Blog

Evidence of potential war crimes collected by British spy planes operating over Gaza could be handed to the International Criminal Court, the UK has confirmed.The Royal Air Force (RAF) is reported to have flown hundreds of missions over and near the war-torn territory since December, gathering intelligence to help in the hunt for hostages kidnapped from Israel by Hamas on 7 October 2023.The Ministry of Defence (MOD) said the Shadow R1 surveillance aircraft - which also fly over Israel as well as international air space - are purely tasked with gathering information to assist Israel's operation to find its hostages.The spy planes are not involved in gathering intelligence for any other aspect of the war against Hamas, which has resulted in the death of tens of thousands of Palestinians, inc...

Fresh off the back of becoming the first Irish-born winner of the best actor award at the Oscars, Cillian Murphy is busier than ever."It's my third film I've done since then so that was clearly my coping mechanism", he tells Sky News at the UK premiere of Small Things Like These. Set in 1985 Wexford, the film is based on Claire Keegan's Orwell prize-winning fictional novel of the same name that follows coalman Bill Furlong as he uncovers the treatment of the unmarried mothers sent to a Magdalene laundry in his town.Murphy, 48, first pitched the idea to Matt Damon, who produced the film under his production company Artist's Equity, on the set of Oppenheimer, calling it "a little bit Manchester By The Sea meets Doubt"."Claire's story was so perfect and magnificent in its brevity and what it ...

Sir Keir Starmer has downplayed the prominence of reparations for slavery being addressed at a Commonwealth summit, saying "none of the discussions have been about money".The prime minister, who is in Samoa for the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm), has been facing mounting pressure from leaders of Caribbean nations who want the UK to consider paying reparations for the impact of the transatlantic slave trade. They are seeking a formal apology from the countries responsible for the historic slavery.Sir Keir had already rejected the calls ahead of the meeting, saying it would lead to "very long, endless discussions" about the past.The UK government has repeatedly ruled out offering reparations or an apology for the country's historical involvement in the trade. But after an e...

The Kremlin has denied a Wall Street Journal report that Elon Musk and Vladimir Putin have been in regular contact over the last two years.The world's richest man has repeatedly been in touch with the Russian president, according to the US outlet, citing several current and former US, European and Russian officials. They added that the discussions touch on personal topics, business and geopolitical tensions.It comes as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues and the US election approaches next month.However, the Kremlin and Mr Musk both denied the report. On Friday, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "No, this is not true."He said that the pair had had one contact and that was before 2022. Mr Musk himself previously said on his own social media site that they had spoken...

Ask people to predict the result in this weekend's parliamentary election in Georgia, and you will get an "absolutely no idea" or a "totally up in the air" coming straight back at you.Which is strange when you consider the fact that the matter before the voters in this small but strategically vital nation goes to the very root of what it means to be a Georgian. Here is the question - are we talking about a Georgia as a European-style democracy-to-be, on the pathway to membership in the European Union and NATO?Alternatively, are we preparing for a Russian-style autocracy that will operate as a satellite of its over-sized northerly neighbour? Image: Founder of the Georgian Dream party Bidzina Ivanishvili casts his vote. Pic: Reuters ...