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Ukraine is set to be top of the agenda as Foreign Secretary James Cleverly begins a two-day trip to the US and Canada.

Speaking ahead of his departure, Mr Cleverly said: “The UK, US and Canada always have each other’s backs when it counts, protecting the rules-based order for nearly 80 years.”

He continued: “Today we stand united against Putin’s illegal war, and we will continue to use our uniquely strong defence and security ties to ensure that, in the end, the Ukrainian people will win.”

He will deliver a keynote speech at Washington’s Centre for Strategic and International Studies, at which he is set to outline Britain’s foreign policy priorities before talks with his US counterpart Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The two will then hold a joint news conference.

On Monday, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace announced that British tanks, artillery pieces and armoured vehicles are to be sent to Ukraine.

Mr Cleverly is set to use this British pledge to persuade the Americans and the Canadians to follow the UK’s lead. He is expected to stress the need for the right battlefield tools to be given to the Ukrainians quickly to allow them to win the war.

The Americans have delivered billions of dollars worth of weaponry to Ukraine over the past 11 months, but only in carefully managed tranches with limited capability for fear of provoking Russia.

James Cleverly and Anthony Blinken met in New York in September 2022
Image:
James Cleverly and Anthony Blinken met in New York in September 2022

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he is committed to the acceleration of the UK’s diplomatic and military assistance to Ukraine as Russia prepares to launch a new offensive.

Top members of President Biden’s team are in the Ukrainian capital this week for meetings with President Zelenskyy.

Antony Blinken’s deputy Wendy Sherman, Dr. Colin Kahl, undersecretary of defence for policy and Jon Finer, principal deputy national security adviser, are all in Kyiv after meetings in Germany and Poland where they discussed continued US support for Ukraine.

Beyond Ukraine, the British government hopes the elusive UK-US trade deal will be discussed with the Americans in Washington.

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In Toronto, on Wednesday, Mr Cleverly is set to discuss British efforts to become a member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a key free trade agreement between 11 countries including Canada.

Britain has reached the final phase of CPTPP accession, but disagreements remain over levels of market access the existing members would have to Britain.

Northern Ireland is also set to feature in discussions between Mr Cleverly and Mr Blinken. As speculation mounts that a EU-UK compromise over the Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol may be close, the UK will seek the support of the US.

President Biden has taken a close interest in negotiations over Northern Ireland and has made clear that the UK’s handling of the issue could impact the chances of a US-UK trade deal.

Cleverly has a tricky job

This is the most important trip for James Cleverly since he became foreign secretary last year.

He was appointed by Liz Truss but survived that chaos and was retained by Rishi Sunak. He’s quickly built a reputation for impressive diplomacy.

Comfortable in his own skin and outwardly confident with his brief, he is popular within the Foreign Office and, it seems, liked by his counterparts in foreign capitals.

But as Britain’s top diplomat, he has a tricky job. The UK’s global position is diminished. The world has looked at usually stable Britain in surprise as our politics has faltered and our economy sputters.

Cleverly will be pushing progress on the illusive US-UK trade deal and trying to reassure the Americans that Britain is now close to a workable solution for Northern Ireland. Biden, with his Irish roots, is watching closely. The shadow of Brexit is long.

But Ukraine will be the thrust for Cleverly.

Rishi Sunak’s government is trying to fill the hole left by Boris Johnson’s departure. Johnson’s forthright stance on the defence of Ukraine was admired across Western nations.

There will be an attempt on this trip to show clear British leadership and initiative to encourage deeper, faster international alignment over Ukraine.

We’re told that Cleverly will attempt to persuade his American and Canadian counterparts that now is the time to give Ukraine the tools it needs to win the war, not just to hold the frontline.

The British consignment of tanks, artillery and armoured vehicles will do little to change the battlefield picture on their own. Indeed, prepare for the prized Russian propaganda image of a Challenger 2 burned and destroyed.

The British hope is that their tank package will incentivise other nations to follow with their own equipment.

Cleverly’s message will be: arm Ukraine properly now and this can be over sooner rather than later with a weakened Russia forced to negotiate.

The Americans have sent huge quantities of lethal equipment to Ukraine changing the course of the war. But they’ve not yet sent tanks, mechanized artillery or armoured vehicles which could repel Russian advances.

The fear, always, has been Putin’s reaction to the full Western arming of Ukraine. And so, little by little, America has increased what it has been prepared to deliver.

But Biden is under growing domestic congressional pressure to justify his Ukraine spending. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers want audits and proof that America is backing a winner not simply prolonging the conflict and the bloodshed.

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Tents abandoned as Palestinians flee Israeli advance into Gaza City

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Tents abandoned as Palestinians flee Israeli advance into Gaza City

Thousands have fled parts of Gaza City in recent days amid airstrikes and advancing Israeli troops, new satellite imagery shows.

Israel’s advance comes as it prepares to mount a full-scale invasion of the city, where the UN says around one million Palestinians are sheltering.

Satellite imagery shows that entire tent camps in southeast Gaza City were emptied between 9 and 17 August as families fled the renewed attacks.

The video below shows the moment of an airstrike in southeastern Gaza City on 13 August. Sky News geolocated the footage to a building less than 200 metres from a major tent camp.

Another video, taken on 15 August, shows a strike on a building right next to the camp.

By the following day, almost all the camp’s residents had fled, along with people sheltering at 30 other locations in the area.

Fresh vehicle tracks in the area indicate extensive troop movements on the ground.

The satellite image below, taken on 17 August, shows at least nine military vehicles in the streets surrounding one former tent camp.

Sky News counted 58 military vehicles in the area on 17 August, including 17 bulldozers.

The image below shows four IDF vehicles, including a bulldozer, parked next to the remains of one tent camp. Several nearby buildings had been levelled in the days beforehand.

Between 9 and 17 August, at least 132 buildings were destroyed in less than one square kilometre of the city.

It’s unclear how much of the destruction was carried out by IDF bulldozers and how much was a result of airstrikes.

On Monday, eyewitnesses reported that Israeli tanks had made further advances into eastern Gaza City.

The advances came as Hamas said it had approved a ceasefire deal presented by mediators Egypt and Qatar. Israel has yet to respond to the proposal.

Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed his country’s military to prepare for a full-scale invasion and occupation of the city in order to “free Gaza from Hamas”.

The UN has said that the invasion risks “catastrophic consequences” for the estimated one million Palestinians sheltering in the city, while UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the plan would “only bring more bloodshed”.


The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.

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Investigation launched into ‘horrifying’ death of French online streamer

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Investigation launched into 'horrifying' death of French online streamer

An investigation has been launched into the death of an internet streamer who was known for taking part in extreme online challenges.

Raphael Graven, who went by Jean Pormanove, was found dead in Contes, near Nice, on Sunday night.

Viewers of the Frenchman’s last live stream on the Twitch-like platform Kick had reportedly become concerned about him lying lifeless on a mattress, unresponsive to their comments.

According to France24, prosecutors said the 46-year-old had been in accommodation rented for the purpose of broadcasting internet live streams. The broadcast had reportedly been running for 10 days.

French newspaper Le Monde said Graven was known for participating in videos in which he suffered violence and humiliation, alongside two colleagues. One man was seen throwing a water bottle at him as he laid on the mattress.

France’s digital technology minister, Clara Chappaz, said he had been “humiliated and abused for months”.

“A judicial investigation is underway,” she said.

“Holding online platforms responsible for the dissemination of illegal content is not an option: it is the law.

“This type of failure can lead to the worst and has no place in France, Europe, or anywhere else.”

What is Kick?

Streaming platform Kick has been making waves since it was launched in early 2023.

Built as a competitor to the Amazon-owned platform Twitch, it hosts livestreaming for everyone from gamers to influencers to gamblers.

Although Kick’s ownership isn’t fully public, it is backed by some of the founders of the online casino Stake.com and streamers can currently make more on Kick than on other platforms.

While Twitch lets creators keep 50% of their profit, and YouTube lets creators keep 70%, Kick lets creators keep 95% of their earnings, according to Internet Matters.

Those potential earnings have drawn a number of streamers – and their fans – over to the newer platform.

Kick currently boasts around 57 million users worldwide, according to data reported by Digiday in April.

Although its community guidelines have been recently updated, Kick is seen as having a more relaxed approach to moderation.

This approach has led to some influencers who are banned on other platforms making their way over to Kick.

Sarah El Hairy, France’s high commissioner for children, described his death as “horrifying”.

“Platforms have an immense responsibility to regulate online content so that our children are not exposed to violent content,” she said. “I urge parents to be extremely vigilant.”

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Graven had more than one million followers across social media.

He was particularly popular on Kick, which was founded in 2022 as a competitor to Amazon-owned Twitch. It’s known for having looser moderation, and offers creators a higher share of revenue.

A spokesperson for Kick told Sky News: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Jean Pormanove and extend our condolences to his family, friends, and community.

“We are urgently reviewing the circumstances and engaging with relevant stakeholders to investigate the situation.

“Kick’s community guidelines are designed to protect creators, and we remain committed to upholding these standards across our platform.”

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Andrew and Dawn Searle: Actor son of ‘murder-suicide’ victim urges late mother’s friends not to attend stepfather’s funeral

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Andrew and Dawn Searle: Actor son of 'murder-suicide' victim urges late mother's friends not to attend stepfather's funeral

An actor and musician whose mother was the victim of a suspected murder-suicide in France has urged her friends not to attend his stepfather’s funeral.

Callum Kerr, who starred in Hollyoaks and Netflix’s Virgin River, said it would be “inappropriate” for the memory of his mum to be associated with a service honouring the man who “may have been responsible for her death”.

The bodies of British couple Andrew and Dawn Searle were discovered on 6 February at their home in the hamlet of Les Pesquies.

Mrs Searle’s body was found outside the property with a significant head injury, while Mr Searle’s body was discovered inside.

The couple lived in the hamlet of Les Pesquies
Image:
The couple lived in the hamlet of Les Pesquies

Officers locked down the scene following the February incident
Image:
Officers locked down the scene following the February incident

Prosecutors later ruled the incident to be murder-suicide due to a lack of evidence that someone else was involved.

In an Instagram post on behalf of himself and his sister, Amanda Kerr, Mr Kerr said: “In the absence of any evidence suggesting third-party involvement in the tragic death of our mother, Dawn Kerr, the prevailing hypothesis remains that of a murder-suicide.”

Mr Kerr, a country music singer who is also set to appear in the second season of Netflix’s One Piece, said his mother was “killed by multiple blows to the head”, while “no defensive wounds” were found on Mr Searle.

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Mr Kerr said: “While the official investigation is still ongoing, we cannot ignore the circumstances as they stand.

“For this reason, we must respectfully but firmly request that our mother not be included in any way in the funeral arrangements being made for Andrew.

“Please do not share photographs of them together. Please do not attend Andrew’s service if you were a friend of our mother.

“It would be inappropriate for her memory to be associated with a service honouring the man who, based on all available evidence, may have been responsible for her death.

“We ask for understanding, privacy and respect as we continue to grieve and seek justice for our mum.”

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Mr and Mrs Searle, who previously lived in Musselburgh in East Lothian, had been living in the Aveyron region for five years.

They lived in Les Pesquies and were married in 2023 in the nearby town of Villefranche-de-Rouergue, with Mr Kerr walking his mum down the aisle.

Neighbours described them as a happy couple, who had fully integrated into rural French life and held an annual party for villagers.

Jean-Sebastien Orcibal, the mayor of Villefranche-de-Rouergue who conducted the couple’s wedding, told Sky News they were “very happy, very friendly and didn’t seem to have any problems”.

Police at the scene in February
Image:
Police at the scene in February

Mrs Searle, 56, grew up in Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders, while Mr Searle, 62, was originally from England.

According to his LinkedIn page, Mr Searle retired in 2015 after previously working in financial crime prevention at companies including Standard Life and Barclays.

Following the deaths, investigators were said to be following several lines of inquiry – including whether the couple were killed during a burglary or potential links to Mr Searle’s previous work in the UK.

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