The United States is offering Ukraine security guarantees for a period of 15 years as part of a proposed peace plan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday, though he said he would prefer an American commitment of up to 50 years to deter Russia from further attempts to seize its neighbor's land by force. U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Zelenskyy at his Florida resort on Sunday and insisted that Ukraine and Russia are "closer than ever before" to a peace settlement.
Irish officials were worried by the "opulence" of a proposed trip by Prince Charles to Ireland in the wake of his successful inaugural trip to the Republic. Prince Charles - now King Charles III - wanted to visit Ireland in 1996, just 12 months after his first visit, because of the positive headlines it had garnered. Confidential files released as part of the State Papers revealed Irish officials were concerned at the length of the proposed trip extended and the luxury surrounding the Prince's events steadily mounted.
The bank, Russia's largest lender, said the loan was secured using digital assets mined directly by Intelion Data. Sberbank did not disclose the size, duration, or exact type of cryptocurrency used as collateral, describing the transaction as an experimental pilot rather than a full commercial rollout. "We believe this product will be relevant not only for cryptocurrency miners, but also for companies that own cryptocurrencies," Sberbank said in a statement, adding that it may issue similar loans in the future if the model proves effective.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was hopeful that US president Donald Trump will visit Ireland either next year for the Irish Open golf tournament or in 2027 for the Ryder Cup. Mr Martin - who will meet Mr Trump at the White House for St Patrick's Day - said he was particularly keen to underline Ireland's long-standing transatlantic relationship as the US marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Digital sovereignty has outgrown its niche as an IT concern and is now firmly on the boardroom agenda. This has been fueled in no small part by geopolitical concerns. However, while geopolitics may have pushed it into the spotlight, at its core digital sovereignty is about one thing: keeping the business running no matter what happens. When critical systems fail, there is always a cost.
For decades, Avenida Revolucion in Tijuana was a bustling tourist zone, attracting U.S. visitors with its colorful souvenir shops, restaurants and nightlife. But at some point, popular interest in the historic district faded. State and city officials have been trying to revitalize the area for some time to attract more tourists, with hopes of making it a place locals want to hang out, too. The latest move involves closing off a few blocks to vehicles to make way for a pedestrian promenade.
Londoners might not have got a white Christmas, but it looks as though 2026 could kick off with a blast of snow for parts of the UK. And that includes the capital. Snow is notoriously hard to predict, but some early forecasts for this weekend (January 3-4) are saying that temperatures in the capital city could fall below freezing, accompanied by a flurry of the white stuff. So, prepare to wrap up, slip on your wellies and (maybe) dust off that toboggan.
Is there something I would figuratively die on a hill for? Yes, there is and as it happens, I'm sitting on a literal hill right now, feeding them. Pigeons. Why pigeons? Because it's about time they get the respect they deserve. I like pigeons. Because they're like me, working class. You can tell pigeons are working class because every pigeon looks knackered. It's about this point in the conversation that people politely make their excuses and slowly back away (literally) while avoiding eye contact.
"Mariupol Drama Theater has reopened its doors for spectators," said Denis Puchilin, the pro-Russian leader of the Donetsk region that includes Mariupol, on his Telegram channel, adding that the theater now has "modern equipment of the highest level."
JPMorgan BetaBuilders Europe ETF (NYSEARCA:BBEU) provides low-cost exposure to developed European large caps. With a 0.09% expense ratio and $8.4 billion in assets, it tracks hundreds of European stocks weighted by market cap. The fund returned 36.9% year-to-date through late December 2025, more than doubling the S&P 500's 17.8% gain. The return engine is straightforward appreciation of underlying positions. No derivatives, no leverage, no options overlay.
To put in context the surprise that greeted the two-day Boxing Day Test just gone, consider the rarity by arithmetic. The match in Melbourne was Test number 2,615, and was two-day Test number 27. You don't need a calculator to see that's roughly 1%. And yet we've had two such matches in the current Ashes series, plus another in Australia three years earlier. We've had half a dozen two-day Tests worldwide since 2021. What gives?
Affordale Fury was the 150-1 runner-up in the three-mile Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham in March 2023, but his career since has included breaks of 438 and 241 days and Sunday's race was just his fifth chase start outside novice company. It was also his fourth outing since October, though, offering hope that his former fragility may now be behind him, and he set a decent gallop from the off despite persistently jumping to his right.
If whinging was an Olympic sport, we Gaels would be unbeatable Often in the hostelries around Thurles before big Munster championship games you'll hear it observed that Nietzsche's oeuvre is a latticework of recurring ideas and radical rejections. And yet it is Nietzsche's doctrine of eternal recurrence that best illustrates his GAA-ness. The notion that time is a squared circle, that everything repeats ad nauseam. But most especially the GAA news cycle.
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian intelligence had observed that Belarus was deploying equipment in Belarusian settlements near the border, including on residential buildings to assist Russian forces in carrying out their attacks. Antennae and other equipment are located on the roofs of ordinary five-storey apartment buildings, which help guide Shaheds' [Russian drones] to targets in our western regions, he said. This is an absolute disregard for human lives, and it is important that Minsk stops playing with this, he added.
Zelenskyy accuses the Russian leadership of using every opportunity' to inflict greater suffering' on Ukraine. Russia has carried out drone and missile strikes on Ukraine's capital Kyiv on the eve of a key meeting between the United States and Ukrainian leaders, killing at least one person and leaving a third of the city without heat, according to local authorities. Russian ballistic missiles and drones rocked Kyiv from the early hours of Saturday morning, where an air alert was in place for nearly 10 hours.
There's an interview that stands out for Marcus Horan from his very early days with TG4 after he crossed the rugby Rubicon from former player to pitchside interviewer.
Up to 40,000 children waiting as Government plans major expansion of childcare services Focus on large-scale services with an average of 100 places for children aged one to three State will tender for operators to run the facilities, with both new and existing providers eligible
