Author: nick

[ad_1] The U.S. and Iran exchanged strikes overnight into Monday for the first time since late July. The escalation centered on the Strait of Hormuz, the critical trade chokepoint that Iran effectively closed shortly after the war began. U.S. Central Command said it had struck launchers and troops on Larak Island as the Iranian military prepared to fire naval mines into the strait. Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones at bases in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates that host U.S. military personnel. Jordan said it had intercepted all incoming fire, while the UAE said it had “responded to”…

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[ad_1] Mandeep Tiwana and Susan Marx Waging Nonviolence A global campaign proves that ordinary people can free political prisoners through the simple act of standing witness. But the work is far from finished. Every Aug. 30, the world marks the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. Beneath the official statements and solemn commemorations lies a stark, unsettling reality: the practice of making people vanish — and holding them in silence away from the world — remains a favored tactic for powerful regimes seeking to crush dissent. The goal of authoritarian states is to cut dissenters off from the outside…

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[ad_1] On Sunday August 30, 2026, NASA successfully launched the Nancy Grace Roman space telescope aboard a Space X Falcon Heavy. This telescope has amazing capabilities and will add to our ability to study and understand the universe, with a special focus on dark energy, black holes, and exoplanets. However, the best way to look at such telescopes is as part of a system of instruments, each with complementary trade-offs in abilities. But there are also some genuine technological advancements in this instrument. The telescope is named after Nancy Grace Roman, who was NASAs first Chief Astronomer and NASA’s first…

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[ad_1] U.S. Senator Mike Lee of Utah introduced the End EPA Abuse Act of 2026 on June 25, a legislative effort designed to strip the Environmental Protection Agency of its ability to impose sweeping regulations that go beyond the explicit intent of the Clean Air Act. The bill, cosponsored by Senator Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and accompanied by a House version from Representative Andrew Clyde of Georgia, arrives at a critical juncture in the ongoing debate over energy policy, electric vehicle mandates, and the balance of power between elected officials and unelected agency administrators. This legislation provides a necessary restoration…

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[ad_1] Port crossing on the China–Nepal border seven minutes after a Ms 5.2 tremor – Public Domain At roughly 8:30 AM on 26 August 2026, a wall of water, mud, ice, and massive boulders roared down the Lhende Khola into the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems. The surge struck without local rainfall or warning sirens, catching border communities like Timure, mid-morning. Initial reports mistook the ground tremors for an earthquake, but satellite and seismic data later confirmed the real trigger: a high-altitude collapse of rock and ice near Langtang Lirung, on the Tibetan side, spanning nearly one square kilometer and generating…

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[ad_1] Photograph Source: US State Department – Public Domain As his superyacht Boardwalk docked in Venice as part of the “Freedom 250 Coastal Diplomacy Italy initiative” in July, billionaire US Ambassador Tilman J. Fertitta was greeted by protests. Fertitta was traveling across the country to meet “with local business leaders, celebrities and Americans on board the yacht,” according to CNN. The incident captured a growing trend of ultrawealthy business figures in positions of political power. Fertitta is one of several billionaire US ambassadors, alongside those serving in the UK, Turkey, France and Monaco, and the Organization of American States. Middle…

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[ad_1] Photo by Vasilis Chatzopoulos When monsters square off, they are quick to showcase their asymmetrical superpowers. Take Godzilla, for instance. Thanks to U.S. atomic testing in the Pacific, the dinosaur-like sea creature has explosive, radioactive breath that can destroy everything in its path. His archenemy Rodan, meanwhile, is a pterodactyl-like bird that can fly at supersonic speeds, a skill useful in avoiding atomic bad breath. Since the 1960s, the two giant monsters have duked it out across a series of Japanese films, causing much mayhem in the process. Originally the product of Cold War fears of nuclear peril, these archetypal monsters can…

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