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Why is Iran bombing Gulf states while avoiding US naval assets and Israel
As the United States escalates its strikes on Iran, Tehran is hitting back, targeting military and civilian infrastructure across the Gulf states and Jordan while avoiding attacks on US naval assets deployed near its coast and on Israel – a strategy that analysts say is intended to pressure US President Donald Trump without expanding the scope of the war. While Washington has struck railway stations, power facilities, telecommunications networks and drinking-water infrastructure in Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has responded by attacking civilian airports and water and power stations in Kuwait and Bahrain. Military analysts said there’s a logic to this strategy. Targetin… |
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CTCARE in Saigon refused a disabled girl who traveled 300 km to buy a wheelchair battery
A disabled girl from Dalat was left humiliated, stranded, and emotionally devastated after traveling hundreds of kilometers to Ho Chi Minh City in search of a replacement wheelchair battery, only to encounter hostility and confusion at a local mobility equipment dealer, CTCARE. The girl, who relies entirely on an electric wheelchair for mobility and survives on government assistance, believed she had purchased her wheelchair several years earlier from CTCARE, a wheelchair and mobility equipment business in Saigon. When the battery failed, she contacted the company seeking to by a replacement. She saved her money, but apparent pride and stubbornness from the owner refused her. She had a frien… |
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MSN Deteriorates Into A Pool Of Garbage
Editorial / Consumer Investigative Let’s be honest: MSN isn’t a news site anymore. It’s a digital dumpster fire where the "editors" have been replaced by a script that has the IQ of a doorstop and the ethics of a looter. It used to be a gateway to the world; now, it’s just a gateway to a 40-slide gallery about what some C-list reality star’s knees look like today. Microsoft decided that human editors—people who actually know how to spot a lie or a hack—were too expensive. So, they pushed them out the window of the Empire State Building and replaced them with an algorithm that would sell its own mother for a $0.02 ad impression. The result? A "click-and-fuck" ecosystem where the reader is the… |
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Did Donald Trump suffer a serious stroke
Opinion | Editorial A sitting president allegedly suffered a stroke in 2025, and the White House kept it secret. The claim, reported by a doctor, is explosive not because it is unprecedented but because it fits a long tradition of concealment. American democracy has always struggled with the tension between transparency and control, between the public’s right to know and the state’s instinct to protect power. If Donald Trump did suffer a stroke, and if his administration hid it, then we are not simply talking about one man’s health. We are talking about the erosion of democratic accountability itself. The presidency is not just another job. It is the most powerful office in the world, and it… |
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Renee Nicole Good and her murder
Halenews Editorial The killing has already been diced into bureaucratic fragments: a federal agent, a Minnesota street, a woman dead, a government mumbling about procedure while another city absorbs yet another rupture. That sterile accounting matters, but it is not enough. The public keeps asking a question older than the press and more durable than outrage: who was she? And why must we only learn her name after the state has erased her? Renee Nicole Good did not seek to be a symbol. She did not audition for national relevance. She lived a life that should have remained private—work, children, grief, partnership, rebuilding. And yet here we are, forced to know her only through the instant o… |
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How to Write and Publish Science Fiction
Science fiction has always been a genre of defiance. From Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower, the best sci?fi stories refuse to accept the world as it is. They imagine what could be, what should be, and sometimes what must never be. Yet for the modern writer, the act of creating and publishing science fiction is itself a rebellion—against shrinking attention spans, against publishing monopolies, against the quiet pressure to write something “safe.” This is not a neutral craft. To write and publish science fiction today is to step into a contested space where art, commerce, and politics collide. 1. The Spark: Writing Against Gravity Every sci?fi story begins … |
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Four victims dead after stabbing attack in Washington State
A 32-year-old man in the United States has stabbed four people to death outside a home on the Key Peninsula, northwest of Tacoma, in Washington state. The suspect was later shot and killed by a Pierce County sheriff’s deputy. The attack unfolded on Tuesday morning. Deputies from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched at about 8:41am local time (16:41 GMT) following reports that the suspect had violated a no-contact order, according to The Associated Press. Officers obtained a copy of the no-contact order, but found it was not yet valid because it had not been served against the suspect. They left to deliver the order in person. But while officers were in transit, the 32-year-old … |
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A Big Win For A Lonely Woman
Human Interest Opinion / Perspective For forty years, a stoneware crock sat on a porch in New York, a silent sentry against the biting winters and the humid, heavy summers of the Northeast. It was, for all intents and purposes, a piece of lawn debris. It held no flowers; it served no function. To the woman who lived behind the screen door, it was simply "there"—a familiar shape in a life that had slowly become a series of familiar, quiet shapes. When her birthday approached, she looked at the heavy salt-glazed vessel and allowed herself a modest, almost apologetic hope: perhaps it was worth a hundred dollars. A hundred dollars for a birthday treat, or perhaps a utility bill, or just the smal… |
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LinkedIn Discriminating Against Asians and Disabled People
Letters to the Editor Dear Editor. I hope you will publish my letter. LinkedIn.com refuses to communicate. My name is Pham Hoang. I created an account on their platform and even published a well-written article about space exploration. Despite following all their many rules for account creation, they restricted my account. I cannot use it, which feels as if it has been restricted for no valid reason. LinkedIn requested my ID, and I submitted my Vietnamese government passport. Twice. However, after I sent it to them, LinkedIn immediately restricted my account, which suggests that the platform discriminates against Vietnamese citizens. I can think of no other explanation. I am a poor Vietnames… |
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After the Supreme Court ruling on tariffs companies line up for refunds
By The Associated Press Containers are stacked at the Port of Long Beach Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, in Long Beach, Calif. Damian Dovarganes/AP hide caption WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday struck down President Donald Trump's biggest and boldest tariffs. But the justices left a $133 billion question unanswered: What's going to happen to the money the government has already collected in import taxes now declared unlawful? Companies have been lining up for refunds. But the way forward could prove chaotic. When the smoke clears, trade lawyers say, importers are likely to get money back — eventually. "It's going to be a bumpy ride for awhile," said trade lawyer Joyce Adetutu, a partner at th… |
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The exodus of California tech billionaires from the Golden State to Florida Gold Coast
This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here. MIAMI and PALM BEACH, Fla. — Last December, a large coterie of Silicon Valley billionaires descended upon Miami to attend Art Basel, the ritzy, contemporary art fair that marks the end of the moneyed set’s yearly social calendar. Much of the buzz surrounded the spectacle of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, among the world’s richest men, docking his 466-foot, $450-million yacht, the Dragonfly, in Biscayne Bay while he stepped ashore to view the art installations. But the chatter pivoted quickly among a contingent of a dozen California billionaires. Weeks earlier a new ballot measure — backed by the SEIU-United… |
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The Vote That Was Not Supposed to Happen
The House’s vote to cancel Trump’s tariffs on Canada is less about trade mechanics than about political courage. In a chamber long bent under executive power, a bipartisan crack appeared. Whether symbolic or substantive, the rebellion signals a deeper struggle over democracy, consumer costs, and the meaning of loyalty in American politics. On February 11, 2026, the House of Representatives narrowly voted 219–211 to terminate President Donald Trump’s emergency tariffs on Canadian imports. Six Republicans broke ranks to join Democrats, while one Democrat opposed the measure. The resolution, spearheaded by Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, challenges Trump’s use of emergency powers to justify swe… |
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Ecuador Chone Killers gang as now terrorist organisation
The US? State Department has designated the Ecuadorean gang Chone Killers as a foreign “terrorist organisation”, imposing sanctions on a crime ?group that Washington has accused of carrying out attacks on civilians and public officials. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the gang ?has also been classified as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist”. “Chone Killers has committed numerous attacks targeting civilians, law enforcement officers and government officials, including high-profile assassinations of public officials,” Rubio said in a statement announcing the designations. The move against the Ecuadorian street gang ?is part of a broader campaign by US President Donald Trump’s admi… |
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Mad as Hell and Tired of Dictators
Letter to the Editor Title: Mad as Hell and Tired of Dictators Author Tim Crestin Look, I ain’t no professor. I’m just a guy who works with his hands. Welding torch, pizza boxes, grocery aisles—you name it, I’ve done it. I’m scrappin’ pennies for journalism school ’cause I still believe words matter. But lemme tell ya, right now I feel like I belong on another planet. This one? It’s busted. Here’s the truth nobody wants to spit out: there’s always gonna be some two-bit wannabe dictator struttin’ around, puffin’ his chest, promisin’ he’s gonna fix everything. That ain’t the shock. The shock is how many nitwits line up to vote for him. The “big man” lovers, the angry mugs, the ones who think s… |
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LA Olympics chief Wasserman issues Maxwell apology but denies Epstein ties
Los Angeles 2028 Olympics chief Casey Wasserman has apologized for communicating with whom convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell more than 20 years ago, after the publication of a series of personal emails between the two. New files related to late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Maxwell’s former boyfriend, published by the United States Department of Justice on Friday, included flirtatious email exchanges between Wasserman, who was married at the time, and Maxwell dating from 2003. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being found guilty in 2021 by a jury in New York on charges including sex trafficking of a minor. Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting tr… |
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Spielberg and Coppola and Lucas is the toxic friendship that built modern Hollywood
A new book captures how Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg went from allies to rivals, driving a filmmaking revolution in the process. By Patrick Smith Removed from bookmarks I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice George Lucas should have died. It was 1962; the 17-year-old had just crashed his yellow Autobianchi convertible into a walnut tree, in Modesto, California. The car rolled, bounced and came to rest – it was “beyond mangled, flipped upside down and twisted like a crushed Coke can against the tree”, writes Paul Fischer in his new book, The Last Kings of Hollywood: Coppola, Lucas, Spielberg and the … |
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The Needless Murder of Over 150 Girls in Minab Iran
We remember the small rituals that made the day feel ordinary, because ordinary is what a school is supposed to be. A braid tightened with quick fingers. A scarf adjusted in a hallway mirror. The paper smell inside a notebook when you open it too fast. The soft ache of a backpack strap on a shoulder that’s still growing. We remember the way our teachers tried to make us brave about quizzes, the way we pretended not to care and then cared anyway. We remember laughter spilling down a corridor like marbles—impossible to gather once it’s loose. We walked into Shajareh Tayyebeh believing, with the stubborn faith children are allowed to have, that a classroom is a kind of sanctuary. Not holy, not … |
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Rebecca Grossman murdered 2 boys when she sped through a crosswalk
This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here. Rebecca Grossman murdered two young brothers when she sped through a Westlake Village crosswalk, a jury found two years ago. Now, a state appeals court has upheld that verdict. Grossman, the co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation, is serving 15 years to life in state prison for the second-degree murders of 11-year-old Mark Iskander and 8-year-old Jacob Iskander. On Tuesday, the California 2nd District Court of Appeal upheld the Feb. 23, 2024, conviction of the wife of renowned surgeon Peter Grossman. Rebecca Grossman’s six-week trial was filled with dramatic testimony and evidence that she struck the bo… |
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Vance says he believes progress is being made in negotiations with Iran
United States Vice President JD Vance has said he believes progress is being made in negotiations with Iran, despite President Donald Trump rejecting Tehran’s latest proposal as unacceptable. The comments come as diplomatic efforts continue to prevent a collapse in the fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran. Meanwhile, Brigadier-General Mohammad Akrami Nia says Iran’s military remains at “the highest level of readiness”, warning that “there is no room for retreat” as tensions with the US persist. Iranian officials have continued to signal they are prepared to respond to any escalation. Separately, Israel says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a “secret” visit to the United Arab… |
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Global oil demand to plunge amid disruptions caused by war on Iran
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has sharply cut its forecasts for global oil supply ?and demand growth, saying both are expected to fall from last year’s levels as ?the United States-Israel war on Iran disrupts oil flows and weighs on the global economy. According to its report published on Tuesday, the IEA sees global oil demand falling ?by 80,000 barrels per day (bpd) this year, compared with a projected year-on-year rise of 640,000 bpd in its previous monthly report. The forecast was released after the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and IEA urged countries on Monday to avoid hoarding energy supplies and imposing export controls that could worsen the shock. IEA chief Fatih B… |