Author: damazah@gmail.com

The Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool in Washington DC will have to be drained again. Donald Trump has blamed vandalism for the failure to keep the water “American flag blue”. But what if this small body of water is proof that the president can’t outrun the truth?Jonathan Freedland speaks to Arwa Mahdawi about why this project, which has cost the taxpayer millions, is proving to be such an embarrassing failure for a man obsessed with image

By Adegboyega Adeleye Premier League champions Arsenal have completed the permanent signing of Ecuador defender Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen after activating an option in his loan agreement. The 24-year-old centre-back spent the 2025/26 season on loan at Arsenal, playing a key role as Mikel Arteta’s side clinched the Premier League title. Hincapie made 39 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners and started 20 league matches as Arsenal finished the campaign with one of the division’s strongest defensive records, conceding just 27 goals. The Ecuador international also featured in Arsenal’s starting line-up in the UEFA Champions League final against…

The duo trade verses on the candid and vulnerable track Steve Lacy and SZA have unveiled their new collaborative single, “Is It Cool?” The candid lyrics see Lacy confessing to his self-sabotaging habits as he sings, “I just cheat every now and again/That was hard for me to admit/’Cause I really want commit.” His intimate vocals weave into SZA’s verse as she proposes, “Being vulnerable is exhausting, babe/Can we get naked instead of talking, babe?” In August 2025, Lacy spoke with Rolling Stone about his upcoming album, Oh Yeah?, arriving July 17 via RCA Records. The follow-up to 2022’s Gemini Rights…

I had expected someone hard, ground down. But she was a tiny blonde in her 20s with the kind of bouncy energy I associate with cheerleading. As I set the plastic cup under the machine, she told me she had been so surprised when they informed her that she was being released. She called her boyfriend to tell him. He didn’t have a car, so he wouldn’t be able to pick her up, but she wanted him to know she was getting out.And then there he had been! Waiting outside when they opened the door. She couldn’t believe it. She…

Instructure’s global sales organization to now offer Copyleaks directly to K-12 and higher education institutions, simplifying adoption of trusted academic integrity technology NEW YORK, June 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Copyleaks, the leader in AI-powered content originality and authenticity, today announced that Instructure, the leading learning ecosystem and maker of Canvas LMS, has named Copyleaks as a top-tier strategic sales partner. Under this agreement, Instructure’s global sales organization will directly offer Copyleaks AI and text matching solutions to K-12 and higher education institutions, giving them a faster, simpler path to academic integrity technology that works within the Canvas environment they…

The knockout bracket in the FIFA World Cup 2026 is starting to take shape.It begins with the round of 32, which runs from June 28 to July 3.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listWhat is the format and criteria for qualification, and which teams have progressed or been eliminated?What is the format of the World Cup knockouts?The top two teams in each of the 12 groups, along with the eight best third-place finishers, advance to knockouts.The knockout phase begins with the round of 32, introduced for the first time at a World Cup after the expansion of the tournament…

I’ve been intrigued to see how the war in Iran has changed the way the country’s Islamic government portrays women. State television features women’s military parades with pink guns and pink jeeps. Most notably, it features women who say they support the regime but are not wearing hijabs.In the face of attacks by outside powers, the Islamic republic is crafting a new kind of identity, one that is less about religion and more about nationalism. And that shift is emblematic of something bigger happening in the Middle East: Political Islam is waning.I spoke to my colleague Ben Hubbard about what…

Asian technology stocks slumped after Apple raised prices for its products, stoking concern that rising component prices will curb demand for devices and eventually slow the memory chip rally that has powered much of the AI trade.

OpenAI’s release of its newest model, GPT 5.6, reportedly won’t be like its previous releases. Instead of distributing it to the public, the company plans to share it only with a select group of close partners because the Trump administration told it to, reports The Information. At a meeting this week, CEO Sam Altman reportedly told staff that the government would be “approving access customer by customer” during a preview period. Altman reportedly added that if the limited release goes well, OpenAI hopes to follow with a general, broader release a “couple of weeks later.” In other words, the Trump…

The Home Office is attempting to use three more military sites to house thousands of asylum seekers, as the government seeks to move people out of hotels.Three Ministry of Defence (MoD) sites in Bicester in Oxfordshire, Barnham in Suffolk, and Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire, could house about 3,750 asylum seekers if planning permission is granted.The government is also looking to extend the use of existing military sites in Crowborough, East Sussex until 2030 and Wethersfield, Essex beyond 2027.Labour has pledged to stop using asylum hotels, a costly form of accommodation that has become a focal point for anti-migrant protests.As of…