Democrats accuse U.S. attorney general of concealing Jeffrey Epstein case files

WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats accused Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday of orchestrating a “cover-up” of the Jeffrey Epstein files and turning the Department of Justice into an “instrument of revenge” for President Donald Trump, sparking a raucous House Judiciary Committee hearing attended by several Epstein victims. Bondi defended the Justice Department’s handling of the court-ordered release, saying teams of government lawyers undertook a massive review under tight deadlines and that “pending investigations” in…

Klitschko says EU support remains crucial for Ukraine’s defense

Klitschko urges European support, defends Kyiv’s winter response amid intensified Russian strikes Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said European backing remains “critically important” as Ukraine fights what he called a “senseless war” with Russia, urging allies to sustain support while defending his administration’s preparations for winter under relentless missile barrages. “We Ukrainians want to part of the European family. We want to build a democratic country,” Klitschko told RTÉ’s News at One. He cast Russian President…

Keir Starmer condemns Jim Ratcliffe’s ‘offensive’ immigration remarks

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called on Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe to apologise after the billionaire said in a television interview that the United Kingdom “has been colonised by immigrants.” Responding to coverage of the remarks in a post on X, Starmer wrote: “Offensive and wrong. Britain is a proud, tolerant and diverse country. Jim Ratcliffe should apologise.” Ratcliffe, the founder and chairman of chemicals group Ineos, made the comments during an interview with Sky News. “You can’t have an economy…

Keir Starmer condemns Jim Ratcliffe’s ‘offensive’ immigration comments

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called on Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe to apologise for saying the country has been “colonised by immigrants,” denouncing the remarks as “offensive and wrong.” Ratcliffe, the billionaire founder and chairman of chemicals group Ineos, made the comments in an interview with Sky News. “You can’t have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in,” he said. “I mean, the UK is being colonised. It’s costing too much money. The UK has been…

Displaced pastoralists seek refuge in Lasanod and surrounding Sool areas

The last of the afternoon heat clings to the metal walls as Asho Mohamud Jama stoops to set down a yellow jerrycan outside a ramshackle shelter on the edge of Lasanod. She has walked about 7 kilometers to and from a privately owned borehole to collect the only water her family of 14 will drink today. Inside, her 10-month-old dozes fitfully. Tin sheets rattle in the wind. There is no door to keep out the cold at night, and nowhere to escape the sun by day. Across Somalia’s Sool region, prolonged drought has pushed hundreds of…

Irish government coordinating with U.S. Homeland Security in Culleton case, McEntee confirms

DUBLIN — Ireland’s government has raised the case of Kilkenny native Seamus Culleton with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security after the Boston-based construction worker was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and transferred nearly 4,000 kilometers to a facility in El Paso, Texas. Foreign Minister Helen McEntee said officials have been engaging U.S. counterparts and offering consular support to Culleton, who was arrested by ICE on Sept. 9, 2025. Culleton, originally from Glenmore, Co Kilkenny, told RTÉ’s…

Heineken to slash up to 6,000 jobs as beer sales slump

Heineken will cut up to 6,000 jobs worldwide and temper its outlook for profit growth in 2026, the brewer said, as beer makers grapple with weak demand, cost-conscious consumers and unsettled global conditions. The world’s No. 2 brewer by market value said the reductions, to be carried out over the next two years, represent nearly 7% of its 87,000-person workforce. The productivity drive is expected to unlock savings and narrow the company’s focus on markets and categories with stronger growth prospects. A spokesman told…

Somalia, Egypt cement defense ties as African Union mission deployment nears

Strategic Alliance: Somalia and Egypt solidify military ties ahead of AU mission deployment CAIRO — Somalia and Egypt deepened their military partnership Tuesday as Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Egypt’s defense minister reviewed Egyptian troops ahead of their deployment to a new African Union-led peacekeeping mission in Somalia, according to Cairo’s military spokesperson. The inspection by Mohamud and Gen. Abdel Mageed Saqr, Egypt’s commander in chief and minister of defense, signals a significant step in the…

French court to issue July 7 ruling in Marine Le Pen appeal case

Paris appeals court to rule July 7 in Marine Le Pen fraud case that could reshape 2027 race A Paris appeals court will deliver its ruling on July 7 in a fraud case against far-right leader Marine Le Pen, a decision poised to set the course of France’s next presidential contest. The lower court last year imposed a five-year ban from public office on Le Pen, 57, over a fake jobs scheme at the European Parliament. If the appeals court upholds that verdict, the three-time presidential candidate would be barred from running in…

Somalia hosts Turkish naval ships as offshore oil exploration nears launch

Somalia welcomes Turkish naval vessels as offshore oil exploration nears start MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s deputy defense minister, Omar Abdi Ali, alongside the Somali National Army chief, on Tuesday formally welcomed Turkish naval vessels to Mogadishu, officials said, marking a visible step in the country’s effort to strengthen maritime security as offshore oil exploration moves closer to execution. Port officials said one of the ships is an oil exploration and drilling vessel, accompanied by a security support ship. The…