While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Feb 22, 2026
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The Long Beach Container Terminal is shown at the Port of Long Beach as seen from Signal Hill, California, USA.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Trump hikes US global tariff rate from 10% to 15%
US President Donald Trump raised the global duty on imports into the United States to 15 per cent on Feb 21, doubling down on his promise to maintain his aggressive tariff policy a day after the Supreme Court ruled much of it illegal.
Mr Trump said on his Truth Social platform that after a thorough review of Feb 20’s “extraordinarily anti-American decision” by the court to rein in his tariff programme, the administration was hiking the import levies “to the fully allowed, and legally tested, 15% level.”
Shortly after the court’s 6-3 ruling that rejected the president’s authority to impose tariffs under a 1977 economic emergency powers act, Mr Trump had initially announced a new 10 percent global levy by invoking a different legal avenue.
At the same time, he launched an extraordinary personal attack on the conservative justices who had sided with the majority, slamming their “disloyalty” and calling them “fools and lap dogs.”
Thousands march in France for slain far-right activist under heavy security
PHOTO: REUTERS
Thousands of people marched in south-eastern France on Feb 21 under heavy security in tribute to a far-right activist whose killing, blamed on the hard left, has put the country on edge.
The crowd – many wearing black and some covering their lower faces with masks – marched through the city of Lyon carrying flowers and placards bearing pictures of Quentin Deranque and the words, “justice for Quentin” and “the extreme left kills”.
The 23-year-old died from head injuries following clashes between radical left and far-right supporters on the sidelines of a demonstration against a politician from the left-wing France Unbowed (LFI) party in Lyon last week.
US citizen shot and killed by federal immigration agent last year, records show
A federal immigration agent shot and killed a US citizen in Texas in March 2025, months before the Trump administration began its deportation surge in Minnesota that led to the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, according to records released this week.
Mr Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, was killed by agents with the Department of Homeland Security, attorneys for Mr Martinez's family said in a statement.
A DHS agent fired multiple rounds at Mr Martinez, who allegedly hit another DHS agent with his car as the agents assisted local police in South Padre Island, Texas, with traffic control following an accident on March 15, 2025, according to records obtained by American Oversight, a nonprofit watchdog group. The agents were conducting immigration enforcement, the records show.
Political drama Yellow Letters wins Golden Bear at Berlin film festival
PHOTO: EPA
Yellow Letters, directed by German filmmaker Ilker Catak, won the Golden Bear for best film at the Berlin Film Festival on Feb 21 in a ceremony reflecting the controversy over Gaza which has dogged 2026’s edition of the event.
A political drama, Catak’s film tells the story of a Turkish director and his actor wife, suddenly barred from working because of their political opinions.
Jury president Wim Wenders called the film “a terrifying premonition, a look into the near future that could possibly happen in our countries as well”.
Chelsea, Aston Villa held in blow to Champions League hopes
PHOTO: REUTERS
Burnley dented Chelsea’s chances of Champions League qualification by snatching a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, while Aston Villa also struck late to salvage a point against Leeds on Feb 21.
The Blues climb into the Premier League’s top four only on goal difference after they paid for failing to build on Joao Pedro’s fourth-minute opener.
Chelsea were dominant until Wesley Fofana was sent off with 18 minutes remaining for a second yellow card.
