Investigation reportedly reveals Banksy’s true identity after years of secrecy

Reuters says it has identified the elusive British street artist Banksy as Robin Gunningham, a Bristol-born man who later used the name David Jones, following an extensive investigation that links immigration records, eyewitness accounts and past legal documents to murals the artist claimed in Ukraine in 2022. The news agency’s probe centers on a series of stencil works Banksy posted on Instagram in late 2022 as his own, painted on shattered buildings around Kyiv. Witnesses in the village of Horenka told Reuters an ambulance…

French President Macron vows no respite for Russia despite Iran conflict

French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to keep up pressure on Russia’s war machine despite the United States temporarily easing curbs on Russian oil sales, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Paris amid rising global energy prices and fresh shocks from the Middle East war. Speaking alongside Zelensky after talks in Paris — the Ukrainian leader’s 12th visit to France since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022 — Macron said there would be no “respite” for Moscow. “During a meeting of the Group of Seven…

Air travel turmoil pushes passengers toward rail and road alternatives

Gulf flight disruption is rippling across global travel, forcing families to reroute long-haul journeys and pushing up fares as airlines cut capacity and fuel costs surge. The uncertainty is especially acute for Irish passengers trying to reach Australia and New Zealand, routes that have long relied on the Middle East’s mega-hubs and are now being squeezed by war-related constraints and shifting safety perceptions. Dublin native Brian Sullivan was due to fly home with his wife and three children from Melbourne via Abu Dhabi…

Trump threatens Iran’s oil infrastructure as Strait of Hormuz tensions escalate

President Donald Trump threatened new strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island oil hub unless Tehran halts attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, a warning that raised the stakes for global shipping and oil prices amid a war already disrupting energy supplies. Trump coupled the ultimatum with a social media post saying the United States had “totally obliterated” military targets on Kharg, which handles roughly 90% of Iran’s crude exports and sits about 483 kilometers northwest of the strait. He said U.S. strikes did not hit oil…

Live updates: Strikes hit Tehran as Middle East war drags on

To produce a publish-ready article at AP standards, please provide the raw source material for “As it happened: Strikes hit Tehran as war continues.” You can paste transcripts, wire copy, official statements, field notes, or bullet-pointed updates. Include time stamps and attribution for each key fact so I can verify chronology and sources. Essential details needed: • Exact date and local time of the strikes in Tehran; specify time zone. • Locations/neighborhoods or strategic sites affected; any satellite or on-the-ground…

Trump: U.S. launched airstrikes on military targets at Iran’s Kharg Island oil hub

U.S. strikes hit military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island, President Donald Trump said, warning he will consider targeting the country’s oil infrastructure if Iran continues to threaten shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for a fifth of the world’s crude. Trump said in a social media post the U.S. military “totally obliterated every MILITARY target” on Kharg Island while leaving oil facilities intact. He added that if Iran, or “anyone else,” interferes with the “Free and Safe Passage of Ships” in the strait,…

U.S. deploying additional Marines and warships to Middle East, reports say

WASHINGTON — The United States is dispatching additional Marines and warships to the Middle East as the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran enters its third week, amid escalating attacks in and around the Strait of Hormuz and a renewed surge in global oil prices, according to multiple U.S. media reports. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Japan-based amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli and attached Marines are en route to the region. The New York Times said as many as three ships carrying roughly 2,500 Marines were…

Pentagon intensifies investigation into strike on school in Iran

Pentagon elevates probe into Iranian girls’ school strike as preliminary findings point to possible U.S. role WASHINGTON — The U.S. military said today it has elevated its investigation into a Feb. 28 strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school in southern Iran, following media reports that preliminary findings indicate U.S. forces were likely responsible. Iran says 168 children were killed, a toll that, if confirmed, would make it among the deadliest civilian casualty incidents linked to U.S. military action in the Middle…

Celebrities shine on green carpet at Los Angeles Oscar Wilde Awards

Domhnall Gleeson, Maura Tierney and director Lee Cronin were honored in Los Angeles as the Oscar Wilde Awards marked their 20th anniversary, spotlighting Irish talent in the final days before the Academy Awards. The annual celebration, staged by the US-Ireland Alliance, has grown into a staple of Oscars week, recognizing the creative contributions Ireland makes to film, television and music. This year’s ceremony took place at the Ebell of Los Angeles, with comedian Matt Walsh hosting and performances by Dermot Kennedy and…

Giant steel cylinder of unknown origin snarls traffic in Japan

Osaka steel cylinder shoots from sewer site, snarls traffic as city probes cause Authorities in Osaka are investigating how a large steel cylinder suddenly thrust out of the ground at a sewer construction site, rising to roughly the height of a four-story building and forcing road closures near key routes into the city center. A city official said crews received an early Wednesday report that the object — a steel casing used for soil retention — was “jutting out of the ground” near highways in Osaka. “It was not there the…