Keir Starmer says operation involving National Crime Agency has delivered ‘yet another blow’ to Russia and Putin

Keir Starmer said he directed British troops to seize a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the Channel in the early hours of Sunday, the first time the UK has led a naval capture since the start of the war in Ukraine.

The prime minister released a video on TikTok early on Sunday showing heavily armed Royal Marine commandos boarding the oil-laden Smyrtos tanker, which had been sailing south of the Isle of Wight en route from Russia to India.

US president blames Tehran for loss of Apache gunship, whose crew were rescued by a drone near strait of Hormuz

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The US has launched strikes against Iran after Donald Trump blamed Tehran for downing a US army helicopter near the strait of Hormuz, imperilling a shaky ceasefire that was announced by the two countries in April.

The attacks triggered a wave of retaliatory strikes from Iran on Wednesday morning, with Tehran saying it had targeted Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.

WASHINGTON, June 11 — President Donald Trump said yesterday that the US military secretly helped 100 million barrels of oil pass through the contested Strait of Hormuz, which Iran largely closed in response to US and Israeli attacks.

“Last month, I directed our Great US Military to execute a secret mission to support Oil Tankers and other Commercial Ships through the Straight of Hormuz,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform, claiming the US “controls” the strait.

“Today, I am pleased to announce that this effort has resulted in more than 100 MILLION Barrels of Oil making its way through,” he said, adding that more than 200 commercial ships had gone through. — AFP

Attack brings to at least 211 number of people killed as Trump administration targets alleged ‘narcoterrorists’

The US military attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, killing three people, as the Trump administration wages a months-long campaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America.

The latest attack brings the number of people the US military has killed in boat strikes to at least 211 since the Trump administration began targeting people it calls “narcoterrorists” in early September.

Dan Jarvis says vessel tracked for several days as opposition suggest decision linked to his predecessor’s resignation

Dan Jarvis has told MPs that the Russian oil tanker seized on Sunday had been monitored for several days as he deflected suggestions that its seizure had been ordered by a prime minister under pressure after the resignation of John Healey last week.

The new defence secretary, flanked supportively in the Commons by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said the Smyrtos had been “closely tracked” as he faced a question from the Conservatives as to why the capture took place over the weekend.

Aussie~mobs posted a photo:

Written on reverse:
This is a photo of the grave of our ?? worker, name on the cross, he was the only one of our Corps who fell on the Peninsula.

Regimental number - 5939
Place of birth - Adelaide, South Australia
Religion - Methodist
Occupation - Plumber
Address - Jones Street, Nailsworth, South Australia
Marital status - Single
Age at embarkation - 20
Next of kin - Mother, Mrs L R Hill, Jones Street, Nailsworth, South Australia
Date of enlistment from Nominal Roll - 16 January 1915
Rank on enlistment - Driver
Unit name - Light Horse Brigade Train 4
AWM Embarkation Roll number - 25/102/1
Embarkation details - Unit embarked from Adelaide, South Australia, on board HMAT A19 Afric on 26 May 1915
Regimental number from Nominal Roll - 8883
Rank from Nominal Roll - Driver
Unit from Nominal Roll - 20th Company, Australian Army Service Corps
Fate - Died of wounds 12 November 1915
Place of burial - Shrapnel Valley Cemetery (Plot II, Row E< Grave No. 17), Anzac, Gallipoli
Panel number, Roll of Honour,
Australian War Memorial - 181

Graham Paul Spicer posted a photo:

He lambasted Jimmy Carter during the 1980 hostage crisis; now Trump’s presidency could be similarly blemished

It began with the fate of hostages.

Donald Trump’s first recorded foray into politics was sparked by the 1979 takeover of the US embassy in Tehran, which saw 52 American diplomats held incommunicado for 444 days.

Former SAS soldier had been invited along with all other living Victoria Cross recipients, judge told

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Former SAS soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has successfully varied his bail to attend the opening of the Anzac Hall at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

However he has not been allowed to go to a military graduation parade and afterparty north of Sydney due to concerns he might interact with another alleged war criminal, Oliver Schulz, while there.

JaffaPix 9.5million views - thank you! posted a photo:

No formal warning issued to captains or ship owners, but industry body says they are exercising greater vigilance

British officials believe Russia will try to retaliate for the Royal Marines’ seizure of the oil tanker Smyrtos, prompting UK ship owners to exercise greater vigilance until tensions with Moscow ease.

Military sources said the UK had considered possible responses to the seizure of the vessel carrying Russian crude worth $40m (£30m) to India, and anticipate that the Kremlin will want to hit back.

With some matches being held in nearby Miami, a Cuban response to US military action could mar the tournament

As Cuba crumbles under a nearly five-month-long US oil blockade, many on the island hope that the World Cup might save the island from US attack – or at least offer a respite until the competition ends on 19 July.

“The beginning of the World Cup will make it more difficult for the United States to carry out a military action in Cuba,” said Carlos Alzugaray, Cuba’s former ambassador to the EU. “Cuba is very close to the US, and can hit many targets inside the US, especially in south Florida, with drones or other weapons.”