As the US war with Iran continues to roil the Middle East, new research shared exclusively with WIRED shows that YouTube is hosting and possibly profiting from dozens of channels linked to US-sanctioned groups linked to the Iranian government, including many with direct ties to the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The research, from the nonprofit Tech Transparency Project, identified more than 75 channels that appear to be run by entities that have been officially sanctioned by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which has been enforcing sanctions against Iran for decades.

The channels have been monetized, meaning that YouTube runs ads on their videos that generate revenue. The researchers documented ads for companies ranging from Subaru to Verizon, TurboTax, the weight-loss drug Ozempic, and fast-food outlet KFC. In one case, the researchers observed an ad for the US Customs and Border Protection running on a video produced by Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts.

“That means YouTube placed an ad paid for with US tax dollars on a channel for an Iranian government ministry,” the researchers wrote. US Customs and Border Protection did not respond to a request for comment.

“The numerous holders of all these YouTube channels include Iranian individuals and entities that aren’t just subject to the comprehensive US embargo on Iran, but sanctioned by OFAC under a variety of its sanctions programs, including counterterrorism, nonproliferation, human rights abuses, or those specific to the Iranian government more generally,” Kian Meshkat, an attorney specializing in US economic sanctions who reviewed the research, tells WIRED.

“Google is committed to compliance with applicable sanctions and trade compliance laws,” says Google spokesperson Nate Funkhouser. “If we find that an account violates our policies, we take appropriate action.”

YouTube was officially banned in Iran in 2012, but it continues to be used by the regime to share propaganda. Google’s own publisher policies, which apply to YouTube, make it clear that the company’s ad tools “may not be used for or on behalf” of parties in Iran.

In 2024, YouTube did take some action, shutting down an account associated with Iran’s foreign ministry. ”Due to established US sanctions, Iran’s state-owned channels are not permitted on YouTube,” the company said at the time.

TTP’s researchers trawled the platform for the names of individuals directly sanctioned by the US as a threat to national security, as well as for accounts seemingly run by Iranian government officials, identifying a total of 84 channels. All showed ads in the videos on their channels, including in-feed ads, in-stream ads, and YouTube Shorts ads.

Among the sanctioned individuals identified were Babak Zanjani, a businessman helping Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps evade sanctions; Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Iran’s new supreme leader who threatened US forces in the region; and Naji Sharifi Zindashti, who is accused of targeting Iranian dissidents abroad for assassination, including two residents of Maryland.

Al-Mustafa International University, an Iranian Islamic seminary school sanctioned in 2020 for indoctrinating and recruiting foreign intelligence sources, has at least four YouTube channels, according to the researchers, including English- and French-language channels. The channels, which feature video courses and lectures, were monetized with in-stream and in-feed ads, including ads for BJ’s Wholesale Club and Warner Bros.’ horror film They Will Kill You.

Among the government entities identified as having YouTube channels showing ads was Iran’s Counterterrorism Special Forces unit, which has been accused of using lethal force on unarmed protesters. Iran’s state broadcaster, the Fars News Agency, which is well known for spreading disinformation and propaganda, also has a YouTube channel showing ads.

Opendoor, the San Francisco-based online home-buying platform, is shutting down its India operations less than two years after expanding its presence in the country. The decision has become a flashpoint in the debate over whether AI is starting to alter the economics of offshore work.

In announcing the decision on Wednesday, CEO Kaz Nejatian cited a push to bring operational work back to the U.S., where Opendoor’s customers are, and a shift toward smaller AI-native teams. The company did not respond to requests for comment on how many employees were affected or how much of the decision was driven by AI efficiency. But the announcement quickly gained traction across Silicon Valley, where founders, investors, and outsourcing experts see it as an early example of how AI is reshaping the economics that made India a global hub for back-office operations.

To understand why they care, it helps to know what’s at stake for India. It has evolved far beyond its roots as a destination for outsourced back-office work. The country is now the world’s largest Global Capability Center market — a term for dedicated offshore units multinationals set up to handle everything from IT and finance to R&D — with more than 2,100 centers employing about 2.36 million people and generating nearly $100 billion in annual revenue.

Opendoor itself had built a large team in India to handle manual workflows across fragmented systems, Nejatian said. The company had nearly 250 employees in India when it opened offices in Chennai and Bengaluru in 2024. But the entire company has been scaling back in recent years. Securities filings show Opendoor employed 1,042 people globally at the end of last year, compared with 1,470 a year earlier. Similarly, its non-U.S. workforce declined to 184 employees at the end of last year, compared with 342 employees at the end of 2024.

Those broader workforce reductions make it difficult to view the India closure solely through the lens of outsourcing. Opendoor has been cutting costs across the business after a difficult period for the U.S. housing market that hit online home-buying companies especially hard. Still, the language Nejatian used to explain the move resonated with investors and outsourcing analysts who see AI reshaping how companies organize operational work.

Some investors viewed the decision as a sign of what AI could mean for India’s vast outsourcing workforce. “As manual work gets replaced by AI, a lot of jobs will be lost in India,” wrote Sheel Mohnot, co-founder of Better Tomorrow Ventures.

Others viewed Opendoor as evidence of a larger shift in how companies are organized. Keshav Lohia, a venture capitalist at Emergent Ventures, described the decision as a “watershed moment” for AI-driven operations, arguing that advances in AI are beginning to challenge the cost-arbitrage model that made India a popular offshoring destination.

Phil Fersht, chief executive of HFS Research, an advisory firm that tracks the global outsourcing and business services industry, told TechCrunch that the development should not be viewed simply as jobs moving from India to the U.S. The more important shift, he said, is that AI is reducing the amount of operational labor companies require in the first place, allowing firms to run leaner organizations regardless of location.

“This is not an isolated restructuring,” Fersht said. “It is part of a much broader pattern we are starting to see as companies redesign operations around AI, automation, and much leaner workflows.”

Fersht argued that the winners would be companies that combine AI, software and human expertise to deliver outcomes without continually adding headcount, a model he described as “Services-as-Software.” While Opendoor may be one of the first high-profile examples, he said it is unlikely to be the last.

Some investors are already extrapolating beyond individual companies. Varun Rekhi, a venture capitalist at Speedinvest, argued that if AI reduces demand for labor-intensive services, it could eventually pressure one of India’s most important export industries, which is built around supplying talent and expertise to global corporations.

For now, Opendoor remains a complicated case study — a company that has been cutting headcount broadly for years, and whose India exit may say as much about its own struggles as it does about the future of AI and offshore work.

CYBER-CRIMe

Great Marlow restricts network access while it investigates suspected infection

Great Marlow School in Buckinghamshire, England, has entered its second day of a shutdown following “a suspected malware incident.”

Only students sitting their GCSE and A-level exams – those in Years 11 and 13 – were permitted to attend on Wednesday, in line with their exam timetable, and the same goes for Thursday.

Students in other years (Years 6-10 and Year 12) were told to stay at home and access what revision materials they can via Microsoft Teams as teachers are currently unable to set them any work.

Those scheduled to take internal mock exams, students in Years 10 and 12, will sit them later in the year. Some extracurricular activities, such as Year 7’s learn-to-row session, have been rearranged, although the 7 and 8 athletics event will go ahead on Thursday as planned.

Great Marlow School’s statement suggests it remains in the containment stage of its recovery, with limited access to systems.

“As a precautionary measure, we have restricted access to elements of our network while we investigate the issue thoroughly and take the necessary steps to ensure the security and integrity of our systems and data,” headteacher Guy Pendlebury said in a statement on the school’s website on Tuesday evening.

“We are responding in line with guidance from the Department for Education (DfE) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Immediate action has been taken to contain the incident, and we are working closely with specialist IT and cybersecurity professionals to fully assess the situation and restore normal operations as quickly and safely as possible. Appropriate reporting procedures have also been followed.”

The school did not comment on whether the attack involved ransomware or if any of its data was presumed compromised.

It adds to a grim week for cybersecurity in the education sector. A high school in Illinois also closed for two days this week due to a ransomware attack, but reopened on Wednesday, although its phone lines are still down. And Nottingham Uni confirmed it was the victim of Shiny Hunters. 

In Wales, 13 schools across the Powys region were affected by a cyberattack that is thought to have led to data theft from only one of these institutions.

Powys council disclosed the attack on June 4, saying it was originally identified in April, and sensitive data belonging to students and school staff is suspected of being compromised. 

None of the 13 schools have closed, however. ®

Deezer has launched a free online AI music detector that checks playlists from 20 major streaming platforms for AI-generated tracks. It uses the same technology Deezer has been using to detect and tag synthetic music on its own service.

The tool is available in 27 languages, and it arrives as Deezer says nearly 75,000 AI-generated tracks are being delivered to it every day. That volume gives the launch a sharper edge than a simple playlist cleanup feature. It’s a way to put synthetic-song detection in front of listeners before the rest of streaming settles on common rules.

How much AI music is hiding in playlists

Deezer says 43% of people arriving from other streaming services already have AI-generated music in their playlists. For listeners, the new scanner answers a basic question that most platforms still don’t surface clearly.

Users connect a streaming account, choose playlists, and review the results. Because the scanner works across 20 common services, Deezer can get its detection system in front of people who don’t use its app.

That stance lands while major music apps are testing how far they want to go with generative tools, including Spotify’s experiments around AI-made covers and remixes. Deezer is focusing on the cleanup job that follows, identifying AI songs after they’ve already entered a library.

Why would the industry license Deezer’s detector

Deezer says its detection technology can identify tracks from major generative music models, including Suno and Udio. It can also be expanded when the company has enough data examples from other tools.

The company says it has made progress on a broader system designed to catch synthetic content without a model-specific training set. That gives Deezer a business case beyond the public playlist scanner. It wants platforms, labels, distributors, and rights groups to use the same underlying technology to spot machine-made tracks before they distort discovery or payment systems.

What happens after AI tracks are tagged

Deezer says fully AI-generated music makes up only 1% to 3% of streams on its service, but it also says as much as 85% of those streams were fraudulent in 2025. When Deezer finds stream manipulation, it excludes those plays from royalty payments.

The company has already removed AI-generated tracks from algorithmic recommendations and editorial playlists. Broader steps, including supplier policy changes or demonetization, are still under review. For listeners and the industry, Deezer’s practical message is clear. Detection has to happen before trust, royalties, and recommendations can be cleaned up.

Lincoln has placed a compact portable structure on Manhattan’s High Line at the 14th Street section. Anyone walking the elevated park between June 12 and 14 can step inside for a five or ten minute session built around coordinated sound, scent, lighting, and touch.

The exterior of the finished Sunrise Copper and White Platinum variation is visually appealing due to its flowing lines and delicate contours. The vertical windows, Satin Elysian trim, and big Lincoln emblem stand out alongside them. At first glance, you’d think this was a mobile house on wheels rather than a static construction, which pretty much sums up its purpose as a traveling show.

LEGO Architecture New York City – The Big Apple Building Set for Adults, Ages 18+ – Decor for Bedroom…

• THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS – Construct the ultimate souvenir with the LEGO Architecture New York City – The Big Apple (21066) building set for…
• CREATE 6 ICONIC LANDMARKS – Builders can create six NYC architectural icons in minimalist white, including the Brooklyn Bridge, Empire State…
• DISCOVER HIDDEN DETAILS – As they construct their city skyline, builders can discover details that are uniquely New York, such as yellow taxi cabs…

Step inside and you’ll be met by a well-thought-out environment centered on one feature: a 30 way adjustable seat lifted directly from a Navigator. It’s coated in Warm Horizon leather and comes with everything you need, including an active motion massage feature and some fantastic positioning options. You get the idea. Add some wood trim to make the cabin appear neat and confined, as well as a wide panoramic screen that dominates the forward view.

A Revel audio system, designed specifically for this compact space, provides the sound. The scents are released via a diffuser using Lincoln’s Digital Scent technology, just like in their current line of automobiles, and you may choose between Cloud Balsam, Mystic Forest, Ozonic Azure, Serene Seashore, Sunlight Retreat, Twilight Embers, and the stunning Violet Cashmere.

Lighting adapts to meet the mood, and a sophisticated motion sensor allows each visitor to simply choose their preferred Rejuvenate mode. These modes mix aroma, sound, lighting, and massage in a unique way inspired by the Nautilus and Navigator systems, but they are more than just a set of pre-programmed settings.

Christine Park Cheng, Lincoln’s global design director, noted that the goal was to transform the Rejuvenate atmosphere into a physical area so guests could experience it for themselves. Every feature strives to generate a sense of tranquility and relaxation akin to that found in their vehicle interiors, but with Lincoln’s distinct sanctuary feel. The show will take place from June 11th to June 13th, coinciding with Global Wellness Day, and all attendees will get complementary refreshments. After that, it will pack up and go to other cities for additional dates later this year.

Update

Added new Buid a Zoo Codes on June 11, 2026.

Build a Zoo is a fun Roblox experience where players collect animals, hatch eggs, and expand their own wildlife park. As you expand your collection, you’ll need plenty of cash and valuable eggs to unlock new creatures. Fortunately, the game regularly offers redeemable codes that provide free rewards. These rewards can include cash, pet eggs, and other useful bonuses that help speed up your progress. Below, you’ll find all the latest Build a Zoo codes available this month, along with steps to redeem them.

Active Build a Zoo Codes

• MERRYTIMES2026: 500 Diamonds and 3 Lucky Tickets (NEW)
• RABBITHAT30: 1 Sacred Deer Egg (NEW)
• OCEANHEART0: 2 Ocean Heart
• TUESDAYFUN1: Free Rewards
• CHRISTMAS12: Free Rewards
• XMASADVENT5: Free Rewards
• FRIDAYGIFT5: 10 Tickets and 1 Pineapple
• ZooFarmers: 800 Gems and 1 Pineapple
• BLACKFRIDAY: Lucky Tickets
• WAEX662ERC3: Lucky Tickets
• 9WC77XXCM5A: Gems, Fruits, and Tickets
• LandCompensation: 2000 Gems, 1 Dragon Fruit, and 3 Turkey Eggs
• BHNR9CB9TNC: Gems, Fruits, and Tickets
• A38JBJ3TSSE: Gems, Fruits, and Tickets
• 9HDARHCQMWS: Gems, Fruits, and Tickets
• N5HZKRRT2DF: Gems, Fruits, and Tickets
• ZTWPH3WW8SJ: 5 Lucky Tickets and $20,000
• ADQZP3MBW6N: 5 Lucky Tickets and $20,000
• DS5523YSQ3C: 5 Lucky Tickets and $20,000
• 3XKK8Z2WB6G: 5 Lucky Tickets and $20,000
• N7A68Q82H83: 5 Lucky Tickets and $20,000
• 4XW5RG4CHRY: 5 Lucky Tickets and $30,000
• DelayGift: 1 Pet Egg and $20,000
• 60KCCU919: 8 Lucky Tickets and $30,000
• 50KCCU0912: 2 Pet Eggs and $20,000
• ZooFish829: 1 Pet Egg and $20,000
• FIXERROR819: 1 Pet Egg and $30,000
• BugFixes: $30,000
• U2CA518SC5: 1 Pet Egg
• X2CA821BA3: 1 Pet Egg
• 55PA21N8y2: 1 Pet Egg

Found an expired or missing code? Please let us know, and we’ll update the article as soon as possible.

Expired Build a Zoo Codes

How to Redeem Build a Zoo Codes?

To redeem Build a Zoo codes and claim free rewards, follow these steps:

1. Open Build a Zoo in Roblox.
2. Select the Shop option from the side menu.
3. Scroll down and enter an active code in the text field.
4. Press the Redeem button.
   
5. Your rewards will be added to your account instantly.

And that’s it! Your exclusive rewards will automatically be added to your inventory. In the meantime, also check out our other guides on Blue Lock Rivals, Volleyball Legends, and Anime Paradox codes.

How to Get More Codes?

The easiest way to get more codes is by staying connected with the game’s official communities. Most new codes are posted on the official Build a Zoo Discord server, where the developer shares updates and milestones. If you prefer a quicker way, just bookmark this page. We keep it updated often so that you won’t miss any new codes.

Why Are My Build a Zoo Codes Not Working?

Often, when a Build a Zoo isn’t working, it’s simply due to a typo. To avoid this, use copy and paste rather than typing by hand. Restarting the game can also help if your server isn’t up to date. Keep in mind that some codes expire quickly, so a code that worked earlier may no longer be valid. Moreover, the code may have expired after the article was updated but before you tried to use it. If that’s the case, let us know by filling out the Google Form, and we’ll update the article as soon as possible.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle was actually pretty fun. Once you understand the theme, the answers are easy to unscramble — a rare treat for Strands. If you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story. 

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Oozing

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Words that sound alike.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

• SOUR, SITE, SITES, BITE, BITES, CITE, CITES, FUSS, CUSS, YOUR, HOUR, HOURS, ECHO

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

• FUSE, BLUES, BREWS, SHOES, CHOOSE, CRUISE, SCHMOOZE

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is RHYMETIME. To find it, start with the R that’s three letters to the right on the top row, and wind down.

Toughest Strands puzzles

Here are some of the Strands topics I’ve found to be the toughest.

#1: Dated slang. Maybe you didn’t even use this lingo when it was cool. Toughest word: PHAT.

#2: Thar she blows! I guess marine biologists might ace this one. Toughest word: BALEEN or RIGHT. 

#3: Off the hook. Again, it helps to know a lot about sea creatures. Sorry, Charlie. Toughest word: BIGEYE or SKIPJACK.

If you’ve dabbled with premium laptops before, there’s about a 100% chance you’ve seen Asus’s ZenBooks around. These laptops from the Taiwanese maker have served professionals in need of respectable power without carrying a brick-like gaming laptop. I’ve personally tested many of these devices, and every single one of my reviews has ended with something like “Oh, this laptop is great and worth the recommendation.” That’s because Asus knows its target audience and caters to their needs almost perfectly. And if you’re in the market for an ultra-premium laptop, Asus has just announced something for you: the ZenBook S14 UX5406.

I’ve been using a basic MacBook Air M1 for the past five years. It’s served me well, and, despite my years of testing laptops, I’ve only once felt the urge that it would be amazing if that review unit were mine. The laptop I’m talking about is the ExpertBook Ultra. Shifting focus a bit towards the product in hand, it’s been three weeks since I switched to the S14, and truth be told, it doesn’t put a foot wrong. Maybe it’s the gorgeous design, the stunning display, the rapid performance, or just a mix of all three, but the ZenBook S14 makes me want one. But is it worth it for your workflow? This review will answer that for you.

Design & Hardware

Design is a very subjective matter, but if there’s one thing we all can expect from Asus, it’s that these guys know how to create beautiful machines. Sure, you must know the cold, aluminum touch by now, which is used by most premium laptops, including my beloved MacBook. Well, Asus has formulated something they call Ceraluminum. It’s essentially aluminum with a ceramic coating on top.

It’s hard to describe it in words, but I’m going to try anyway. The Asus ZenBook S14’s top feels like that high-end matte marble flooring you might see in stores. It feels very premium to the touch, with a unique patterned finish I’ve never seen before. Every time I took it to a coffee shop, I noticed people looking at just what I was using. I’m also a fan of the subtle ZenBook branding that’s very sophisticated. While you don’t have to worry about fingerprints messing up the finish, oily fingers will leave hard-to-remove marks, so please wipe off the Doritos dust before using the laptop. You do get a couple of color options, including a grey and white.

Open up the laptop, and the ceraluminum finish makes way for a polished aluminum keyboard deck, and I’m a fan. The S14 carries the same sophistication here. Above the deck sits what looks like a speaker grille, though it’s actually part of the cooling system, whose shape reminded me of the cheesegrater Mac Pro (reference only for ages 15 and up).

While the color options might be a bit boring, it’s important to remember that the ZenBook S14 is for the type of person who’s giving a presentation at noon, closing another client at lunchtime, and maybe flying to another country for an urgent meeting, in other words, a busy professional. So, another important thing for any such person is portability. The ceraluminum inclusion made me think the ZenBook S14 might weigh a lot, but Asus has managed to limit the weight to just 1.2 kg, which is really good for a laptop with crazy internals. This meant I could carry the S14 to different coffee shops without hurting my back.

I also wasn’t worried about damaging the S14 in my backpack because it’s a durable machine. Of course, I didn’t toss the laptop intentionally. However, I did check for chassis flex. On the keyboard deck, there wasn’t any, and even the top stayed in shape after I applied some serious force.

As far as ports are concerned, Asus has almost everyone covered. On the S14, you get two Thunderbolt 4 ports (for charging and display), a full-size HDMI 2.1 port, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, and a headphone-microphone combo jack. The only minor gripe I have is the fact that both USB-C charging ports are on the left side, which can force you to do some cable gymnastics.

Keyboard & Trackpad

A good keyboard is the bare minimum for a professional laptop, let alone a ZenBook. As a surprise to absolutely no one, the ZenBook S14’s keyboard is just great. The layout is standard, meaning I didn’t spend a week trying to get used to a special key. The actuation energy is slightly higher than that of my MacBook, which provides a more tactile experience. The feedback is solid overall yet not very loud, which is ideal when working in an office. The keyboard is also backlit, with different brightness levels to choose from. Since I got the gray variant, the key lettering contrasts well with the lighting.

When I was reviewing the Asus ExpertBook Ultra, I just fell in love with that haptic trackpad, wishing every laptop incorporated the same. Well, I’m also the first to admit that not everyone loves a haptic trackpad. There are people who’d take the physical click over fake ones. And if you’re one of those (I’m not judging), then the S14’s trackpad is made for you. Never have I ever felt mechanical clicks more sophisticated than here. The clicks are precise, and the feedback is just awesome.

Display & Camera

Unlike smartphones, where almost all displays are the same, Asus has held a high place in my display rankings. After all, these guys were one of the first to bring OLED tech to laptops. And the ZenBook S14 is no different. It features, dare I say, a perfectly spec’d 14-inch 3K (2880 x 1800) Lumina OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. At a response time of just 0.2ms, everything feels quick and snappy. As expected, the video-watching experience of the S14 is simply lovely.

Colors pop off the screen with a punchy vibrancy while still keeping natural skin tones. The details are crisp enough to help you make out the fine facial features. Even the HDR performance is stellar, with the panel reaching a peak brightness of 1,100 nits. I had no problems working with the laptop outdoors, though, by outdoors, I mean inside a cool cafe, since only a lunatic can sit outside in the 45-degree Indian summer heat. Just be careful of the reflections, though, as the glossy panel does catch a lot of light.

All that being said, Asus hasn’t just designed the S14’s display for movie watchers. For creators, the S14’s panel covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color space. It’s VESA CERTIFIED Display HDR True Black 1000 certified, and the colors are PANTONE validated. The 16:10 aspect ratio gives you more vertical space than a typical laptop display, meaning you can fit a few extra spreadsheet columns without having to scroll. Still, the best part of the S14’s display is that the trackpad isn’t the only way to interact with it. It’s also a touchscreen. Honestly, touchscreens on laptops make a lot of sense for people on the go and for employees like me. The best compliment I can give is that after the review period, I accidentally touched my MacBook’s display, thinking it would do something.

The 1080p webcam is fairly standard. While it won’t break any image-quality benchmarks, the videos it took during conferencing were decent, with good-enough sharpness and okayish colors. It also supports Windows Hello, so signing in to your laptop is quick and easy.

Performance

A professional laptop needs to pack a punch in terms of performance. It should not only keep up with your needs but also have ample juice in the bank to ramp things up if needed. The Asus ZenBook S14 ships with the newest Panther Lake Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor. It includes 16 cores: 4 performance, 8 efficiency, and 4 ultra-efficiency. The processor is coupled with an Intel iGPU, up to 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD, whose read and write speeds we measured at 6972.59 MB/s and 3367.89 MB/s, respectively.

As you might have guessed, the everyday performance of the Asus ZenBook S14 is nothing to complain about. Apps launch instantly, without a loading delay. The RAM is enough to keep over 25 Chrome tabs while also running Spotify in the background. My daily workload, which is mainly on Chrome, was no match for the Core Ultra 9’s mammoth capabilities. So to properly fire up the processor, I first installed Da Vinci Resolve and tried editing a reel. Truth be told, I’m not the best editor, nor do I know how to add effects, but with color grading and multiple 4K streams, the laptop handled everything well without slowing down. For all my programmer friends, don’t worry. I installed VSCode and ran a few Python programs for fun. The result was lightning-quick runtimes.

Since this is a review, and my workflow can only paint a certain picture, I also ran a series of benchmarks to put the Asus ZenBook S14 against its peers. Starting with CineBench R24, the laptop scored 960 in the multi-core test and 125 in the single-core test. For some much-needed context, that’s almost double the CineBench score of last year’s ThinkPad X Carbon. In PCMark 10, the Core Ultra 9 managed to reach 9321 points.

Coming to graphics performance, there’s something I need to mention: don’t expect to play AAA games on the ZenBook S14’s integrated graphics. If you are, I think you’d be better off with a Zephyrus G14. Still, if you’re interested in a fun pastime, then yes, the ZenBook S14 has enough power, given that it scored 4,342 points in 3DMark’s Time Spy test. To test those capabilities, I first fired up F1 25, where on medium-high settings on 1080p resolution, I got somewhere in the neighborhood of 40-50 FPS. The same frames followed in games like GTA V, but at medium settings. In eSports titles like Valorant and Rocket League, the laptop easily delivered over 100 FPS on high settings.

Battery Life & Speakers

Since the ZenBook is for people on the go, battery life has always been really good. Fortunately, I can say the same thing about the S14. With Panther Lake’s efficiency gains and the 77Wh lithium polymer cell, I could easily go through a full workday with some charge to spare. In real numbers, that’s about 11 hours of Chrome, watching YouTube, editing some photos, and spreadsheets. Charging is handled with a fast 65W Type-C adapter, which can take the battery from 0%-50% in about 40 minutes.

For as long as I can remember, speakers have been an afterthought on Windows laptops. The only laptop that I remember having amazing speakers is the Asus ExpertBook Ultra. It has set the bar pretty high, and while the ZenBook S14 doesn’t quite match that level of quality, it’s still really good. They are positioned underneath the keyboard and sound louder than my MacBook. The treble is on point, and the mids, which are where most of the dialogue lives, sound clear. Even at higher volumes, the highs don’t screech the ears, which is great news for movie watchers.

Verdict

At a starting price of ₹179,990 or ₹249,990 for the unit I tested, the Asus ZenBook S14 trundles in the very premium Windows laptop market, which has historically been dominated by the likes of Dell XPS and ThinkPads. Honestly, the S14 doesn’t put a foot wrong. The ceraluminum design is unique in a way that screams premium while still being sophisticated. The display can best be described as near-perfect, with insane levels of color and brightness. Beyond that, no amount of work can tax the Core Ultra 9 processor, and the battery life comfortably lasts a full working day. Not to mention the speakers, which have a really good soundstage.

“I’m just not a good writer.”

It’s a phrase teachers hear too often, usually at the exact moment a writing task is assigned. For many students, the leap from understanding a concept to putting it on paper feels like an impossible hurdle. Writing is often treated as a final “reveal” of learning at the end of a unit — potentially a high-pressure task that can feel overwhelming for students who haven’t been given a clear roadmap.

Educators are increasingly recognizing that to help students succeed, they have to move beyond simply assigning writing and start explicitly teaching it.

To explore how to make this shift, EdSurge caught up with Dr. Barrie Olson, vice president of reading curriculum and instruction at Curriculum Associates. Drawing on her experience as a literacy designer and former college professor, Olson discusses why students struggle with the demands of writing and how a “backward design” approach can transform writing instruction in the classroom.

EdSurge: We’ve seen a major shift toward research-based, explicit reading instruction over the past decade. Is writing on a similar trajectory? What does strong instruction look like in practice?

Olson: The research base around writing is clear: Students become stronger writers when instruction is explicit, structured and grounded in knowledge-building content. So when we think about strong writing instruction, it is not about assigning more essays; it’s really about directly teaching the craft of writing.

We have to clarify the final product to bring that necessary focus and coherence to instruction. Each lesson across a unit should move students incrementally closer to that final writing task.

What are the most common reasons students struggle with writing, and what do those challenges look like in real classrooms?

It’s important to remember that writing is one of the most cognitively demanding things that students do in a classroom. Writing asks students to generate ideas, organize those ideas, select evidence, construct sentences and monitor conventions — all at the same time. For many students, that cognitive load can feel overwhelming.

I think a lot of writing struggles stem from gaps in foundational writing skills. So students may not have had enough structured practice to organize their thinking, or they may struggle to express ideas orally, which, if you think about it, is just going to make it that much harder for them to then get it down on paper.

For teachers looking to strengthen writing instruction, what first step makes the biggest difference?

Writing is one of the most cognitively demanding things that students do in a classroom.— Dr. Barrie Olson

The most powerful starting point is backward design. It starts not with “What is the teacher doing with the student?” but with the teacher asking, “What do I want students to be able to produce at the end of this unit? Is it a literary analysis? Is it an evidence-based argument? Is it an explanatory essay? And then what kind of thinking do I want to see from my students?” Once that endpoint is clear, teachers can plan a coherent sequence of lessons that build the necessary skills step by step.

Writing prompts play a central role in instruction. What makes a writing prompt truly effective for students?

What I always tell people is that the quality of student writing is determined by the quality of the prompt. Are we giving them the information they need to be successful at this task? We see people who want to use shorter prompts or less complex ones. They think it’s easier when, in fact, vague prompts increase the cognitive load for students because they are left guessing.

Clear prompts make instruction and assessment stronger because they can be aligned with explicit teaching. A well-designed prompt might feel hard, but it sets these students up for success because it is transparent about expectations. Any writing prompt should require students to return to the text, to quote, analyze and explain, which reinforces close reading skills while strengthening writing.

Even with strong prompts, writing can feel overwhelming. How can teachers scaffold tasks without oversimplifying?

When we talk about scaffolding writing, the key is chunking complexity. It is also starting much earlier than most people realize. Work doesn’t begin the day that students are told, “Hey, start your essay.” It begins on the first day of the unit. The key is not lowering the bar. The scaffolds and progression make rigorous writing achievable for all students.

The most powerful starting point is backward design. It starts not with “What is the teacher doing with the student?” but with the teacher asking, “What do I want students to be able to produce at the end of this unit?”— Olson

These scaffolds not only help students get where they need to be and give them a clear sense of purpose, but they also send a really important message: Learning involves collecting information, layering it onto what we already know and then communicating what we’ve learned.

Why is it important to teach reading and writing together, and how can teachers integrate them in daily instruction?

Reading and writing are reciprocal processes. When students analyze a text’s structure, an author’s argument or use of evidence, they’re building a blueprint for their own writing. Teaching reading and writing together makes literacy instruction more efficient and impactful because writing becomes a tool for thinking. It’s a cycle: Stronger reading leads to stronger writing, and stronger writing helps students defend their thinking and deepen comprehension.

I want to walk into a classroom that’s loud because kids are so excited about what they’re learning that they can’t keep it in. Writing gives them a way to leave a permanent record of their thinking.

YouTube officially announced that its in-app video sharing and messaging feature is now rolling out to the US, UK, Brazil, and Singapore, bringing the total number of supported countries to 40.

The feature is available to users aged 18 and older who are logged into a YouTube channel. The rollout is gradual, so it may not appear in your app immediately.

How to DM on YouTube?

Once the feature is enabled for you, a messaging icon appears in the top right corner of the app. You can also share any video or Short directly from the Share button while watching.

The catch is that starting a conversation is not as simple as searching for someone. You have to send an invite link first, and that link must go out through a third-party app like WhatsApp, iMessage, or SMS. The other person then accepts the invite and gets added to your YouTube contacts. This extra step is designed to prevent spam and unwanted messages.

Once connected, you can send text messages freely, react to content in real time, unsend messages by long-pressing them, delete entire conversations, and block or report contacts if needed. The only media you can share inside the chat is YouTube content, including videos, livestreams, and Shorts. No images, GIFs, or files allowed.

Why is YouTube bringing messaging back now?

YouTube had a direct messaging feature in 2017, but it was quietly killed off in 2019. Now, it’s back once again in a much bigger way.

The feature has already been available in over 30 European countries since March 2026. YouTube says the positive response from countries where the feature was already live drove the decision to expand. Recently, the platform also added three new podcast features, but they are only for Premium subscribers.