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      A Solar Storm Lights Up the Night Sky

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      People in Britain marveled at the unusual and spectacular sight of the northern lights on Friday night, the consequence of a severe solar storm that was brewing and was expected to continue over the coming days.The northern lights — also known as aurora borealis — usually don’t reach this far south. They are most often seen in higher latitudes closer to the North Pole. People in other European countries, including Denmark and Germany, also reported seeing the lights.Onlookers marveled at the sight, posting their surprise, delight and sometimes shock on social media. As one user wrote: “Aurora Borealis? At this time of year? At this time of day? In this part of the country? Localized entirely over Edinburgh?”Another onlooker posted, “It really is gorgeous though.”The northern lights also made appearances in North America, with some people reporting sightings in Maine on Friday night. They occur when the sun expels material from its surface.The current solar storm is caused by a cluster of sunspots — dark, cool regions on the solar surface. The cluster is flaring and ejecting material every six to 12 hours.Earlier Friday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center issued a rare warning about the solar outburst, because it could disrupt communications and even power grids.Adam Vaughan/EPA, via ShutterstockThe lights were visible in Britain, in locations including Crosby Beach near Liverpool, where they could be seen behind Antony Gormley’s “Another Place” sculpture.Owen Humphreys/PA Images, via Getty ImagesThe northern lights cast a glow on a lighthouse in Whitley Bay, England.Patrick Pleul/picture alliance, via Getty ImagesThe northern lights glowing in the sky in the Oder-Spree district in Brandenburg State, Germany. More

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      The Best Hats at the 2024 Kentucky Derby

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      America’s most famous horse race may be celebrating a milestone this year, but the hats are the real stars of the show.There are many associations that come to mind with the Kentucky Derby. Horses, naturally. Mint juleps too. But to be a true participant in the Derby spectacle, one needs a proper Derby hat.The tradition for wearing eye-catching attire to America’s most famous horse race began in the 1870s. The founder of the Kentucky Derby, Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., was inspired by the fashionable dress codes at events like Ascot in Britain and Paris’s Grand Prix. Creating his own, he figured, would transform his racetrack from a place of ill-repute to one for well-heeled high society.On a sunny spring Monday in 1875, more than 10,000 spectators attended the first Kentucky Derby and The New York Times reported on the fashion as well as the racing, noting that “the grandstand was thronged by a brilliant assemblage of ladies and gentlemen.” His plan worked, and this collective passion for horses, gambling and partying — even in smart seersucker suits or a spectacular feathered fascinator — has endured as a cornerstone of the Derby to this day.This year marked the 150th running of the race at Churchill Downs, won this year by Mystik Dan in a photo finish. As expected nobody held back both on and off the track, from wide-brimmed styles adorned with spring florals and soft feathers paired with tasteful pastel-colored dresses to jockey helmets adorned with plastic stallions and straight up horse heads. Hats off to this crowd.A coordinated pair in pink and blue. More is more on Derby day. Quiet pastels work too.It’s never a bad idea to match your hat with your cocktail. The winner by a nose. A dashing suit for Derby day. The view from the top. Riders up! Derby bling means feathers, sequins and a unicorn.Proving you can still look fantastic during a Derby nap. The hats may get all the attention, but the dresses also deserve their due.A cowboy and his bow-tie.A magenta moment that is both practical and festive. This duo had us at yellow with their coordinating sunny standout looks.Can you spot the floral accent in this red, white and blue ensemble?A coordinated pair.Yay or neigh? This fan was happy to horse around when it came to his head gear. David Kasnic for The New York TimesAnd they’re off! The Kentucky Derby is often described as “the most exciting two minutes in sports.”Pastels for the paddock (and flat shoes for a long day).The mad hatter?A dapper look for a day at the Derby.Wide-brimmed straw hats continue to be a winner for many racegoers — and the bigger the better.David Kasnic for The New York TimesYou can never go wrong with the classic straw hat.Thinking pink.One fan in full bloom.Ahoy sailor!David Kasnic for The New York TimesIt wouldn’t be the Derby without the mint juleps.David Kasnic for The New York TimesPearls, posies and lots of layered netting here for a millinery delight.David Kasnic for The New York TimesAn eye-popping race day outfit missing its owner. More

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      White House Correspondents’ Dinner Red Carpet Photos: See the Best Dressed

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      Scarlett Johansson, Colin Jost and Senator John Fetterman made their entrances at the annual celebration in Washington.It hasn’t been the “nerd prom” for a while. Once a popular target of jokes about bad fashion (and not just from the evening’s featured comedian host), the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner has morphed in recent years into a less campy, more staid prelude to the Met Gala, which takes place days later. It’s only fitting, really, given the subtext of journalists being jailed around the world.Still, the bar for serious style has been raised by the mix of media, political and Hollywood figures that populate the guest list. Consider this year’s roster, which included Rufus Sewell and Keri Russell of “The Diplomat”; the SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher; Da’Vine Joy Randolph, fresh from being celebrated at the Time 100 Gala; Scarlett Johansson, there to support her husband and the evening’s host, Colin Jost of “Saturday Night Live.” in coordinating Giorgio Armani outfits. Can the Armani effect do for the capital what it once did for tinsel town? We will see.Vice President Kamala Harris and Eugene Daniels, a White House correspondent for Politico. Tom Brenner/ReutersNot that it’s just the celebs au fait with stylists and designer brands who are working the entrances. This year’s headliner, President Biden, has such a propensity for aviators that his accessories have practically become part of his political platform — so much so that he even turned them into material for his stand-up routine at last year’s dinner. (Hello, Dark Brandon.)Little wonder bets were being taken on whether Senator John Fetterman, a guest of NewsNation along with his wife, Gisele, would show up in a black tie hoodie or an actual tux (last year he opted for the tux — albeit with sneakers). Answer: he did one better, in trompe l’oeil white tie hoodie and black basketball shorts. Also whether Lara Trump, sitting with Politico, would represent in MAGA glory.After all, what is a red carpet but a photo op in better clothing? And how many politicians have met a photo op they didn’t want to seize for a messaging moment? All anyone has to do is read their looks, if not their lips.Da’Vine Joy Randolph, the actress. Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesRosario Dawson, the actress. Nathan Howard/ReutersSenator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and his wife Gisele Barreto Fetterman.Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesGayle King, the broadcast journalist.Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesAshlyn Harris, the soccer player, with Sophia Bush, the actress, both in Harbison. Nathan Howard/ReutersBilly Porter, the performer. Nathan Howard/ReutersChris Pine, the actor. Nathan Howard/ReutersKeri Russell, the actress.Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesRepresentative Maxwell Alejandro Frost of FloridaDrew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesScarlett Johansson, the actress, in Giorgio Armani. Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesKarine Jean-Pierre, the White House Press Secretary.Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesFran Drescher, the president of SAG-AFTRA.Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesQuestlove, the musician.Nathan Howard/ReutersRachel Brosnahan, the actress.Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesMolly Ringwald, the actress, in custom Cong Tri.Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesRev. Al SharptonNathan Howard/ReutersSunny Hostin, the lawyer and journalist.Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesSenator Chuck Schumer of New YorkDrew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesKelly O’Donnell, senior White House correspondent at NBC News and president of the White House Correspondents’ Association. Nathan Howard/ReutersPeter Neal and Naomi Biden, the granddaughter of President Biden. Nathan Howard/ReutersLynda Carter, the actress and singer.Nathan Howard/ReutersCoco Rocha, the model.Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesJoseph Lee, the actor.Nathan Howard/ReutersJen Psaki, the former White House Press Secretary. Nathan Howard/ReutersAl Roker, the journalist.Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesKennedy, the political commentator. Nathan Howard/ReutersAldis Hodge, the actor.Nathan Howard/ReutersAndrew McCarthy and his wife, screenwriter Dolores Rice.Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images More

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      Celebrities and Journalists Mix at Parties for White House Correspondents Dinner

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      In Washington, celebrities mixed with journalists and government officials at glittery parties before the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.The early arrivals at a party thrown by the Hollywood powerhouse Creative Artists Agency on Friday night seemed to be weighing the same question: Just how much could they expect to let loose during this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner weekend?Their game of chicken did not go on long. By 8 p.m., guests at the talent agency’s event, held at La Grande Boucherie in Washington, were applying temporary tattoos to one another’s necks and trying to prevent their drinks from sloshing onto a baby grand piano.The weekend’s main event, known as “nerd prom,” is a Saturday night banquet at the Washington Hilton Hotel. There, Colin Jost of “Saturday Night Live” plans to gently roast President Biden, who is expected to take the dais and attempt some zingers of his own.The crowd at La Grande Boucherie. Parties surrounding the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner have made April a high point of the Washington social calendar.Jason Andrew for The New York TimesGuests included, from left, Kyle MacLachlan, the actor; Caitlin Donahue, a communications and public affairs strategist, with Naomi Biden, the eldest of the president’s grandchildren; Sara Fischer, the senior media reporter at Axios.Jason Andrew for The New York TimesIn addition to the annual dinner, the intertwined media and political classes celebrate themselves at a succession of receptions and parties that have made April a bustling month for the D.C. social set.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Flooding Inundates Kenya, Killing at Least 32 and Displacing Thousands

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      Days of heavy rains have pummeled parts of Kenya, leaving at least 32 dead, 15 injured and more than 40,000 people displaced, according to officials. They said that flooding had killed nearly 1,000 farm animals and destroyed thousands of acres of crops, with more rain expected across the country.The rains began in March during what is known in the country as the “long rains,” but precipitation intensified over the past week, according to the Kenya Meteorological Department.In Nairobi, where some of the heaviest rain has fallen, more than 30,000 people have been displaced, according to the United Nations. On Tuesday, 18 people, including seven children, were stranded, and later rescued, in Nairobi after heavy rain, the Kenya Red Cross Society said.Edwin Sifuna, a senator in Nairobi County, said on social media that the local government there was “clearly overwhelmed,” and he called on the federal government for help.“The situation in Nairobi has escalated to extreme levels,” he wrote in a post that included video of people stranded on rooftops surrounded by floodwaters.The rains were not expected to subside over the next few days, according to the Kenya Meteorological Department, which had rain in the forecast for parts of the country, including Nairobi, through Monday.Here are photos of the flooding:Daniel Irungu/EPA, via ShutterstockA man crossing a flooded river on a pipeline in Mathare, a neighborhood of slums in Nairobi where many live in tin shacks.Daniel Irungu/EPA, via ShutterstockA man swimming through floodwaters to try to rescue people stranded in their homes in Ngondo Village in Mathare.Simon Maina/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesResidents of Mathare tried to salvage goods from their homes.Daniel Irungu/EPA, via ShutterstockResidents of Ngondo Village tried to clear muddy water from their homes.Tony Karumba/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesPeople clung to buses and trucks to avoid flooded roadways in Nairobi.Simon Maina/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesDozens of people in Mathare were stranded in their homes after heavy rains.Monicah Mwangi/ReutersFlooding caused widespread damage in Nairobi.Patrick Ngugi/Associated PressPeople in the Githurai area used a boat to get through floodwaters.Thomas Mukoya/ReutersFlooding in a settlement in Machakos County inundated entire roadways.Thomas Mukoya/ReutersFrom a bridge, two men watched the swollen Athi River near Nairobi. More

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      New Zealanders Are Crazy for This Fruit. It’s Not the Kiwi.

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      Autumn in New Zealand heralds the arrival of a green, egg-size fruit that falls off trees in such abundance that it is often given to neighbors and colleagues by the bucket or even the wheelbarrow load. Only in cases of extreme desperation do people buy any.The fresh fruit, whose flesh is gritty, jellylike and cream-colored, is used in muffins, cakes, jams and smoothies, and it begins appearing on high-end menus each March — the start of fall in the Southern Hemisphere. Off-season, it is found in food and drink as varied as juices and wine, yogurt and kombucha, and chocolate and popcorn.This ubiquitous fruit is the feijoa (pronounced fee-jo-ah). Known in the United States as the pineapple guava, it was first brought to New Zealand from South America via France and California in the early 1900s.Its tangy taste is hard to describe, even for die-hard fans. But what is easy to pinpoint is that like the kiwi fruit, which originated in China, and the kiwi, a native bird, the feijoa has become for many here a quintessential symbol of New Zealand, or Aotearoa, as the country is known in the Indigenous Maori language.The feijoa is a quintessential symbol of New Zealand.The flesh is gritty, jellylike and cream-colored.Fresh feijoa is used in muffins, cakes, jams, smoothies and cocktails.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Biden, Trump and Dr. Bob: the Human Realities of Aging on the Job

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      He had become the local expert on what he called the “unwanted side effects of old age,” so Dr. Bob Ross, 75, rubbed arthritis cream onto his hands and walked into an exam room to see his seventh elderly patient of the day. He had been a doctor in the remote town of Ortonville, Minn., for nearly five decades, caring for most of its 2,000 residents as he aged alongside them. He delivered their children, performed their high school physicals, tended to their workplace injuries and now specialized in treating the wide-ranging symptoms of what it meant to grow old in America.“What’s hurting you most today?” he asked Nancy Scoblic, 79.“Let me take out my list,” she said. “Sore knees. Bad lungs. I’ve got a spot on my leg and pain in my shoulder. Basically, if it doesn’t hurt now, it’ll probably hurt later.”She’d known him for most of her life, first as Bobby, whom her family sometimes babysat, then as Bob in high school, and now as Dr. Bob — the physician who had cared for her grandparents and also her grandchildren, and who almost everyone in Ortonville entrusted with their most vulnerable moments. It was behind the closed door of Dr. Bob’s exam room where hundreds of people filled out their advance directives, took cognitive evaluations and tested out their new walkers and hearing aids. It was Dr. Bob who delivered bad news with a farmer’s directness and then sat with families around a hospice bed for hours when the only thing left to do was to pray.Most of his patients were white, geriatric and still largely self-sufficient — members of the same demographic as the country’s two leading presidential candidates in the 2024 election, 81-year-old Joe Biden and 77-year-old Donald Trump. The conversations at the heart of an election cycle were the same ones unfolding inside Bob’s office: What were the best ways to slow the inevitable decline of the human body? How did aging impact cognition? When was it possible to defy age, and when was it necessary to make accommodations in terms of decision-making or professional routines. These were the questions he asked his patients each day, and also himself.He took Nancy’s hand and helped her onto the exam table, checking for circulatory problems as he felt her lymph nodes and her carotid artery for signs of swelling. He pressed his hands against her abdomen to seek out masses in the liver or enlargement of the spleen. It was the same geriatric exam he conducted at least 25 times each week, as Ortonville’s soybean farmers aged into retirement and America’s baby boomers arrived in his office showing more evidence of cancer, more bruises from falls, more diabetes, more strokes and more signs of memory loss and possible dementia.Bob helps Nancy Scoblic with her coat after an appointment. We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      New York’s Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival Brought Out Spring’s Best Style

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      New York City welcomed a hint of spring, with a bit of warm sun that turned this year’s Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival into a rousing success.Fifth Avenue was filled with magnificent hat wearers, sauntering up and down 5th Avenue with charm and excitement that rivaled children who might be scouring parks for Easter egg hunts. A recurring cast of milliners and costumed spectators trading nods with the more casual participants — who found creative ways to create their own grand impressions — was a particular delight to see.The colorful flow of her hat (center) was as lovely as her help with a friend’s outfit.Some parade goers’s outfits harkened back to another age.It’s not Fifth Avenue without a perfectly placed shawl.A profile to show off that stunning splash of red hair.Don’t lose your hat! A sea of Easter fashion in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.Soft paisley and a basket for those found Easter eggs.It was unclear whose job it was to protect the treats.A pup tired out from all the excitement.Another splendid example that proves leopard print really does go with everything.A fascinator, but as glasses!Spotted: a fancy wicker bunny in the crowd.This spectrum of violet was almost royal.Baking up the goods in an array of flavors.Spring anyone? This flower on white ensemble was the perfect introduction to the season.What mysteries lay inside this egg?Outfits that summon the look of a certain chocolatier.A fan of the carousel showed up.Easter in every shade.White gloves on one person, black on the other brought a touch of synergy to these two.Pointy bunny ears in front, lace and floral in back.It was easy to find little bursts of joy throughout the parade.More than just coordinating, couples were leveling up to synchronization.The way these gloves matched the handbag was a serious consideration.Some brought messages of their own to the parade.Wondering if the puppet may need its own hat.A constellation of beige.This golden look had faces every which way. More