President Donald Trump says Washington will host a massive rally on 24 June to mark America’s 250th anniversary, after planned concerts were scrapped when several performers withdrew. "In celebration of our Country's 250 Year History, we will be bringing you, LIVE, the Greatest Rally, EVER! It will be special at every level - A Rally to end all Rallies!" Mr Trump said on his Truth Social network. "We don't want singers with no talent, but big fees to put you to sleep, we've told them all to stay home," added the 79-year-old…

Donald Trump said a face-to-face meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin would be “great,” throwing his weight behind the prospect of direct talks while insisting that any breakthrough would require concessions from both Ukraine and Russia. “I’m glad that they’re maybe talking about meeting. I think we had a lot to do with it,” Mr Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “I think it would be great if they met. They should - get it done,” he added. Mr Trump, who has drawn criticism for berating Mr Zelensky in…

At just 20, Seán Dunne from Laragh, Co Wicklow has carved out a place in sheep shearing history, becoming New Zealand’s top junior shearer. His victory also marks a first: no non-New Zealander had previously claimed the title. Dunne said the achievement had been his target for the season, and reaching it left him feeling “pretty good now alright, to get over there and become the top ranked”. Only three years into the trade, Seán reckons he has already shorn 70,000 sheep. “I travelled to New Zealand twice, and I've shorn in…

June 4, 2026 (DJIBOUTI, Djibouti) — As political tensions escalate in Somalia, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) warned Friday that recent violence in Mogadishu threatens the country’s fragile progress and urged swift steps to prevent further bloodshed. IGAD condemned all acts of violence and urged every party involved to show maximum restraint, work to reduce tensions, and seek resolution through peaceful, inclusive, and constructive dialogue. "At this critical moment, preserving peace, stability,…

A fresh round of strikes in Crimea left four people dead, Kremlin-installed officials said, underscoring how the war’s reach continues to widen a day after Moscow and Kyiv exchanged attacks on each other’s cities. Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-appointed head of Crimea, said Ukrainian forces struck a non-residential area of Simferopol, the peninsula’s main administrative centre, killing three people and wounding seven. He later said on Telegram that a separate Ukrainian drone attack hit a commuter train in eastern Crimea,…

Anger over a luxury tourism scheme tied to Jared Kushner has spilled into the streets of Tirana, where thousands of Albanians have marched in recent days against a project planned for one of the Adriatic coast’s most environmentally fragile areas. The €1.4bn resort is being pursued by Mr Kushner's investment firm Affinity Partners on an island off Albania and along an undeveloped coastal strip near the Vjosa-Narta protected landscape, a wetland that shelters flamingos, seals and sea turtle nesting sites. Environmental groups…

A deadly strike on a UN peacekeeping base in southern Lebanon has left one peacekeeper dead and two others injured, underscoring the mounting danger surrounding the mission as violence intensifies across the border region. "A UNIFIL peacekeeper died early this morning from critical injuries sustained when mortar shells struck his position," the force said in a statement, adding that an investigation is now under way. Serbia's defence ministry said the peacekeeper was Serbian and stated that he died from injuries suffered in…

The Ebola outbreak tearing through central Africa was already well advanced by the time health officials identified it, the head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday, even as he stressed that efforts to contain the virus are beginning to gain ground. Declared on 15 May in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the outbreak has so far been confirmed in 359 people, among them 61 who have died. Health officials caution, however, that the true toll may be considerably higher, with signs the virus had been…

Fresh hopes for calm on the Israel-Lebanon border were jolted within hours, as Lebanese state media reported Israeli strikes in the south despite a newly announced conditional ceasefire reached after talks in Washington. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) said drone strikes hit roads in several locations in the south, adding that at least one of the attacks caused casualties. Earlier today, the Israeli military said air raid sirens had sounded in northern Israel. It said one alert involved a "suspicious aerial…

The European Union has cleared the way for Ukraine and Moldova to advance to the next phase of their membership bids, after diplomats said Hungary had signalled it was lifting its long-running veto on Kyiv's progress. "This marks a significant milestone in their European integration path, and sends a strong message of EU unity and determination," Cyprus, which holds the rotating presidency, said in a social media post. The bloc formally opened accession talks with Ukraine in June 2024, launching a complex process that…