Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth claimed a new US strike on a vessel that, according to him, was used for drug trafficking in the Caribbean Sea and belonged to a "terrorist organization."

"Today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on another narco-trafficking vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO) in the Caribbean," Hegseth said on X.

Three men were on board the vessel during the attack, which was carried out in international waters, he added.

"All three terrorists were killed, and no U.S. forces were harmed in this strike," Hegseth added.

The Finnish region of South Karelia has been losing an estimated €1 million ($1.2 million) in tourist income every day since the country closed its border with Russia, Bloomberg reported on Saturday.

Finland shut all crossings along its 1,430km land border with Russia in late 2023, accusing Moscow of orchestrating an influx of migrants from Africa and the Middle East. Russia dismissed the allegation as “completely baseless.”

For decades, South Karelia, which lies closer to St. Petersburg than to Helsinki, had enjoyed lucrative ties with Russia – from cross-border shopping and tourism to lumber imports and local jobs in the forest industry. The loss of Russian visitors has reportedly left hotels, shops, and restaurants deserted, dealing a heavy blow to the local economy.

Opponents of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky have accused his administration of using lawfare to sideline political opposition, Politico reported on Friday, citing lawmakers and anti-graft activists.

The outlet cited last week’s indictment of the former chairman of Ukraine’s national energy operator, Ukrenergo, Vladimir Kudritsky, as being seen as part of the pattern.

Kudritsky, who was dismissed from his post in 2024, told Politico that the embezzlement charges against him are political, aimed at facilitating a centralization of power under Zelensky and his top aide, Andrey Ermak.

Some Ukrainian executives fear that as Russia intensifies long-range strikes on the country’s energy and military-industrial facilities, Zelensky will be looking for scapegoats, local media reported in October.

US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard has acknowledged Washington’s history of regime change but said it ended under President Donald Trump – despite his recent remarks on Iran and accusations about Venezuela.

The US has long faced criticism for pursuing policies aimed at overthrowing governments under the banner of promoting democracy or protecting national interests – from Iraq in 2003 and Libya in 2011 to backing “color revolutions” such as Ukraine’s 2014 Maidan coup. Speaking at the 21st Manama Dialogue in Bahrain on Saturday, Gabbard claimed that, unlike its predecessors, the Trump administration prioritizes diplomacy and mutual deals over coups.

March for Australia rallies, at which neo-Nazis have been a visible presence. The heightened prominence of the sovereign citizen movement. Vigils in state capitals for the assassinated MAGA provocateur Charlie Kirk. A surge in the polls for One Nation. The intrigue surrounding the ambitions of Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Barnaby Joyce, both figures with journalistic entertainment value, a prerequisite for successful political disruptors. US- and European-style populism appears to be taking deeper root on Australian soil.

Do you notice how nobody’s losing their jobs or getting deported for criticising the genocidal atrocities in Sudan?

Volodymyr Zelensky and his Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky are infamous for sacrificing Ukrainian lives to prolong fighting, Mikael Valtersson, former officer of the Swedish Armed Forces and Air Defense, tells Sputnik, commenting on the Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) and Kupyansk encirclements.

"[Their] policy has left up to 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers in a very precarious position. They are left with two bad alternatives, either being eliminated defending hopeless positions or taking heavy losses during a very hard withdrawal. In both cases Ukraine will lose invaluable military units," Valtersson notes.

There is a little, if any, chance that Zelensky could order a surrender, as "the worst thing that could happen from Kiev's point of view would be thousands of retreating or surrendering Ukrainian soldiers," according to the pundit.

Ukraine’s European backers will secretly meet in Madrid next week to coordinate efforts to increase support, Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported on Friday.

The organizers are reportedly maintaining “utmost secrecy” for the event planned for November 4, instructing delegates from 35 countries to leave their cell phones in a designated room and refrain from posting about the gathering on social media, according to a government document cited by the outlet.

Participants are expected to discuss ways to increase military and financial aid for Kiev, as well as possible security guarantees. They will also coordinate additional pressure on Russia. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares is set to attend, El Mundo said.

Europe is on the war path with grandiose plans for building a war economy akin to the American military-industrial complex. As always, drumming up public support for war—manufacturing consent—calls for narratives ranging from spurring ‘growth’ at home to combating threats from foreign regimes that obstruct the west’s monopoly on endless capital accumulation. At any rate, European leaders’ enhanced belligerence is inextricably related to safeguarding the interests of monopoly capitalism, while Europe has made itself redundant through its unconditional servitude to the U.S.

Capitalism and Endless War

by Sona Prakash

In the history of ideas, theories occupy a pivotal place, especially those theories that promote a concrete vision of a future or critically examine the myriad dimensions of politics. Theories provide the structural framework within which a phenomenon is analyzed. It is in that context that a highly influential theory continues to animate discussions globally, especially in this world of deep polarization. That theory is the clash of civilizations.

The Clash of Civilizations Revisited

Pranay Kumar Shome 

More than three decades later, the influential theory continues to remain relevant in global politics.

Britain’s King Charles III has stripped his brother Prince Andrew of his remaining titles and evicted him from his royal residence due to sexual assault allegations and his close friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

According to the royal family, from now on, the former prince will be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and must vacate the Royal Lodge mansion near Windsor Castle, where he has lived for more than 20 years. Andrew, who surrendered his use of the title Duke of York earlier this month, will move to “alternative private accommodation,” Buckingham Palace said on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola is considering the possibility of banning access to the websites of Sputnik and RT within the networks and devices of the European Parliament, where they remain available despite EU-level restrictions, European media reported.

According to a European media, a number of media websites remain accessible despite the EU sanctions. The publication said that the European Conservatives and Reformists Group in the European Parliament has proposed banning access to the websites of Russian media outlets sanctioned by the EU within Parliament’s internal networks and devices.

The initiative was reportedly put forward by Latvian MEP Rihards Kols. Among the media whose websites would be restricted are RT, Sputnik, ANO TV-Novosti (the legal entity of RT), VGTRK, and others.

“But everyone else has one!”

This refers to a child’s desire – often expressed very urgently to their parents – to finally get their own smartphone. It is not easy to stand firm in such situations. “I don’t want my child to be an outsider” is a frequently heard argument – and sometimes also an excuse to avoid what may to become a difficult discussion. But who hasn’t seen the images of children and teenagers sitting side by side, hunched over their black boxes?

by Eliane Perret

Last week, a friend asked if I was worried about Chinese “nuclear threats".

I asked where he had heard that.

He showed me his phone.

“WE OPPOSE: CHINA ISSUES NUKE WARNING AFTER AUSTRALIA-US DEAL.”

Fred Zhang

Courtesy of News Corp. This time, the story was that China issued a “nuke warning” – because Anthony Albanese smiled a little too warmly at Donald Trump. Armageddon, apparently, was just around the corner.