WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Tizer]

It's a simple matter for me. Trumps actions are a direct contravention of International Law.

Rory Stewart said the same on the Today programme this morning and added that Trump failed to consult with the Senate etc and nor did he communicate with the UN before going ahead. He's copying Putin with his dictatorial `special operation'. Putin will probably make life more difficult for the Ukrainians now that Trump has created a big distraction in Iran.

[Stanley]

That's a very telling comparison Peter, and the more I think about it the more accurate it becomes....

[Stanley]

Midday news.... Aggressive actions are escalating in the Middle East. RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus has been evacuated because of missile strikes. Gas and Oil prices are soaring. We may get clarification in the Commons this afternoon.

[Stanley]

See THIS live update on the situation in the ME.....
An Iranian official has warned the country will "set fire" to any ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz - a crucial oil and gas route - as conflict rages in the Middle East. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says "the hardest hits" on Iran are "yet to come", adding he would not "give away details of our tactical efforts". The US embassy in Riyadh has been hit by two drones, resulting in a "limited fire and minor material damage to the building", according to the Saudi defence ministry. It follows Donald Trump saying he took the decision to launch a war against the country because it was the "last, best chance" to stop its regime. Speaking at the White House for the first time since attacking Iran, the president said the US is continuing to carry out "large-scale combat operations". The US and Israel struck Iran on Saturday, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Israeli military has since launched new strikes on Tehran.. Israel has also launched multiple strikes on what it said were Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, warning that military operations won't end until the threat is fully "removed". Lebanon's health officials say Israeli strikes have killed 52 people as hundreds of Beirut residents have been forced to evacuate to shelters as a result of the bombing. PM Keir Starmer said the UK's decision not to join the US-Israeli strikes on Iran was "deliberate", adding his government "does not believe in regime change from the skies"
That last quote from Starmer is pertinent. I have been trying to think of an instance where regime change has been effected without boots on the ground.

[Tizer]

Results of a YouGov poll...
`Do you support or oppose the military action that the United States has taken against Iran?' YouGov

[Wendyf]

This huge Lockheed Super Galaxy flew right over this afternoon, but I missed it as I had come in the house for a cuppa. Probably wouldn't have seen much anyway, but I might have heard it!

Screenshot_20260303_163711_Flightradar24.jpg

[Big Kev]

I missed it too, there have been lots of Eurofighters out training today with Qatar Air Force Hawks. Not seen any of them either but they've been showing up on Flightradar.

[Stanley]

That poll looks about right Peter....

[Stanley]

See THIS for a domestic tragedy on a sunny day......
7 hours ago
Two sisters drowned at a national park beauty spot after going for a paddle fully clothed, an inquest has heard. Hajra Zahid, 29, and her sister Haleema Zahid, 25, were pulled from the water at the Watkin Pools at Eryri National Park, in the Nant Gwynant area of Gwynedd, in June last year. Speaking at an inquest at Caernarfon Coroner's Court, mountain rescuers said it appeared the two women, who could not swim, fell or slipped and were unable to get out of the water. Hajra's husband Haessham Minhas described the mother-of-two as a woman who "inspired everyone around her" in a tribute at the hearing. The inquest heard the two women, who were originally from Pakistan, but lived in Rotherham, travelled to the national park with three male friends who were students with them at the University of Chester. The group had travelled on the Watkin Path, which is one of the main routes to the summit of Wales' highest mountain Yr Wyddfa, for 40 minutes to the cascading pools, where they decided to split up. North Wales Police investigator Gutun Lake told the inquest the sisters' friends said this was to respect the privacy of the women and for religious reasons. The two sisters, who were studying for masters degrees, headed further up the pools. But Lake said when it came time to leave, the pair did not respond to repeated calls from their friends. "They came across Hajra floating face down," he said. They managed to pull her from the pool, but were unable to locate her sister. A local resident came to help and performed CPR until emergency services arrived. Members of the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team entered the pool to retrieve Haleema, but both women were pronounced dead at the scene. A post-mortem examination confirmed they had both drowned.
"In the midst of life we are in death".