fears

Undocumented Irish on edge as ICE crackdown tests a Boston man’s American dream The detention of Kilkenny native Seamus Culleton in a Texas immigration facility has become a flash point in the United States’ latest enforcement sweep, unsettling thousands of undocumented Irish and their families on both sides of the Atlantic. His case — a visa overstay turned protracted custody fight — captures how a harder-edged U.S. immigration regime is reshaping lives far from the border. Culleton entered the United States in March 2009…

Irish man detained by ICE says he fears for his life in Texas facility, as Irish politicians urge action An Irish man who has lived in the United States for nearly two decades says he is in fear for his life after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and transferred to a detention center in Texas, almost 4,000 kilometers from his home in Boston. Seamus Culleton, originally from Glenmore in Co Kilkenny, was taken into custody by ICE agents in September and later moved to a facility in El Paso, Texas, he…

Irish man detained by ICE in Texas pleads for help, says he fears for his life An Irish man who has lived in the United States for nearly 20 years says he fears for his life after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and transferred to a facility in El Paso, Texas, almost 4,000 kilometers from his home in Boston. Seamus Culleton, originally from Glenmore, Co Kilkenny, was arrested by ICE agents last September and taken into immigration detention, as first reported by the Irish Times. Speaking from the…

Measles outbreak in Minnesota’s Somali community tests public health outreach as vaccine fears persist MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota health officials racing to contain a measles outbreak centered in Minneapolis’ large Somali community are confronting entrenched vaccine fears stoked by long-running myths about autism and the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) shot. Fourteen measles cases have been confirmed statewide since February. About half are in Somali children, six of whom were not vaccinated and one of whom was too young for shots,…

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…

Xi’s military purge narrows China’s command — and raises the risk of miscalculation China’s sweeping purge of senior generals has shrunk the country’s top command to a bare minimum, concentrating power around Xi Jinping just as Western leaders intensify outreach to Beijing. The shake-up, which removed Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia and Joint Staff chief Gen. Liu Zhenli for “violations of discipline and law,” has alarmed analysts who see both short-term caution and longer-term volatility in the world’s…

MOGADISHU (AX) — A deadly attack on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach killed 15 people, including a child, prompting nationwide condemnation, heightened security and fears of backlash among Somali and other Muslim communities. Police said a man and his son opened fire during the beachfront gathering late Sunday, targeting attendees in what authorities described as an antisemitic act of terrorism. The victims ranged in age from 10 to 87. Investigators said inquiries were ongoing and urged the public to…

ICE raids and Trump’s rhetoric rattle Minnesota’s Somali community MINNEAPOLIS — Federal immigration raids, high-profile fraud prosecutions and escalating rhetoric from former president Donald Trump are converging on Minnesota’s Somali community, unsettling daily life in the state that is home to the largest Somali population in the United States. Since Dec. 1, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has detained 12 people in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area under a Department of Homeland Security initiative called Operation…

Kenya signs $2.5 billion health pact with U.S., first under Trump-era overhaul; data privacy questions follow NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya has signed a five-year, $2.5 billion health agreement with the United States, the first such government-to-government pact since President Donald Trump overhauled U.S. foreign aid, U.S. and Kenyan officials said Saturday. Washington cast the deal as a model for a series of agreements with developing countries, signaling a deeper pivot to direct funding of public sectors over traditional aid…

US aircraft carrier's arrival in the Caribbean sharpens tensions with Venezuela The USS Gerald R. Ford, the United States Navy's largest aircraft carrier, steamed into the Western Hemisphere this week, joining a collection of U.S. warships, forward-deployed F-35 stealth jets in Puerto Rico and a broader maritime operation that Washington says is aimed at disrupting drug trafficking. Caracas responded with alarm, announcing its own “massive” nationwide military deployments and warning that the show of force could spark a…