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Micheál Martin meets Xi Jinping in Beijing, urges open trade as EU-China tensions simmer Taoiseach Micheál Martin met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday, opening a four-day official visit focused on trade, technology and wider geopolitical issues amid a tense backdrop in EU-China relations. During an audience at the capital’s Great Hall, Martin cited the strength of Irish-Chinese commerce and called for more open trade between the countries. He also acknowledged what he described as China’s indispensable role…

WASHINGTON — Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is expected to appear in a U.S. court on drug charges after his capture by American forces, even as President Donald Trump signaled the possibility of further incursions and broader regional action if Washington’s demands on Venezuela’s interim government are not met. Maduro, 63, is being held in a New York detention center following a Saturday military raid in Caracas that jolted the country’s political order and set off international alarm. Trump administration…

Venezuelan officials vowed to remain unified behind President Nicolas Maduro after U.S. forces seized the 63-year-old leader and flew him to New York to face drug charges, deepening uncertainty over Venezuela’s future and prompting international pushback. Maduro is being held in a New York detention center ahead of a court appearance. U.S. President Donald Trump ordered his capture and said Washington would take control of the oil-rich South American nation, a declaration that rattled allies and adversaries alike and drew…

Deadly clashes flared across Iran as cost-of-living protests entered a second week, with rights groups and local media reporting fresh confrontations, multiple deaths and hundreds of arrests amid a heavy security deployment in major cities. At least 12 people, including members of the security forces, have been killed since the unrest began with a shopkeepers’ strike in Tehran on Dec. 28, according to an official toll compiled from state and semi-official reports. Demonstrations have been reported in 23 of Iran’s 31…

Nigeria: Armed gangs kill at least 30, torch market in Niger state raid; dozens kidnapped Armed gangs killed more than 30 people and abducted others in a raid on Kasuwan Daji village in Niger state, police said, the latest mass attack in a region scarred by bandit violence and recent school kidnappings. Gunmen swept into Kasuwan Daji, in the Kabe district of northwestern Nigeria’s Niger state, and set a market ablaze before looting shops for food, according to authorities. “Over 30 victims lost their lives during the attack,…

Britain and France carried out a joint airstrike in Syria targeting an underground facility north of Palmyra that was likely used by the Islamic State group to store weapons, the British Ministry of Defence said. “Royal Air Force aircraft have completed successful strikes against Daesh in a joint operation with France,” the ministry said in a statement, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group. “This facility had been occupied by Daesh, most likely to store weapons and explosives. The area around the facility is…

Venezuelans in Ireland welcome Maduro’s removal but question U.S. role and path ahead as Dublin protest targets raid DUBLIN — Venezuelans living in Ireland have greeted the removal of Nicolas Maduro with relief and unease, celebrating the end of a regime they say crushed civic life while warning that a U.S.-led transition risks paternalism and confusion. Maduro, described by U.S. officials as Venezuela’s toppled leader, is in a New York detention center awaiting drug charges after President Donald Trump ordered an audacious…

Luke Littler polished off a dominant title defense at Alexandra Palace with a 7-1 demolition of Gian van Veen, cementing his status as darts’ unstoppable new force and pocketing a record £1 million winner’s check at the World Darts Championship. The 18-year-old joins Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson as the only players to win back-to-back PDC world crowns. A year after a breakout run announced him to the wider sporting world, Littler returned to the sport’s biggest stage and left no doubt he intends to stay there.…

Myanmar’s ruling junta said it will free more than 6,000 prisoners in an Independence Day amnesty, a rare concession amid a sweeping post-coup crackdown and a tightly managed election widely dismissed by critics as a sham. The National Defence and Security Council said junta chief Min Aung Hlaing pardoned 6,134 imprisoned Myanmar nationals. In a separate statement, authorities said 52 foreign prisoners would also be released and deported. The military has arrested thousands of protesters, activists and political figures…

CARACAS, Venezuela — U.S. airstrikes pounded military sites in and around Caracas before dawn as U.S. forces carried out a raid to seize Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, who was later flown to New York to face drugs and weapons charges, U.S. officials said. The operation — described by the Pentagon as “Operation Absolute Resolve” — began shortly before 2 a.m. local time, with explosions rocking the capital and nearby cities for more than an hour. Video circulating on social media showed helicopters sweeping low over Caracas…