Matt Gutman has been reporting just outside Sderot where tensions escalated due to recent attacks

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he does not think the Irish government would offer condolences to Russia in the event of Vladimir Putin’s death. Mr Varadkar was responding to a question relating to Ireland’s historical foreign policy. He said he did not believe an Irish delegation would be present at the Russian president’s funeral. The hypothetical situation relates to events almost 80 years ago. The Irish government adhered to a strict policy of neutrality throughout the Second World War. However, then-taoiseach and minister for external affairs Eamon de Valera sparked outrage among the international community when he expressed condolences to Germany’s Irish minister Eduard Hempel following Adolf Hitler’s death by suicide in 1945. The event caused significant reputational damage to Mr de Valera and the state, and is regarded as an important moment in the history of Irish neutrality. I wouldn’t imagine we’d be represented at the funeral Taoiseach Leo Varadkar The diplomatic conundrum was dragged into the 21st century this week at a post-Cabinet briefing with Mr Varadkar. While Ireland insists it continues to employ a policy of neutrality, senior government ministers say this relates to being militarily neutral rather than being politically neutral. Last week, Mr Varadkar pledged to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes when he visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. He also announced millions of euro in additional funding for humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Following the trip, the taoiseach was questioned about Mr de Valera’s actions following the death of Hitler. Asked by reporters if Ireland would offer a similar condolence to Russia in the event of Mr Putin’s death, Mr Varadkar said: “I don’t think so.” Briefly pausing to consider the theoretical event, he added: “It’s a good question, I hadn’t thought of it before.” Mr Varadkar, who was banned from travelling to Russia last year, concluded: “I wouldn’t imagine we’d be represented at the funeral.” In November, the Kremlin said it was placing 52 “key representatives” from Ireland on a sanctions list for expressing what it claimed was Russophobic sentiment. Mr Varadkar was among the officials subjected to the ban by Russia. The Russian embassy in Dublin has been approached for comment. Read More Angry Russia refuses to speak at UN meeting on its attacks on Ukraine's key port city of Odesa. Putin ‘looked paralyzed and unable to act’ as Wagner coup unfolded Why are Wagner mercenaries in Belarus – and would they try to invade Poland? Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

By Joe Cash BEIJING China's export slump is expected to have accelerated in June, as sluggish overseas economies

After he wanted "contract enhancements" to waive his no-trade clause, what might a contract extension for Eduardo Rodriguez from the Tigers look like?Detroit Tigers pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez made a trade deadline headline when he blocked a trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers, even if the ...

Orla Sloan is a fashion influencer who is known to have stalked soccer players

American actress Sydney Sweeney has come under fire for a “male gaze” photo shoot that has left fans disappointed. The shoot was part of the magazine Variety's #PowerofYoungHollywood issue which featured the Euphoria actress as one of its cover stars. The controversy came when Variety shared a behind-the-scenes video on its Instagram showing a montage of clips from the shoot, sparking a big reaction from fans. One clip showed Sweeney wearing a short blue playsuit that bared her cleavage and extremely high pink heels. Her lipstick was baby pink and she could be seen licking a pink lollipop. Instagram users began leaving comments suggesting that the imagery of the shoot was overly sexualised and created for the male gaze. “Yeah there goes her chance to be taken seriously as an actress,” one person argued. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter In response to the backlash, some fans were unhappy with a section that appeared to have been removed from the video that saw Sweeney licking a dripping ice cream cone. Someone else said: “It is not just the ice cream part that is sexual and objectifying her. It's the whole male-gaze shoot. “If you are so afraid of public reaction, why won’t you think before you act instead of all the post-production editing.” Another disappointed fan commented: “Whose idea was this photoshoot? It’s tacky! Some women objectify themselves in a very sexual way and then complain about being taken seriously. “You don’t need to be doing sex faces and be half naked licking ice cream to tell us you’re part of the powerful young Hollywood. Lmao.” In the interview, the 25-year-old spoke about starting a family saying: "I always wanted to be a young mom. I love acting, I love the business, I love producing, I love all of it. But what’s the point if I’m not getting to share it with a family?" Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Lori Vallow set to be sentenced at the Fremont County Courthouse in St Anthony, Idaho, on Monday, July 31

If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had got his way, the scorer of the most famous goal in Manchester United’s history may now only be deemed the second best Norwegian striker to play for the club. He was Molde manager in 2018 and had a young centre-forward to recommend, and for a bargain price. “They didn’t listen, unfortunately,” he said in May. “They never signed him. Four million! Don’t ask [where he is now].” The answer, as Solskjaer knew all too well, is Manchester City. Perhaps, as a self-proclaimed fan of the club whose father had an altogether less prolific spell in their midfield, Erling Haaland would have always preferred the blue half of the city anyway. Maybe, like Jude Bellingham – another United target, another who found Borussia Dortmund a deluxe finishing school – he would have plotted a path to the top via places where potential tends to be realised. Whichever, Haaland scored a hat-trick in his first Manchester derby last year. He goes into his fourth with nine Premier League goals already this season. Or, to put it another way, nine times as many as United’s various forwards have between them. Admittedly, it excludes Bruno Fernandes’ sumptuous winner at Burnley, scored when he was standing in as a right winger, but even that lone goal, from Marcus Rashford at Arsenal, came in defeat. Rasmus Hojlund, Anthony Martial, Alejandro Garnacho and Antony are all yet to find the net in the league. Rashford has had 33 shots, Antony 16, Garnacho 13, Hojlund 11 and Martial three. It amounts to one goal from 76 attempts, a 1.31 per cent chance conversion rate. The law of averages suggests some will start scoring soon. “The goals will come in the Premier League,” Hojlund, who has three in the Champions League, said on Tuesday. The contrast with Haaland may be particularly jarring for him. “I don’t want to be compared to him,” the Dane said. Yet he is another Scandinavian, equipped with some of the same consonants, arriving at a cost of £72m – not the 2018 Haaland’s £4m - and also playing as a No 9. It may be both unfair and inevitable. His fellow forwards’ failings have made it harder for the 20-year-old to ease into life at Old Trafford, though. “I’m convinced with the quality from our [forward] players that they will go and score more goals,” Ten Hag said. The first step is to hit the target: Hojlund has done it with just three of 11 attempts, Antony three from 16, Garnacho two from 13 and Rashford seven from 33. There are reasons why United rank third for shots, but only joint eighth for efforts on target; only 29.4 per cent of their shots have been on target, the fifth lowest average. The forwards are not the only culprits, but a quintet of attackers with a combined xG of 6.95 have one goal between them. Ten Hag was keener to cite other statistics. “The pressing is quite good,” he said. “We have the most ball regains and the most middle [third] regains in the whole Premier League. But we don’t take benefit in attacking transition moments.” For him, the problem lies partly in decision-making, partly in execution. Certainly Hojlund is still trying to get to know his teammates, though there were signs against FC Copenhagen on Tuesday that he and Rashford are starting to strike up an understanding. But United, Ten Hag thinks, should have had more chances. “The cooperation has to click, but we showed this week in the week some examples where they are so many we have overload positions, going in overload position to the opponents’ goal and we don’t net or don’t even hit the target,” he rued. It has led to a disjointed feel, to a sense that United have been less than the sum of their parts. Rashford has veered between arguably the best form of his career, scoring 30 goals last season, to some of the worst. “I play him every game and so I have a strong belief he will return to scoring a lot of goals,” Ten Hag said. Rashford delivered a winner, albeit a controversial one, on City’s last trip to Old Trafford in January, but then he had also scored in his six previous games. Now he has no goals in his last eight outings for United. Yet Rashford’s struggles have overshadowed the enduring ineffectuality of Antony. The Brazilian’s season was interrupted by a leave of absence while he addressed allegations of assault from three women, which he denied. On the pitch, however, he has been dismal: his United drought stretches back 17 matches and Ten Hag’s best option on the right against City may be Fernandes, particularly if shifting the captain into a wider role allows him to bolster his midfield. And there are other reasons to select midfielders. Casemiro is an injury doubt but remains United’s top scorer in all competitions this campaign. Their leading marksman in the Premier League, somewhat improbably, is Scott McTominay, who got more goals in injury-time against Brentford than their five main forwards – six if the absent Jadon Sancho is included – have mustered between them in the top flight all season. It is hardly a Haaland-esque haul. And while - when Hojlund was still with Atalanta, and Rashford managed 30, the quartet of the Mancunian - Antony, Martial and Garnacho equalled the Norwegian’s total of 52 goals for a Manchester club between them last season, now they are very much trailing in his wake. And whether or not Haaland would actually have joined United, they have added reasons to regret the one who got away and subsequently joined their neighbours as long as their own forwards are misfiring. Read More Kyle Walker says Manchester City will be wary of Marcus Rashford in derby Wolves v Chelsea on Christmas Eve means ‘unhappy wife’ for Mauricio Pochettino Pep Guardiola condemns Man City fans who sang offensive Sir Bobby Charlton chant Erik ten Hag reveals Casemiro injury latest ahead of Manchester derby Man Utd will deliver fitting celebration in house that Sir Bobby Charlton built Ronnie O’Sullivan to release David Beckham-produced behind-the-scenes film

Prosecutors in Atlanta said Monday that rapper Young Thug was the "proclaimed leader" of a gang that "moved like a pack" to commit crimes, as opening statements in...

CVS is laying off about 5,000 employees in a cost-cutting effort, the pharmacy chain confirmed Tuesday.

Video from an Ohio school's hallway camera shows a school employee chasing a 3-year-old down the hall and hitting him in the head from behind, knocking him to the ground, an attorney for the boy's family alleges.

High anxiety has set in on the closing day of a summit between European Union and Latin American leaders