Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous

Finnish authorities have seized a vessel suspected of intentionally severing undersea telecommunications cables amid fears of Russian sabotage in the Gulf of Finland. The seized cargo vessel Fitburg was en route from the Russian port of St Petersburg to Israel at the time of the incident on Wednesday, Finnish Border Guard officials said at a news conference in Helsinki. The Fitburg was dragging its anchor in the sea and was directed to Finnish territorial waters, the police and Border Guard said.

Finnish police on Wednesday seized a vessel suspected of damaging a telecommunications cable between Helsinki and Tallinn, Estonia. The vessel was spotted with its anchor lowered near the site in Estonia's exclusive economic zone where telecom provider Elisa detected a fault early Wednesday. A Finnish border guard vessel and helicopter located the ship and ordered it to stop, raise its anchor, and move into Finnish territorial waters.

The Government has left workers with next to no reason to welcome in the new year. It has failed to keep many of the resolutions made before the general election and in the new programme for government,

If you are on Social Security, you are getting a benefits increase for the 2026 year. Specifically, the Social Security Administration announced a 2.8% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for all benefit recipients. COLAs are an important part of Social Security's programs because benefits must increase to keep pace with inflation. While the COLA impacts benefits in 2026, some Social Security retirees are actually going to get their first increased payment today. Here's why that's the case.

When Ireland redeveloped a swathe of central Dublin in the 1990s, the idea was to create a version of Paris's Left Bank, a cultural quarter of cobbled lanes, art and urban renewal. Planners and architects transformed the run-down Temple Bar site by the River Liffey into an ambitious experiment that drew throngs of visitors and won awards. Three decades later, there are some withering verdicts on what happened next. It seems that Temple Bar is becoming a violent post-apocalyptic place, a judge said last year after sentencing a man who bludgeoned a victim with a can of cider. It's shocking to see it, that people can't be safe down there.

Commenting on the current environment, Kozakou-Marcoullis said Europe today is "facing new and unprecedented challenges stemming from Russia's war against Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, within a rapidly changing global landscape and growing instability." According to the diplomat, the EU appears determined to assume a more prominent leadership role in addressing these challenges a stance reflected in the strategic agenda adopted by the European Council in 2024, covering the period through 2029.

The underdog Justin Hood reeled off a record 11 consecutive doubles en route to a stunning 4-0 win over Josh Rock in the last 16 of the PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace. The 32-year-old debutant continued his stunning run in the tournament and missed his first double when he threw for the match at 2-0 up in the fourth set.

Tickets for that extravaganza are now all sold out, and you won't be able to access large parts of Westminster if you don't have a ticket ( see exactly where will be off limits here). But, of course, the fireworks will soar high into the sky and you'll be able to catch sight of them from across the city. Here's a rundown of some of the best alternative places to see the spectacular display from.

In a post on the platform X, Yerlikaya said the raids had involved the chief public prosecutor's office, the national police's counterterrorism department, intelligence officials, and provincial police departments. "This morning, in 21 provinces, we apprehended 357 suspected ISIS members in simultaneous operations conducted by our police." "Just as we have never given opportunities to those trying to bring this homeland to its knees through terrorism up to this day, we will never give them opportunities in the future either!"

The current Istanbul Biennial has been cut short after the curator, Christine Tohmé, resigned from her post. The 18th Istanbul Biennial will "conclude after its first leg following Tohmé's decision to step down due to personal circumstances", says a statement from the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV), the private foundation that administers the event. The first leg of the biennial was held from 20 September to 23 November across eight venues and welcomed over 600,000 visitors.

When Toronto's streetcars hit a rare open stretch of road, the metallic grind gives way to an airy electric hum, and for a fleeting moment, there is a feeling that one is hurtling along the knife's edge of the future. Seconds later, the illusion shatters: the car grinds to a halt, at a stop or more often, in traffic.

Are you looking for a way to stay sane in an environment that has been torn apart by war? Then perhaps what you need is a bubble tea. That is the philosophy guiding Brother Dong, a Chinese-German volunteer in Ukraine. The 52-year-old former officer in China's People's Armed Police drives once a month from his home in Frankfurt to collect a haul of tapioca pearls from a warehouse in Berlin.

The new arrival was born on October 30 to parents Freya and Juggs and has one older sister, Frida, born on August 8 last year, who has already been spotted "babysitting" her younger sibling. Mother Freya, born in December 2017, arrived at Fota Wildlife Park in January 2022 from La Palmyre Zoo in France. Meanwhile, father Juggs, born in November 2007, has been a resident at Fota since June 2011, having transferred from Belfast Zoo as part of a European breeding programme.

A north Cork resident says he is overwhelmed by the response to his new app, which compares prices of products across Irish supermarkets, which he developed after being ripped off for the price of a Pepsi Max.

As leader of the ECB in 2012, Draghi was hailed as the saviour of the euro when he faced down markets during the sovereign debt crisis, famously declaring he would do "whatever it takes" to stabilise the currency. In Brussels, EU chief Charles Michel led tributes to Draghi at the summit table, thanking him for his work and "artful phrases, and a concise, brief and powerful style".

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.

Local man Conor had been out shopping for Christmas presents for his family in the early hours of Christmas Eve when he loaded a taxi full of his bags. However, in a brief moment of forgetfulness, Conor exited the taxi without taking the presents with him, only realising his error as the vehicle drove away. To make matters worse, the driver who brought him home was now finished for the night and would not notice the bag full of Conor's purchases until the next morning when he awoke for his shift. Thankfully, there was enough Christmas cheer in the air for the driver to decide to bring the gifts to Store Street Garda station in the hope Gardaí could trace the owner.

Micha Kicinski, co-founder of CD Projekt, has acquired total ownership of the DRM-free video game storefront GOG. The digital video game platform was started by CD Projekt in 2008 with a stated mission to preserve "Good Old Games" (hence the GOG acronym). CD Projekt is known for its game studio CD Projekt Red, the developers The Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077. GOG said Kicinski bought 100 percent of its shares for PLN 90.7 million ($25 million).