mundo assim, é difícil imaginar uma jovem Weisberger conseguindo um emprego na Vogue ou sobrevivendo o suficiente para reunir as observações que usou para escrever “O Diabo Veste Prada”. Não importa encontrar uma editora interessada em comprar um romance inédito sobre trabalho em uma revista ou um estúdio de cinema fazendo um filme sobre isso.
O Met Gala ainda pode atrair milhões de olhares, mas a Vogue, como qualquer outra plataforma de mídia, está enfrentando dificuldades. O vilão de “O Diabo Veste Prada 2” não é mais a Miranda de Streep, mas Benji Barnes (Justin Theroux), um possível comprador bilionário da Runway. Quem poderia, se Theroux não tivesse um cabelo tão lindo, ser um substituto de Bezos (que pode ou não estar pensando em comprar a Vogue).
Então, é de admirar que, tal como o casamento multimilionário que ele organizou, mesmo quando metade da redação do Washington Put up estava a ser cortada em nome da redução de custos, a aparição de Bezos como patrocinador e presidente honorário do Met Gala lançou uma sombra sobre o evento?
O Vale do Silício ainda pode seguir o decreto de Mark Zuckerberg de “agir rápido e quebrar as coisas”, mas enquanto o resto de nós luta entre os destroços, é um pouco demais ver alguém como Bezos comprar sua entrada em uma celebração da criação artística.
E aquela loja onde Andy comprou seu suéter azul celeste? A Amazon encerrou o negócio há muito tempo.
Six months from now, the American public will have delivered its verdict on the Trump 2.0 presidency in the midterm elections.
In this increasingly divided nation, some will be leaping joyfully out of bed while others will be turning off the alarm and pulling the sheets over their heads. One thing is for sure – Donald Trump will have spent the early hours of the morning posting animatedly on Truth Social, either jubilantly or furiously, or possibly both, depending on the results.
The speculation will be over – and the voters will have decided control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, strengthening or weakening Trump’s hand in his final two years in office. Republicans control both right now, but things aren’t looking good for the President’s party.
Shorts – Quick stories
Caption: NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 04: Beyonc?? attends the 2026 Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 04, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/MG26/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue) Photographer: Kevin Mazur/MG26 Provider: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Source: Getty Images North America Copyright: 2026 Kevin Mazur/MG26
FASHION
The best looks at this year’s Met Gala
Celebrities took to the red carpet to show off their outfits for this year’s Met Gala theme: costume art. The annual event raises money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.
Here are all the top looks, from Beyoncé’s embellished skeleton get-up to Heidi Klum’s marble statue design.
The most talked-about looks
Beyoncé returned to the red carpet with her family in tow, while Heidi Klum – known for her extravagant Halloween outfits – blended in with the marble statues in the museum.
Caption: This is a PA photo of Beyonce (R) and Blue Ivy Carter at the Met Gala. See PA Feature FASHION Met. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature FASHION Met. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Matt Crossick/PA
NOTE TO EDITORS: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature FASHION Met
Photographer: Matt Crossick/PA Provider: Matt Crossick/PA Source: PA
Caption: NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 04: Heidi Klum attends the 2026 Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 04, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/MG26/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue) Photographer: Cindy Ord/MG26 Provider: Getty Images for The Met Museum/ Source: Getty Images North America Copyright: 2026 Cindy Ord/MG26
Star-studded red carpet
Anna Wintour
Global editorial director of Vogue, Anna Wintour, graced the red carpet with an aquamarine feathered number.
Caption: NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 04: Anna Wintour and Bee Shaffer attend The 2026 Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 04, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/GC Images) Photographer: Noam Galai Provider: GC Images Source: GC Images Copyright: 2026 Noam Galai
Caption: NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 04: Bad Bunny attends the 2026 Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 04, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images) Photographer: Taylor Hill Provider: Getty Images Source: Getty Images North America Copyright: 2026 Taylor Hill
Bad Bunny
The reggaeton singer was unrecognisable in his costume, donned with prosthetics, wrinkles and sunspots.
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky
The pop power couple closed down the red carpet, as has become tradition.
Caption: NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 04: (L-R) A$AP Rocky and Rihanna attend the 2026 Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 04, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/FilmMagic) Photographer: Theo Wargo Provider: FilmMagic Source: FilmMagic Copyright: 2026 FilmMagic
From Oscar winners to stage stars
Caption: NEW YORK, NY – MAY 04: Nicole Kidman is seen at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 04, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Howard/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images) 15790403 Photographer: Jason Howard/Bauer-Griffin Provider: GC Images Source: GC Images
Nicole Kidman
The Oscar-winning actress stunned in a red sequin and feathered gown by Chanel.
Jordan Roth
Broadway’s Jordan Roth transformed into a living sculpture with a clay-coloured gown enveloped by a figure.
Caption: NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 04: Jordan Roth attends The 2026 Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 04, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/GC Images) Photographer: Noam Galai Provider: GC Images Source: GC Images Copyright: 2026 Noam Galai
Caption: NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 04: Madonna attends the 2026 Met Gala Celebrating “Costume Art” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 04, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by TheStewartofNY/Getty Images) Photographer: TheStewartofNY Provider: Getty Images Source: Getty Images North America Copyright: 2026 TheStewartofNY
Madonna
Madonna pushed the boat out with a tall ship headpiece and an ethereal grey veil.
‘A lot of people who don’t like Jews in the first place have found oxygen for their poisonous views,’ says Simon Kelner (Photo: Carlos Jasso/AFP via Getty)
CRIME
Counter terror police investigating arson at former synagogue
Counter-terrorism police are investigating a suspected arson attack at a former synagogue.
Jewish security charity Shomrim said that fire crews were called out to the building in Nelson Street, Whitechapel, east London, in the early hours of Tuesday.
What happened?
The incident is being investigated alongside a number of apparent attacks on Jewish sites in London since late March.
Officers were called just before 5.15am on Tuesday by the London Fire Brigade. Minor damage had been caused to a set of gates and a lock at the front of the building. CCTV showed that the fire had been started deliberately minutes before.
OPINION
4 min read
OPINION
3 min read
What did the police say?
The building targeted has not been operational as a synagogue for some years but that will be of little comfort to the Jewish community in Tower Hamlets, Hackney and beyond, who are first in my thoughts this morning.
Detective Chief Superintendent Brittany Clarke
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 23: A member of the community holds up a banner reading “I Stand Against Anti Semitism” after four Hatzolah ambulances were set on fire overnight on March 23, 2026 in London, England. Firefighters were called to the scene at around 1:40AM and the fire was brought under control just after 3:00 AM. Hatzola is a volunteer organisation that provides Jewish people emergency medical response and free transportation to hospitals. The Metropolitan Police said they are treating the incident as an “antisemitic hate crime.” (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images) Photographer: Leon Neal Provider: Getty Images Source: Getty Images Europe Copyright: 2026 Getty Images
travel
Ranked: The most delayed UK airports
Caption: Passengers wait next to their luggage at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri airport on April 10, 2026. Israel’s military on April 9 warned residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs, long a stronghold of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, of imminent strikes and called for them to evacuate. While Israel regularly issues evacuation warnings before bombing the southern suburbs, the announcement also included the outskirts of Lebanon’s only international airport. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP via Getty Images) Photographer: ANWAR AMRO Provider: AFP via Getty Images Source: AFP Copyright: AFP or licensors
Manchester Airport has been named the worst in the UK for flight delays, according analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data.
The five worst UK airports by average flight delay time
1. Manchester Airport – 19 minutes.
2. Birmingham Airport – 18 minutes.
3. Bournemouth Airport –17 minutes.
4. Southampton Airport – 17 minutes.
5. Gatwick Airport – 16 minutes.
The most punctual location was Liverpool John Lennon Airport, where the average delay was just nine minutes.
A closer look at the detail
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: “Manchester Airport has ranked last in our airport survey for four consecutive years and these new CAA figures validate why this is a particularly poor place to be stranded during delays.
“For passengers already wary of travel uncertainty, seeing such consistent underperformance makes it difficult to book with any real confidence.”
Air passengers and travellers check in at Manchester Airport terminal 2 departure lounge – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Exclusive
5 min read
What causes the flight delays?
Manchester is the UK’s only two-runway airport other than Heathrow, and was used by 32 million passengers last year.
Staff use tractors to help clear snow from around aircraft after overnight snowfall caused the temporary closure of Manchester airport (Photo: Phil Noble/Reuters) Caption: FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY – APRIL 15: Lufthansa pilots and cabin crew members demonstrate outside Hangar One at Frankfurt Airport, where inside Lufthansa management was celebrating the company’s 100th anniversary, as their strikes escalate on April 15, 2026 in Frankfurt, Germany. The pilots, who were striking Monday and Tuesday and will strike again on Thursday and Friday, are showing solidarity today with cabin crews who have now gone on strike as well through tomorrow. The two labour unions that represent the two groups are seeking to pressure Lufthansa management over better retirement benefits for the pilots and improved working conditions for cabin crews. (Photo by Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images) Photographer: Thomas Lohnes Provider: Getty Images Source: Getty Images Europe Copyright: 2026 Getty Images
A spokesperson for the airport said: “Punctuality is affected by factors that are outside of an airport’s control. The two most significant factors contributing to delays in the last year have been industrial action affecting air traffic control in Europe, and the weather.”
Hantavirus is the same one that claimed the life last year of Betsy Arakawa, wife of actor Gene Hackman (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)
NEWS
Everything we know about hantavirus outbreak
A British crew member has fallen ill following a suspected hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
They are the second Briton to develop the virus after three people have died already, said tour operator Oceanwide Expeditions.
What’s the latest?
An outbreak was reported on Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, sailing from Argentina to Cape Verde.
A Dutch passenger died on board on 11 April and his wife died two weeks later after testing positive.
A German passenger died on board on 2 May, but the cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
A British crew member requires urgent care and a UK passenger is in a critical but stable condition.
NEWS
2 min read
What is hantavirus and how is it spread?
Hantavirus refers to a strain of viruses carried by rodents, primarily spread to humans by inhaling airborne particles from their droppings.
(The Good Brigade Provider: Getty Images Source: Digital Vision) Rats are a common source of hantavirus (Photo: Denitsa Kireva/ Getty Images/iStockphoto)
The virus can cause two serious illnesses, including Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, which causes flu-like and respiratory symptoms. The other is Haemorrhagic Fever with Renal syndrome, which is more severe and affects the kidneys.
What does the UK say?
This is a deeply worrying time for all those on board the MV Hondius and the families of those affected by the hantavirus outbreak. FCDO consular teams have been stood up across the UK, South Africa, Spain and Portugal to support British nationals.
UK GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON
Caption: TOPSHOT – This aerial picture shows a general view of the cruise ship MV Hondius stationary off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on May 3, 2026. An outbreak of “severe acute respiratory illness” on board a cruise ship in the Atlantic has left two people dead and a third in intensive care in Johannesburg, South Africa’s health ministry told AFP on May 3, 2026. The outbreak occurred on the MV Hondius, travelling from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde. The patient being treated in Johannesburg tested positive for a hantavirus, a family of viruses that can cause hemorrhagic fever, South African spokesperson Foster Mohale said. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) Photographer: – Provider: AFP via Getty Images Source: AFP Copyright: AFP or licensors
NEWS
Brits are ditching the blue asthma inhaler – here’s why
Caption: File photo dated 07/01/15 of a person holding an Ivax Reliever inhaler for the treatment of asthma, as rising pollen levels this weekend could leave people with asthma at risk of life-threatening asthma attacks, Asthma and Lung UK has warned. PA Photo. Issue date: Friday May 13, 2022. The charity is telling people to ensure they keep on taking their preventer inhalers if they use them and to keep their reliever inhaler with them at all times. See PA story HEALTH Asthma. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire Photographer: Yui Mok Provider: PA Source: PA
More than a million asthma sufferers are switching to a new dual-action inhaler, which both prevents and relieves asthma.
Overuse of the old-style blue inhaler has been linked to a higher risk of attacks, hospital admissions and death.
Do blue inhalers make asthma worse?
Poorly controlled asthma contributes 303,874 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent a year, according to a recent study (Photo: PixelsEffect, Getty Images)
Risk of overuse
Nearly half of blue inhaler users were issued more than two in 2024/25, which doctors warn is a sign of overuse.
Temporary benefits
They use a short-acting beta antagonist (Saba), which treats symptoms only, rather than the underlying inflammation.
Caption: Young woman using her asthma inhaler at home Photographer: milan2099 Provider: Getty Images Source: E+
Overuse can mask poorly controlled asthma and lead to worse outcomes for some patients.
Why Brits are turning to new inhalers
1New inhalers combine a steroid with a long-acting beta antagonist in the same device.
2They treat the inflammation and prevent flare-ups while providing immediate relief.
3Patients can use new inhalers as an anti-inflammatory reliever (Air) and a maintenance and reliever therapy (Mart) daily.
4Medical experts say it is a “life-saving cultural shift”.
What do the numbers say?
Between October and December last year…
1.09m
patients switched to new-style Air and Mart inhalers.
UK health regulator Nice said that for every 10,000 people who switched, there would be…
1,133
fewer GP visits each year.
As well as 144 fewer A&E attendances and and 80 fewer hospital admissions.
LONDON MARATHON
Record of 1.33 million people apply for 2027 London Marathon
Runners taking part in the London Marathon last month. Online fundraising sites are often used by participants who running for charity (Photo: Yui Mok/PA Wire)
A record number of people have applied to participate in the 2027 London Marathon via the public ballot.
In total, 1,338,544 people have applied for the event which will take place on 25 April, breaking last year’s record of 1,133,813.
What you need to know
The 2026 marathon had a record 59,830 finishers and was the biggest annual one-day fundraising event in the world.
Caption: Athletics – London Marathon – London, Britain – April 26, 2026 Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe crosses the finish line to win the men’s elite race REUTERS/Matthew Childs Photographer: Matthew Childs Provider: REUTERS Source: REUTERS The London Marathon passes some iconic landmarks (Photo: Tolga Akmen/Getty Images/AFP)
The ballot results will be released early in July, with places allocated through a random draw.
This astonishing total of applicants firmly establishes London as the world’s most sought-after marathon. Our mission is to inspire people of every age and ability to get active – and these extraordinary numbers show the massive draw and power of the London Marathon.
Hugh Brasher, chief executive of London Marathon Events
Caption: Competitors including Tamirat Tola, Kenenisa Bekele and Norman Shreeve leave the start of the men’s elite race during the TCS London Marathon. Picture date: Sunday April 21, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story ATHLETICS London. Photo credit should read: Zac Goodwin/PA Wire.
RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder. Photographer: Zac Goodwin Provider: Zac Goodwin/PA Wire Source: PA Copyright: PA Wire
Are you ready for a change?
One career expert shares the surefire signs you’re ready for the next step in your career, and how to turn fear into excitement for new opportunities.
The research
Our research shows almost half of all workers (45 per cent) are ready for a complete career transition, but 49 per cent feel stuck on what to pursue next. The rapid shifts brought about by AI can be intimidating, but it will also create opportunities…
CHARLOTTE DAVIES, LINKEDIN UK CAREER EXPERT
Young woman at her first job interview with the owner of a coffee shop – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Signs you’ve outgrown your role
(Photo: Getty).
It’s an energy drain
If you’re clocking in and out with zero energy, that could be a sign of burnout by boredom.
You’re not learning
If you can handle all tasks on autopilot, you are not challenging yourself. Instead you’re operating purely on muscle memory.
Education, laptop and typing with student friends in library of university together for learning or study. Computer, development or growth with serious men and women on college campus for scholarship – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
(Photo: DMP/Getty Images).
You don’t feel valued
It can be extremely demotivating, and if it occurs consistently, it’s a strong signal that it might be time to consider moving on.
Your brain has started a side project
Caption: Side hustles Photographer: swissmediavision Provider: Getty Images Source: E+
When you are seeking out professional development and learning opportunities elsewhere that should be happening at work, it’s a huge signal that you need a job that keeps up with your ambition.
LIFESTYLE
7 min read
You don’t see a path to promotion
Medium shot of businessman leading meeting in office conference room – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
If you go into a meeting asking for a growth plan or a promotion roadmap and all you get are vague promises and non-committal language, that’s actually your answer: they aren’t planning for your potential.
A manager who truly values you should be able to list specific training, projects or goals to get you to the next level.
What to do next
You don’t need to make drastic moves.
The very first step is to diagnose the root cause if things feel unsettled, and don’t just assume it’s the job itself.
Find someone trustworthy to talk to. This isn’t a complaint session, it’s about getting perspective.
Refresh your LinkedIn profile and start reviving your in-person network.
Thinking of a new field? Check out a short course or certification to ‘test the waters’ before jumping.
George Michael in 1985 during the Wham! years (Photo: Michael Putland/Getty)
music
Careless Whisper voted nation’s favourite
George Michael’s beloved 1984 hit has been ranked the number one track for the eighth year running.
His 1986 hit A Different Corner came in at number two.
I’m never gonna dance again
Careless Whisper came top of Smooth Radio’s All Time Top 500 list.
Michael’s first breakaway single from Wham!, he penned the lyrics when he was just 17-years-old.
Smooth Radio presenter Kate Garraway said: “It’s a fitting tribute to one of the greatest artists of all time.”
George Michael: Outed wil be broadcast on Channel 4 (Photo: Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty)
MUSIC
7 min read
Top of the pops
1CarelessWhisper – George Michael
2A Different Corner – George Michael
3Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
4Man In The Mirror – Michael Jackson
5Bridge Over Troubled Water – Simon and Garfunkel
In 18 of the 20 midterm elections since 1946, the sitting president’s party has lost seats in the House. When the president polls below 50 per cent, losing seats is almost a certainty. Just ask former president Barack Obama.
Right now, with Trump’s approval rating hovering around 37 per cent, Republicans are tense and anxious. The economic impact of the war with Iran, which shows no end in sight, is souring an already worrying landscape for them.
What’s at stake is arguably the very future of the Trump presidency, the difference between a lame duck president quacking his way towards January 2029 or a newly empowered Trump, who once again defies the odds and pulls victory from the jaws of defeat.
At the time of writing, the online prediction platform Polymarket, which allows wagers on political events, gives Democrats an 84 per cent chance of winning back the House, and a 51 per cent chance of winning the Senate. Democrats need to flip three seats in the House and four in the Senate.
In public, Republican lawmakers are not voicing their concerns too loudly, as speaking out would infuriate the President and could lead to a primary challenge or ritual humiliation on Truth Social – or worse. But out of sight, and perhaps using burner phones, a few Republican staffers are likely placing bets on Polymarket and other sites.
President Donald Trump will face a tough final two years in office if Democrats retake Congress (Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
If Democrats flip the House, they’ll be able to exercise significant oversight over the Trump administration. This is a fate Trump is desperate to avoid. With very few exceptions, Republicans in Congress have largely rolled over and looked the other way since Trump returned to the Oval Office in January 2025, allowing the mercurial President to have his way on everything from tariffs to war powers.
Committees led by inquisitive Democrats could hold high-profile public hearings into everything from the decision to go to war with Iran, to immigration enforcement, or even the large, mysterious bets placed on prediction markets just before major breaking news. Insider trading, anyone?
Democrats could also ask difficult questions about Trump’s family and their crypto dealings or probe his decision to tear down the East Wing of the White House to build his controversial ballroom. They could call in Robert F Kennedy Jr, the Health and Human Services Secretary, and grill him over vaccine policy. Or all of the above and much else besides.
Wise heads within the Democratic Party are counselling against a third impeachment trial of Trump should they retake the House, fearing it would backfire and hurt the party’s chances of winning the presidency in 2028. But no doubt prominent voices on the left will call for yet another attempt to go after the President.
For Democrats, more effective than thinking about impeachment 3.0 would be pushing for effective oversight of the executive branch. King Charles gently ribbed Congress last month about the separation of powers, reminding Americans that the 1776 Declaration of Independence was influenced by the Magna Carta of 1215. Democrats applauded that line loudly and long. Trump is not a king but a president subject to checks and balances.
Members of Congress applaud as King Charles III arrives to speak at the US Capitol on 28 April, 2026 (Photo: Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)
Given what’s at stake, it’s not surprising that Trump has strong-armed Republican-controlled states into redrawing the boundaries of seats in the House so they are more favourable to Republicans. This is known officially as redistricting, and unofficially as gerrymandering, named for 19th century Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry who signed a bill redrawing districts with one in Boston resembling the shape of a salamander.
However, Democrats are fighting back with their own aggressive redistricting efforts, redrawing maps in California and Virginia.
Into this battle came the Supreme Court’s decision last week to weaken the Voting Rights Act by striking down Louisiana’s voting map as unconstitutional racial gerrymandering. This makes it harder for lawmakers to create voting districts with a majority of black voters.
In the days since, the redistricting arms race has intensified, with Republican-controlled states rapidly drawing up new maps. What this will mean come November is hard to say, given the multiple legal challenges, but Republicans seem poised to net more seats in the 2026 redistricting battle than Democrats do. However, all of this redistricting could backfire, if Republicans spread their voters too thinly over too many districts, thus turning safe seats into competitive ones. This is dangerous when public opinion is as negative towards Trump’s administration as it is right now.
It’s a fraught political environment for Trump and his party. The unpopular war in Iran is leading to higher gas prices, while Trump’s tariffs are inflationary and the man elected in part to bring down the cost of living seems more interested in military adventures abroad than grocery prices.
Even so, Democrats are sorely lacking a coherent message that isn’t simply opposing Trump and perhaps more importantly, are lacking charismatic new national voices. No one has yet risen to take over the mantle of the party. In fact, they can’t even agree on why Kamala Harris lost the presidential election to Trump in 2024.
James Talarico, the charismatic young Christian running for the Texas Senate has shown promise by winning a broad coalition of voters in the Democratic primary, in a state that has long eluded his party. He’s already being spoken of as a vice-presidential candidate in 2028. But who will be at the top of the ticket is another question. Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, and Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania, are being spoken about. Meanwhile, the success of Donald Trump has some Democrats searching for an anti-establishment candidate of their own.
For the moment, it is all about the midterms, and if a week is a long time in politics, six months until those elections will feel like an eternity to many.
Energia portátil 101: ‘Geradores’ solares explicados
Já pensou em adquirir uma estação de energia portátil para energia fora da rede? Esses dispositivos podem fornecer energia constante onde quer que você vá. Este vídeo aborda o que são, como carregá-los, como você pode usá-los e diferentes opções, como o Anker 521 e o EcoFlow Delta 3.
Donald Trump’s sleepless nights and escalating habit of posting on social media into the early hours may increase the likelihood of a serious mistake or miscalculation, experts warn, with the US President seen apparently dozing in public on several recent occasions.
The US President has been an avid social media user throughout his time in office, first on X (formerly Twitter) before migrating to his own custom-made platform, Truth Social. But observers suggest the growing frequency and aggression of his posts in his second term indicate an increasingly “erratic” world leader.
Analysis by The i Paper shows Trump posted 565 times in April in total – more than double his activity at the same point in his first term, when in April 2018, he posted 257 times on X. Almost 200 of his posts last month were shared between the hours of 9pm and 7am Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
Shorts – Quick stories
Caption: NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 04: Beyonc?? attends the 2026 Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 04, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/MG26/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue) Photographer: Kevin Mazur/MG26 Provider: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Source: Getty Images North America Copyright: 2026 Kevin Mazur/MG26
FASHION
The best looks at this year’s Met Gala
Celebrities took to the red carpet to show off their outfits for this year’s Met Gala theme: costume art. The annual event raises money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.
Here are all the top looks, from Beyoncé’s embellished skeleton get-up to Heidi Klum’s marble statue design.
The most talked-about looks
Beyoncé returned to the red carpet with her family in tow, while Heidi Klum – known for her extravagant Halloween outfits – blended in with the marble statues in the museum.
Caption: This is a PA photo of Beyonce (R) and Blue Ivy Carter at the Met Gala. See PA Feature FASHION Met. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature FASHION Met. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Matt Crossick/PA
NOTE TO EDITORS: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature FASHION Met
Photographer: Matt Crossick/PA Provider: Matt Crossick/PA Source: PA
Caption: NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 04: Heidi Klum attends the 2026 Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 04, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/MG26/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue) Photographer: Cindy Ord/MG26 Provider: Getty Images for The Met Museum/ Source: Getty Images North America Copyright: 2026 Cindy Ord/MG26
Star-studded red carpet
Anna Wintour
Global editorial director of Vogue, Anna Wintour, graced the red carpet with an aquamarine feathered number.
Caption: NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 04: Anna Wintour and Bee Shaffer attend The 2026 Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 04, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/GC Images) Photographer: Noam Galai Provider: GC Images Source: GC Images Copyright: 2026 Noam Galai
Caption: NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 04: Bad Bunny attends the 2026 Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 04, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images) Photographer: Taylor Hill Provider: Getty Images Source: Getty Images North America Copyright: 2026 Taylor Hill
Bad Bunny
The reggaeton singer was unrecognisable in his costume, donned with prosthetics, wrinkles and sunspots.
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky
The pop power couple closed down the red carpet, as has become tradition.
Caption: NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 04: (L-R) A$AP Rocky and Rihanna attend the 2026 Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 04, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/FilmMagic) Photographer: Theo Wargo Provider: FilmMagic Source: FilmMagic Copyright: 2026 FilmMagic
From Oscar winners to stage stars
Caption: NEW YORK, NY – MAY 04: Nicole Kidman is seen at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 04, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Howard/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images) 15790403 Photographer: Jason Howard/Bauer-Griffin Provider: GC Images Source: GC Images
Nicole Kidman
The Oscar-winning actress stunned in a red sequin and feathered gown by Chanel.
Jordan Roth
Broadway’s Jordan Roth transformed into a living sculpture with a clay-coloured gown enveloped by a figure.
Caption: NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 04: Jordan Roth attends The 2026 Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 04, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/GC Images) Photographer: Noam Galai Provider: GC Images Source: GC Images Copyright: 2026 Noam Galai
Caption: NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 04: Madonna attends the 2026 Met Gala Celebrating “Costume Art” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 04, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by TheStewartofNY/Getty Images) Photographer: TheStewartofNY Provider: Getty Images Source: Getty Images North America Copyright: 2026 TheStewartofNY
Madonna
Madonna pushed the boat out with a tall ship headpiece and an ethereal grey veil.
‘A lot of people who don’t like Jews in the first place have found oxygen for their poisonous views,’ says Simon Kelner (Photo: Carlos Jasso/AFP via Getty)
CRIME
Counter terror police investigating arson at former synagogue
Counter-terrorism police are investigating a suspected arson attack at a former synagogue.
Jewish security charity Shomrim said that fire crews were called out to the building in Nelson Street, Whitechapel, east London, in the early hours of Tuesday.
What happened?
The incident is being investigated alongside a number of apparent attacks on Jewish sites in London since late March.
Officers were called just before 5.15am on Tuesday by the London Fire Brigade. Minor damage had been caused to a set of gates and a lock at the front of the building. CCTV showed that the fire had been started deliberately minutes before.
OPINION
4 min read
OPINION
3 min read
What did the police say?
The building targeted has not been operational as a synagogue for some years but that will be of little comfort to the Jewish community in Tower Hamlets, Hackney and beyond, who are first in my thoughts this morning.
Detective Chief Superintendent Brittany Clarke
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 23: A member of the community holds up a banner reading “I Stand Against Anti Semitism” after four Hatzolah ambulances were set on fire overnight on March 23, 2026 in London, England. Firefighters were called to the scene at around 1:40AM and the fire was brought under control just after 3:00 AM. Hatzola is a volunteer organisation that provides Jewish people emergency medical response and free transportation to hospitals. The Metropolitan Police said they are treating the incident as an “antisemitic hate crime.” (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images) Photographer: Leon Neal Provider: Getty Images Source: Getty Images Europe Copyright: 2026 Getty Images
travel
Ranked: The most delayed UK airports
Caption: Passengers wait next to their luggage at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri airport on April 10, 2026. Israel’s military on April 9 warned residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs, long a stronghold of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, of imminent strikes and called for them to evacuate. While Israel regularly issues evacuation warnings before bombing the southern suburbs, the announcement also included the outskirts of Lebanon’s only international airport. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP via Getty Images) Photographer: ANWAR AMRO Provider: AFP via Getty Images Source: AFP Copyright: AFP or licensors
Manchester Airport has been named the worst in the UK for flight delays, according analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data.
The five worst UK airports by average flight delay time
1. Manchester Airport – 19 minutes.
2. Birmingham Airport – 18 minutes.
3. Bournemouth Airport –17 minutes.
4. Southampton Airport – 17 minutes.
5. Gatwick Airport – 16 minutes.
The most punctual location was Liverpool John Lennon Airport, where the average delay was just nine minutes.
A closer look at the detail
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: “Manchester Airport has ranked last in our airport survey for four consecutive years and these new CAA figures validate why this is a particularly poor place to be stranded during delays.
“For passengers already wary of travel uncertainty, seeing such consistent underperformance makes it difficult to book with any real confidence.”
Air passengers and travellers check in at Manchester Airport terminal 2 departure lounge – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Exclusive
5 min read
What causes the flight delays?
Manchester is the UK’s only two-runway airport other than Heathrow, and was used by 32 million passengers last year.
Staff use tractors to help clear snow from around aircraft after overnight snowfall caused the temporary closure of Manchester airport (Photo: Phil Noble/Reuters) Caption: FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY – APRIL 15: Lufthansa pilots and cabin crew members demonstrate outside Hangar One at Frankfurt Airport, where inside Lufthansa management was celebrating the company’s 100th anniversary, as their strikes escalate on April 15, 2026 in Frankfurt, Germany. The pilots, who were striking Monday and Tuesday and will strike again on Thursday and Friday, are showing solidarity today with cabin crews who have now gone on strike as well through tomorrow. The two labour unions that represent the two groups are seeking to pressure Lufthansa management over better retirement benefits for the pilots and improved working conditions for cabin crews. (Photo by Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images) Photographer: Thomas Lohnes Provider: Getty Images Source: Getty Images Europe Copyright: 2026 Getty Images
A spokesperson for the airport said: “Punctuality is affected by factors that are outside of an airport’s control. The two most significant factors contributing to delays in the last year have been industrial action affecting air traffic control in Europe, and the weather.”
Hantavirus is the same one that claimed the life last year of Betsy Arakawa, wife of actor Gene Hackman (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)
NEWS
Everything we know about hantavirus outbreak
A British crew member has fallen ill following a suspected hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
They are the second Briton to develop the virus after three people have died already, said tour operator Oceanwide Expeditions.
What’s the latest?
An outbreak was reported on Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, sailing from Argentina to Cape Verde.
A Dutch passenger died on board on 11 April and his wife died two weeks later after testing positive.
A German passenger died on board on 2 May, but the cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
A British crew member requires urgent care and a UK passenger is in a critical but stable condition.
NEWS
2 min read
What is hantavirus and how is it spread?
Hantavirus refers to a strain of viruses carried by rodents, primarily spread to humans by inhaling airborne particles from their droppings.
(The Good Brigade Provider: Getty Images Source: Digital Vision) Rats are a common source of hantavirus (Photo: Denitsa Kireva/ Getty Images/iStockphoto)
The virus can cause two serious illnesses, including Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, which causes flu-like and respiratory symptoms. The other is Haemorrhagic Fever with Renal syndrome, which is more severe and affects the kidneys.
What does the UK say?
This is a deeply worrying time for all those on board the MV Hondius and the families of those affected by the hantavirus outbreak. FCDO consular teams have been stood up across the UK, South Africa, Spain and Portugal to support British nationals.
UK GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON
Caption: TOPSHOT – This aerial picture shows a general view of the cruise ship MV Hondius stationary off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on May 3, 2026. An outbreak of “severe acute respiratory illness” on board a cruise ship in the Atlantic has left two people dead and a third in intensive care in Johannesburg, South Africa’s health ministry told AFP on May 3, 2026. The outbreak occurred on the MV Hondius, travelling from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde. The patient being treated in Johannesburg tested positive for a hantavirus, a family of viruses that can cause hemorrhagic fever, South African spokesperson Foster Mohale said. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) Photographer: – Provider: AFP via Getty Images Source: AFP Copyright: AFP or licensors
NEWS
Brits are ditching the blue asthma inhaler – here’s why
Caption: File photo dated 07/01/15 of a person holding an Ivax Reliever inhaler for the treatment of asthma, as rising pollen levels this weekend could leave people with asthma at risk of life-threatening asthma attacks, Asthma and Lung UK has warned. PA Photo. Issue date: Friday May 13, 2022. The charity is telling people to ensure they keep on taking their preventer inhalers if they use them and to keep their reliever inhaler with them at all times. See PA story HEALTH Asthma. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire Photographer: Yui Mok Provider: PA Source: PA
More than a million asthma sufferers are switching to a new dual-action inhaler, which both prevents and relieves asthma.
Overuse of the old-style blue inhaler has been linked to a higher risk of attacks, hospital admissions and death.
Do blue inhalers make asthma worse?
Poorly controlled asthma contributes 303,874 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent a year, according to a recent study (Photo: PixelsEffect, Getty Images)
Risk of overuse
Nearly half of blue inhaler users were issued more than two in 2024/25, which doctors warn is a sign of overuse.
Temporary benefits
They use a short-acting beta antagonist (Saba), which treats symptoms only, rather than the underlying inflammation.
Caption: Young woman using her asthma inhaler at home Photographer: milan2099 Provider: Getty Images Source: E+
Overuse can mask poorly controlled asthma and lead to worse outcomes for some patients.
Why Brits are turning to new inhalers
1New inhalers combine a steroid with a long-acting beta antagonist in the same device.
2They treat the inflammation and prevent flare-ups while providing immediate relief.
3Patients can use new inhalers as an anti-inflammatory reliever (Air) and a maintenance and reliever therapy (Mart) daily.
4Medical experts say it is a “life-saving cultural shift”.
What do the numbers say?
Between October and December last year…
1.09m
patients switched to new-style Air and Mart inhalers.
UK health regulator Nice said that for every 10,000 people who switched, there would be…
1,133
fewer GP visits each year.
As well as 144 fewer A&E attendances and and 80 fewer hospital admissions.
George Michael in 1985 during the Wham! years (Photo: Michael Putland/Getty)
music
Careless Whisper voted nation’s favourite
George Michael’s beloved 1984 hit has been ranked the number one track for the eighth year running.
His 1986 hit A Different Corner came in at number two.
I’m never gonna dance again
Careless Whisper came top of Smooth Radio’s All Time Top 500 list.
Michael’s first breakaway single from Wham!, he penned the lyrics when he was just 17-years-old.
Smooth Radio presenter Kate Garraway said: “It’s a fitting tribute to one of the greatest artists of all time.”
George Michael: Outed wil be broadcast on Channel 4 (Photo: Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty)
MUSIC
7 min read
Top of the pops
1CarelessWhisper – George Michael
2A Different Corner – George Michael
3Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
4Man In The Mirror – Michael Jackson
5Bridge Over Troubled Water – Simon and Garfunkel
ROYAL FAMILY
Princess Eugenie pregnant with third child
Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank have moved into Frogmore Cottage, the Grade II listed home of Meghan and Harry. It is understood the Sussexes will retain the residence near Windsor Castle but Eugenie and Mr Brooksbank, who married in 2018, will share the property. (Photo: David Mirzoeff/PA Wire)
Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank are “very pleased” to be expecting their third child to be born this summer, Buckingham Palace said.
The King is “delighted” with the news, while the couple’s sons August, five, and Ernest, two, are “very excited” to welcome a younger sister or brother to the family.
What you need to know
In a photograph shared by Eugenie, 36, Ernest and August can be seen holding a picture of a baby scan. In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank are very pleased to announce that they are expecting their third child together, due this summer.”
Analysis
3 min read
OPINION
3 min read
Could the new baby be king or queen?
Caption: Sarah, Duchess of York with her daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie during a visit to the Teenage Cancer Trust unit at University College Hospital, London. Picture date: Wednesday April 23, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story ROYAL Sarah. Photo credit should read: Aaron Chown/PA Wire Photographer: Aaron Chown Provider: Aaron Chown/PA Wire Source: PA Copyright: PA
The baby, who will not be an HRH, will be born 15th in line to the throne, with the Duke of Edinburgh moving down to 16th place.
NEWS
4 min read
Fifth grandchild for Andrew
The new arrival will be the fifth grandchild of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, following the birth of Princess Beatrice’s daughter Athena Mapelli Mozzi in January last year.
Caption: (L-R) Britain’s Princess Eugenie of York, Britain’s Princess Beatrice of York and Britain’s Prince Andrew, Duke of York leave Buckingham Palace to meet guests at the Patron’s Lunch, a special street party outside Buckingham Palace in London on June 12, 2016, as part of the three day celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II’s official 90th birthday. Up to 10,000 people are expected to attend the Patron’s Lunch along with the monarch, her husband Prince Philip, Prince William and Prince Harry. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP) (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images) Photographer: JUSTIN TALLIS Provider: AFP via Getty Images Source: AFP Copyright: AFP Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been mostly laying low since his move to Marsh Farm (Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)
Caption: An archive image of the cruise ship Hondius, in Vlissingen, Netherlands May 17, 2025. IMAGE OBTAINED BY REUTERS/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES VERIFICATION: – Reuters confirmed the location from the shipyard, signage and fuel depot which matched file and satellite images. – Coordinates of the shipyard: 51.461283930722175, 3.6998162498897433. – The date when the pictures were taken was verified by original file metadata. Photographer: IMAGE OBTAINED BY REUTERS Provider: via REUTERS Source: Handout
health
What caused the fatal cruise ship outbreak?
A rare outbreak of hantavirus, transmitted by rodents, has killed three on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean, leaving one Briton in intensive care.
What’s the situation?
A suspected hantavirus outbreak has left three people dead and one in intensive care.
It occurred on the MV Hondius cruise liner, which was travelling from Argentina to Cape Verde.
The ship is now grounded in South Africa, and five more suspected cases are under investigation.
One British national is reportedly in intensive care and tested positive for the virus.
NEWS
3 min read
What is hantavirus?
Hantavirus cases are usually linked to environmental exposure, such as contact with waste from infected rodents.
In rare cases they can spread between people, resulting in severe respiratory illness.
It can cause two diseases, one that primarily affects the lungs and the other that attacks the kidneys.
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, the respiratory illness, is most commonly found in the Americas.
What are the symptoms?
Photographer: ljubaphoto Provider: Getty Images
So it begins
At the outset, it has flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue and fever, one to eight weeks after exposure.
Respiratory effects
Four to ten days later, coughing, shortness of breath and fluid in the lungs appear.
Caption: Adult man wearing a yellow hoodie in a living room, coughing or sneezing into elbow. Photographer: ti-ja Provider: Getty Images Source: E+
Young women patient’s hand receiving IV drip medicine after surgery – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
No known treatment
There is no specific therapy, so treatment includes rest and fluids. Some may be put on a ventilator.
Trump’s April posting frenzies, while often leaping between unconnected topics, often coincided with major developments in the Iran war. He regularly posted threats against Iran, as well as posts about political foes and claims election fraud lost him the 2020 presidential election.
After an episode of 60 Minutes looking at how Pope Leo had emerged as a leading critic of the war, Trump posted shortly after 9pm calling the Pope “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy”, sharing articles about complaints against Democratic gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell, followed by an AI image of himself as a Jesus-like figure shared just before 3am.
He later claimed to have thought the image depicted him as “a doctor” but the post was ultimately deleted.
The President appears to have stayed awake until after 4am posting about his promised blockade of Iranian ports, his White House ballroom, and a conspiracy theory claiming Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton orchestrated a smear campaign to falsely accuse him of collusion with Russia during his first presidential campaign. He posted 16 times that night.
White House officials have previously told the media that Trump’s late-night posts are made either by the President himself or by staff who are catching up on the articles and posts Trump read the previous day.
On 17 April, the President celebrated the Strait of Hormuz reopening, after claiming to have ended his 10th war. That night, he appears to have been on his phone from 9pm–1.15am, posting 26 times about his “no tax on tips” policy, his speech at Turning Point USA in Arizona and a forthcoming meeting with China’s Xi Jinping. He also reposted an apparently AI-generated image of himself with “the peace President” in large text.
The following night he hit his April record with 32 overnight posts, including eight reposts in ten minutes between 1.05am and 1.15am – covering his grandparenting, his Arizona speech and a criticism of European leaders taking credit for Iran.
The President shared videos about his February State of the Union address, a visit to Graceland, his tax policy, and the Artemis II moon flyby. He also reposted claims his impeachment in 2019 was “literally treason” – a theme which appears to have dominated his night-time thoughts throughout April.
After Trump was pictured apparently dozing off during a healthcare affordability event with the media in the Oval Office on 23 April, another night of prolific posting followed. He posted 18 times between 12.04am and 2.45am, covering his extension of his ceasefire in the Iran war, his political enemies, and the “Obama “birth tourism” conspiracy theory.
The White House did not respond to The i Paper’s questions about his apparent tiredness at this event and others, but Trump and his administration have repeatedly said the President is always wide awake and focused, and simply sometimes rests his eyes or is photographed blinking.
@theipaper
President Donald Trump was allegedly caught falling asleep multiple times during a briefing at the White House’s Oval Office. Health officials were briefing Trump about reduced drug prices and actions taken to uplift healthcare services. Trump is officially the oldest President to serve in office in the United States, and has raised health concerns including dementia, cognitive dissonance and mobility issues. #donaldtrump #whitehouse #ovaloffice
♬ original sound – The i Paper – The i Paper
The data suggests the 79-year-old may have had just a single night of uninterrupted sleep last month, with 24 April being the only night when he did not share any posts.
After a day hosting King Charles and with talks taking place in Saudi Arabia, Trump was up at 4am on 29 April to post a meme showing him carrying an automatic rifle with the words: “No more Mr Nice Guy!”
A post by Trump on Truth Social on the evening of 23 April, the day he was pictured with his eyes seemingly closed in the Oval Office (Photo: TruthSocial/@realDonaldTrump)
The barrage of social media tirades and memes and have sparked renewed questions about the 79-year-old President’s mental fortitude, with questions over what the relentless posts suggest about his ability to govern.
Trump’s sleepless month
The healthcare event was not the first recent suggestion of Trump’s exhaustion. On 26 March, he appeared to fight to stay awake as his Cabinet discussed military options in Iran.
On 6 April, while standing behind the US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in the White House briefing room during an event in front of the media, his eyes again appeared to close and his head dip.
He has previously frequently been accused of falling asleep during meetings and court appearances, although he and his administration have repeatedly said the President only closes his eyes to think.
His habit of posting in the early morning has continued into May. Trump re-shared a post showing himself with “all the [Uno] cards” at 11.20pm local time on 3 May, having posted the same image at 4.15am the previous morning mere minutes after a separate post in which he called US House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries a “thug” and a “danger to our country”.
Other AI-generated images have included one of himself, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and a woman in a bikini together in the Reflecting Pool at The Lincoln Memorial, which is currently under renovation.
Trump has a penchant for sharing AI-generated images on his Truth Social account (Photo: TruthSocial/@realDonaldTrump)
The President has previously said he goes to sleep between 12am and 1am, but his flurry of overnight Truth Social posts and reposts often continue hours later. Trump, as well as his aides and allies, have repeatedly said the President is able to function on very little sleep.
Among the US President’s after-hours Truth Social messages are screenshotted posts from X (Photo: TruthSocial/@realDonaldTrump)
The White House and Trump himself have repeatedly dismissed concerns about the President’s general health and fitness for office.
Approached for comment on the subject of this story, the White House described Trump as “the most transparent and accessible President in American history to the media”.
“His return to the White House saved the legacy media from going out of business. The press know that they can’t get enough of Trump, and the American people appreciate hearing his first-hand insights on topics of importance to our country,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle told The i Paper.
How much sleep does the President need?
Many world leaders have claimed that they run on very little sleep. Former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher is famously said to have slept for just four hours a night, while Sanae Takaichi, the Prime Minister of Japan, said she gets just two to four hours.
However, experts who spoke to The i Paper were keen to point out differences between those figures and Trump when it comes to late-night activity.
“Thatcher, I think that whatever else can be said about her, she would have tended to focus on policy matters; Trump is more like this childlike entertainer at times, coming up with these really strange posts saying he is going to be doing something quite extreme, or of course the AI images,” said Dr Jack Clayton, a US policy analyst.
“[Trump] seems to be kept awake by a desire to create some kind of AI imagery or embark on some kind of rant that could be a very old vendetta, things some might say are trivial, rather than a pressing policy issue like the Middle East or even an economy that’s struggling at the moment.”
Simon Mabon, a professor in international politics at Lancaster University, said Trump’s “relentless” and “incessant” habit of posting through the night was symptomatic of his style of presidency.
“This sort of populist support base and platform that he’s operating on means he needs to be reacting immediately, getting out ahead of the news cycle and spinning things pretty quickly,” he told The i Paper.
Evidence from scientific studies has linked prolonged poor sleep – through irregular sleeping patterns or long-term sleep deprivation – to an increased risk of diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Trump’s father was diagnosed with the latter shortly before his death in 1999, but there is no evidence he suffered from poor sleep, or that Trump is showing signs of either illness.
‘The capacity for serious mistakes is huge’
Mabon warned that Trump’s apparent lack of sleep, combined with his age and question marks over his health, could mean that his capacity for mistakes is high.
“If you look at the sheer volume of his posts on Truth Social, they are relentless, incessant, often coming in the middle of the night without the necessary sleep or time for reflection, at a time when immediacy is so prominent in what he’s trying to do,” he said.
“The capacity to make pretty serious mistakes or miscalculations or to misread events could be huge.”
Asked about the general impacts of sleeplessness, Professor Aidan Horner, an expert in cognitive neuroscience at the University of York, told The i Paper that “regular, good quality sleep is critical to both physical and mental health” and that “decision-making is clearly impaired in individuals who are sleep deprived”.
However, Horner added that he believed these facts “are likely completely unrelated to the erratic nature of the President’s posts and wider behaviour. He has a history of posting egregious content on social media platforms … Trump and his cadre of sycophants are responsible for all of this, not any lack of sleep Trump might be experiencing.”
Clayton said Trump appeared to be “more erratic” in this term than his first four years in office.
He continued: “The thing that’s bizarre about Donald Trump, and late-night posts and AI stuff demonstrate this, is that he’s obviously the President of the United States but he kind of, at times, is acting just a bit like a social media troll.
“You’d imagine or at least hope that he is actually having to deal with policy matters on some level during normal waking hours, and maybe he’s not having to do that quite as much when people are generally asleep.”
But “regardless of his sleep pattern, irregular or not, I think the world and much of the country, whether it’s politicians dealing with him or others, know they’re dealing with someone that’s a very erratic individual who is not going to be the most consistent and stable person,” he added.
“It’s objectively strange behaviour – I don’t think you need to be a psychologist or sleep expert to say that – and it’s unimaginable that a previous world leader would create these kinds of stories and conversations.”
O dispositivo de fusão da Zap Vitality cria um brilho arroxeado a partir do seu plasma de hidrogênio. (Foto Zap)
Energia Zap anunciou planos na quarta-feira para se tornar a primeira empresa a buscar simultaneamente dois caminhos para a energia nuclear: a fusão, uma tecnologia não comprovada, mas promissora, que esmaga átomos leves para produzir energia, e a fissão, a by way of nuclear mais conhecida que já alimenta reatores em todo o mundo, dividindo átomos pesados.
Para apoiar estes objetivos duplos, a Zap nomeou Zabrina Johal como CEO, sucedendo ao cofundador da empresa Benj Conwayque está em transição para presidente.
Zabrina Johal, CEO da Zap Vitality. (Foto do LinkedIn)
Os inovadores da fusão traçaram normalmente uma linha clara entre a sua solução nuclear e a fissão convencional, dadas as preocupações do público sobre anteriores derretimentos de reactores e resíduos radioactivos.
Mas os líderes da Zap dizem que a distinção cria um “muro falso” que a empresa de Everett, Washington, está pronta para derrubar.
“Fissão e fusão são duas expressões da mesma física subjacente”, disse Conway em comunicado. “Isto não é um pivô – ao integrá-los em uma única plataforma, podemos avançar mais rapidamente, reduzir riscos e construir uma empresa mais duradoura.”
O planeta está desesperado por novas fontes de energia e muitos clientes e governos estão ansiosos por soluções que não liberem carbono e provoquem ainda mais as alterações climáticas. A procura está a aumentar à medida que as empresas tecnológicas se apressam a construir centros de dados que suportem a IA, mesmo quando os sectores dos transportes, da habitação e da indústria electrificam as suas operações.
A Zap tem desenvolvido a sua tecnologia de fusão comercial desde o seu lançamento, há nove anos, construindo máquinas de fusão e os sistemas necessários para fornecer essa energia à rede. Arrecadou mais de US$ 330 milhões de investidores e foi selecionado para participar do programa de desenvolvimento de fusão do Departamento de Energia.
Mas dominar a física da fusão – essencialmente recriar as reações que alimentam o Sol num dispositivo terrestre – é incerto e dispendioso. Embora dezenas de empresas em todo o mundo procurem energia de fusão comercialmente viável, nenhuma delas conseguiu até agora.
Construir tecnologia de fissão de próxima geração é mais previsível e geraria receitas mais cedo, disse a startup, ao mesmo tempo que apoia pesquisas que avançam seu trabalho de fusão. O objetivo da empresa é ter uma solução de fissão à venda até o início da década de 2030, segundo o New York Timesque primeiro relatou a notícia.
Um funcionário da Zap Vitality trabalhando em seu reator de fusão de demonstração nas instalações de pesquisa e desenvolvimento da empresa em Everett, Washington. (Foto Zap)
Johal começou sua carreira como oficial e engenheira em propulsão nuclear na Marinha dos EUA e anteriormente passou 18 anos na Common Atomics liderando o desenvolvimento estratégico para seus portfólios nuclear e de defesa. Mais recentemente, ela trabalhou na AtkinsRéalis, uma empresa de engenharia de Montreal com foco em energia nuclear.
A empresa também nomeou Daniel Valterex-diretor da TerraPower – a empresa nuclear próxima apoiada por Invoice Gates – como diretor de engenharia nuclear. Vice-presidente Zap Matheus Thompson agora é vice-presidente sênior de tecnologia de fissão e trabalhará em ambas as plataformas tecnológicas.
Outras empresas de fusão também procuraram fontes de receitas adicionais. A Avalanche Vitality de Seattle, por exemplo, tem múltiplas iniciativas, incluindo trabalho em baterias nucleares compactas, propulsão de fusão em aplicações espaciais e materiais avançados para ambientes extremos.
A Zap é a primeira, porém, a adicionar à mistura o desenvolvimento de reatores de fissão. A energia nuclear tradicional assistiu a um renascimento impulsionado pelo aumento da procura de energia. O governo dos EUA está a investir na inovação da cisão e na aceleração da concessão de licenças para o sector, e as empresas tecnológicas estão a pagar para manter os reactores existentes em funcionamento, ao mesmo tempo que apoiam startups que procuram projectos mais pequenos, mais baratos e mais rápidos de implementar, que utilizam peças fabricadas em fábrica.
Zap vem desenvolvendo seu plano nuclear no ano passado e está procurando desenvolver microrreatores que compartilhem aproximadamente as dimensões físicas de seu dispositivo de fusão planejado.
A abordagem da empresa baseia-se na tecnologia do Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II), desenvolvido e testado ao longo de décadas em laboratórios nacionais dos EUA. A estratégia foi posteriormente adoptada pela Toshiba para o seu reactor 4S (Tremendous-Seguro, Pequeno e Simples), embora esse projecto tenha fracassado no clima pós-Fukushima que se tornou hostil à energia nuclear – apesar do facto de o próprio projecto 4S não estar relacionado com a tecnologia do reactor de Fukushima.
A Zap disse que agora está revitalizando o projeto da Toshiba, que inclui um microrreator de 10 megawatts resfriado por sódio líquido que pode funcionar por décadas sem reabastecimento. A abordagem é atraente em parte porque o dispositivo de fusão da Zap utiliza lítio líquido, que se comporta de forma semelhante ao sódio.
“A abordagem da Zap é construir bases técnicas comuns – materiais, sistemas de steel líquido, design de alta densidade de potência e ambientes de nêutrons – uma vez e aplicá-las tanto na fissão quanto na fusão”, disse a empresa.
A startup está confiante de que os clientes estão ávidos por ambas as variedades de energia nuclear.
“Atender a essa demanda requer sistemas mais simples e adaptáveis e um caminho mais rápido para implantação”, disse Johal. “A fissão nos dá um caminho para a implantação. A fusão nos dá um caminho para a transformação. Uni-los é como fazemos as duas coisas.”
A busca ao longo de um rio infestado de crocodilos na África do Sul nunca deveria terminar assim. O que começou como um caso de pessoa desaparecida rapidamente se transformou em algo muito mais perturbador e perigoso do que se esperava. Um empresário foi arrastado pelas enchentes depois que seu carro ficou preso em uma ponte baixa. Dias depois, a polícia ainda vasculhava a área do rio Komati, sem saber o que encontraria ou mesmo se alguma coisa poderia ser recuperada.Então chegou o momento que mudou tudo. Um policial foi baixado de um helicóptero em águas conhecidas por crocodilos. Não qualquer rio, mas um já descrito pelos habitantes locais como imprevisível e hostil. O que se seguiu foi uma missão de recuperação que parece quase inacreditável, mesmo por parte de oficiais experientes. Restos humanos foram eventualmente recuperados, mas a situação em torno deles não period nada simples. As questões ainda persistem e os detalhes são tão perturbadores quanto notáveis.
Desaparecimento de empresário termina com restos encontrados dentro de crocodilo
Conforme relatado pela BBC, o incidente começou depois que fortes enchentes atingiram partes da província de Mpumalanga. O empresário teria tentado cruzar uma ponte baixa quando seu veículo ficou preso em águas velozes. Quando as autoridades chegaram, o carro estava vazio. Nenhum sinal dele por perto. A partir daí, as coisas aumentaram rapidamente. As equipes de busca suspeitaram que ele havia sido arrastado rio abaixo. O rio Komati, já conhecido pelos perigos para a vida selvagem, tornou-se o centro de um esforço de recuperação crescente e tenso.Drones foram implantados. Helicópteros circulavam acima. Os policiais examinaram as margens do rio em busca de algo incomum. Parece quase rotineiro à primeira vista, mas uma pequena ilha no rio chamou a atenção durante as varreduras aéreas. Vários crocodilos foram vistos tomando sol. Os policiais teriam notado um animal se comportando de maneira diferente. Quase não se movia, mesmo com o barulho dos drones e helicópteros no alto. Oficiais experientes suspeitavam de algo. Possivelmente alimentação recente. Não é incomum que os crocodilos da região fiquem estranhamente imóveis após uma grande refeição, sugerem os especialistas. Essa observação mudou completamente o rumo da operação.O réptil em questão, um enorme crocodilo de 4,5 metros e pesando cerca de 500 kg, foi morto posteriormente. Foi então transportado para o Parque Nacional Kruger para inspeção. O que se seguiu foi uma confirmação sombria. Restos humanos foram encontrados dentro de seus intestinos. Alguns itens pessoais também foram descobertos, incluindo vários sapatos. A polícia observou que havia seis tipos diferentes, embora tenha enfatizado que isso não significa automaticamente múltiplas vítimas. Os crocodilos, como disse um oficial, “comerão ou engolirão qualquer coisa”.De acordo com o put up do X (anteriormente Twitter), acredita-se que os restos mortais sejam de Gabriel Batista, de 59 anos, que já havia sido arrastado pelas fortes enchentes.
Polícia realiza operação de recuperação arriscada em meio a condições instáveis do rio
A parte mais marcante de toda a história ainda estava por vir. O capitão Johan Potgieter, comandante de uma unidade de mergulho da polícia, foi baixado de helicóptero até a área do rio para auxiliar na recuperação. A operação foi descrita como “altamente perigosa e complexa” pelos policiais. Ele supostamente prendeu o animal antes que o oficial e os restos mortais fossem retirados da zona do rio. “A ponta afiada de um crocodilo não é o melhor lugar para abordá-lo”, disse ele mais tarde ao News24. Uma frase simples. Mas isso carrega peso. Mesmo com o crocodilo já morto, o risco permanecia. O ambiente em si period instável. Correntes de água, vida selvagem, terreno imprevisível e tudo estava contra eles.
Autoridades aguardam resultados de DNA enquanto a investigação sobre o incidente no rio continua
Testes de DNA estão em andamento para confirmar a identidade dos restos mortais. As autoridades ainda não fizeram uma confirmação oficial closing. As famílias esperam. Os investigadores continuam reunindo as peças dos momentos finais do incidente. Há também a difícil questão de saber se o crocodilo pode ter tido vítimas anteriores. Os oficiais não confirmaram nada além de especulação. Mas a descoberta de vários sapatos deixou margem para preocupação, mesmo que os especialistas acautelem a não tirar conclusões precipitadas.O chefe da polícia em exercício da África do Sul elogiou publicamente a bravura dos envolvidos, especialmente o capitão Potgieter. E, no entanto, por baixo das declarações oficiais, há uma sensação mais silenciosa de desconforto.
