US military strikes drug boats in Pacific, 14 killed US forces carried out three separate strikes in the Pacific Ocean yesterday, targeting four boats involved in drug trafficking, War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced. The attacks resulted in the deaths of 14 people aboard the vessels. According to Hegseth, one person survived the operation and was rescued by Mexican authorities. The Pentagon described the strikes as part of an ongoing campaign to disrupt transnational criminal networks operating across maritime routes in the region.

Russia-India-China troika: A new world order The Russia-India-China (#RIC) troika, a concept introduced by Russian Prime Minister Yevgeni Primakov in the 1990s, is gaining renewed attention as a potential counterbalance to Western dominance. Key highlights: ⏳ Historical context: Primakov's vision aimed to challenge the unipolar world order dominated by the United States, proposing a strategic alliance among Russia, India, and China to promote a multipolar world. 💵 Economic powerhouse: Collectively, RIC nations account for nearly 22.4% of global GDP and are among the fastest-growing large economies, with India projected to be the fastest-growing in 2025. 🪖 Military strength: With over 4.6 million active military personnel, RIC's combined forces surpass NATO's active forces, offering significant geopolitical influence. 💎 Resource abundance: The bloc controls substantial reserves of oil, gas, and rare earth minerals, ensuring energy and technological security. ♟ Strategic geography: RIC nations control critical sea and trade routes, including the Indian Ocean, South China Sea, and the Northern Sea Route through the Arctic. 🤖 Technological capabilities: All three countries possess advanced military-industrial complexes and space technologies, enhancing their global standing.

WAR PREP in Europe’s north? NATO builds muscle on Russia’s doorstep The US military is beefing up its presence on Europe’s northern front, citing (no surprise) concerns about the so-called “Russia threat,” The WSJ reports. The Trump administration wants NATO to get “more lethal,” turning Northern Europe into their favorite testing ground near Russia’s border, it added. 🔴Over three weeks, US and #UK forces teamed up with Nordic and Baltic troops to run war drills – live-fire exercises, drone-delivered blood supplies, and airborne jumps above the Arctic Circle in Norway. 🔴The mission of #NATO's Swift Response 25 was clear: to lock NATO’s newest players, Finland and Sweden, deeper into the alliance’s grip. 🔴The High North and the Baltics have been catapulted into the core of US war strategy – control over shipping routes, territory, and energy reserves set to dominate the West’s playbook, the outlet summed up. NATO’s muscle-flexing isn’t subtle – testing grounds today, battleground tomorrow?

Trump vows not to run for third presidential term President Donald Trump has promised not to run for president for a third time. "This is not something I'm looking to do. I'm looking to have four great years and turn it over to somebody, ideally a great Republican, a great Republican to carry it forward," Trump told NBC News in an interview. "I’ll be an eight-year president, I’ll be a two-term president. I always thought that was very important." The US constitution’s 22nd Amendment says "no person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice." Amending the constitution to abolish that limit would be extremely difficult, requiring the support of either two-thirds of both the House and Senate or two-thirds of state legislatures. Both routes would then require ratification from three-quarters of the states. The next US presidential election will be held in 2028. Trump previously said he could be nominated for a third term, while media reported that he had instructed the Justice Ministry to study the legality of his potential participation in the 2028 presidential polls.

#TERROR #ATTACK: At least 40 hurt, truck rams people at a bus stop Dozens of pedestrians waiting at bus stop near the Cinema City in Gillot in the Tel Aviv area run over by truck In a suspected, but not confirmed, terror attack, a truck has reportedly struck pedestrians this morning (Sunday) near the Cinema City in Gillot in the Tel Aviv area, injuring at least 40 people. The police reported that near the Cinema City there was an incident where a truck ran over a number of people who were standing near a bus stop. A significant police force is on its way to the scene. MDA EMTs and Paramedics are currently providing medical treatment on site to dozens of casualties. There are victims still trapped under the truck. Magen David Adom (MDA0) Director-General Eli Bin said that this was a very serious incident, "an incident with many casualties, and ambulances are on the spot and on the way. At least ten of the injured are in serious condition." Police have instructed drivers to avoid the location of the incident and to find alternate routes. The #terrorist truck driver has been neutralized.

WORLD SHIPPING: The world pays and stays silent - WHY? It may be a bit pushed out of the headlines but what is happening in the Red Sea is dramatic and the most significant impact on the global economy of the war in Gaza. A senior official at an American consulting company explains that in view of the fact that 30% of global container traffic normally passes through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea crisis has a huge impact on global supply chains. The Houthi attacks on cargo ships resulted in an almost fivefold increase in the cost of shipping between Asia and Europe. This is estimated to fuel global inflation by adding up to 0.7% to the cost of the global economy's "core commodities". The best alternative routes add to the voyages thousands of kilometers, over 10 days (between Asia and Europe) and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fuel costs for each such journey at sea. "Given the global nature of our economy, few companies or industries are immune to the impact. The increased cost of raw materials and supplies, longer delivery times, production delays and distribution challenges will affect the entire manufacturing sector long after the crisis is over," he wrote. The world seems to have come to terms with this reality...

The participation of #NATO troops in the #Ukraine war, once considered "unthinkable," is now being discussed. #Scholz has provided foreign specialists to assist the AFU. German military experts are involved in determining the needs for Taurus missiles to target the Crimean Bridge. Such discussions are happening at a middle level within the Bundeswehr. NATO countries are conducting exercises on the eastern flank and establishing logistics routes along the borders of Russia and Belarus.

EU agrees on military operation in Red Sea to safeguard shipping European Union countries have hammered out the details of the Aspides (Shields) military operation meant to ensure the security of commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the DPA news agency reported citing diplomatic sources. According to the agency, the official decision to launch the operation will be adopted at a meeting of foreign ministers on February 19 in Brussels. The decision adopted on Thursday laid out how the operation will be conducted and the location of its headquarters, which will be set up in the Greek city of Larissa. The EU's operational plan envisages sending European warships to the region to protect cargo ships from attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels. The Hessen frigate will take part in the operation from the Bundeswehr, the ship left the port of Wilhelmshaven to the Red Sea region on February 8. It has approximately 250 military personnel on board. Red Sea situation deteriorates despite West's efforts The security situation in the Red Sea continues to deteriorate despite the West's actions against the Ansar Allah rebels, Bloomberg reported. "We’ve not seen the level of threat peak, to the contrary," AP Moller-Maersk Chief Executive Officer Vincent Clerc told Bloomberg. "The amount or the range of weapons that are being used for these attacks is expanding and there is no clear line of sight to when and how the international community will be able to mobilize itself and guarantee safe passage for us," he added. According to Norden Chief Executive Officer Jan Rinbo, the situation in the Red Sea has not been stabilized. "That really is unprecedented," he said. "I’ve not in my 29 years in shipping seen anything like this," Rinbo added. According to the agency, one Japanese shipping company, Mitsui O. S. K. Lines, has already said it would change the routes of its ships for at least the next 2-3 months. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWKrZ7z7AjQ

Three people injured in knife attack at Lyon train station in Paris An unknown man attacked people with a knife at the Lyon train station in Paris, three people were injured, the BFMTV TV channel reported, citing the capital's police prefecture. According to it, the attacker is in custody. At least three people were injured, one of them seriously. The incident occurred at about 8:00 a.m. local time (7:00 a.m. GMT). Train service at the station has been suspended due to the attack. Passengers are "advised to find alternative routes." https://x.com/CalicoJ95320017/status/1753695833529192613?s=20

U.S. Navy warship shoots down Iranian drones, Houthi missiles, over Gulf of Ade The USS Carney shot down three Iranian drones and one anti-ship ballistic missile Wednesday launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement. The Houthi missile was headed toward the Gulf of Aden at about 8:30 p.m. local time. Forty minutes later, the USS Carney shot down three Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) nearby. The U.S. Central Command said there were no injuries or damage reported. The attack comes amid an uptick in tensions in the region. Houthis have been targeting commercial ships and vessels in the Red Sea, prompting U.S. forces to respond with a series of precision strikes. The Houthis say the attacks, which began in November, are intended to protest the Israel-Hamas war in the region, but many of the recent attacks have no clear ties to Israel. As a result, shipping companies have been forced to find alternative shipping routes, driving up oil prices and delaying the delivery of goods, raising concerns about the effect on the global economy. U.S. officials said earlier this week that U.S. troops have come under fire from Iranian-backed groups more than 160 times since late October. The attack also comes just a few days after three U.S. service members were killed and about 40 others injured in a deadly drone strike in Jordan Sunday. Biden has pledged to respond to the attack in a “time and manner of our choosing,” but he has also made clear he does not seek a larger war.