"A government of laws, not men." That message blazed across the US Department of Justice headquarters in Washington DC on Tuesday, casting a sharp rebuke in light against one of the most powerful buildings in the country. The words, drawn from founding father John Adams, were projected above a banner of US President Donald Trump that has hung from the building for months. Washington has hardly been quiet since Mr Trump returned to the White House last year, and the capital has become familiar terrain for demonstrations of…

France has barred Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering the country after he posted a video ridiculing bound activists detained by Israeli soldiers during a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. "From today, Itamar Ben-Gvir is banned from entering French territory" because of "his reprehensible actions towards French and European citizens" involved in the humanitarian flotilla, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X. Barrot said he was also joining Italy in pushing for European Union sanctions…

Mogadishu, Somalia – In a push to professionalise Somalia’s police and bolster national stability, Minister of Internal Security Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail today inaugurated a 10-day instructor training for the Somali Police Force in Mogadishu, a programme designed to raise institutional capacity across the security sector. Funded by the Government of Japan, the 10-day training is being conducted by the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) Police at the General Kaahiye Police Training Academy as…

Houston is counting down to the FIFA World Cup, with seven matches on the schedule and a landmark fixture between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Portugal set to draw global attention to Texas. DR Congo booked its place at the tournament by surviving a play-off against Jamaica in Mexico in March. Yet as the city prepares to welcome the team, the buildup has been overshadowed by the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring a "public health emergency of international concern" after an Ebola outbreak in the central…

SpaceX sent its towering Starship rocket on a dramatic test run that ended with a controlled, fiery splashdown in the Indian Ocean, giving the company a largely successful outing for the latest version of its giant spacecraft. The mission was not flawless, but the snags did little to dampen the mood. On the company livestream, SpaceX staff erupted in cheers after a flight seen as an important step forward as Elon Musk's company moves toward what could be a record-setting initial public offering. The huge rocket lifted off…

Federal immigration arrests in New York City have surged by more than 70% since President Donald Trump returned to office, according to a city audit that points to a sharp rise in enforcement activity across the five boroughs. Commissioned by Mayor Zohran Mamdani shortly after he entered office this year, the audit found that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 5,567 people in the New York City area from 20 January, 2025, when Mr Trump, a Republican, was sworn in for a new term, through 10 March, 2026. The report…

Four days after US President Donald Trump departed Beijing, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived — a swift diplomatic handover that underscored China’s central place in an increasingly unsettled global order. Beijing’s ties with Washington and Moscow differ sharply, of course: one relationship is defined by strategic rivalry, the other by strategic partnership. Yet as China welcomes a steady procession of global leaders, each high-profile visit helps reinforce the sense that Beijing is becoming a pivotal stage for world…

A deadly gas blast tore through a coal mine in northern China on Friday, killing at least 90 people in the country’s worst mining disaster in 17 years, according to state media. State news agency Xinhua said 247 workers were underground when the explosion struck at 7:29 pm (12.29pm Irish time) at the Liushenyu coal mine in Shanxi province. By this morning, most had been brought to the surface, Xinhua reported, confirming that at least 90 people were dead. The agency said 345 emergency personnel were sent to the scene, where…

A deadly Israeli strike in southern Lebanon has left six people dead — among them two rescuers and a child — according to the Lebanese health ministry, underscoring the volatility that persists despite a fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war. The ministry said in a statement that "six people were martyred" in the strike on the village of Deir Qanun al-Nahr, including two rescuers from the Risala Scouts association, one of whom also worked as a freelance photographer, as well as a Syrian girl. The association is…

An Irish doctor detained after Israeli forces intercepted a protest flotilla this week says she was held in conditions she likened to a “horror of a concentration camp”. Dr Margaret Connolly, sister of President Catherine Connolly, was among 14 Irish citizens and 430 activists detained by Israeli authorities after the vessels were stopped at sea on Monday. The group had been travelling with the Global Sumud Flotilla, an effort aimed at breaching the blockade of the Palestinian territory and bringing aid to people in Gaza.…