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I'm not sure I've ever had more fun listening to a game developer than when I watch Kenji Kanno introduce Crazy Taxi: World Tour to a small room full of journalists and content creators at Summer Game Fest. He's rocking long, gray hair that paints him as a rock star graced by the wisdom of age, and he speaks with such enthusiasm about the game that it's tough not to get on board with him.

Sega's reasons for bringing back Crazy Taxi are fairly boring – part of an effort to revitalize legacy IP to bring in a new generation of fans. For Kanno? "My biggest personal reason," he tells us via translator, "is that I really wanted to put out a game that can make people happy, that can make people smile as they play and express themselves in their own way."

Time to make some crazy money

(Image credit: Sega) Kanno softly sings "yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah" – the line from the opening of The Offspring's All I Want that's burned into so many Crazy Taxi fans' heads – as he demonstrates the basics of World Tour. It instantly looks familiar, offering the same blue skies and wild stunts that made Sega's arcade classic so memorable in the first place.

Summer Preview 2026

(Image credit: PlayStation, Xbox, Amazon, Rockstar) Our Summer Preview 2026 special is here to spotlight the biggest games of the year with hands-on impressions, dev access, and more!

It looks doubly familiar since the map I'm seeing is a recreation of the original game's vaguely defined west coast city area. The Crazy Rush mode offers the classic experience of trying to deliver as many passengers to their destinations as you can in as short a time as possible. But there's a whole campaign this time, too, and the map is populated with all sorts of additional activities.

In one mission, you'll drive a pizza chef (confusingly named Cheeseburger) on deliveries, while trying to avoid disturbing the comically huge stack of pies. There's even a fishing mini-game, where you cast out a line from your cab and do a backdash to reel it in. It's all delightful stuff, especially with the promise that we'll be visiting five different countries over the course of the game – though Kanno laughs that "some of the marketing people will get mad at me if I say what countries they are."

(Image credit: Sega) Key info

Developer: Sega

Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2

Release date: 2027

I'm desperate to love Crazy Taxi: World Tour, both because Kanno's enthusiasm is infectious and because I'm always going to root for an old-school revival to succeed. But there's a lot here squarely in 'too early to tell' territory. There are clearly some changes to the core gameplay, especially in how you can just power through oncoming traffic and take advantage of a newly-introduced nitrous boost. It's also not immediately clear how old techniques like the backdash and drift work. In the original game, you had to master shifting between drive and reverse in order to pull these techniques off, but just watching somebody else play the game makes these techniques look much simpler than that.

Kanno offered a brief Q&A after the demonstration, but he responded to many of the questions posed by nervously glancing at the PR reps in the room and apologizing profusely for the fact that he couldn't actually answer just yet.

We saw Axel in the demo, but are there other playable characters? Can't say anything beyond "we won't betray your expectation." Does the soundtrack vary between locations? "Sorry," he can't say. There were an array of licensed shops and restaurants in the demo, just like the original game, but Sega emailed me shortly after to ask me not to publish any of them because they're "not yet final."

(Image credit: Sega) Most of my time at Summer Game Fest was spent on the ground, so I didn't have much time to see the internet's reaction to the event's announcements – including the revelation that World Tour was built, in part, using generative AI . The difference in vibe between the room where I watched series creator Kenji Kanno pledge to make the world a happier place and the community's actual reaction to the game has been pretty stark, and I've been having a hard time reconciling my own feelings in the month since I've seen the game. The goofy vibes and retro arcade sensibilities speak deeply to my tastes, but without actually playing it I have no idea how good it's going to feel with controller in hand.

What does Kanno have to say to fans who've been desperate for a return to Crazy Taxi for years? "Sorry to keep you waiting," is his simple message. "Crazy Taxi has a very special place in my heart as well. The fact that so many old fans are waiting for it – and so many people know about it right now, and even within the company so many people are very excited and want a new Crazy Taxi – it makes me feel very happy."

Final Fantasy Resonance is almost my dream FF game, but its link to Square Enix's mobile games leaves me cold

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Special Pajero Mini features Snoopy graphics both outside and inside.

Power comes from a turbocharged 659 cc three-cylinder with 51 hp.

The pint-sized Mitsubishi was recently imported into the US.

You probably know the Mitsubishi Pajero , sold as the Montero in North America. What you may not know is that Mitsubishi also built a Kei-car version in Japan called the Pajero Mini, and one has just surfaced for sale in the United States. It is much smaller than the SUV of the same name, though you can clearly see the Pajero in it.

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Also: Mitsubishi Showed US Dealers The New Pajero That’s Returning As The Montero

This particular example is no ordinary Pajero Mini either. Listed for auction out of Cookeville, Tennessee, it wears the Snoopy Edition treatment, which stakes a fair claim to being one of the cutest Kei cars of its era. The graphics come straight from Peanuts, the American comic strip that needs no introduction, and the model reads as a cheerful throwback that would be genuinely good fun to drive.

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Power comes from a turbocharged 659 cc three-cylinder that had 51 hp when this 2000 model was new. While it lacks the power you’d expect from a bigger SUV, it does include four-wheel drive, a live rear axle, a dual-range transfer case, and a four-speed automatic transmission, so it is up for off-roading.

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Read: Suzuki’s Tiny Mid-Engine Supercar Has Gullwing Doors And Just 64 HP

The paint combines Soft White with Silver Metallic across the bumpers and rocker panels, while Snoopy graphics show up on the hood, B-pillars, and rear quarter panels. There’s also a special Snoopy spare wheel cover and Snoopy-branded mud flaps.

For The Comic Fans

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The distinctive touches continue into the cabin, where you’ll find unique seats with Snoopy embroidery and distinctive door panels featuring dozens of small Snoopy sketches. One could argue that modern cars are far too serious, and this Pajero Mini is the perfect antidote.

According to the listing on Bring a Trailer, the Mitsubishi was purchased in Japan by the selling dealer last year and only recently imported into the US. It has covered just 35,000 miles (57,000 km) and lately had its timing belt replaced, along with the water pump and drive belts. Anyone hunting for a car they are unlikely to ever see a second example of will find this baby Pajero hard to beat.

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Bitcoin Magazine

USDT Returns to Bitcoin: RGB and UTEXO Enable Private Lightning Settlements

Tether, the company behind USDT, is preparing to issue the stablecoin natively on Bitcoin through the RGB protocol version v0.11.1. Deployed by the UTEXO software lab , USDT is set to return to the chain where it first launched in 2014 via the Omni-Mastercoin Layer.

UTEXO, the company leading the commercial rollout, has positioned itself as the issuer and distributor of this Bitcoin-native USDT in partnership with Tether. “Finally, after eight years of development—if not more—we are the company that is launching USDT over Bitcoin with strong support from Tether,” said Viktor Ihnatiuk, UTEXO co-founder, in an exclusive interview with Bitcoin Magazine.

The RGB protocol combines its novel client-side validation with the Lightning network for instant, private settlements, while anchoring security to Bitcoin’s UTXO model. Users can expect to be able to handle USDT on native Bitcoin addresses as well as send and receive it over the Lightning network with compatible wallets.

The RGB protocol on Bitcoin also offers significant privacy features to USDT users as the asset benefits from Bitcoin’s UTXO model, which standardizes fresh addresses for every transaction compared to the account-based address reused commonly in EVM blockchains like Tron, Ethereum or Solana. Address reuse is the first mistake of onchain privacy, yet most altcoins built their interfaces to reuse addresses, despite the risk it poses to users. RGB’s integration with the Lightning network further protects user privacy by moving USDT via the offchain payments network, which leaves few marks on the public blockchain. The deep integration with Tether also means that there are fewer middleman companies charging extra fees or collecting data.

On the topic, Vktor emphasized that, “We built Utexo so that USDT could move on Bitcoin the way money is supposed to move: instantly, privately, with no surprises on costs. Our partners integrate our API once and can route USDT on the most resilient open network ever built, with full control over cost structure.”

UTEXO vs TRON

UTEXO emerged from a joint venture involving Viktor’s Boosty Venture Studio, Fulgur Ventures, and Tether Investments. The goal was straightforward: bring RGB to mainnet after years of delays under prior development teams. The protocol had been in active development since at least 2016, but failed to be ready for the 2017 bull market, giving the TRON blockchain dominance over USDT volume and usage throughout the developing world, a dominance which it still retains.

UTEXO of specifically building “the last mile” of software needed for wide USDT deployment across the Bitcoin ecosystem, which includes a software development kit, APIs, mid-level protocols, UI design work and even a mint bridge that is live today at mint.utexo.com . This bridge lets users move USDT across popular blockchains with “deterministic low fees” and no middlemen thanks to its direct integration with Tether as the primary mint. The RGB protocol layer was developed by Bitfinex R&D Strategist Federico Tenga.

“Right now if you want to swap USDT to Bitcoin you need to pay high fees for all these wallets who charge you a one percent wallet fee plus a swap provider charge of one percent plus, and you have slippage one percent as well, so you pay three percent, and also you wait forever until the swap happens” Viktor told Bitcoin Magazine, adding that; “with USDT and Bitcoin over Lightning, for the first time you have two main assets on one chain, you can swap instantly without any slippage. You can swap decentralized USDT to Bitcoin and back on-chain. The price is almost the same as spot markets in Binance.”

Networks like Tron that are primarily used to move USDT also add extra fees, swap commissions and friction to the user experience. They require a different address type, with fees paid in an asset like TRX, which is only ever used to move the stablecoin. With most of the monetary volume in the crypto market concentrated in Bitcoin and Tether, having to buy an altcoin just to pay fees ends up feeling like red tape.

Bitcoin, as the payment rails of USDT, also comes with blockchain levels of security that other chains simply can not offer. While USDT will always be fundamentally centralized in Tether as a corporation, the rails can also add risk, for example, if a contentious fork occurs or major bugs are found on novel blockchain systems. Bitcoin, being the oldest and most conservative blockchain, delivers a quality assurance of sorts that can not be matched by other chains.

RGB traces its roots to Peter Todd’s single-use seals back in 2014 and was formalized in 2016 by Giacomo Zucco and Riccardo Casatta. The RGB acronym, originally derived from “Riccardo Giacomo Bitcoin,” was later rebranded “Really Good Bitcoin”. Tether explored the protocol early but faced delays with the previous team. Had RGB shipped on schedule around 2019, the stablecoin landscape and broader DeFi industry might have developed differently around Bitcoin’s UTXO model instead of Ethereum’s account-based system.

As such, bringing USDT back to Bitcoin is a core motivation for UTEXO. Viktor minced no words on the matter: “For the first time in eight years or nine years, USDT is coming back home. We have no chance to fail. If we fail, no one will think about Bitcoin as a settlement layer anymore.”

USDT on Bitcoin via RGB is expected to be launched within weeks, possibly this July, with wallets like Tether Wallet among others announcing support, and exchanges across the world announcing integrations.

This post USDT Returns to Bitcoin: RGB and UTEXO Enable Private Lightning Settlements first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Juan Galt .

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The patient: A 63-year-old woman in Massachusetts

The symptoms: The patient went to the emergency department after experiencing nausea and vomiting for about a month, along with decreased appetite. She told doctors that she'd also experienced a burning pain in her upper abdomen and right side of her torso, which wrapped around to her back. She'd tried treating these symptoms with two common over-the-counter medications for acid reflux, but the treatments didn't help.

In the year prior, the patient had started taking semaglutide, a type of drug known as a GLP-1 receptor agonist — the same class of drug as Ozempic. These injected drugs are used to treat type 2 diabetes and assist in chronic weight management; in this case, the woman had a history of type 2 diabetes and obesity. Since starting the medication, she'd lost about 40 pounds (18 kilograms), but notably, that weight loss had accelerated over the previous month, she noted.

What happened next: Doctors took a CT scan of the patient's abdomen and pelvis. This revealed that the bile ducts, which move bile from the liver to the gallbladder and small intestine, were slightly dilated. The woman also had "heavy stool burden" but no signs of obstructions in her bowels, and her stomach was slightly stretched out due to carrying "semisolid material."

To take a closer look, the medical team then used magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, a noninvasive scan that examines the bile ducts, gallbladder, pancreas and pancreatic ducts. The scan confirmed that the bile ducts were dilated and revealed a mass in the stomach that appeared to be trapped air. The doctors then examined the upper digestive tract, from the esophagus to the top of the small intestine, with an endoscope.

The diagnosis: The endoscopy revealed a large mass in the woman's stomach, known as a gastric bezoar . These masses are tightly packed blobs of partially digested or undigested materials.

The treatment: Semaglutide and other GLP-1 agonists typically cause delayed gastric emptying, which means they slow the rate at which the stomach empties its contents into the intestines. The woman was taken off that medication upon hospital admission.

The next step with a bezoar is to try and dissolve the mass while it's still in the stomach — and evidence suggests a good way to do this is to give the patient soda.

"Existing evidence, largely from case series and anecdotal experiences, supports the administration of 3 liters [0.8 gallons] of cola, either orally or through a nasogastric tube, within a 12-hour window," doctors noted in a report of the case . "It is not well understood whether acidity, carbonation , or another mechanism accounts for dissolution of the bezoar."

Due to the patient's history of diabetes, she was given diet cola. She also didn't enjoy carbonated beverages, so the typical prescription of 3 liters of soda was cut down to 1.5 liters (0.4 gallons). On the second day after starting this treatment, the patient noted a "tugging" sensation in her abdomen followed by relief of her nausea and abdominal discomfort. An endoscopic exam revealed that the bezoar was no longer stuck in her stomach.

The woman then transitioned to a typical diet in the hospital, and by the time she was discharged, she had no nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain. She did not restart semaglutide but was prescribed acid reflux medication to take daily. She reported that her appetite increased after hospital discharge and her weight rebounded a bit over the following months. Her abdominal symptoms had not returned within a few months of discharge.

What makes the case unique: Gastric bezoars are fairly rare, the report noted. They are found in less than 0.5% of endoscopies of the upper digestive tract. Common symptoms of the condition, such as pain, nausea, vomiting and abdominal discomfort, also appear in many more-common disorders, so they don't necessarily point to the presence of a bezoar in all cases.

The most common type of gastric bezoar is formed of plant fibers and called a "phytobezoar." Eating lots of certain foods, such as persimmons, pineapples, raisins or celery, can raise the risk of phytobezoars because the plants contain a high concentration of indigestible components, such as cellulose, lignins and certain tannins.

However, various medical conditions, procedures and drugs can also raise the risk of bezoars. These include anatomical changes related to bariatric or other gastric surgeries, autonomic nerve damage, and medications that cause delayed gastric emptying, such as GLP-1s. In the woman's case, semaglutide was likely to blame for her bezoar, and discontinuing the treatment helped resolve the problem.

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The cola she consumed also helped. Although that course of treatment sounds strange on paper, it is the preferred first-line treatment over using a scope to physically break up the bezoar in the patient's stomach.

"Bezoars formed from food material may be initially managed with oral administration of cola in patients in a clinically stable condition," the report said. "This intervention is generally cost-effective and is associated with a lower risk of complications than invasive procedures."

For more intriguing medical cases, check out our Diagnostic Dilemma archives .

This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer medical advice.

This article was first published Oct. 15, 2025.

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A Russian Tu-142 Bear-F maritime patrol aircraft “repeatedly approached” a U.K. Royal Navy carrier strike group in the Norwegian Sea and dropped multiple sonobuoys, the U.K. Ministry of Defense (MoD) said. British F-35B fighters from HMS Prince of Wales intercepted the Tu-142, which was flying “unsafe and unprofessional” maneuvers, according to the MoD. The incident occurred on July 2 but was only disclosed today.

The Tu-142 carries the individual name Yuri Malinin on the forward fuselage. Crown Copyright Crown Copyright

The Tu-142 passed at low altitude and “unnecessarily close” to HMS Prince of Wales , while the carrier was off the northwest coast of Norway, the MoD added. The Bear-F is understood to have dropped 10 sonobuoys “in close proximity to the carrier,” with at least one of these captured on camera, as seen in the photo at the top of this story.

Reportedly, the British forces attempted to contact the Russian aircraft on international frequencies, but it did not respond.

An F-35B escorts the Tu-142 as seen from the fighters launching from deck of HMS Prince of Wales. Crown Copyright PO Phot Chris Sellars

Two F-35Bs from 809 Naval Air Squadron were then launched from the Prince of Wales to escort the Bear-F away from the carrier strike group.

The F-35Bs aboard the Prince of Wales are, for the first time, involved in a NATO air policing operation from a European carrier, under Operation Firecrest.

The U.K. Carrier Strike Group is currently deployed off Iceland under NATO command. As well as HMS Prince of Wales , the force includes the Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan , and is supported by RFA Tidespring , a replenishment tanker. Merlin and Wildcat helicopters are also embarked on the vessels. Meanwhile, other NATO allies are also operating in the same region as part of Arctic Sentry, designed to “reinforce security in the Arctic and North Atlantic.”

Typically, a U.K. carrier strike group would also be accompanied by a Royal Navy Astute class nuclear-powered attack submarine . While such information is rarely, if ever, disclosed, in this instance, however, any accompanying submarine would have to be provided by a NATO ally, since the Royal Navy currently has no Astute boat available for this task. Currently, all five of the hunter-killer boats are awaiting maintenance and repairs .

An Astute class nuclear-powered attack submarine alongside HMS Prince of Wales. Crown Copyright

While the Tu-142’s decision to drop sonobuoys might suggest Russia was attempting to detect or track a hunter-killer submarine accompanying the force, having a sub operate in such close proximity to a carrier is less likely. These submarines typically provide the outer barrier of the defensive escorts, with the aim of hunting incoming enemy boats long before the carrier itself is ever threatened.

Sonobuoys come in a variety of types designed for different missions, but they generally fall into two main categories: active and passive. Active sonobuoys transmit acoustic pulses into the water and listen for echoes reflected from a submarine’s hull, while passive sonobuoys simply detect and monitor the sounds produced by submarines. Because they require additional transmitting and processing capabilities, active sonobuoys are typically more sophisticated — and significantly more expensive — than passive models. Despite their complexity, both types are expendable systems intended for one-time use. For a deeper look at how they differ and why active sonobuoys are playing an increasingly important role in modern anti-submarine warfare, see our previous feature on the subject .

A video showing a U.S. Navy P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft dropping sonobuoys:

The Tu-142 can carry a substantial sonobuoy load. A typical configuration includes 66 RGB-75, 44 RGB-15, 10 RGB-25, and 15 RGB-55 sonobuoys, along with three anti-submarine torpedoes housed in its two internal weapons bays.

At the same time, dropping sonobuoys can be a harassment tactic employed by maritime patrol aircraft and helicopters, which seems more likely on this occasion.

An F-35B escorts the Tu-142 as it approaches the carrier. Crown Copyright PO Phot Chris Sellars

Soviet and later Russian Tu-142s and other maritime patrol aircraft have monitored NATO naval exercises for many decades, including flying surveillance sorties close to U.S. Navy carriers . However, the deliberate release of sonobuoys in such close proximity to a carrier appears to be relatively uncommon, in recent years, at least.

Last September , after a Russian surveillance plane flew within a few hundred meters of a German frigate in the Baltic Sea, Commodore Arjen Warnaar, Dutch commander of Standing NATO Maritime Group 1, said: “It’s not the first time that a NATO ship has been overflown. This has happened in the past, and it will not be the last time.”

“It happens regularly,” Warnaar added. “It is reported on every once in a while [but] this has happened continuously throughout the last years.”

Meanwhile, NATO also keeps a close eye on Russian movements, including through key areas, using its own maritime patrol aircraft.

Back in 2020, TWZ reported on the publication of a video showing a pair of Tu-142s flying at relatively low altitude over a site off the coast of northwest Alaska being used to support a U.S. Navy ICEX submarine exercise . On that occasion, they were intercepted by U.S. Air Force F-22 and Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 fighters.

A CF-18 in the foreground, along with an F-22 in the background, flank one of the Tu-142s during their patrol in March 2020. NORAD

The same kind of scenario has been repeated more recently , too.

The Russian MoD released footage from the VKS sorties into the Alaskan ADIZ.

Top left: a Su-35S and an F-35A (filmed from a Tu-95MS).

Top right: an F-35A (filmed from a Tu-95MS).

Bottom left: a pair of F-16Cs (filmed from a Su-35S).

Bottom right: a pair of F-16Cs. https://t.co/eOUNAgVbyu pic.twitter.com/RmSAJCB6vg

— Guy Plopsky (@GuyPlopsky) February 20, 2026

With an endurance exceeding 16 hours, the Tu-142 is well suited to these long-range surveillance missions, allowing it to gather valuable intelligence while also demonstrating a sustained military presence.

Today, the Russian Navy operates around 30 Bear-Fs, within two squadrons. Both Tu-142MK and more advanced Tu-142MZ variants are in service. The squadrons are based at Kipelovo-Fedotovo in the Vologda region of northwest Russia, and at Mongokhto, in the Far East, serving the Northern and Pacific Fleets respectively.

Crown Copyright PO Phot Chris Sellars

The latest encounter comes amid heightened tensions between Russia and NATO, and particularly between Moscow and London.

During a recent maritime security operation in the English Channel, British forces boarded a sanctioned oil tanker from Russia’s ‘shadow fleet,’ which was sailing under a false Cameroonian flag.

The boarding of the Smyrtos by Royal Marine Commandos and law enforcement officers on June 14 was the first U.K.-led operation of its kind. The six-hour military operation also involved Chinook , Merlin, and Wildcat helicopters, a Royal Air Force P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, as well as the frigate HMS Sutherland and the mine countermeasures vessel HMS Ledbury .

The vessel Smyrtos is boarded by Royal Marines from 42 Commando and U.K. law enforcement officers on June 14. Crown Copyright

Days later, the Russian Navy warship Admiral Grigorovich fired warning shots near a British-registered yacht in the English Channel, as you can read about here .

U.K. officials have repeatedly stressed how Russia’s actions around Europe mean that the country faces its greatest security threat since the Cold War.

An F-35B and the Tu-142 pass over the destroyer HMS Duncan . Crown Copyright PO Phot Chris Sellars

Fittingly, U.K. Defense Secretary Dan Jarvis was making a visit to HMS Prince of Wales over the weekend when he again highlighted the risks posed by Russian militarism across all domains.

“We should be clear-eyed about the fact that the threat from Russia exists in every domain, under the water, on the water, on the land, in the sky, in space and in cyberspace as well,” Jarvis told Channel 4 News .

As the government’s major defence spending commitments were announced.

Channel 4 News Political Correspondent Paul McNamara sat down with UK Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis, asking him about his relationship with Andy Burnham and whether he's even spoken to the man most likely to… pic.twitter.com/XJnUnUFlM7

— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) July 6, 2026

“We live in an increasingly dangerous and uncertain time, and it’s deployments like this, supported by allies and partners including Iceland, that improve our deterrence and defense as part of NATO,” Jarvis added.

Amid assessments from NATO officials that Russia could be ready to use military force against the alliance by 2030, U.K. Chief of the Defense Staff Sir Richard Knighton told the BBC last month that Moscow had been “probing, challenging, testing our defenses,” and was “raising the stakes and risks crossing a line.”

Crown Copyright PO Phot Chris Sellars

This new reality was also referenced in the U.K.’s long-delayed defense plan, published last week , and which includes an increase of $20 billion in military spending.

As the conflicts in Iran and Ukraine show, drones are reshaping warfare.

That’s why more than £5 billion is to be invested in drones over the next four years. This will drive a transformation, with new technology and infrastructure keeping us at the leading edge of innovation. pic.twitter.com/TSkAJg8vRh

— Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) June 30, 2026

While dropping sonobuoys is part of the daily activity of Russian and NATO maritime aircraft, it is unusual to see it happen so close to a carrier. Whether the Tu-142 was genuinely attempting to detect NATO submarine activity or simply harassing the U.K. carrier strike group, the encounter serves as another reminder of the increasingly aggressive posture Russia is adopting around NATO’s northern flank.

The timing of the incident is likely to reinforce arguments from defense officials and some leading lawmakers that Britain must move faster, and invest even more heavily than currently planned, to rebuild the military capabilities needed to deter an increasingly assertive Moscow. Regardless, as Russian aircraft, warships, and submarines continue to probe NATO forces, encounters like this are becoming regular for the alliance as a whole.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

The post Russian Tu-142 Bear Drops Sonobuoys During Close Encounter With British Carrier appeared first on TWZ .

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⚽️ Kick-off time: 2pm local, 3pm EDT, 8pm BST, 5am AEST

⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Email Scott

Here’s how Portugal have done so far. They weren’t particularly impressive in Group K, draws with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Colombia sandwiching a five-goal rout of a poor Uzbekistan side . But second place was comfortable enough, and Cristiano Ronaldo ended a 10-game sequence of failing to score an international goal, so enough positive boxes were ticked.

Then came the 2-1 thriller with Croatia. The Croats came on strong at the end, yet it was Portugal who got the late winner. Throw in some high-stakes VAR drama at both ends, and four disallowed goals, and it was one of the games of the tournament, unquestionably.

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