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Kharkiv, Ukraine — On a frigid Friday morning, as children climbed the steps from Lyceum No. 105 — an underground school purpose-built to shield them from Russian airstrikes — municipal crews were out in force. They hacked at ice, scooped slush, and scrubbed sidewalks clean. The joke among Ukrainians about Kharkiv’s devotion to well-groomed streets survives even here, under constant threat from the sky. The city authorities have had little rest since February 2022. Vladimir Putin’s forces have pounded Ukraine’s…

MUSCAT, Oman — Iran and the United States are set to open high-stakes talks in Oman on Friday aimed at defusing a renewed nuclear standoff, but a deep dispute over the agenda — especially Iran’s missile program — is already clouding prospects for progress and raising fears of a wider Middle East conflict. While both sides have signaled readiness to return to diplomacy, Washington wants any understanding to address far more than uranium enrichment. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the talks should encompass Iran’s…

Winter storm shuts airports, knocks out power as Arctic cold grips eastern U.S. A powerful winter storm swept from the Ohio Valley and mid-South to New England with heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain, colliding with a deep Arctic blast that has locked in dangerous cold across much of the United States east of the Rockies. Winter storm warnings stretched across most of the eastern third of the country, covering about 118 million people, as the National Weather Service warned of widespread, prolonged travel disruptions and…

Russia unleashed a combined missile and drone barrage on Ukraine early today, knocking out power and heat to thousands of homes in Kyiv as temperatures plunged, Ukrainian officials said. One person was killed in the wider Kyiv region and at least one was wounded in the capital, where debris also damaged a school and disrupted water supplies on the city’s left bank. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said heating was cut to 5,635 multistory apartment buildings across the city of more than 3 million. The outage hit as the mercury…

Harris Voices Grave Concerns for Lebanon While Engaging with Herzog The geopolitical spotlight has once again turned to the Middle East, as escalating tensions in Lebanon become increasingly alarming. In a recent conversation, Ireland's Taoiseach, Simon Harris, underscored his "serious concern" regarding the rapidly deteriorating conditions in Lebanon during his phone dialogue with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. The ongoing situation not only raises eyebrows globally but also sparks fears of broader instability in the…

The Tánaiste has assured that Irish forces stationed in Lebanon remain secure; however, he expressed substantial concern regarding the recent initiation of ground raids by Israeli troops in southern Lebanese villages, highlighting that international humanitarian law appears to be under strain. Mr. Martin emphasized the "extraordinary" ramifications that such ground offensives could impose, potentially displacing over a million individuals, which he termed "unacceptable." The situation has escalated as Israel reported fierce…

The United States expresses 'deep concern' over election deaths in Somalia MOGADISHU, Somalia - The United States has warned of a dead end in Somalia amid ongoing stalemate ahead of the election, which was caused by the failure to implement the September agreement signed in Mogadishu. For several months, the federal government in Somalia has failed to hold elections despite the…

Relations between Ethiopia and Sudan too deep to be shaken by conspirators: PM ADDIS ABABA - Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said the historical ties between Ethiopia and Sudan are too deep to be shaken by the conspirators' desire. In a statement in Arabic today, he said that the social and cultural relations and ties between the peoples of the two nations go back to centuries ago and still shine. These…