The iconic Art Deco architecture of Los Angeles’ Richard J. Riordan Central Library houses more than 10 million items, making it the third largest library in the country. The institution also celebrates its centennial this year. So, what better way to ring in a new century of reading and learning than with the largest pop-up book ever created?

Commissioned by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles in partnership with the Los Angeles Public Library, L.A.-based artist and printmaker Daniel González conceived of a monumental ode to knowledge, discovery, and imagination. “Luceros y Penumbres” also nods to the building’s history, taking pride of place in the elegant rotunda surrounded by Dean Cornwell’s murals, which depict California history and were completed in 1933.

With an assist from paper engineer Matthew Reinhart, the project even surpassed the previous Guinness World Record for largest pop-up book by spanning approximately 31 by 20 feet when open (the previous record-holder’s dimensions were about 29 by 18 feet). The design rises to more than 11 feet tall, and overall, it weighs nearly a ton. It’s also made from materials customarily used to produce standard books, like fabric, paper, and adhesive.

González draws on his own memories and associations with Los Angeles and the library’s role as a beacon, the “light of learning.” One of the spreads is centered around a large tree with the city skyline in the background and motifs that represent its diverse cultures, ecology, and traditions. The second depicts the facade of the L.A. Central Library along with the bilingual inclusion of the phrase, “Each person is a library.”

“Luceros y Penumbres” is on view alongside gems from the library’s Toy Moveable Collection—an archive that consists of more than 2,000 pop-up books and objects—until November 2026.

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In de buurt van het Twentse Oldenzaal is in de nacht van maandag op dinsdag vorst aan de grond gemeten. Het werd er 0,1 graden onder nul, meldt Weeronline. "Dat is heel bijzonder", zegt een meteoroloog van de weerdienst.

In juli is grondvorst volgens Weeronline zeer zeldzaam. Sinds 1971, de start van de grondtemperatuurmetingen, kwam het op slechts op negen dagen in die maand voor. In de zomerperiode tussen 20 juli en 21 augustus werd nog niet eerder grondvorst gemeten. "Dit is de warmste periode van het jaar. De warmte blijft dan vaak hangen."

Droogte

Op verschillende meetpunten in het land wordt ongeveer 10 centimeter boven de grond de temperatuur gemeten. Alleen bij het meetpunt in Twente kwam de temperatuur daar afgelopen nacht onder nul uit. "Vooral bij een heldere nacht blijft de grond koeler. In de rest van het land hingen diverse wolkenvelden."

Dat de temperatuur in Twente onder het nulpunt uitkwam, komt volgens een meteoroloog van Weeronline doordat het de laatste weken erg droog is. "Er zit weinig vocht in de grond. In warme periodes kan de temperatuur tijdens heldere nachten altijd al flink dalen en juist droge zandgronden zoals in Twente koelen dan extra hard af."

ZAWTAR EL GHARBIYEH (ANP/AFP) - Het Libanese leger zegt dat Israëlische troepen hebben geschoten in de buurt van Zawtar el Gharbiyeh. Dat dorp in het zuiden van Libanon is aangemerkt als proefgebied waaruit Israël zich moest terugtrekken. Dat zou dinsdag zijn gebeurd, waarna het Libanese leger de controle overnam.

Het Libanese leger zegt dat de aanval de uitvoering van de proef belemmert. Of Israël zich al heeft teruggetrokken uit twee andere proefgebieden, is niet duidelijk.

Eerder spraken Libanon en Israël af dat het Israëlische leger zich uit meerdere plaatsen in het zuiden van Libanon terug zou trekken als "proef". Daaruit moet blijken of het Libanese leger in staat is om een eerder gesloten staakt-het-vuren met Israël te handhaven.

De vrees is dat het Libanese leger niet de middelen heeft om het zuiden van Libanon te verdedigen. Daarnaast heeft ook Hezbollah een militaire aanwezigheid in het zuiden van Libanon, maar die groepering wil geen directe onderhandelingen met Israël.

REDMOND (ANP) - Techconcern Microsoft breidt zijn samenwerking met de Franse startup in kunstmatige intelligentie, Mistral, verder uit. Dat meldt Microsoft dinsdag. De nieuwe overeenkomst is gericht op de uitbreiding van de AI-infrastructuur in Europa. Financiële details rond de deal zijn niet bekendgemaakt.

De overeenkomst versterkt de AI-infrastructuur van Europa en helpt Microsoft te voldoen aan de groeiende vraag naar cloud- en AI-diensten, aldus het techconcern zelf. "Europa moet toegang hebben tot 's werelds meest geavanceerde AI zonder de controle over hun data, activiteiten of digitale toekomst in gevaar te brengen", aldus Brad Smith, vicevoorzitter en president van Microsoft.

Microsoft en Mistral werken al sinds 2024 samen. De samenwerking tussen de twee bedrijven spitste zich vooralsnog toe op onder meer AI-onderzoek en -ontwikkeling. Ook werden door Mistral ontwikkelde AI-modellen beschikbaar gesteld aan klanten van het Azure-platform van Microsoft.

Office of Prime Minister and Cabinet, led by Louise Haigh, will oversee both No 10 in London and Manchester

• UK politics live – latest updates

• Burnham’s first cabinet: who’s in and who’s out?

Andy Burnham has created a powerful new department taking in parts of the Cabinet Office, Treasury and housing ministry to become the “dominant driver of the UK’s economy”.

In one of his first acts, Burnham has created the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, to be headed up by his ally and enforcer Louise Haigh, which will oversee the No 10 operation in London, the forthcoming No 10 North in Manchester and parts of the Cabinet Office.

Giuseppe Tornatore traces Italian fashion designer Brunello Cucinelli’s life from poor farming family to billion-dollar empire in a sentimental vanity project

Brunello Cucinelli is the Italian fashion designer and entrepreneur who built a billion-dollar empire. He’s known as the “king of cashmere”, which would have been a good title for this two-hour-long film, commissioned by Cucinelli about himself, directed by Oscar winning film-maker Giuseppe Tornatore. Instead, “The Gracious Visionary” gives an inkling as to the kind of film we’re dealing with – a vanity project with a capital “V”, capital “A”, “N” and all the other letters.

Not that you would begrudge Cucinelli a film about his extraordinary life. He was born into a poor hard-working farming family, shown here in scenes reconstructed with sugary sentimentalism as a simple time of innocent pleasures. Cucinelli as a boy is played as a cheeky lad who grows into a teenager more interested in playing cards at the local bar than studying. (Though his attempts to set the town’s prostitute on the right path are included to show his moral compass.) After Cucinelli meets his future wife, he knuckles down, does some modelling, has the brainwave to produce cashmere jumpers for the women’s market in eye-popping colours (they were previously only made in boring grey and beige). Today he is the owner of a brand synonymous with understated luxury, available to those with £2,500 to spend on a jumper.

The President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief has saved 26m lives globally, but slashing of funds and dismantling of USAID have forced clinics to shut in dozens of countries

No part of the United States’ anti-HIV programme has escaped unscathed from Donald Trump’s funding cuts, despite pledges from the administration to protect care that saved lives around the world, a new report has found.

Funding cuts to the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar) have caused “severe and devastating” disruption globally, with thousands of staff laid off and many clinics closed, according to research being presented next week at the 26th International Aids Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It warns that changes in US policy risk reversing progress in the fight against HIV/Aids.

Hisa-nori has added a photo to the pool:

From Kirosan Observatory.
SONY RX100m6

Hisa-nori has added a photo to the pool:

As the evening light softened, the islands of the Seto Inland Sea gradually blended into layers of blue and gold. From Kirosan Observatory, the countless islands seemed to fade gently into the horizon, revealing the quiet depth that makes this seascape unique.
SONY RX100m6