The captain of a shadow Russian ship carrying oil captured by commandos is to appear in a British court.
Ajay Pant, 38, will appear at Southampton Magistrates Court tomorrow charged with contravening sanctions.
The Indian national and captain of the Smyrtos, has also been charged with directly or indirectly supplying or delivering by ship prohibited oil or oil products from Russia to a third country during June 2026, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.
Royal Marine commandos and NCA officers seized the tanker in the Channel early on Sunday in the first UK-led operation to capture a sanctioned vessel.
British armed forces intercepting a Russian shadow fleet vessel in the Channel in the early hours of Sunday. (Picture: LPhot Hutchins/MoD Crown copyright/PA Wire)
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The Smyrtos vessel is anchored off Weymouth, in Dorset where it is being monitored.
The 24 Smyrtos crew members, from Georgia and India, remain on board the ship.
Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ carries 75% of the country’s sanctioned oil, according to the MoD, and operates under obscure ownership as a way of getting around international sanctions.
The Smyrtos will be provisionally moved to an anchorage off the south coast of England and be monitored for any environmental or safety concerns(Picture: LPhot Hutchins/MoD Crown copyright/PA Wire)
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Despite this, the UK has sanctioned more than 500 of its 700 vessels.
In another operation on June 1, the country intercepted a sanctioned oil tanker suspected of being part of the shadow fleet with UK support.
Speaking on Sky News hours after the capture, Lisa Nandy said: ‘One of the instructions the prime minister gave early on was that he wanted us to be on the front foot, taking that decisive action in order to keep the country safe and deal with the threat posed by Russia.
‘We’ve been able to successfully do that. I want to pay tribute to all the Navy officers involved in that; it is no small achievement, but it is also a significant blow to the Russians.’
Readers discuss Tommy Robinson returning from Russia, regional issues and the government’s plans to enforce a social media ban for children (Picture: EPA)
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Tommy Robinson 'went to a dictatorship and known hostile state'
Tommy Robinson will encourage his supporters to believe he is being politically persecuted because he was detained for a few hours at Heathrow under counter-terrorism laws after returning from Russia (Metro, Mon).
This is nothing compared to what Russian dissidents face.
The reality is that Robinson – real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – went to a dictatorship and known hostile state, where he met Putin supporter Errol Musk, stirred up tensions back in the UK (saying ‘We’re going to go cause some trouble’) and absurdly praised Putin’s Russia as being ‘on the straight and narrow’.
What did this convicted criminal expect on his return?
Given Russia’s extensive espionage and disinformation campaigns against this country, not to mention the chemical attack in Salisbury and deranged nuclear threats, the far-right activist’s actions are almost treacherous by definition.
He’s lucky he was merely held for a few hours instead of sharing a cell with convicted traitor Nathan Gill, the former leader of Reform Wales, who was sentenced to more than ten years. Nathan Hazlett, Sunderland
‘Common sense has prevailed’
Finally! Common sense has prevailed and social media is to be banned for under-16s (Metro, Mon).
Whatever you think of this government, at least one good thing will come of it.
To anyone who says it will be difficult to enforce, remember that the legal age to buy tobacco was only raised in 2007.
When future generations look back, they will be amazed and disgusted that we once freely let our children smoke and use social media, letting the big tobacco and tech giants exploit and harm our them. Enough. Elena, Guildford
Reader points out hypocrisy of shadow chancellor
Tory shadow chancellor Mel Stride has written about the challenges farmers face in his rural constituency of Central Devon.
He says ‘extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and unpredictable’ and that ‘some farms report their worst harvest ever. Climate volatility is no longer a future threat but a present reality’.
In 2019, Stride sat in cabinet as Leader of the House of Commons when Theresa May’s government strengthened The Climate Change Act. Shamefully, Kemi Badenoch’s Tories now want to scrap this act. I wonder how Stride thinks this is going to help Britain’s farmers and our food security? Mike Baldwin, via email
‘The media and politicians of all parties appear united in support of an increase in spending here’
‘Our defence is in crisis!’ proclaims Metro’s front-page headline on Friday, following the resignation of defence secretary John Healey, who said military spending was way short of what was needed.
The media and politicians of all parties appear united in support of an increase in spending here.
But I wonder whether Sir Keir Starmer is soft-pedalling the increase due not only to the ballooning national debt and problems in procurement but also because the situation is less urgent than previously thought? Vladimir Putin has been far less successful in Ukraine than had been feared and seems to be in no position to contemplate any further foreign adventures.
In the circumstances, members of the public might reasonably be sceptical about proposals to raise their taxes by thousands of pounds each year in order to expand the military budget.
If there is a strong case for such action, it must be made clearly and convincingly. Bernard Winchester, Norwood
Fifa and Trump’s peace prize
Fifa’s president Gianni Infantino gave Donald Trump its first ever Peace Prize in December.
In May, a few months later, the US Department of Justice dismissed an investigation into bribery at Fifa.
Now Fifa is paying for office space in Trump Tower, while the Trump administration is allowing unfair ticket pricing at the World Cup. Trump’s government is as corrupt as Fifa – they’re both rotten to the core.
Meanwhile, Britain’s answer to Trump isn’t much better.
Nigel Farage rode into a rally on a JCB, describing the company as ‘one of the most incredible in the world’ – shortly before we learned that JCB’s owner, Lord Bamford, donated £200,000 to Reform.
Now we are told that Reform-led councils are splashing the cash on JCB’s expensive construction equipment.
With Farage having been given millions by offshore crypto billionaires, Reform want to make London a major crypto trading centre, while deputy leader Richard Tice says the rich should strive to ‘pay as little tax as possible’.
The message is clear – scratch our back and we’ll scratch yours. Charlie, Stoke
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Witnesses say the plane, was flying low and suddenly plunged into the ground. (Picture: Mid America News-Review)
Around 11 skydivers and their pilot have ‘perished’ in a plane crash close to a rural airport.
Witnesses said they saw the plane, believed to be carrying skydivers, flying low before suddenly plunging into the ground close to the Butler Memorial Airport in Missouri on Sunday.
A Bates County Emergency Management said just before 11.30am, a private plane leaving the Butler Memorial Airport turned around for an unknown reason before crashing next to the Business 49 Highway.
The flaming wreckage of the plane can be seen from the highway which has been closed by police.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said: ‘At this time reports indicate all occupants (12 total) have perished.’
Butler is about 60 miles south of Kansas City, Missouri.
Cucurella is currently in the United States with Spain for the World Cup and expected to feature in Monday’s opener with Cape Verde, but looks unlikely to return to west London at the conclusion of the tournament.
Left-back Cucurella signed for Chelsea in 2022 from Brighton and flourished under Enzo Maresca, but spoke out against the Premier League club in March, blaming their recent struggles on the Italian’s departure and criticising the policy of signing young players.
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Catalunya-born Cucurella started his career at Real’s bitter rivals Barcelona, but made only one appearance for the club in the Copa del Rey before a spell at Getafe transformed his career.
Two years at Getafe alerted Brighton to the services of the attacking full-back and Cucurella was snapped up by Chelsea after only one season in the Premier League.
Cucurella moved to Stamford Bridge in a deal worth a reported £60m and has made 163 appearances.
Real Madrid are set to sign Marc Cucurella from Chelsea (Picture: Getty)
The 27-year-old becomes the latest player to move to the Bernabeu in an early summer window transfer blitz that has seen deals for Ibrahima Konate, Denzel Dumfries and Bernardo Silva concluded.
Real, according to Fabrizio Romano, also made contact with Calafiori’s representatives but will not make an offer for the Arsenal star, despite having initially wanted to sign a player capable of operating at left-back, as well as centre-half.
Calafiori joined the Premier League champions from Bologna two years ago after impressing with Italy at the European Championships.
The 24-year-old has established himself as a firm favourite of Mikel Arteta’s but injuries have regularly undermined his progress at the Premier League champions.
Josko Gvardiol had also been linked with a move to Manchester City (Picture: Getty)
Indeed, it was those fitness concerns that prompted Arsenal to sign Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen last summer and that duo largely shared left-back duties last term.
Real, meanwhile, also expressed interest in signing Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol who missed much of last season through injury.
The Croatia international, who is due to feature against England next week, is set to sign a new contract at City and commit his long-term future to the FA Cup and Carabao Cup holders.
Spanish hoteliers are petitioning for a change to the World Cup bar terrace rules brought in for early Spain, England, Scotland and Germany games (Picture: AFP/Getty Images)
Spanish hoteliers are up in arms over tough local bar terrace noise rules casting a shadow over England and Scotland World Cup fans.
Holidaymakers travelling to Benidorm, Magaluf and Palmanova to watch the FIFA 2026 games were dealt a major blow when local officials decided to mute TVs on bar terraces after midnight.
The late-night noise limit has to drop to 55 decibels for pub terraces in the Little England area of the Costa Blanca resort, where thousands of fans are expected to drink Benidorm dry as they back the national teams.
This spells problems for the fans as many of the group games are scheduled to start at 10pm or 11pm Spanish time, and subsequent matches, for which England is expected to qualify, could start even later when most pubs have had to close their doors.
Flight booking data from tour operators suggests a surge in tourists heading to Alicante, the nearest airport to Benidorm, during the World Cup games (Picture: Getty Images)
To add insult to injury, the rules, signed by local bosses, only applies to England, Scotland, Germany and Spanish games in the early stages.
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Now the hotel association Hosbec has written to Benidorm Council, asking officials to ease restrictions for certain games during the soccer tournament.
All three of England’s Group L games, against Croatia, Ghana and Panama, have been included in the petition.
Hosbec is asking town hall chiefs to delay the decibel limitation, which kicks in around 11.30pm Spanish time, until the end of the final whistle so fans don’t have to move inside during the games.
Benidorm Council has yet to respond to the request but the expectation is that they will cave in and loosen the regulations.
The Costa Blanca resort loved by British tourists is preparing for the influx of England fans looking for sunshine and cheap lager during the tournament.
Tour operators had suggested an 18% rise in the number of flights between the UK and Alicante, local police chief Jose Carlos Amoros said last week.
At the start of the month it emerged riot police would be sent to Benidorm as part of its World Cup security operation.
The town council also announced evening and night-time police reinforcements between June 11 and July 19 after confirming the expected influx of UK tourists choosing to follow the football there.
Another Spanish resort England and Scotland fans are expected to flock to is Magaluf in Majorca.
Terrace TVs will have to be muted after midnight in the party resort, its council chiefs announced earlier this week.
They also ruled out unrestricted opening hours for the area during the tournament.
Calvia Town Hall, which covers Magaluf, said: ‘On terraces and in outdoor areas, all audio broadcasting must be completely turned off after midnight, with the volume set to zero.
‘Only the visual signal of the matches may be shown in order to guarantee the rest of residents and tourists.
‘Likewise, screens and televisions must always be oriented toward the interior of the establishments.
‘The measure aims to prevent crowds from gathering in public spaces in a way that could hinder pedestrian movement and road traffic.
‘Calvia Town Council warns that failure to comply with the provisions of this decree, as well as the applicable Municipal Ordinances, will be subject to penalties. Therefore, establishment owners are urged to cooperate in preventing any disturbance to public safety and community coexistence.’
The BBC are working from home for the first few weeks of the tournament (Picture: Getty)
The BBC and ITV are once again sharing live coverage of the World Cup in the UK, with all 104 matches from across the US, Canada and Mexico to be shown for free on TV.
However, the two broadcasters are taking very different approaches to covering the biggest tournament in World Cup history, which is featuring 48 teams for the very first time.
ITV presenters Mark Pougatch, Laura Woods and Semra Hunter are anchoring coverage of the channel’s games from their studio in Brooklyn, New York, which boasts views of the Manhattan skyline and Brooklyn Bridge.
But the BBC have decided instead to remain this side of the Atlantic, with the corporation hosting coverage from their studio in Salford.
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The BBC has insisted their brand new, state of the art immersive studio will ‘transport viewers to 16 cities across three host nations’.
The BBC studio team, which is being led by presenters Gabby Logan, Mark Chapman, Kelly Cates and Alex Scott, could still touchdown in North America – although not until the quarter-final stage at the earliest.
The BBC’s World Cup studio in Salford (Picture: BBC)
ITV’s studio has wowed viewers (Picture: Getty)
The BBC will still have an on-the-ground presence throughout the World Cup, though, with commentators present themselves at matches to cover the action.
The reason for the BBC’s no-show in the early rounds of the tournament is due to a combination of financial and environmental considerations.
The cost of covering an expanded 48-team tournament across three different countries represents a significant increase on the normal World Cup outlay, not to mention the associated logistical nightmare.
Remaining at their BBC Sport base in Salford will also reduce air travel, which is essential to their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint.
The BBC’s punditry line-up consists of the likes of Alan Shearer, Micah Richards and Wayne Rooney, all of whom are regulars on the channel’s football output throughout the normal football season.
BBC and ITV World Cup teams
BBC
Presenters
Kelly Cates – works on Match of the Day and with Sky Sports
Mark Chapman – works on Match of the Day and with Sky Sports
Gabby Logan – BBC presenter since 2007
Alex Scott – Former Arsenal and England defender
Pundits
Alan Shearer – Former Newcastle, Blackburn and England striker
Wayne Rooney – Former Man Utd and Everton striker and England’s second-highest goalscorer
Micah Richards – former Man City and England defender
Joe Hart – former Man City and England goalkeeper
Steph Houghton – former England defender and captain
Ellen White – former England striker and Euro 2022 winner
Scott Brown – former Celtic and Scotland midfielder
Olivier Giroud – former Arsenal and Chelsea striker and World Cup winner with France
Gael Clichy – former Arsenal, Man City and France defender
Cesar Azpilicueta – former Chelsea and Spain defender
Benni McCarthy – former Blackburn striker and South Africa’s all-time leading goalscorer
Ashley Williams – former Swansea and Everton defender and Wales captain
Thomas Frank – former Brentford and Tottenham manager
Darren Cann (referee analyst) – over 500 games as a Premier League referee
Former France star Olivier Giroud is working for the BBC as a pundit (Picture: Getty)
ITV
Presenters
Mark Pougatch – Lead presenter for ITV’s football and rugby coverage
Laura Woods – fronts TNT Sports’ Champions League coverage
Semra Hunter – presents coverage of Spanish football in the UK
Pundits
Roy Keane – former Man Utd and Republic of Ireland captain
Ian Wright – former Arsenal, Crystal Palace and England striker
Gary Neville – former Man Utd and England defender
Patrick Vieira – former Arsenal captain and World Cup winner with France
Karen Carney – former Chelsea and England midfielder
Ange Postecoglou – former Celtic, Tottenham and Nottingham Forest manager
Juan Mata – former Chelsea and Man Utd midfielder and World Cup winner with Spain
Emma Hayes – former Chelsea manager and current USA boss
Duncan Ferguson – former Everton striker
Jobi McAnuff – former Reading and Jamaica winger
Bradley Wright-Phillips – former Southampton and New York Red Bulls striker
Christina Unkel (referee analyst) – former FIFA referee
ITV’s team of experts is also not lacking in star power, with Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Ian Wright on hand to provide their insight and analysis.
The BBC will show live coverage of England’s second group stage game against Ghana on June 23, as well as Scotland’s opener against Haiti on June 14 and their mouthwatering clash with Brazil on June 24.
ITV, meanwhile, will air England’s other two group matches against Croatia and Panama on June 17 and 27 respectively, alongside Scotland’s meeting with Morocco on June 19.
The BBC will show 54 games exclusively live on TV over the five week period, which is marginally more than ITV with 51.
Glenn Gibbins, the candidate for Hylton Castle Ward in Sunderland, has won his seat in this week’s council elections
A Reform candidate who said Nigerians should be melted down to ‘fill in the pot holes’ has been let back into the party.
Glenn Gibbins was placed under investigation after he was elected as the new councillor for Hylton Castle Ward in Sunderland in early May.
In now deleted posts, he ranted on social media he ‘carnt [sic] believe amount of Nigerians in town’ and they ‘should melt them all down and fill in the pot holes’.
The comments – believed to be from march 2024 – sparked widespread condemnatin and led Reform to begin an internal disciplinary process.
He also said Nigerians should be melted down to fill pot holes
However the party has now confirmed that Cllr Gibbins has been reinstated.
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A Reform spokesman said: ‘Following an internal disciplinary process, Cllr Gibbins has been readmitted to the party and issued with a final written warning.
‘He has apologised for making the post and accepts that it was made in extremely poor taste showing poor judgment.’
Other social media posts from Glenn Gibbins showed that hadcomplained about women being on TV, calling Mel and Sue the two ‘unfunniest fat repulsive lesbian hosts ever’.
His views extend to sport, writing during the 2021 Ireland v Japan rugby match: ‘Yet another woman comentator. It’s getting out of controll. There must be a hundred better male comentators but had to give it to a female [sic].
‘Wish they wud stick to cooking, sewing and homemaking [sic].’
Reform deputy leader Richard Tice refused to directly criticise Gibbins at the time reports about the posts surfaced, instead accusing the media of ‘smearing’ his party.
Glenn was unhappy with Mel and Sue being on TV
Glenn accusing the government of allowing innocent people to be killed
Asked if Mr Gibbins views represented Reform UK, he said: ‘This weekend we are celebrating our incredible successes.
‘Like any party, we have internal party processes to look where people have said or done the wrong thing.”
He continued: ‘I condemn everything that is wrong and inappropriate.
‘Voters have heard all of this smearing and this sneering against all of us, and they have voted for more Reform.’
Other Reform councillors also faced scrutiny for controversial comments online.
