Report: Ansar Allah Considers Imposing Toll in Bab al-Mandab Strait 

Italian Diplomatic Sources Deny Talks With Iran To Open Hormuz Update(1140ET): Italy denies talks with Iran, but still nothing official on a public level from government ministers: No negotiations are under way with Iran to guarantee safe passage through the Hormuz Strait for Italian ships or oil tankers, an Italian Foreign Ministry source has told Reuters, denying a report in The Financial Times. “In their diplomatic contacts, Italian leaders want to favour the conditions for a general military de-escalation, but there is no under-the-table negotiation aimed at preserving only some merchant ships...

"It's That Bad": Virginia Residents Battling Constant Noise From Data Center Generators For more than a year, residents living next to the Vantage Data Centers facility have endured what they describe as a constant, high-pitched whining or ringing sound coming from the site's massive backup generators - the facility's only source of electricity. An aerial view of the Vantage data center in Sterling, Va., which abuts a residential neighborhood. (NewsNation) Unlike most data centers connected to the power grid, this facility runs entirely on its own on-site power plant. What residents were...

The Barbell Economy: Why The Middle Is Vanishing Authored by Tamuz Itai via The Epoch Times, There’s a pattern quietly reshaping daily life, work, and society itself. Economists now call it the “barbell economy.” Value, growth, and opportunity concentrate at the two extremes—ultra-cheap utility on one end, premium experience and status on the other—while the broad, reasonable middle thins out. Once you start noticing it, you can’t unsee it. And the data show it isn’t a fleeting trend. Start with something as ordinary as dinner. Fast-food drive-throughs, delivery apps, and value menus...