World

Irish troops to spend Christmas on peacekeeping duty in south Lebanon as UNIFIL observes fragile Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire More than 300 Irish soldiers will spend Christmas Day on peacekeeping duties at Camp Shamrock in south Lebanon, serving with the UNIFIL mission to observe the fragile ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah in the region. The deployment means hundreds of service members will mark the holiday away from home. Their work will continue through the day, focused on maintaining stability and…

A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow on Wednesday, a high-profile blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegations held separate talks with U.S. envoys in Miami on a possible path to ending the war. Russia’s Investigative Committee said Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head of the General Staff’s training department, died when an explosive device planted under his parked car detonated in a residential district. The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin had been briefed. Kyiv has not…

Two men were convicted of planning an Islamic State-inspired mass shooting against Jews in the Manchester area, a plot police say could have become Britain’s deadliest terrorist attack if not for an undercover operation that exposed it. A jury at Preston Crown Court found Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, guilty of preparing acts of terrorism between December 2023 and May 2024. Prosecutors said the pair intended to attack a mass gathering and then move on to north Manchester to kill more Jewish people, though no…

New Epstein document dump sharpens scrutiny on Trump’s past ties, adds detail but few conclusions A fresh tranche of U.S. government records tied to Jeffrey Epstein offers new specifics on former President Donald Trump’s proximity to the financier in the 1990s and early 2000s, while underscoring how much remains unverified or sharply disputed. The materials, uneven and heavily redacted, do not alter the public record on Trump’s conduct. Trump has long denied any wrongdoing, and the Justice Department has labeled some of the…

Greenland’s leader rebuked U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed push to secure the Arctic territory, insisting the island’s future will be decided by its own people, as Denmark and European allies protested Washington’s latest moves. “Greenland is our country. Our decisions are made here,” Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen wrote in a Facebook post, responding after Trump said the United States “needs” Greenland for national security and appointed Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as special envoy to the territory. “Such words…

In a quiet housing estate in Navan, Co Meath, a Palestinian orthopedic surgeon scrolls through family photos that have become a catalogue of loss. Dr. Mahmoud Abumarzouq’s younger brother, four nieces and nephews, and countless friends are gone — killed in Gaza since the war erupted after the Oct. 7 attacks — and he is pleading for the world to deliver more aid to those who remain. “This genocide, or you call war or ethnic cleansing — bombardment, all day and night,” he said, searching for the words to contain his grief. “My…

The year volatility went mainstream: 10 forces that defined 2025 From Washington to Gaza, Kyiv to Caracas, 2025 surged with overlapping shocks that reshaped politics, markets and lives. Donald Trump’s return to the White House accelerated protectionism and hard-edged security policies. A Gaza ceasefire halted, but did not end, one of the century’s deadliest conflicts. A boom in artificial intelligence drove record investment alongside job cuts and legal fights. And climate disasters left their signature across continents.…

Trump names Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry special envoy to Greenland, draws rebuke from Denmark and Greenland; suspends offshore wind leases; unveils new “Trump-class” battleships U.S. President Donald Trump reasserted that the United States “has to have” Greenland for national security and named Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry on Sunday as his special envoy to the Arctic island, triggering swift criticism from Danish and Greenlandic leaders. The moves came alongside a separate push to expand U.S. naval power with a new class of…

Kyiv, Ukraine — At least three people, including a four-year-old child, were killed Friday as Russia launched a “massive” missile and drone barrage across Ukraine, striking power facilities and triggering emergency outages in multiple regions amid freezing temperatures, Ukrainian officials said. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the assault “an extremely clear signal about Russia’s priorities,” noting the barrage landed “in the midst of negotiations aimed at ending this war.” He urged Ukraine’s Western partners to increase…

EU backs Denmark after Trump appoints Greenland envoy, reigniting sovereignty dispute The European Union declared “full solidarity” with Denmark after President Donald Trump named Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as his special envoy to Greenland, a move that rekindled tensions over U.S. ambitions for the vast Arctic territory that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. “Territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council…