On today’s front pages, the Daily Telegraph and The Guardian carry photos of the Queen and Prince Harry taken from a video promoting the forthcoming Invictus Games, which will see serving personnel and veterans compete in 10 sports from May 8.
DAESH AIR STRIKES
The Daily Telegraph reports that Britain has killed nearly 1,000 Daesh militants in RAF air strikes in Iraq and Syria over the past 18 months, according to official figures. A total of 996 extremists have been killed by the RAF since the conflict against the militant group started in September 2014 and 98 have been injured. However, the report says just 22 jihadists have reportedly been killed in Syria since Prime Minister David Cameron won a vote to extend air strikes there in December last year. The piece runs a statement from the Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, which says:
We are making solid progress against Daesh. They’ve lost 40 per cent of their territory, their oil revenue has been cut by around a third and they are sustaining heavy losses. Now we must push on and defeat them.
There is a further short piece nib in The Sun, while the statistics, revealed in a FOI release, were also reported last night by Vice News.
INVICTUS GAMES VIDEO
All this morning’s newspapers, along with broadcasters including BBC News and Sky News, cover the video released yesterday to promote the Invictus Games, which begin inFlorida on Sunday May 8. The spoof video features the Queen, Prince Harry and the Obamas and sets the scene for the rivalry between the UK and USA teams that will be played out at the Games in Orlando. More information on the Games can be found here.
