Author: aliakhan00901

It used to be that once your star had fallen in Donald Trump’s orbit, it was destined never to rise again. Any number of discarded former allies stretching back to Trump’s first term of office could testify as much.One who has emerged from a political black hole to return to the president’s firmament is the billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman, who will on Wednesday tell senators – for the second time – why he is the best person to lead the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa).Isaacman’s return to the launchpad is an intriguing tale of politics, ambition and above…

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The…

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, pictured at a late Novermber press conference, is facing scrutiny for U.S. attacks on alleged drug boats — and a parody of a children’s book cover. Felix Leon/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Felix Leon/AFP via Getty Images The publisher of the Franklin children’s book series has rebuked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after he posted a meme of the anthropomorphic turtle firing on drug boats. Hegseth’s social media post from Sunday shows the turtle, clad in tactical gear, standing on a helicopter and aiming a machine gun at one of several boats in the…

There are many, many lists of what is or is not Netflix’s best show, which is the case because well, that’s rather subjective. But there are series that are brought up more than most, and right alongside series like Mindhunters and The Haunting of Hill House stands Dark, the German time-travel drama. Many consider it Netflix’s best series, and it very well may be one of the best sci-fi shows ever made. This week, it celebrated its eighth anniversary. Dark is a maze. A series of loops and twists and turns and borderline needing a flowchart to keep track of…

A mobile brain scanning system, thought to be the first of its kind, is being developed to measure the effect of blast exposure in soldiers. A team at the universities of Nottingham and Birmingham has used £3.1m of Ministry of Defence funding to develop a vehicle-based lab that can be taken to field hospitals, firing ranges and rehabilitation centres.It will allow the study of how blast and other trauma affects brain function within minutes of the event, far faster than relying on static equipment, scientists said.It is also likely to be able to be used beyond the military, significantly benefitting…

To address the growing global health challenge of obesity, which affects more than 1 billion people, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released its first guideline on the use of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapies for treating obesity as a chronic, relapsing disease.Obesity affects people in every country and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024. Without decisive action, the number of people with obesity is projected to double by 2030.In September 2025, WHO added GLP-1 therapies to its Essential Medicines List for managing type 2 diabetes in high-risk groups. With the new guideline, WHO issues conditional recommendations for using these…

Nice have condemned a group of fans in the “strongest possible terms” after players and staff were physically confronted on their return home following Sunday’s 3-1 defeat at Lorient.Forwards Terem Moffi, Jeremie Boga and sporting director Florian Maurice were among those targeted by a group of around 400 supporters as the team bus arrived at the club’s training centre, according to reports in France.Fans blocked the bus, lit flares, chanted hostile songs and heckled players and staff in incidents which lasted about 45 minutes, witnesses said.Ivory Coast forward Boga has been on medical leave since Monday as a result of…

Oliver Edwards PhotographyDr Mya-Rose Craig says Black2Nature has helped hundreds of children over the past decadeAn environmental campaigner who founded a charity to help children from ethnic minorities access nature says the cultural landscape has “shifted” since she began her work a decade ago.Dr Mya-Rose Craig, 23, nicknamed ‘Birdgirl’, set up Black2Nature at the age of 13 to connect more children from Visible Minority Ethnic (VME) communities with the outdoors.Reflecting on the charity’s 10th anniversary, she said the current environment feels “very different”; although there is still “a lot of progress to be made”. “It’s amazing to look back over…

A beginner's guide to finding vintage fashions, antique baubles, and other memorable souvenirs in the flea markets of Paris

The Trump administration is now determining what the future holds for Ukraine, and by extension for Europe, in matters of territorial integrity, sovereignty and security. Washington aims to make a deal to end the full-scale war Russia launched in February 2022 that Russian President Vladimir Putin has waged against Ukraine, even if it means abandoning longstanding international principles that prohibit the recognition of territory acquired through military occupation.For Europe more broadly, and the European Union in particular, however, there is far more at stake than those principles, which Washington has rarely prioritised in its own foreign policy.Deterring Putin from further…