Three U.S. Navy-backed Saronic Corsair one-way attack sea drones struck Iran's Bandar Abbas Naval Base on Sunday, according to U.S. Central Command.
The operation marks the clearest sign yet that the U.S. military has taken a page directly from Ukraine's maritime warfare playbook, using expendable, autonomous, suicide stealth drone boats to penetrate a heavily defended naval facility - much cheaper than a million-dollar missile.
Yesterday, using multiple one-way attack surface drones, CENTCOM forces successfully struck a submarine and ship maintenance facility in Iran. Three Corsair unmanned surface vessels hit the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, marking the first time American forces have employed sea… pic.twitter.com/bOM2kmgRxz
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 13, 2026More broadly, the combat debut of suicide drone boats and AI-enabled loitering munitions shows how technologies once thought to be in the future- perhaps the 2030s - are being pulled forward into the present.
Three weeks into the US-Iran conflict. We briefed readers on the deployment of these suicide drone boats and one-way attack drones that the US military was rapidly deploying.
Read:
Now that autonomous strike drones are being deployed, the next phase is the U.S. military procurement cycle, which means tens of thousands, and potentially hundreds of thousands, of these robots will need to be ordered. We have detailed how readers can position into the "Asymmetric Warfare Boom." Read more here.
Tyler Durden Wed, 07/15/2026 - 04:15Authored by Micah Zimmerman via BitcoinMagazine.com,
The United Kingdom’s HM Revenue & Customs will treat certain disposals involving cryptoasset loans and liquidity pools as “no gain, no loss,” deferring Capital Gains Tax until a user makes an economic disposal of the underlying cryptocurrency.
The measure, published Monday, takes effect 6 April 2027 and applies to individuals and trustees who enter cryptoasset loan and liquidity pool arrangements, according to the policy paper.
It amends the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992.
The rules cover three scenarios. In a single cryptoasset lending arrangement, a user who acquires or disposes of an interest in exchange for cryptoassets of the same type as those invested will be taxed on a no-gain-no-loss basis.
Borrowing arrangements will treat borrowed cryptoassets as acquired at market value at the time of borrowing, with any collateral disregarded for Capital Gains Tax purposes.
For automated market-making arrangements — liquidity pools operated through smart contracts — a user acquiring an interest in exchange for the same type of cryptoasset is also taxed on a no-gain-no-loss basis. On exit, that treatment holds to the extent the user receives the same quantity first invested. Any difference between what was invested and what is received triggers a gain or a loss.
HMRC said the change aligns tax treatment with the economics of these arrangements, recognizing gains and losses only when a participant makes an economic disposal.
HMRC simplifies DeFi crypto tax rulesThe measure addresses problems that arose from HMRC’s own 2022 guidance, which stakeholders said produced disproportionate administrative burdens.
A call for evidence ran from July to August 2022, followed by a consultation between 27 April and 22 June 2023 that sought to align tax with economic substance by not treating crypto used in DeFi lending and liquidity pools as a taxable disposal.
HMRC published a summary of responses at Budget 2025 and set out its approach at that time.
The change is expected to affect about 700,000 individuals who engage in these transactions, according to the paper. HMRC said users will benefit from a framework that is easier to understand.
The current UK regime treats crypto as an investment asset, with selling, swapping, or spending it counting as a disposal for Capital Gains Tax at 18% for basic-rate taxpayers and 24% for higher-rate taxpayers. The new treatment modifies that disposal rule for certain lending and liquidity pool arrangements.
Final costing will be subject to scrutiny by the Office for Budget Responsibility and set out at a future fiscal event. HMRC said the measure is not expected to have any significant macroeconomic impact.
Tyler Durden Wed, 07/15/2026 - 04:15Authored by Alex Kimani via OilPrice.com,
The European Union imported a record 9.97 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) worth €5.96 billion (~$6.82 billion) from Russia's Yamal LNG facility in the first half of 2026, marking a 16% increase compared to the same period in 2025 as they front-loaded Russian energy supplies ahead of impending phase-out bans.
Kpler data shows that European buyers absorbed over 97% of the Siberian facility's total output during the first half of the year, despite years-long efforts to overcome dependency on Russian energy.
Overall EU imports of Russian LNG increased by 11% Y/Y during the period, while imports of Russian pipeline gas increased 7%Y/Y, according to the data.
Supply bottlenecks in the Middle East, including blockades in the Strait of Hormuz and damage to Qatari infrastructure, forced European buyers to lean heavily on readily available Arctic gas.
The EU's ban on short-term Russian LNG imports went into effect on April 25, 2026, under the REPowerEU Gas Regulation.
However, exemptions built into the regulation have allowed European buyers to maintain or even accelerate their intake of Russian gas before a complete blanket ban takes effect on January 1, 2027.
While LNG faces tighter initial phase-outs, pipeline imports from Russia under short-term legacy contracts were given until June 17, 2026 while long-term pipeline gas remains legally permitted until September 30, 2027.
France, Belgium, and Spain are the largest buyers of LNG from the Yamal facility, while Hungary is the largest buyer of pipeline gas shipments delivered via the TurkStream pipeline.
Meanwhile, Hungary and Slovakia continue to receive Russian crude via the southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline as they hold official temporary exemptions from the EU's embargo on Russian seaborne oil.
A Russian airstrike damaged the pipeline in Ukraine, entirely halting oil flows to both nations for nearly three months.
Both were forced to rely on emergency reserves and alternative routes such as Croatia's Adria pipeline during the disruption.
In response, Hungary and Slovakia have agreed to construct a new 127 km pipeline exclusively to transport refined oil products between their respective major refineries.
Tyler Durden Wed, 07/15/2026 - 03:30Why do some countries have noticeably more men than women, while others have the opposite pattern?
This map, via Visual Capitalist's Jeff Desjardins, shows which countries have male- or female-majority populations using World Population Review data on the number of males per 100 females.
While sex ratios at birth differ only slightly, demographic forces can produce striking imbalances over time.
Countries Where There Are More MenOf the 233 countries and territories in the dataset, men outnumber women in just 33%.
RankCountryRatio (Males per 100 females) 1🇶🇦 Qatar243.7 2🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates175.0 3🇴🇲 Oman166.5 4🇧🇭 Bahrain163.2 5🇲🇻 Maldives159.8 6🇰🇼 Kuwait156.5 7🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia152.0 8🇪🇭 Western Sahara122.0 9🇸🇨 Seychelles122.0 10🇵🇼 Palau116.2 11🇧🇹 Bhutan114.5 12🇧🇳 Brunei112.9 13🇲🇵 Northern Mariana Islands112.7 14🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea111.2 15🇬🇱 Greenland110.2 16🇲🇾 Malaysia109.5 17🇲🇹 Malta108.2 18🇸🇬 Singapore106.8 19🇫🇴 Faroe Islands106.5 20🇮🇳 India106.4 21🇯🇴 Jordan106.0 22🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea105.5 23🇮🇸 Iceland105.2 24🇹🇻 Tuvalu105.0 25🇸🇧 Solomon Islands104.6 26🇦🇩 Andorra104.4 27🇲🇭 Marshall Islands104.4 28🇩🇿 Algeria104.0 29🇨🇳 China103.6 30🇳🇷 Nauru103.5 31🇨🇻 Cape Verde103.4 32🇱🇾 Libya103.3 33🇻🇨 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines103.2 34🇨🇮 Ivory Coast103.2 35🇮🇷 Iran103.2 36🇳🇪 Niger103.1 37🇸🇳 Senegal103.0 38🇬🇦 Gabon102.8 39🇾🇪 Yemen102.7 40🇵🇰 Pakistan102.5 41🇳🇬 Nigeria102.5 42🇬🇺 Guam102.3 43🇦🇫 Afghanistan102.1 44🇵🇫 French Polynesia102.0 45🇪🇬 Egypt101.9 46🇺🇿 Uzbekistan101.8 47🇻🇺 Vanuatu101.8 48🇲🇱 Mali101.8 49🇹🇱 Timor-Leste101.7 50🇧🇿 Belize101.7 51🇳🇴 Norway101.7 52🇸🇪 Sweden101.6 53🇲🇦 Morocco101.6 54🇼🇸 Samoa101.6 55🇨🇾 Cyprus101.5 56🇱🇺 Luxembourg101.5 57🇦🇸 American Samoa101.5 58🇹🇬 Togo101.4 59🇸🇮 Slovenia101.4 60🇭🇳 Honduras101.3 61🇰🇲 Comoros101.1 62🇺🇸 United States101.0 63🇮🇶 Iraq101.0 64🇱🇦 Laos100.9 65🇮🇩 Indonesia100.9 66🇫🇲 Micronesia100.8 67🇰🇾 Cayman Islands100.7 68🇧🇯 Benin100.7 69🇹🇩 Chad100.6 70🇲🇬 Madagascar100.6 71🇵🇾 Paraguay100.5 72🇪🇹 Ethiopia100.4 73🇸🇾 Syria100.4 74🇸🇴 Somalia100.3 75🇧🇴 Bolivia100.3 76🇬🇩 Grenada100.3 77🇹🇨 Turks and Caicos Islands100.0 --🌐 Global Average101.2Despite the smaller number of male-majority countries, there are roughly 42 million more men than women worldwide.
There are two main reasons for this.
First, the Gulf states are the clearest outliers. Countries such as Qatar, the UAE, Oman, and Kuwait rely heavily on temporary migrant workers employed in construction, energy, and infrastructure, industries dominated by men. Because many of these workers arrive without their families, national gender balances become unusually skewed.
Second, three of the world’s most populous countries, China, India, and the United States, all have more men than women. Although their ratios are less extreme, their large populations magnify the difference.
In India alone, a ratio of 106.3 men per 100 women translates into a male surplus of more than 40 million.
Countries Where There Are More WomenThe largest concentration of female-majority countries is found across Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. Former Soviet states account for seven of the 12 countries and territories with the lowest ratios of men to women.
RankCountryRatio (Males per 100 females) 1🇭🇰 Hong Kong81.7 2🇬🇵 Guadeloupe82.4 3🇲🇶 Martinique82.8 4🇲🇩 Moldova85.1 5🇲🇴 Macau85.2 6🇲🇫 Saint Martin85.5 7🇷🇺 Russia86.4 8🇦🇲 Armenia86.5 9🇱🇻 Latvia86.8 10🇺🇦 Ukraine87.1 11🇧🇾 Belarus87.2 12🇬🇪 Georgia87.4 13🇧🇱 Saint Barthelemy88.5 14🇵🇷 Puerto Rico88.7 15🇹🇴 Tonga89.5 16🇦🇼 Aruba89.5 17🇱🇹 Lithuania89.6 18🇻🇮 United States Virgin Islands89.7 19🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands89.8 20🇷🇸 Serbia90.0 21🇷🇪 Reunion90.4 22🇸🇻 El Salvador90.5 23🇼🇫 Wallis and Futuna90.5 24🇳🇵 Nepal90.7 25🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda90.9 26🇵🇹 Portugal90.9 27🇪🇪 Estonia91.0 28🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina91.0 29🇧🇸 Bahamas91.1 30🇨🇼 Curacao91.2 31🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis91.4 32🇿🇼 Zimbabwe91.4 33🇾🇹 Mayotte92.0 34🇧🇧 Barbados92.1 35🇳🇺 Niue92.3 36🇭🇺 Hungary92.6 37🇬🇫 French Guiana92.9 38🇨🇫 Central African Republic92.9 39🇲🇪 Montenegro92.9 40🇭🇷 Croatia93.3 41🇱🇰 Sri Lanka93.7 42🇧🇬 Bulgaria93.7 43🇵🇱 Poland93.8 44🇷🇴 Romania93.9 45🇫🇷 France94.1 46🇬🇷 Greece94.1 47🇲🇽 Mexico94.1 48🇸🇽 Sint Maarten94.3 49🇺🇾 Uruguay94.3 50🇦🇮 Anguilla94.3 51🇲🇿 Mozambique94.5 52🇹🇭 Thailand94.5 53🇰🇮 Kiribati94.7 54🇿🇦 South Africa94.7 55🇬🇾 Guyana94.7 56🇲🇰 North Macedonia94.8 57🇱🇧 Lebanon94.8 58🇯🇵 Japan95.1 59🇰🇿 Kazakhstan95.1 60🇨🇰 Cook Islands95.2 61🇱🇸 Lesotho95.2 62🇸🇰 Slovakia95.3 63🇲🇼 Malawi95.4 64🇳🇦 Namibia95.4 65🇧🇲 Bermuda95.4 66🇷🇼 Rwanda95.5 67🇲🇨 Monaco95.7 68🇮🇹 Italy95.9 69🇻🇳 Vietnam96.0 70🇹🇰 Tokelau96.1 71🇰🇭 Cambodia96.3 72🇦🇿 Azerbaijan96.3 73🇪🇸 Spain96.4 74🇲🇷 Mauritania96.5 75🇫🇰 Falkland Islands96.6 76🇸🇿 Eswatini96.6 77🇹🇲 Turkmenistan96.6 78🇧🇩 Bangladesh96.7 79🇧🇷 Brazil96.7 80🇸🇸 South Sudan96.7 81🇸🇲 San Marino96.8 82🇹🇯 Tajikistan96.9 83🇳🇮 Nicaragua96.9 84🇵🇲 Saint Pierre and Miquelon97.1 85🇦🇹 Austria97.1 86🇬🇧 United Kingdom97.1 87🇱🇨 Saint Lucia97.1 88🇨🇺 Cuba97.2 89🇨🇿 Czechia97.4 90🇯🇪 Jersey97.4 91🇨🇴 Colombia97.4 92🇳🇨 New Caledonia97.4 93🇧🇪 Belgium97.5 94🇻🇪 Venezuela97.5 95🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago97.5 96🇩🇪 Germany97.6 97🇬🇬 Guernsey97.6 98🇨🇷 Costa Rica97.6 99🇹🇳 Tunisia97.6 100🇪🇷 Eritrea97.6 101🇦🇱 Albania97.7 102🇹🇼 Taiwan97.7 103🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan97.7 104🇯🇲 Jamaica97.7 105🇭🇹 Haiti97.7 106🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau97.9 107🇮🇲 Isle of Man97.9 108🇫🇮 Finland97.9 109🇮🇪 Ireland98.0 110🇦🇴 Angola98.0 111🇿🇲 Zambia98.1 112🇰🇵 North Korea98.2 113🇩🇯 Djibouti98.2 114🇸🇩 Sudan98.2 115🇬🇳 Guinea98.2 116🇹🇿 Tanzania98.4 117🇬🇹 Guatemala98.4 118🇨🇩 DR Congo98.5 119🇦🇺 Australia98.5 120🇵🇸 Palestine98.5 121🇫🇯 Fiji98.5 122🇺🇬 Uganda98.6 123🇨🇦 Canada98.6 124🇲🇸 Montserrat98.6 125🇦🇷 Argentina98.6 126🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe98.7 127🇧🇮 Burundi98.7 128🇩🇴 Dominican Republic98.8 129🇰🇪 Kenya98.8 130🇳🇱 Netherlands98.8 131🇨🇱 Chile98.8 132🇨🇭 Switzerland98.8 133🇩🇰 Denmark98.9 134🇵🇪 Peru98.9 135🇱🇮 Liechtenstein98.9 136🇳🇿 New Zealand98.9 137🇲🇲 Myanmar99.0 138🇬🇮 Gibraltar99.0 139🇬🇲 Gambia99.2 140🇲🇳 Mongolia99.2 141🇧🇼 Botswana99.2 142🇲🇺 Mauritius99.3 143🇧🇫 Burkina Faso99.3 144🇮🇱 Israel99.3 145🇨🇲 Cameroon99.3 146🇪🇨 Ecuador99.4 147🇰🇷 South Korea99.4 148🇩🇲 Dominica99.5 149🇹🇷 Turkey99.5 150🇵🇭 Philippines99.5 151🇸🇱 Sierra Leone99.5 152🇸🇷 Suriname99.7 153🇬🇭 Ghana99.7 154🇱🇷 Liberia99.8 155🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo99.9 --🌐 Global Average101.2Russia offers one of the region’s most prominent examples. Higher male mortality, shorter male life expectancy, historical wartime losses, and alcohol-related deaths all contribute to its ratio of 86.4 men per 100 women.
Why Sex Ratios Change Over TimeSex ratios at birth naturally favor boys by a small margin, but populations rarely maintain that balance. Migration, life expectancy, war, public health, and economic opportunity can all reshape a country’s demographic profile over decades.
As these forces evolve, the map represents a snapshot rather than a permanent reality. Countries experiencing rapid immigration, population aging, conflict, or major improvements in healthcare may see their gender balance shift substantially from one generation to the next.
Tyler Durden Wed, 07/15/2026 - 02:45Influencer and model Jessica Goicoechea has posted a video on her social media channels in which she openly criticizes the insecurity she believes plagues Barcelona and details the personal measures she has taken to protect herself. In the clip, Goicoechea displays several security items she recently bought in Andorra, including 4 bottles of pepper sprays and a taser gun, which she describes as her "new essentials."
The video ends with a direct message: "Now, I can go calmly through Barcelona."
??? JUST IN: Spanish model Jessica Goicoechea shows off her 4 bottles of pepper spray and a Taser gun while speaking out against immigration.
"Now, I can go calmly through Barcelona," she said.
Following the video's viral spread, Goicoechea wrote a statement explaining that... pic.twitter.com/ATZYvfkOaX
The publication quickly sparked intense debate across social platforms. While some users criticized her for publicly showcasing self-defense weapons, many others - particularly women - expressed support and inquired about where similar products could be purchased. In response, Goicoechea stated that she is receiving "infinite messages" from women seeking ways to protect themselves. She defended her actions by saying that, given the current situation, she believes "if you don't protect yourself, no one will."
Following the video's viral spread, Goicoechea followed up with a written statement. She explained that she had never wanted to enter debates about safety or immigration but felt compelled to speak out because conditions have deteriorated.
"I'm never going to shut up again," she declared. The model described living in fear while walking the streets of Barcelona and highlighted what she called a daily increase in stabbings and shootings that she becomes aware of almost constantly.
In the same statement, Goicoechea emphasized that her concerns are not aimed at immigration in general but specifically at individuals who commit crimes. She pointed to recidivism, impunity, and insufficient controls on people with serious criminal records as the core issues.
"The problem is not where someone comes from, but how they behave," she maintained.
Addressing comments under her video, Goicoechea responded to one follower who linked Barcelona's rising crime to immigration by saying she "100% agrees."
?? "They started hitting me in the stomach and in the face."
A Polish model, attacked by a group of migrants in Milan, spoke to Polish media about her experience.
The attack only ended abruptly thanks to the heroics of an Italian man who intervened.
The report links the attack... pic.twitter.com/ln1Rds6mTN
"It all stems from political mistakes, regardless of the party's political color, due to poor immigration planning," read the comment she agreed with.
She later clarified that this agreement applied only to those who engage in criminal activity. She argued that "if you come to steal or kill, I prefer you be deported."
Goicoechea reiterated that her goal is to call for improved street safety and a firmer response to crime. "I believe that demanding safe streets and firm laws against those who come to commit crimes is essential and common sense," she concluded in the statement shared on her profiles.
????Poland is much safer than the US, says Polish-American supermodel Joanna Krupa.
She directly refers to the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was killed by a career criminal with 14 convictions.
"I certainly feel more secure in Poland than in the States."... pic.twitter.com/eCGIieS5nG
Her comments arrive amid a series of violent incidents recorded across Catalonia in recent weeks, including approximately thirty firearms-related events, many concentrated in the Barcelona metropolitan area. These have been accompanied by frequent robberies and assaults that continue to affect both local residents and tourists, often generating significant public attention.
Other European models have delivered similar messages about crime concerns in the past, including Polish-American supermodel Joanna Krupa.
Tyler Durden Wed, 07/15/2026 - 02:00