🇦🇺⚡️- A massive fire broke out at the Viva Energy refinery in Australia, which leaves Australia with only one operating refinery. The refinery processed around 120,000 barrels per day and supplied around 10% of Australia’s fuel supply.

Notably, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has already called on citizens to ration fuel amid a global oil shortage following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, with officials ruling out intentional malice.

🇺🇸⚡️- "On April 15, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No U.S. military forces were harmed." - U.S. Southern Command.

🇺🇸🇨🇺⚡️- USA Today quoting a US Officials reports that the US military is planning for a pentagon led operation inside Cuba, for the chance that President Donald Trump gives the order.

🇺🇸🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡️- "Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon. It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow. Nice! President DJT" - President Trump via Truth Social.

🇺🇸🇱🇾⚡️- Over the past few days, the US Military has been hosting exercise Flintlock 2026 in Libya, a multinational exercise consisting of over 30 nations, typically hosted within the West African Sahel region. The exercise will see troops from the Tripoli‑based Government of National Unity and Haftar’s eastern Libyan National Army train side by side for the first time.

John W. Brennan, Deputy Commander of the US AFRICOM, stated the goal of the exercise and military cooperation with Libya was the potential for reunification of the 2 factions who have been battling for control over Libya since the death of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, and creating a unified Libyan military. Deputy Commander Brennan also stating "The magnitude of the investment potential is an incentive for a reunification — The stabilization of Libya may also allow for tapping into resources for various industries, especially for high-tech and defense".

Russia has embedded itself within the eastern based Libyan National Army faction by its presence of Russia' Africa Corps (Formally Wagner Group troops), which gave Russia access and influence to Libya, and its oil and was used as a bridging point for its troops in Syria to Russian. Russia also sought to use Libya as a backup location where its troops went after its defeat in post-Assad Syria, and was also reportedly in talks to build a Naval base within Libya after they were asked to leave Russia's only Mediterranean naval base in Syria.

The reunification of Libya and move towards western support could also see diminishing value of Russia's troops and influence in Libya, possibly leading to Russia’s eviction from another country.

🇺🇸⚡️- Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin states, “We want immigration, we want legal immigration… we are a nation of immigrants.”

He then later adds that the deportations of illegal immigrants that came in during the Biden administration are fiscally impossible, effectively rendering the possible limitation of any form of immigration a dead issue.

🇺🇸🇮🇷🇴🇲⚡️- Reuters reports that Iran could be willing to allow ships to sail freely through the Oman side of the Strait of Hormuz without risk of attack as part of the proposals it has offered to the United States.

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡️- Israeli forces have withdrawn from Dibbine, southern Lebanon, following clashes with Hezbollah.

🇺🇸⚡️- The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier has now been on deployment for 295 days, breaking the record for longest carrier deployment since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The ship originally departed Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, on the 24th June, 2025, before being extended and moved to the Carribean Sea to assist with Operation Absolute Resolve, the mission to capture Nicolás Maduro.

Upon a successful mission, its deployment was again extended, and it was redeployed to the Red Sea to assist with Operation Epic Fury in Iran, where it encountered a Washing room fire, which forced it to retreat to Greece for repairs. It has since completed its repairs and is now in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

The carrier is now only 37 days away from breaking the longest carrier deployment record since 1964; it will likely come close, or even beat this record, by the time it returns home to Virginia.

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡️- The Israeli Defence Force has published footage of mass demolitions taking place within Bint Jbeil, southern Lebanon.

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡- "Netanyahu will speak today with the Lebanese President Aoun," - al-Arabiya.

⚡️🇷🇺🇺🇦Ukraine attacked a Liberian-flagged oil tanker in Russia’s territorial waters, leaving its captain injured, the Russian Investigative Committee said.

🇺🇸⚡- Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax killed his wife and himself in an overnight murder-suicide at their home in Fairfax County, police said Thursday morning, per The Hill.

🇫🇷⚡️- France's extremely controversial Yadan Law proposal was removed today by the centrist Assembly members sponsoring it.

The law was a liberticide proposition aimed at "combatting antisemitism" through toughened media censorship when matters related to Israel or the Jewish community would have been covered.

🇫🇷 - There appears to be large disagreements between the government and their centrist Assembly members as both have given different follow ups on this decision.

The government has promised to scrape parts of the law and summon new actors to create a new proposal with less friction. Assembly members said a revised Yadan Law would be debated in late June with this reconfiguration. However, the Assembly is due to enter recess on the 14th July and any delay would cause the debate to be postponed by several weeks if not more.

External pressure from far-left Assembly members and right-wing citizens through petitions have played a role in this decision, per French medias.