boat

The Ukrainian Navy is claiming one of its uncrewed surface vessels (USV) sank a Russian USV, marking the first time one of these weapons, also known as drone boats, destroyed another. The engagement is the latest iteration in the use of combat drone boats, which Ukraine has employed to devastating effect against Russia’s Black Sea Fleet vessels and facilities, forcing the general evacuation of Russian naval assets from occupied Crimea to bases in Russia proper. The use of weaponized USVs is now proliferating around the globe at an increasing rate.

The incident took place somewhere in the Black Sea, said the Ukrainian Navy, which provided no details about when it happened or exactly where. TWZ cannot independently verify this claim; however, we cannot find any evidence of a drone boat killing another drone boat in the past.

“Units of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) detected the target,” the Ukrainian Navy stated on Telegram. “The Ukrainian Navy’s ‘Sargan 3000’ unmanned boat, equipped with a remotely operated weapon station (RWS) Protector 12.7 mm, successfully destroyed it. This is the first naval battle in history between unmanned boats.”

An 81-second video released by the Ukrainian Navy opens with a view from the Sargan 3000’s onboard camera. It shows the Ukrainian USV acquiring, then engaging the Russian USV with its machine gun. It then cuts to a closer view of the Protector gun system firing at the Russian drone boat. At about the 30-second mark, the view switches to a feed from an aerial platform, though it is unclear if it is piloted or a drone. The video continues with the Sargan 3000 raking the Russian USV with its heavy machine gun until pieces start flying off and it eventually sinks, stern first.

The Sargan 3000 (the name means needlefish in Ukrainian) was first introduced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in April as a “multi-purpose platform that has undergone testing and entered service with the Ukrainian Navy. These uncrewed vessels are highly maneuverable and capable of carrying out strike missions.”

Though initially designed as a kamikaze weapon, it evolved into a platform for remote-controlled weapons, according to the Russian AmalNews outlet.

“The maritime drone features a specialized low-profile hull with distinctive hydrodynamic lines and is constructed from materials that reduce its radar signature,” the publication explained. “The Sargan-3000 USV is equipped with a waterjet propulsion system (presumably powered by a diesel or hybrid engine to ensure a long operational range).”

AmalNews states that the Sargan 3000 is 6.9 meters (about 22.6 feet) long, 2.2 meters (about 7.2 feet) wide, with an operational radius of up to 1,600 km (about 994 miles) and can carry a payload of 450 kg (about 992 pounds). It travels at an estimated speed range of 40-55 knots.

During operations, the Sargan 3000 connects to Ukraine’s Delta situational awareness system, “enabling the real-time transmission of target data, video feeds, and telemetry to operators,” AmalNews noted. “It features multi-channel control capabilities, including redundant satellite communication terminals (utilizing secure Western commercial networks and NATO military networks).”

It is also equipped with “an autonomous inertial and optical navigation system to ensure operation in the event of GPS jamming, and it incorporates electronic countermeasures (ECM) modules.”

There are several variants of this USV. They include those equipped with machine guns; rockets; FPV drones; an electronic warfare version and one that lays mines, the publication added.

The Sargan 3000’s Protector remote weapon station is made by Kongsberg.

The drone boat’s first publicly known combat engagement took place in July, when one “destroyed the Russian Federation’s FSB border guard ship Izumrud,” the Ukrainian Navy stated at the time.

“Ukrainian naval sailors sank the border guard ship of the 2nd rank with the Sargan-3000 maritime unmanned complex near Novorossiysk,” the Ukrainian Navy claimed on Facebook. “Among the crew of the ship are dead and wounded.”

It is unclear whether the USV acted as a kamikaze vessel or a weapons platform, although the former is most likely.

“It was Izumrud that on November 25, 2018, participated in the attack on the ships of the Ukrainian Navy in the Kerch Strait,” the service added. “Revenge is inevitable.”

One sea drone killing another is a notable development given the damage these systems can inflict and the challenge of locating and destroying them on open waters. Being able to operate on the water over long distances and timeframes, they can be used to hunt down other drone boats, as what appears to have taken place in this engagement, or serve as a picket line of sorts to protect harbors, vessels and other targets that have been attacked by USVs in the past.

The Russian drone boat, which is not identified, did not appear to be armed.

The Houthi rebels of Yemen actually pioneered the operational use of kamikaze USVs years ago. We first reported about this capability in January 2017, when an explosive-laden Houthi USV struck a Saudi frigate. Before that, Iran developed various crude kamikaze USVs and those capabilities soon migrated to its Houthi proxies, which put them to use in the Red Sea for the first time.

Ukraine has led the way in advancements of these systems, first employing them as kamikaze weapons, but then adding machine guns and rockets and later missiles, which were used to shoot down Russian helicopters and jets. Ukraine has also used these to launch FPV and bomber drone attacks as well as deliver uncrewed ground vehicles (UGV) into enemy territory.

You can see that delivery in the following video.

In the wake of the Ukrainian success with these weapons, Russia developed its own drone boats, and in August 2025, launched its first attack on a Ukrainian vessel.

The U.S. used drone boats as kamikaze weapons for the first time in July, during an attack “on a submarine and ship maintenance facility in Iran,” U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on X at the time.

Regardless, it looks like history was made with this incident in the Black Sea. But this involved a sea drone hunting down and destroying another that couldn’t fight back. Given the rapid pace of weapons development by both sides in the Ukraine war, it seems inevitable that a duel between two armed drones boats could soon follow.

Contact the author: howard@twz.com

ANCHORAGE, Alaska: Bobbing for days atop a capsized skiff in Alaska’s frigid Bering Sea, a 15-year-old boy held on until he was rescued by a fishing vessel this week, the US Coast Guard said.

The boy’s brother and a cousin died sometime after the small boat flipped, according to the rescuers.

Their bodies were found after the teen was hoisted to safety near St. Lawrence Island — a remote Alaskan island that’s closer to Russia than it is to the United States.

The captain of the fishing boat, “The Northwest Explorer,” said the boy had clung to the skiff for close to three days. “That’s one tough kid,” Adam White told KTUU-TV in Anchorage.

Coast Guard planes and helicopters began searching for the skiff Monday morning after family members reported the three missing the night before. Authorities did not release the names of the three.

The group left St. Lawrence Island on Friday and planned to return early Sunday, the Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard said one of its air crews spotted the boy Monday morning and deployed a raft and supplies before contacting “The Northwest Explorer.”

Video of the rescue shows the boy in a bright yellow jacket kneeling atop the overturned skiff. The boat’s crew tosses the boy a line, tugging the skiff closer until they can pull him into a rescue basket.

The boy was experiencing symptoms of hypothermia when he got onto the boat, the Coast Guard said.

The fishing boat crew warmed him with blankets and hot packs, its captain said.

“Through the teeth chattering, he had mentioned that his brother was still under the skiff,” White said. “And then he said that, in the previous night, before our rescue, that his cousin had slipped away.”

Sept. 8, 2026 7:54 AM PT

MIAMI — Secretary of State Marco Rubio begins a three-nation tour of Latin America on Tuesday, visiting U.S.-aligned conservative leaders as the Trump administration steps up military operations to combat drug trafficking and seeks further inroads in the Western Hemisphere aimed at improving America’s energy standing and combating illegal migration.

Just a week after sealing a massive oil deal with Venezuelan leaders after a U.S. military operation in January deposed then-leader Nicolás Maduro, Rubio was traveling to neighboring Colombia to meet President Abelardo de la Espriella. Colombia’s new leader has embraced President Trump’s policies on issues ranging from drugs to immigration and energy.

De la Espriella is one of a new generation of right-wing conservatives to win election and show support for Trump’s muscular approach to a region that had tilted leftward in recent decades.

In announcing the trip last week, which also will take Rubio to Ecuador and Peru, the State Department said Rubio and all three leaders would be discussing “enhanced cooperation in the shared fight against narcoterrorism, which threatens our hemisphere.”

Rubio visits as Latin American allies help expanded efforts to fight drug trafficking

The trip comes a day after U.S. forces intercepted and sank another Ecuadorian vessel that Washington accuses of links to the criminal group Los Choneros.

It was the latest action by the U.S. against boats and vessels in Latin America that it says are involved in drug trafficking. Expanded operations in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean began a year ago, coinciding with an extreme crackdown on migrants in the U.S. illegally, many of them from Latin America.

The vessel sunk Monday was the fifth targeted by U.S. forces in the region in less than two weeks — in most cases with the cooperation or at least tacit support of the conservative leaders with whom Rubio will meet.

But unlike strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in Latin American waters that began in September 2025, those on board the vessel were removed and transferred to Ecuadorian authorities. It appears to be a shift after a series of strikes on boats over the year have killed at least 227 people, which the Trump administration accuses of being “narcoterrorists” but without providing evidence.

The U.S. military carried out at least two of those deadly strikes last month before starting to intercept floating refueling stations that it says support illicit drug trafficking operations at sea.

Colombia’s president vows to crack down on drug trafficking and immigration

Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bula said in a video released Tuesday that Rubio’s visit marks the beginning of “rebuilding a strategic alliance with the United States, our main partner in the region.” He affirmed that Colombia will focus on discussing security, which includes combating drug trafficking, trade, and the defense of “shared values.”

De la Espriella has promised to take a hard line against drug traffickers and pledges to deport thousands of migrants who are in Colombia without residence permits, mainly Venezuelans, as he tries to make significant changes to the nation’s immigration policies that he says will reduce crime.

After taking office last month, De la Espriella brought Colombia into the Americas Counter Cartels Coalition and strengthened long-standing security cooperation with the United States, following strained relations during the 2022-2026 administration of progressive Gustavo Petro.

In just a month in office, De la Espriella has carried out at least three bombings against illegal armed groups and increased military operations. However, several minors have died during the bombings, which has drawn criticism from opposition leaders.

As part of his security strategy, he has focused his efforts on showcasing the results of military operations. However, there was criticism from the opposition and the state-run Ombudsman’s Office after De la Espriella displayed the bodies of alleged criminals wrapped in white bags on the ground alongside seized ammunition.

After winning the election, De la Espriella identified several leaders of Colombia’s illegal armed groups as “military targets.” Last week, he announced that the first of these, Naín Andrés Pérez Toncel, alias “Bendito Menor,” one of the leaders of the Self-Defense Forces of the Sierra Nevada, an illegal armed group in the north of the country, had been killed by police.

Nicknamed “El Tigre,” or The Tiger, the president has shifted the country’s security policy, closing the peace negotiations initiated by Petro during his administration, which he considers a failed effort that only increased violence in Colombia.

Colombia grapples with illegal armed groups vying for control of territories strategically important for drug trafficking and illegal mining, despite the fact that a decade ago the state signed a historic peace agreement with the FARC rebel group.

After meeting De la Espriella in Barranquilla on the Caribbean, where he will sign a civil nuclear cooperation deal and a critical minerals agreement, Rubio will make a brief stop in Quito.

He will meet Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa whose government has steadily increased counternarcotics operations conducted with the U.S. military.

Rubio will round out the visit with a stop in Lima, Peru, where he will meet new President Keiko Fujimori — the daughter of former leader Alberto Fujimori — as the government also has taken a rightward turn.

Lee and Suárez write for the Associated Press. Suarez reported from Bogota, Colombia.

People have been left horrified after they were unable to get off the ferry when they arrived at a Greek beach as the popular destination was packed with tourists

Imagine going on an excursion when you’re on holiday, only to be unable to get off the boat you arrived on because the island is too busy. You’d likely be furious, wanting a refund for the trip, and wondering why so many others had been allowed to travel on the same day as you to visit the island.

But that was the reality recently for disgruntled tourists as they arrived at Balos Beach in Crete, Greece, only to be unable to disembark from their boat. It was described as “hell on earth,” and people are blaming influencers for the beach pile-up.

The beach is renowned for its “hypnotising turquoise waters and a panoramic landscape,” however, it has been so heavily promoted and plastered across social media that many believe this is the root cause of the overwhelming crowds.

Visitors were pictured crammed along the shoreline, and as they queued to make their way onto the island, yet more tourists continued to pour in by boat, creating absolute chaos.

Local media have reported that authorities are now taking steps to regulate visitor numbers in order to protect the environment and guarantee the safety of those who do make the trip.

It has been proposed that a maximum of 1,200 people should be permitted on the island at any one time, according to The Daily Mail.

On X, one user shared the shocking footage, writing: “Balos Beach, Greece, a queue of tourists waiting to board the return boat, while other boats keep arriving loaded with new visitors”.

One visitor recalled that a trip in May had been a “different universe,” describing the beach as completely peaceful at that time of year compared to now.

However, many families have little choice but to holiday during the peak summer months, as parents face penalties for taking children out of school during term time.

“This is the harm that influencers do,” one man claimed, given that this beach has been branded a seriously Instagrammable destination in Greece, which has contributed to its soaring popularity.

Others described it as “horrifying,” with some arguing that entry fees should be increased to manage visitor numbers.

While some remarked it didn’t appear “very relaxing,” others drew comparisons to “attending a concert,” pointing out that queuing is sometimes part and parcel of popular experiences.

It’s not the only location that has sparked debate in Greece this summer, as one woman revealed she had to wait for two hours just to capture the perfect Instagram photograph in Oia, Santorini.

People begin queuing as early as 7am in the hope of securing the ideal shot of the iconic blue-domed buildings and stunning azure waters, but is it genuinely worthwhile?

Influencer Luiza Parente recently visited Santorini herself and documented the enormous queue required to snap a photograph.

Nevertheless, she believed it was worth the wait, as she successfully captured the perfect shot – and she even dressed in blue to commemorate the moment.

Searches have been carried out for a second day for two crew members after a French fishing boat sank in the English Channel, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said.

A coastguard rescue helicopter, fixed-wing plane and RNLI lifeboats began searching an area south-west of Eddystone Lighthouse off Plymouth, Devon, after the crew of the trawler the Maranello made a distress call at 18:00 BST on Saturday.

The intensive multi-agency search continued on Sunday before it was “suspended pending further information”, coastguards said at 20:20 on Sunday.

HM Coastguard said three people rescued from the boat and taken to hospital were “currently travelling back to France”.

The French authorities said the stricken fishing vessel had contacted another trawler, the Stradale, to say it had a problem with its fishing gear.

The Stradale managed to recover three of the five crew members before the Maranello sank, the French naval prefecture for the Atlantic added.

One of the rescued sailors was evacuated by helicopter and treated in hospital in Truro, Cornwall, while the other two were taken to Plymouth for medical attention.

RNLI lifeboat crews from Falmouth and Newlyn in Cornwall, as well as from Plymouth and Salcombe in Devon, have been involved in the operation.

A large number of civilian vessels had also assisted in the “intensive search” for the two remaining crew members, a UK coastguard spokesperson added.

They said a coastguard aircraft “equipped with the latest technology including a multi-function search radar and high resolution cameras” was also involved, and that mayday relay broadcasts had been sent out, “requesting vessels in the area to keep a sharp lookout.”

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HOW does quad-biking through the wild Sahara desert sound, or dolphin-spotting at sunset?

Or perhaps you are more of a lavish spa dweller, who dreams of whiling away your holiday hours on a massage bed being gently pummelled by hot stones?

In the millionaire’s playground of El Gouna, you can do all this and more.

And best of all, here you can live the champagne lifestyle on a lemonade budget.

El Gouna, around 25 miles from Egypt’s Hurghada airport, literally translates as The Lagoon — and it’s not hard to see why.

The luxury town is made up of 36 islands with more than six miles of scenic coastline and lagoons interwoven throughout.

AWESOME WELLS

I visited trendy seaside town with quayside pubs, pretty beach & holiday park

SHELL YEAH

Inside the Norfolk hotel famous for oyster festival and GIANT seafood platter

There’s so much water surrounding the gorgeous hotels that some visitors have even compared it to the Maldives.

But it’s much more vast and far less isolated.

With four marinas, over 100 shops and restaurants, two championship golf courses and 18 international hotel resorts and chains, it’s impossible to get bored here.

And the town is still expanding at a rapid rate.

El Gouna only came into existence in the 1980s when billionaire entrepreneur Samih Sawiris decided to transform what was then just a vast area of desert into an area his family and friends could enjoy.

Fast-forward to today and the peaceful spot is the perfect winter sun escape for Brits.

It’s just a short five-hour or so flight from the UK and even in January, temperatures hit 23C.

El Gouna, just a 30-minute drive from Hurghada and with security checks at the town’s few entrances, is also one of the safest destinations in Egypt for tourists.

Entry is only granted for hotel guests, staff and visitors with dinner reservations, so you can stroll back to your hotel in safety.

You can take your pick of luxury hotels within the gates — although the highlight for me was The Chedi.

This 5* luxury resort has its own private beach, luxurious spa and multiple restaurants — including Japanese eatery, Nihon — among its 82 suites and rooms.

A short walk from the lobby will take you to various idyllic sunbathing spots, with the beach just steps away from the pools.

And if you get restless on a sunbed, The Chedi has paddleboards and kayaks for guests to take into the Red Sea, as well as fun beach games like volleyball.

The luxurious rooms come with an affordable price tag compared to similar 5* hotels in Europe, if you’d rather save those pennies to splurge on excursions, check in to the 4* Cook’s Club instead.

While it doesn’t quite match The Chedi in terms of room size, it certainly has the monopoly on water space with a huge pool and beach area offering direct access to its own private lagoon.

Regular live music poolside caters for the younger crowd of 18 to 30-somethings, but if you prefer an even livelier atmosphere, El Gouna’s town centre is right on your doorstep.

The hotel’s hearty breakfast buffet — which includes an omelette station — has enough grub to soak up any hangover, plus the baristas here can whip up an excellent brew.

But it’s well worth pottering into town when you get the chance.

The newest restaurant, La Botanica, has a farm-to-table concept serving elegant dishes of beef carpaccio and lobster.

If it’s the wow factor you’re after though, head to The Steigenberger Tower where you can soak up 360-degree views of the resort.

Everything looks especially gorgeous at sunset.

And when you’re not indulging in fancy food or a five-star massage, the list of action-packed activities are endless.

Alex Safaris does an incredible quad-biking excursion that will send you hurtling over dunes to a traditional Bedouin camp.

Here, visitors can dabble in shisha and other traditional experiences.

And if you’ve always dreamed of spotting wild dolphins, they’re in abundance here and you’ll be spoilt for choice with boat tours.

Apparently, El Gouna’s unofficial motto is: “You’ll never want to leave.”

And with such affordable prices and so much to see and do, I can’t help but agree.

Aug. 25 (UPI) — The U.S. military killed four people Tuesday in its latest strike targeting an alleged drug-trafficking boat in the Caribbean, the second strike in a matter of days after a two-month pause.

U.S. Southern Command has killed at least 227 people in 68 publicly acknowledged strikes targeting alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Pacific since the first strike on Sept. 2, according to UPI’s tally, which is based on SOUTHCOM press releases.

As with previous strikes, SOUTHCOM said intelligence confirmed the boat it struck Tuesday was involved in narco-trafficking and that it was “operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean.”

As it has done with previous strikes, SOUTHCOM did not provide proof.

A seven-second aerial video of the strike published online by SOUTHCOM shows a boat driving along the water before it is enveloped in a flash.

“We will hunt, disrupt and defeat these narco-terrorist networks,” Gen. Francis Donovan, commander of SOUTHCOM, said Tuesday in a statement.

“SOUTHCOM is resolved to neutralizing cartel terror and violence throughout the region and into the U.S. homeland.”

Earlier this month, SOUTHCOM replaced Joint Task Force Southern Spear, which had carried out Operation Southern Spear, with the broader Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere, a new command intended to provide unified command and control at the tactical and operational levels while integrating military capabilities with 18 partner nations of the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, according to the Defense Department.

The Trump administration has said the task force’s purpose is to “synchronize” U.S. military operations with Caribbean and Latin American allies, such as Trinidad and Tobago.

Tuesday’s strike was the second by the joint task force after it killed two people SOUTHCOM accused of being narco-terrorists on Sunday.

The Sunday strike was the first since June 21. The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data conflict monitor told UPI in an emailed statement that Sunday’s strike ended the longest interruption in U.S. strikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels since the campaign began.

The cause of the lapse was not immediately clear and UPI has contacted SOUTHCOM for an explanation.

The strikes have been widely criticized by legal and civil rights advocates as well as United Nations experts as illegal extrajudicial killings under international law. The Trump administration has argued that it is in “armed conflict” with the drug cartels, though a Justice Department legal memo justifying the strikes against people allegedly affiliated with a secret list of designated groups remains classified.

Despite the Trump administration’s claims that all those killed are narco-terrorists, evidence suggests that at least some of them were fishermen. A lawsuit filed against the U.S. government by the American Civil Liberties Union states that two people killed in the same strike in September were returning to their homes in Trinidad and Tobago after working as farmers and fishermen in Venezuela.

Earlier this month, Sen. Tim Kaine echoed this sentiment after reviewing classified documents on the operation.

In a letter to Trump, the senior Democratic lawmaker from Virginia and a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees urged him to examine whether military leaders had exceeded his order by targeting people the Justice Department did not say in its memo could be legally targeted and killed.

The historic harbour is the hub of this working East Neuk fishing port, home to a fleet of about 30 small trawlers and creel boats. Their catches are sold at the covered market on the quay each weekday morning, and served at the harbourside Dory Bistro and Chip Ahoy at the Larachmhor pub. Pittenweem (which means “place of the cave”) also has a Victorian-era swimming pool next to the beach, which is filled by the tide twice a day. After falling into disrepair, it was saved by a local group called the West Braes Project and reopened in 2021, along with the crazy golf course. Early each August, there is an annual arts festival with exhibits by nearly 200 artists in harbourside spaces, heritage buildings, homes and studios. Pittenweem is flanked by two other pretty harbour villages, St Monans and Anstruther, while a third, Crail, is a little further north; the Fife Coastal Path links them all. The Bank in Anstruther has harbour-view rooms (doubles from £120 B&B).

There has been a harbour in the village of Carnlough since the late 1700s, but the one standing today dates to 1853 (Game of Thrones fans may recognise it as the Braavos canal). It was built on the orders of the Marchioness of Londonderry to transport limestone from her quarries – the town hall’s Heritage Hub tells the full story. The old railway line between the quarry and harbour is now a footpath with panoramic views, leading to Cranny Falls. The harbour is the focal point of the village, which stands at the foothills of Glencoy – one of the nine glens, or glacial valleys, of Antrim – on Carnlough Bay. It bustles with local fishers, and boat trips set sail daily (£10 adults, £6 children; trips last 45 minutes). The Twilight coffeeshop, directly across from the harbour, serves brunch and has bunkhouse accommodation upstairs (sleeping 14). The recently refurbished Harbourview hotel offers more than 200 Irish whiskeys and hosts an annual whiskey festival (doubles from £120 B&B).

Solva, Pembrokeshire

Solva’s ancient harbour is at the bottom of a steep-sided valley on St Brides Bay, a few miles from St David’s. At high tide, it is popular with paddleboarders, but at low tide it becomes a huge stretch of sand, with the River Solva meandering down the middle. Then, there are rock pools and caves to explore; prime fishing, crabbing and shrimping spots; and safe, shallow places to swim. The village is split into Lower Solva, by the harbour, and Upper Solva – there are fantastic views over both ends from the Gribin headland. Cafe on the Quay and the Harbour Inn have outdoor tables overlooking the water; the Hats & Barrels serves fresh fish, and seasonal lobster and crab; and the Cambrian Inn is a restaurant with five rooms (doubles from £140 B&B).

Craster, Northumberland

While Craster’s natural haven has been used by fishers for centuries, today’s harbour was built in 1906 as a memorial to a member of the Craster family and has the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle, a mile’s (1.6km) walk away up the coast as a backdrop. Craster is perhaps best known for its kippers, and L Robson & Sons has been producing them at its smokehouse overlooking the harbour since 1856. They are sold in the shop next door, while the Piper’s Pitch hut serves them in a bun, and the Jolly Fisherman pub turns them into paté and puts them in a scotch egg. The Cottage Inn, just outside Craster, has 10 rooms (doubles from £105 room only), and the Dunstanburgh Castle Inn in neighbouring Embleton has 16 (doubles from £120 B&B). The market town of Alnwick is about seven miles away.

Brixham, on Devon’s south coast, is probably the county’s best-known harbour town – but the village of Clovelly, on the north coast, is well worth seeking out, too. It was once the property of William the Conqueror, and is still privately owned today (entry is £10.90 adults; £6.25 children). The tiny harbour stands at the foot of a 122-metre cliff, reached via the steep, cobbled main street (known as Up-along or Down-along). Cars are not allowed, so goods are transported by sledges and donkeys. The Red Lion hotel, right on the quay, has 17 rooms, all with sea views (doubles from £225 B&B); the restaurant serves dishes such as wild hake and local lobster, while the snug bar offers haddock and chips. The Fisherman’s Cottage & Kingsley Museum is a 1930s time capsule, and there are annual festivals celebrating seaweed, seafaring and seafood.

Staithes, North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire is not short of busy harbour towns and fishing villages: see Scarborough, Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay. But Staithes, a little further north, is less well known. The name means “landing place” in Old English; Vikings landed here, and it was once one of the busiest fishing ports in the north-east. Today, there are still a handful of cobles (a traditional fishing vessel), plus boats running wildlife-watching trips, from which minke whales can be seen in August and September. The village is a steep jumble of cottages (largely white-washed and red-roofed, with the occasional electric blue pile), threaded with cobbled snickets (narrow alleys). The Cod & Lobster pub is right on the harbour wall; and the Endeavour B&B (refurbished in 2022) has four rooms, one with harbour views (doubles from £120 B&B). There is an annual arts festival (this year running 11-13 September), and visitors can walk a mile or so along the Cleveland Way to the ruined harbour at the abandoned hamlet of Port Mulgrave.

From mighty Falmouth to minuscule Mousehole, harbour hunters are spoiled for choice in Cornwall. But pretty Porthleven, on the Lizard peninsula, tends to have fewer crowds. Its double harbour, which opened in 1825, is said to have been built by French prisoners of war after the battle of Waterloo. It is lined with pubs, restaurants and galleries; there is a craft market most days from Easter to the end of October, and a food festival in April. The 17th-century Ship Inn straddles the harbour and the waters of Mount’s Bay; the Mussel Shoal is a seafood shack right on the harbour head; and Kota Kai serves fusion food such as Cornish fish and chips with katsu curry sauce, wasabi tartare, Asian slaw and pea puree. The Harbour Inn is a recently refurbished pub with 15 rooms (doubles from £110 B&B).

Lyme Regis’s harbour includes the Cobb, a breakwater and jetty. The first written mention of it was in 1328, when it was damaged by storms, but today’s Cobb was built from blocks of Portland stone in the late 18th and 19th centuries. It is on the west side of the town (known locally as the Pearl of Dorset), so is great for a sunset stroll. You can often see seals in the harbour and dolphins just out to sea; there are daily boat trips in late spring and summer. The beaches are fertile ground for fossil hunters – especially at Monmouth, to the west of the Cobb, and East Cliff, to the east of the town – and have thrown up many amazing discoveries, including an ichthyosaurus excavated by the paleontological pioneer Mary Anning in 1812. The Cobb Arms is the closest pub to the harbour and has three rooms (doubles £155 B&B); while the Harbour Inn, a tiny bit farther north by the beach, serves Lyme Bay seafood.

This market town on the west bank of the River Lymington, at the edge of the Solent, was first mentioned in the Domesday Book, became a hotbed for salt manufacture in the medieval era and later a shipbuilding centre in the 19th century. Today, it is a yachting hub, with two marinas as well as the old town quay. Near the Royal Lymington Yacht Club are the town’s seawater baths – established in 1833 and still open for swimmers (plus paddleboarding and inflatable obstacle courses). There is a lively market along the high street on Saturdays; while waterfront pubs and restaurants include the Ship Inn and The Haven, and the recently reopened Mayflower, set a little back near the seawater baths, which has seven rooms (doubles from £100 B&B). The Wightlink ferry port is just outside the town at Lymington Pier, taking passengers to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight, another historic harbour town (with a crossing of about 40 minutes).

Plockton, a planned harbour village built to support the herring industry in the early 1800s, is known as the Jewel of the Highlands. It sits in a sheltered bay on the banks of Loch Carron, with a mild climate that allows incongruous-looking palm trees to thrive, and wooded hills beyond. Visitors can buy fresh fish and prawns off the pier when the boats come in at about 3pm; go on sea-kayak tours and seal-watching trips (from spring until the end of October); and watch the annual summer regatta in July. The Plockton Inn serves local langoustines and other seafood; the Plockton hotel has six rooms with loch views and five overlooking the gardens (doubles £180 B&B); and the bunkhouse by the railway station has budget beds (£20pp, discounts for groups). It is about an hour’s drive over the bridge to the Isle of Skye and on to its pastel-painted harbour capital, Portree.

US Southern Command says that Sunday’s strike targeted a vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific.

The United States military said it struck a suspected drug-trafficking boat in the Pacific Ocean, killing two people.

In a Monday post on X, US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said Sunday’s strike targeted a vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific.

“Confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel’s active involvement in narco-trafficking,” SOUTHCOM added.

“This operation is a clear and decisive reminder that SOUTHCOM is taking the fight directly to the cartels.”

Grainy, black-and-white video accompanying the post appeared to show a boat moving through the water immediately before a large explosion.

The post stated that under the direction of SOUTHCOM Commander General Francis L. Donovan, the Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere executed a lethal kinetic strike on the low-profile vessel.

“We are committed to imposing total systemic friction on narco-terrorists — disrupting their operations, dismantling their leadership and eliminating cartel terror across the region,” Donovan was quoted as saying.

“Let me be clear, we will not permit narco-terrorists to operate with impunity in the Western Hemisphere, nor will we allow their deadly poison to reach American communities. This operation is a powerful demonstration of our lethal precision, overwhelming capability, and absolute resolve to protect the U.S. homeland.”

The US military launched Operation Southern Spear in early September, with President Donald Trump arguing that Washington is effectively at war with Latin American drug cartels.

Since then, more than 200 people have been killed in strikes across the Eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, according to a tally by the AFP news agency.

However, the Trump administration has not provided definitive evidence that the targeted vessels were involved in drug trafficking.

Legal experts and rights groups warn that the attacks could amount to extrajudicial killings.

The Pentagon’s inspector general said in May that it would review whether the military followed standard targeting procedures, though the evaluation will not examine the legal authority behind the strikes.

Twelve people including the captain are on board ‘Kate’, the latest vessel attempting to deliver aid.

Bristol, United Kingdom – A boat has set sail from southern England as part of a flotilla’s efforts to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza.

Supporters on Sunday gathered at Hannover Quay in Bristol, a city represented by the Greens and known for its progressive spirit, to send off “Kate”, a vessel with Freedom Flotilla activists on board.

Among those bidding the 12 activists farewell were Swee Ang, a doctor and the founder of Medical Aid for Palestinians; the Welsh nurse Leigh Evans, who was seen in footage shared widely online kneeling before Egyptian soldiers in June 2025, pleading to be allowed to cross and deliver aid to Gaza and David Miller, a professor who recently won a legal battle against the University of Bristol over his anti-Zionist views.

Fiacc O Brolchain, the Irish sailor and captain of the vessel who was detained by Israeli forces earlier this year during a previous mission, said his hearing aids were seized while being interrogated. He said he kept repeating to the Israeli soldiers, “I can’t hear you; you took my hearing aids.”

Israel has since 2010 intercepted or attacked every flotilla that has attempted to breach the Gaza blockade, including in international waters.

Frank Romano, a member of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and an international lawyer who has represented Palestinian cases before the International Court of Justice, said that since October 2023, Israeli forces have intercepted and detained more than 75 solidarity ships and boats. He has taken up legal battles to recover them, but has succeeded in retrieving only two vessels.

Romano himself owns “Handala”, a vessel named after a character created by the late Palestinian artist Naji al-Ali, that was intercepted and detained in July 2025.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, which Romano said has so far cost $24m and comprises scores of boats in different waves, launched its first mission last year and a much larger one in April.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg joined the movement and was among the flotilla’s passengers detained by Israel when their boat, the Alma, was intercepted in October. She is among those who alleged physical and psychological abuse while detained. Israel denied the allegations.

Colm Byrne, an Irish activist who is setting sail again after participating in previous flotilla attempts, said that in April, he was more than 1,000km (620 miles) from Gaza when Israeli forces intercepted. He said flotilla members were kicked, beaten and forced into painful and humiliating postures. He suffered a shoulder injury, he said.

Activists were made to spend four hours on their knees with their hands tied behind their backs before being transferred to prison, where they were forced to walk with their heads down or else face the threat of being slapped, Byrne noted.

But he stressed that although he felt humiliated, the mistreatment does not compare with the scale of abuse suffered by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

The ferry cuts across the waters of Lake Biel, creating soft ripples, as if someone has taken a brushstroke to a blue canvas. To starboard, as we approach St Peter’s Island, are gentle mountains; to port side, lie golden fields. Straight ahead, the isle looks empty and Crusoe-esque.

On the jetty, Max Frey, a boatman, historian and guide, is waiting for me. He’s a man of dates and paperwork and pulls a handful from his satchel as he greets me, thrilled at the prospect of leading a tour; Switzerland’s Jura and Three Lakes region, this idyllic nook on the French border, is often overlooked by visitors.

“Welcome to paradise,” he says, raising his voice above the ferry engine thrum. “That’s how Jean-Jacques Rousseau felt about the island when he came in 1765. He was always running away from places, but spent the happiest days of his life here.”

Beach-fringed St Peter’s Island is now actually a peninsula (in the mid-19th century the level of the surrounding lake was lowered, creating a land bridge to the mainland) but it is still best reached by boat, and is car-free. With golden light falling on the sand and silver zander ghosting through the clear water, it undoubtedly feels heavenly. Rousseau – the philosopher, writer, composer, rebel who spent six weeks on the island in exile – wasn’t the only one to fall under its spell. “Alexandre Dumas and Goethe stayed, too,” says Max, proudly. “So did Joséphine Bonaparte, the first wife of Napoleon. When she arrived, it is said that more than 1,000 boats sailed on to the lake to see her.”

Home to the country’s gentlest summits, the Jura Mountains, and the glacial-blue lakes Biel, Neuchâtel and Murten – linked by the beautiful Zihl and Broye canals – the region is connected by regular ferries (perhaps it could offer an alternative to Greek or Croatian island hopping, only with better cheese). It’s also wine country, the lakesides fringed by tidy vineyards, and small towns such as Ligerz, La Neuveville, Le Landeron and Erlach contain dozens of understated family cellars.

I’m here on a three-day, DIY ferry-hopping trip, travelling from Biel to Murten, hiking, swimming, birding and wine tasting along the way. It’s a wholly different side to the Switzerland I’m used to – low on pomp, lower on price, but high on novelty.

The ferry journey to St Peter’s takes just 15 minutes from the mainland towns of La Neuveville or Ligerz (or 55 minutes from Biel, where I’d arrived from), and Max and I are as good as alone as we explore. Paths slalom through chestnut trees to empty coves. Butterflies flit by. A farmer cycles past to tend to an Angus herd grazing beside swans and reed-bed warblers on the shore. An information panel gives notice that St Peter’s was once home to Romans, then Benedictine monks who, it is said, with free rein on the island lured in the most beautiful girls from around the lake.

We explore the western side on foot, and vineyards take over from forests and sandy coves as we cross to the east. I arrive at my accommodation for the night, Hotel St Petersinsel, housed in a beautiful monastery dating back to 1127, complete with a restaurant courtyard, sarcophagi, Roman-era columns and a museum-piece bedroom where Rousseau slept. As dusk approaches, I dine alone on zander with lemon risotto and summer tomatoes with burrata from nearby Fribourg, paired with local wine.

The next morning, I start the day with a swim by the jetty as a heron flaps overhead. The Three Lakes are full of easily accessible swimming spots and beaches, but I’m alone apart from a family of ducks watching me from the sand. Afterwards, I hop on a ferry to Ligerz, a wine village halfway along Lake Biel’s northern banks on the Franco-German linguistic border.

Ligerz’s name is said to come from an ancient Roman settler, Ligerius, and it turns out to be a village bursting with grapes and bacchanal bliss. Every house seems to have its own vineyard plot leaning towards the shore, which is ideal if it’s lunchtime and a hike around pretty-as-pie St Michael’s Chapel has helped you work up a thirst.

Wine drinking in Switzerland has its challenges. The Swiss keep nearly all they produce and it’s pricey compared with German or Italian wine. But I arrive at Andrey Schafis, a fifth-generation family cellar overlooking the water, where drinkers on the restaurant terrace enjoy chilled lemony chasselas for 15 Swiss francs (£13.50) a bottle, accompanied by charcuterie and cheese. The feeling is less Alpine, more Amalfi.

“Almost everything we make is drunk here,” says Arielle Andrey, uncorking a bottle. We chat over a glass before she dashes off into the wood-beamed cellar to bring out more fresh-baked bread, cheese and wine.

With a spring in my step, I take the village’s Vinifuni – a short, steep funicular through the vineyards – all the way through a cleft in the limestone to the Tessenberg plateau and the petite village of Prêles in the shadow of Chasseral, Jura’s flat-topped mountain. This is a country of preposterously beautiful summits, and although this crest is a gentle one, the view from it is still one of the most dazzling; the fields below look like a gigantic eiderdown of gold and green stitched around three enormous patches of blue.

I follow the lonely path to the highest point through a forest of pine, then stand awhile on its observation deck beneath a 120-metre telecommunications tower that has all the exposed platforms, gantries and satellites of a rocket launch pad.

From here, I zigzag downhill to the village of Nods, as sleepy as it sounds, and then take a bus back to Prêles and the family-run Hôtel de l’Ours Prêles, sitting high above the lake. It isn’t the most celebrated address in the Alps, but it quickly becomes one of my favourites, because of its delightful hosts, Mélanie and Marcello Pigozzo. Marcello cheerfully brings me a cold BLZ beer from nearby Orvin and Mélanie serves an entrecôte steak and profiteroles on the terrace. My meal is soundtracked by bell-rattling cattle in the next-door field.

On my final morning, I take one last boat ride, a three-hour journey from Lake Biel via the Zihr canal to Lake Neuchâtel, and on via the Broye canal to Lake Murten and its lakeside fortress town. The ferry putters past radiant sunflower fields and fruit crops. While the verges are scattered with campsites, cycle paths and bird reserves, including La Grande Cariçaie, the country’s largest marshland, the medieval town of Murten is a time capsule.

Church spires soar, swifts nest in the towers and the battlements can be patrolled, offering a Mary Poppins view of old rooftops and stone chimneys. Beyond the ramparts, beneath a vivid blue sky, vineyards gather on the hazy hills and I watch the ferry depart on its sailing back to Biel. The horn blows. A heron takes flight. A dozing fisher stirs on the jetty. A different Switzerland is out there. You simply need to take the slow boat to find it.

The trip was provided by Jura & Trois Lacs, supported by Switzerland Tourism. St Petersinsel has doubles from £128 B&B and Hôtel de l’Ours Prêles has doubles from £175 B&B. A Swiss Travel Pass for three days covering all public transport, including lake ferries, costs £238

EMILIE Kiser has addressed the controversy that surrounded her after her young son was pictured without a life jacket.

The 27-year-old influencer‘s son, 16 months, was pictured on a boat without a life jacket – and fans were left completely enraged.

In a video posted on Friday, Emilie acknowledged that she and her husband, Brady Kiser, 29, made a mistake for not putting a life jacket on their son and apologized for the incident.

“I understand this conversation.

“I think it is important. It holds people accountable, and I know that I am not perfect.

“I know that we make mistakes, and all I can say is that I’m sorry, and that I know we made a mistake,” Emilie said.

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She captioned the video, “Thanks for listening. Hope you all have a safe and good weekend.”

Emilie also shared a statement which read: “Our child should have been in his life jacket for the entirety of that boat ride, not even for the few moments that he was out of it.

“We are painfully aware that in a matter of seconds, your entire life can change, and we should have done better.

“We recognize and appreciate the genuine care that people have for our children.

“There has also been a deep level of anger and hurt directed toward our family, and we understand the basis of those feelings as well.

“It comes from the belief that Trigg should still be here, and we share that same belief more than can be expressed. He was only three years old, and should have lived a lifetime more. That reality lives with us every moment of every single day.

“We will continue to do better, advocate for better and, as hard as we try to avoid them, still make mistakes. We can only promise that we will never stop learning from them and continue loving our children with everything we have.”

The footage of Teddy was captured during a June family trip to Mallorca, Spain.

The footage was shared by fellow influencer Madi Curtis in a now-deleted upload.

Teddy could briefly be seen sitting on the boat with Brady without a life jacket.

This comes just a year their son Trigg died after falling into the family’s pool.

Arizona police alleged Brady was watching an NBA playoff game while Trigg, 3, fell into the water and was alone for over nine minutes.

Brady found him unconscious, and Trigg died six days later in the hospital on May 18, 2025.

Just last month, Emilie revealed she’s expecting another child.

Taking to social media in July, Emilie penned: “As I stated last year, my family’s privacy will always be my priority.

“Because of that, I’m not sure how much I will be sharing about this pregnancy and next phase of life, but I appreciate your understanding as I navigate those boundaries.”

She added: “This baby has already brought so much hope and joy into our home, and we are treasuring every moment of it together.

“Thank you in advance for all of the love, well wishes, and support as we navigate this next chapter of our growing family.”

The influencer recently opened up about her grief and her decision to stay with her husband in mid-June on the Jay Shetty Podcast.

“Losing a child really shows you, in the scariest, most real way possible, just how quickly life can change and how quickly life can literally be taken away,” she said.

“And I think that really scared me with Teddy [her youngest son].”

Emilie revealed there were times she was “so angry” at her husband and was unsure if she could ever forgive him.