World

CUBA CHARGES SIX WITH TERRORISM AFTER COAST GUARD SHOOTOUT NEAR HAVANA Cuban prosecutors have filed terrorism charges against six crew members of a U.S.-flagged speedboat intercepted by the island’s coast guard after a deadly shootout on Feb. 25 near the country’s northern shoreline, authorities said. The attorney general’s office said the defendants — described as U.S.-based Cuban nationals — are accused of loading the vessel with weapons and heading toward Cuba with the alleged aim of destabilizing the government in…

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday stood by her characterization of two U.S. citizens shot dead by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis as “domestic terrorism,” refusing to retract the remarks during a combative Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that underscored the political and operational stakes of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Sen. Dick Durbin, the committee’s top Democrat, repeatedly pressed Noem to walk back her statements about Renee Good and Alex Pretti — as well as a…

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump launched a full-throttle media blitz to defend and define Operation Epic Fury on Monday, offering shifting timelines for the U.S.-led strikes on Iran even as his administration sought to project a unified mission and steady command of the campaign. After a weekend dialing into television interviews from Florida, Trump returned to the White House and appeared on CNN and Fox News before midday. He told one outlet the assault could end in “two or three days with a deal.” On CNN, he said the…

Strait of Hormuz disruption sends tanker and LNG shipping rates to records as U.S.-Iran tensions spike Global oil and gas shipping costs surged to fresh records as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz slowed to a near standstill after Tehran targeted vessels transiting the key waterway, according to shipping data and industry sources. The choke point between Iran and Oman carries roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and significant volumes of liquefied natural gas. The strikes on ships, part of Iran’s retaliation to U.S. and…

Funerals take place following attack on Iran school Funerals were held in Iran following an attack on a school, underscoring a day of grief and somber reflection for families and communities confronting the loss. The rites drew mourners to pay respects to the victims as the country absorbed the shock of violence striking an educational setting. Details about the incident, including the full scope of casualties and responsibility, were not immediately available. In the absence of confirmed information, the focus remained on…

Sirens warning of possible missile strikes have jolted daily life in Kuwait and Bahrain, prompting schools and universities to switch to remote learning as residents describe sleepless nights, booming interceptions and a surge of community support. Jake McAllister, originally from Portstewart in Derry, has lived in Kuwait for more than seven years and is now principal of an international school. He said he had “never felt unsafe” since arriving in 2018 — until the past several days. McAllister had just returned from a…

Irish troops in south Lebanon safe, on alert as Israel pushes deeper across border Irish troops serving with the United Nations in south Lebanon are safe, accounted for and prepared for “this period of heightened intensity,” a Defence Forces spokesman said Monday, as Israeli forces advanced into border areas and the United Nations reported at least 30,000 people displaced in Lebanon. Commandant Alex Quigley told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that operations remain ongoing, with force-protection measures in place that can be scaled…

As U.S. strikes on Iran under Operation Epic Fury entered a new day, the White House appeared determined to project clarity and resolve. Instead, a flurry of public remarks from senior officials — led by President Donald Trump himself — yielded shifting timelines and evolving justifications that sharpened questions about the mission’s scope, strategy and endgame. The president moved aggressively to frame the narrative, calling news outlets throughout the weekend from Florida and returning to Washington to blanket morning TV.…

Kuwait and Bahrain expats describe sleepless nights as sirens sound, schools shift online Irish expatriates in Kuwait and Bahrain say nights of sirens and distant explosions have upended daily life this week, prompting schools and universities to move classes online as families weigh contingency plans but try to carry on. Jake McAllister, a school principal originally from Portstewart in Derry who has lived in Kuwait for more than seven years, said the atmosphere changed less than a day after he, his wife, Marlene, and their…

Ukraine expands war crimes probe as evidence mounts for future Hague tribunal KYIV — Ukrainian investigators are escalating a sweeping, years-long effort to document alleged Russian war crimes across the country, collecting vast troves of physical evidence, eyewitness testimony and digital records with an eye toward future prosecutions at a special tribunal in The Hague. Now into the fourth year of full-scale war, authorities say the scope of the investigations continues to widen. Teams are working case by case to capture…