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Love Island USA’s Chelley, Ace Deny Dating Before Show

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These islanders’ romance is only just burning up.

After Michelle “Chelley” Bissainthe and Ace Green finally coupled up on the June 17 episode of Love Island USA, her loved ones shut down rumors about the pair’s connection before docking in Fiji. 

“We want to be transparent and clear the air, as some of the rumors have gotten far from the truth,” Chelley’s friends—who are running her social media account during her tenure—wrote on her Instagram Stories June 19. “Chelley and Ace briefly crossed paths in New York and later connected on social media.”

“They were never in a relationship, never lived together, and there are no children or hidden past,” the post continued. “What’s unfolding now is real, unscripted, and could change at any moment. We’re fully supporting Chelley, wherever her heart leads and with whomever she chooses to couple with.”

While Ace, 22, had been coupled up with Amaya Espinal and Chelley, 27, was with Austin Shepard, their chemistry was clear to fans. So, it was no surprise when he opened her door during episode 14’s recoupling. (Austin went on to choose Amaya.)

River Island to close 33 shops

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Tom Espiner

Business reporter, BBC News

Getty Images River Island in LincolnGetty Images

River Island plans to close 33 shops in the UK in a move which puts hundreds of jobs at risk.

The clothing retailer said more people shopping online and higher costs to run stores were behind its proposals to creditors.

It also wants its landlords to cut rents at a further 71 stores which are at risk.

The family-owned retailer currently has 230 shops and employs about 5,500 people, but has suffered heavy financial losses.

Ben Lewis, chief executive of River Island, said that although River Island is “a much-loved” British high street retailer, more online shopping means it has “a large portfolio of stores that is no longer aligned to our customers’ needs”.

He added that a “sharp rise in the cost of doing business over the last few years has only added to the financial burden”.

He said a turnaround plan was in place, but restructuring was also necessary.

“We regret any job losses as a result of store closures, and we will try to keep these to a minimum,” he added.

River Island made a £33.2m loss in 2023 after sales fell 19%, according to its most recent set of accounts.

It declined to say which stores it is planning to close.

The chain said it intends to consult employees over the possible job losses, and will redeploy staff where possible.

No head office staff will be directly affected by the proposed closures, a company source said.

Creditors will start to vote on the plan on 4 August, and a court will decide whether to approve the plan on 7 August.

River Island was founded in 1948 under the Lewis and Chelsea Girl brand before being renamed in the 1980s.

Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets for Hargreaves Lansdown, said it was “not really surprising” that River Island had proposed closing stores, given the pressures it is under.

She said recent changes to employer National Insurance contributions meant costs had risen for retailers like River Island with a large number of physical stores.

There is intense competition in fashion retail, not only from the likes of Boohoo, but also from relative online newcomers such as Chinese giants Shein and Temu.

These “much cheaper retailers with their finger on the pulse of fashion” are making things really tough in the sector, she said.

Retail sales and consumer confidence in general have been down as households cut back to try to deal with inflation, she said, which all adds up to a difficult situation for River Island and its employees.

Democrat: Trump two-week Iran deadline 'not a bad thing'

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Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) tepidly praised President Trump on his handling of the ongoing military conflict between Israel and Iran, after the president said he would wait two weeks to decide whether to take direct action against Iran.

“The fact that we’re not reading about a U.S. attack on Iran right now actually gives me a little bit of comfort,” the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee told independent broadcaster Jim Acosta in an interview posted online Thursday.

Trump said in a statement that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt read to reporters during Thursday’s press briefing that there is “substantial chance of negotiation that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future.”

“I will make my decision whether or not to go in the next two weeks,” the president said.

The announcement prompted Trump’s critics to revive the TACO meme, short for “Trump Always Chickens Out,” and accuse the president of frequently falling back to a two-week timeline for decisions — regardless of their importance.

“We can sort of joke about TACO, and you know everything is two weeks or four weeks or never, but I think when you’re talking about war in the Middle East, going slower than rather than faster is not a bad thing,” Himes said.

The United Nations Security Council is meeting Friday to discuss the ongoing strikes between Israel and Iran as the conflict enters its second week.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, met with Britain’s foreign secretary Thursday to discuss potential diplomatic off-ramps.

Himes told Acosta that he thinks there is still time to work out an agreement before the U.S. military jumps into the war.

“The advice I would give the president is, you are in a point of maximum leverage right now, and the regime has been badly hurt, badly embarrassed,” Himes said, describing the U.S.’s ability to negotiate a deal on Iran’s nuclear future. “They’re probably worried about what’s gonna happen inside Iran with the Iranian people.”

‘I Don’t Need Friends Anymore’

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Small business expert Codie Sanchez has acquired many Main Street businesses and teaches others how to do the same. As you set bigger goals and acquire businesses, you start to change as an individual, and that transformation can make you feel isolated. The further you pursue career growth and other goals, the harder it is to find like-minded people.

Sanchez presents a solution to this problem while saying something that sounds contradictory.

“I don’t need friends anymore,” she stated.

Sanchez then revealed how this mindset can expand your network and introduce more opportunities.

Don’t Miss:

Sanchez recommends meeting people who have the same goals. For instance, Sanchez said that she needs business partners instead of friends. Business partners can be great friends, but these people also have the same goals and can work with you toward your dreams.

You can meet like-minded people on social media, business conferences, online groups, and other locations that these individuals regularly attend. You have to get yourself out there to meet these types of people. While you can meet people online, it’s even better to get out of your house and meet people in person.

Sanchez’s TikTok video included multiple clips where she meets business partners and other individuals who align with her goals. While posting on social media and interacting with people online can be a great starting point, it’s great to capitalize on your area. If you can’t find any like-minded people in your location, it may be worth it to move somewhere else.

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Sanchez doesn’t only use this strategy to meet business partners. She’s also intentional about finding more gym buddies and allies who push her.

Working out with gym buddies may not seem like something that improves your business and finances. However, getting regular exercise and pursuing hobbies can expand your creativity and ability to solve problems. If you do rigorous workouts, it’s easier to commit to long-term financial goals that require plenty of sacrifices along the way.



Amazon Prime Day 2025: how to find the best deals

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Amazon Prime Day is one of the biggest shopping events of the year outside of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and in 2025 it’s even longer than usual. It’s running from July 8th through the 11th. The four-day shopping affair will grant Prime members access to some of the best prices of the year on Amazon devices, as well as products from Sony, Sonos, Microsoft, Apple, Withings, and other well-known brands. This applies to items spanning a range of categories, including gaming peripherals, laptops, 4K TVs, phones, PC accessories, and more.

As always, you can count on us to publish only the best deals during Prime Day — as well as any worthwhile ones featured at Walmart, Best Buy, Target, and other competing retailers. That said, if you want to be sure you catch any and all deals that are most important to you — or be among the first to know of certain price drops — we’ve compiled some helpful tools and advice.

Below, we’ve spelled out a few of our best deal-hunting tips, from how to use automated price trackers to the different ways you can set up your own personalized deal alerts. All of these methods and tools are free to use, and once you put in just a little bit of work, you can rest easy knowing that you don’t need to take much action until it comes time to make a purchase.

Use a price-tracking tool or deal aggregator

CamelCamelCamel’s extension helps you keep tabs on historical price trends with useful graphs like these.

CamelCamelCamel’s extension helps you keep tabs on historical price trends with useful graphs like these.
Image: CamelCamelCamel

CamelCamelCamel tracks the price of every product sold on Amazon and can send you alerts only when they reach the price that’s right for you. Once a product reaches the desired price you’ve set (or goes below it), you’ll get an email about it. CamelCamelCamel only works for products on Amazon, so you’ll need to use one of the other methods below if you want to track price movement at Walmart, Best Buy, Target, and other retailers.

To track prices and get alerts via email, you’ll first need to create a free account. We also suggest installing the site’s browser extension, called The Camelizer, which lets you see pricing trends on a product-by-product basis, and allows you to set your desired price without navigating away from Amazon. It’s fantastic and easy to use.

And, if you already have a wishlist saved on Amazon, you can import it into CamelCamelCamel.

Slickdeals allows you to set up custom alerts for specific keywords, though finding the right parameters can be a trial and error process.

Slickdeals allows you to set up custom alerts for specific keywords, though finding the right parameters can be a trial and error process.
Screenshot: Slickdeals

Slickdeals aggregates some of the best deals around the internet, as discovered by its team and community of users. It’s a great place to find a curated set of deals on things you might be interested in. The site also allows you to create deal alerts based on keywords, but they work a little differently on Slickdeals than they do on the above sites.

You can type in a product name, like “Sonos Era 100” or a retailer’s name, and once it’s added to your list, you’ll be notified of a deal alert if it meets your criteria. You can set it to alert you to any deal related to your keyword, or you can filter out deals so that you’ll be notified if, for example, the deal is popular enough to make it to Slickdeals’ front page or earned a high rating from the community. Setting these keywords a little too broadly may result in frequent notification pings and emails, though, so you’ll need to use some discretion and find the right balance of how aggressively you want Slickdeals to notify you.

Unlike the Honey extension and The Camelizer, Keepa integrates historical pricing data directly into the Amazon product listing.

Unlike the Honey extension and The Camelizer, Keepa integrates historical pricing data directly into the Amazon product listing.
Screenshot: Keepa

Keepa is another handy tool you can use to track and compare Amazon prices over time. Like CamelCamelCamel, Keepa provides charts that track pricing trends and will alert you when it finds a deal. You can also import any wishlists you’ve previously saved on Amazon.

Unlike CamelCamelCamel, however, you don’t necessarily need to create an account in order to track prices with Keepa. You just need to install the extension, and Keepa will automatically add a price history graph to supported product listings. The embedded extension features different tabs as well, one of which showcases pricing history and another that allows you to specify various pricing details. Once you’ve set your desired price, you’ll then receive price alerts via email, push notification, or RSS.

Set up deal alert notifications through Alexa or the Amazon app

If you’re a Prime member who owns a fourth-gen Echo speaker or a newer model, you can also request that Amazon send you deal notifications up to 24 hours ahead of time on products you’re interested in. Amazon can alert you of price drops on eligible products in your shopping cart or wishlist, as well as anything you’ve marked as “saved for later.” To enable the feature, tap More > Settings > Notifications in the Alexa app, and then tap Amazon Shopping. Then, scroll down to Shopping Recommendations and enable Deal Recommendations. Once done, you’ll receive a notification on both your device and your Echo speaker (the latter in the form of a yellow ring) notifying you of the deal.

Alternatively, you can sign up to receive deal alerts regarding products you’ve recently viewed in the Amazon Shopping app, as well as those related to your recent search history. If you’re a Prime member, you just need to navigate to the Prime Day event page in the mobile app between now and July 8th to create an alert. Once done, you’ll receive push notifications for any deal(s) you’ve subscribed to when the event begins. You can also just open the Amazon Shopping app and tap Settings > Notifications > Deals and Recommendations before toggling “Savings” and / or “Recommendations.”

Look for deals outside of Amazon

Prime Day is meant to show off Amazon’s huge retail presence, so, naturally, other retail chains take notice. Because of this, you can sometimes find better deals at retailers like Target, Walmart, and Best Buy. At the very least, they may be able to match Amazon’s pricing if you ask.

If Amazon’s upcoming sale doesn’t have everything you want or if you just want to make sure you’re getting the best deal, shop around a bit. For example, Target plans to run a “Circle Week” promo for members of its free Target Circle program starting on July 13th through the 19th. Best Buy, too, will be participating with its own “Black Friday in July” event taking place between July 7th and the 13th. Walmart will likely be hosting its own sale, too. And as usual, you’ll be able to find all of our deals coverage in and outside of Amazon here.

We’re a discerning bunch here at The Verge, so don’t fret if you’re going into this without any prep. We’ll be corralling the best tech deals and keeping our coverage up to date in the run-up to the main event. So mark July 8th on your calendar, sign up for Amazon Prime and our new and improved Verge Deals newsletter, and maybe start putting aside a little spending cash.

NBA’s Kevin Durant buys minority stake in PSG as QSI partner

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Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant has purchased a minority stake in Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain, the Ligue 1 club said Friday.

Qatar Sports Investments, PSG’s majority shareholder, signed an investment and strategic partnership agreement with Durant, the club said in a statement. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Under the terms of the partnership, Durant — via his media and investment company Boardroom, co-founded with long-time business partner Rich Kleiman — will acquire a direct minority stake in the club,” PSG’s statement said.

The 36-year-old is a two-time NBA champion and one of the league’s elite shot makers.

Durant became the first four-time men’s gold medalist in Olympic basketball history when the U.S. took gold at last summer’s Paris Olympics.

“It is an honor to partner with QSI and be a shareholder in Paris Saint-Germain — a club and city that is deeply close to my heart,” Durant said in comments provided by PSG. “This club has big plans and I look forward to being part of the next phase of growth and exploring new investment opportunities with QSI.”

The announcement comes amid talks between the NBA, FIBA and other entities about the process of adding a new league in Europe.

As part of the deal, Boardroom Sports Holdings — Durant’s personal investment vehicle, which holds stakes in a number of major sports teams and leagues – and QSI will join forces on a wide range of commercial, investment and content production initiatives.

PSG added that Durant will support the club’s diversification and growth strategy, as well as the development of the club’s development in the U.S. and other international markets. He will also provide expertise on the club’s multi-port strategy, including future plans in basketball.

“Together with Kevin, we look forward to developing ambitious initiatives that will drive the continued global growth of Paris Saint-Germain and QSI,” PSG president Nasser Al Khelaïfi said.

In 2020, Durant acquired a 5% stake in the MLS club Philadelphia Union.

Machine Gun Kelly, Megan Fox Baby: Co-Parenting Update

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How Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly Actually Picked Their Baby’s Name Years Ago

Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox are beginning a new chapter of their story. 

Three months after the rapper (real name Colson Baker) and Transformers actress welcomed their baby girl Saga Blade Fox-Baker, MGK gave an update on how the duo are doing. 

“Megan is a great mom,” MGK gushed during a June 20 episode of Today. “She’s killing it. I’m so excited.”

Indeed, the “My Ex’s Best Friend” singer, who was joined on the broadcast by his 15-year-old daughter Casie, whom he shares with ex Emma Cannon, also revealed how his new baby girl’s name describes his and Megan’s journey to having her. 

“Coming back again, disappearing, coming back again—she is an epic story,” he explained. “And that’s what Saga means. I’m also of Norwegian heritage so that’s the Nordic goddess of storytelling.”

He gushed of his daughter, “I think she has a storytelling future ahead of her.”

MGK’s admiration of Megan as mother comes just days after he gave her a subtle shoutout by telling a fan their Jennifer’s Body T-shirt was “so sick!”

Arrests made as two assaulted outside Iranian embassy

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Seven men have been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm after two people were assaulted outside the Iranian embassy.

The Met Police have said they believe the altercation happened between protesters supporting and opposing the Iranian monarchy, and there were no links to Israel.

Officers had responded to reports of an altercation in Princes Gate in Knightsbridge, west London, shortly after 09:50 BST on Friday, a force spokesperson said.

Two men were treated for injuries at the scene by the London Ambulance Service (LAS) before one was taken to a major trauma centre and the other to hospital.

Conditions have been put in place to prevent serious disorder, stopping protesters from gathering in the area until 13:00 BST on Sunday.

Seven men, whose ages have not yet been given, remained in police custody, the force said.

An eighth was arrested for breaching the order banning protesters from gathering.

The force had earlier said it believed the altercation had involved only pro-monarchy protesters.

The area has been cordoned off while initial investigations take place.

An LAS spokesperson said: “We were called at 09:56 BST today (June 20) to reports of an assault in Princes Gate.

“We sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, paramedics in fast response cars and our Tactical Response Unit.

“We treated two patients at the scene and took one to hospital and one to a major trauma centre.”

Their injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, they added.

A number of national embassies are located on or near Prince’s Gate, including the Embassy of The Islamic Republic of Iran.

Maxwell Frost: ICE 'human trafficking' migrants to other nations

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Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost (D) criticized the Trump administration for their deportation policies following national protests regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and removals.

“There is no legal process for people,” Frost said during a Thursday appearance on CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” 

“We have ICE federal agents pulling up, terrorizing our communities, hopping out of unmarked vans, stealing and yes, kidnapping people, not giving them their day in court and yes, human trafficking them to other nations, other countries around the entire world,” he added. 

His comments follow mass Los Angeles protests regarding ICE’s detainment of 44 individuals. Local lawmakers said detention centers were overflowing with immigrants who have not been given a court date while arrests increase, leaving those in custody to sleep outside in tents.

Earlier this week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said drivers in the state would not be held liable if they hit protesters blocking roadways.

President Trump’s border czar Tom Homan has also issued stronger deportation policies pledging to crack down on “worksite enforcement” on Thursday and detaining illegal immigrants while on the job.

The Trump administration also resumed immigration efforts at farms and hotels this week after previously pausing operations due to business owners’ concerns about staffing shortages.

Federal judges have recently blocked the White House’s efforts to remove immigrants to places outside of their country of origin including Libya and Saudi Arabia.

Frost said immigration efforts are now “outside the bounds of the law” and fall well beyond the scope of mass deportation as the president promoted on the 2024 campaign trail.

“Due process is something that applies to every person in this country, regardless of your status,” the Florida lawmaker said.

“So this is from the party that likes to talk a lot about the American exceptionalism, but they want to rip away the few things that make our country actually exceptional. And part of that is the fact that our rights are for everybody,” he added. 

Addressing oil market turmoil from Iran-Israel

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On 13 June, Israel launched an unprecedented wave of airstrikes on Iran, to which Tehran responded with hundreds of ballistic missiles fired at Israel. Panic ensued, reflected in prices, as benchmark Brent crude oil prices jumped 10% to over $77 a barrel by the start of the next week, amid a plethora of potential supply risks and uncertainty.

The GlobalData Oil & Gas Research team addresses the main concerns and calibrates the market’s potential overreaction to the Israel–Iran hostilities, looking to understand the Strait of Hormuz closure risk, the impact on Iran’s oil infrastructure, the collateral effects on Egypt and Jordan, Insurance premiums and proxy escalations

The likelihood of a complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz remains very low. Currently, around 30% of global seaborne oil trade and 20% of liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments pass through this strategic chokepoint. Approximately 80% of oil and LNG exports from Gulf countries are shipped to Asian markets via the Strait, and all of Iran’s oil exports to China also rely on this route. For Iran, there is no practical incentive to block the Strait, as it is an economic lifeline for the country: about 80% of its imported goods transit through this passage. Any move to close it would therefore jeopardise Iran’s trade flows, as well as broader regional exports.

Most of Iran’s crude oil exports are shipped from Kharg Island in the Gulf. At present, the risk of a direct attack on the island appears limited, and even if targeted, such an action would likely be insufficient to halt Iran’s oil exports entirely, as the island hosts multiple export terminals. Moreover, Iran has alternative export routes, including other ports such as Bandar Abbas and Bandar Mahshahr.

The most notable alternative is the Jask pipeline, which bypasses the Strait of Hormuz and connects the western oil-producing regions to an export terminal on the Gulf of Oman. This pipeline was used to ship Iran’s first crude cargo via Jask in October 2024. However, its export capacity is significantly lower than Kharg’s terminals and does not support blended exports, so it could only serve to stabilise temporary disruptions and meet key deliveries. Iran’s exports, primarily headed to China, are controlled through unofficial channels, using ship-to-ship transfers and reflagging and are unlikely to be affected by further sanctions. In fact, the escalating US-China trade tension provides a solid offtake for Iran’s oil production.