World Report

Recent military clashes between India and Pakistan have set off alarm bells across the world as both countries have stockpiles of nuclear weapons. In the UK, Londoners are to be hit with new congestion charges, and in Slovakia, the meat from culled brown bears is to be offered to pubs and restaurants rather than being destroyed.

The outcome of last weekend's presidential election in Romania caused political upset when pro-European centrist Nicusor Dan defeated the ultranationalist candidate. In Syria the lifting of sanctions by US President Trump is greeted with jubilation. In the northern Italian region of Trentino authorities roll out a scheme to counteract depopulation.

In Mexico, the killing of a young social medial influencer shot dead during a Tik Tok livestream has sent shockwaves through the country. In the UK, a reset of relations with the EU bothers those who supported Brexit, and in the US, plans are underway to restart uranium mining.

In Tunisia, the president has reacted angrily to international criticism over the sentencing of 37 political prisoners. In Canada, indigenous groups have banished the family of a drug dealer from his community in Haida Gwaii, and in Turkey, people have been mourning the death of a man who made a well-known film about military rule.

The number of Australian residents born in Ireland has passed 100,000 according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. In Nigeria at least 20 women have died from gender based violence since the beginning of the year, and in India the spotlight is on the police after a report examining police brutality.

The psychoactive drug Kush continues to devastate poorer communities in Sierra Leone. In France, there has been a rise in adult baptisms amoung catholics, and in Japan, wine production has expanded beyond the traditional rice wine sake to what is now a thriving industry.

In Homs, Syria, huge numbers of displaced families are moving back trying to rebuild their homes and lives. In Cameroon, two researchers were killed after being mistaken for members of the terror group Boko Haram, and in Australia, more than 20 people have been hospitalised after an attack by fire ants.

Critics of the Egyption government have accused them of trying to erase all signs of the 2011 Arab Spring. In the UK, approval has been given for the country's longest motorway tunnel, and in Slovakia, conservationists are alarmed at plans to shoot a quarter of the country's brown bear population.

In Zambia, temporary cuts in US aid have impacted essential health services and jobs. Meanwhile, Syria has accused Israel of trying to destabilize the country after intense airstrikes on military bases this week. And finally in Nepal, some people are calling for the return of deposed king Gyanendra Shah.

Brazil is gearing up to host the United Nations Climate Change Conference in November. In the US, the Irish American Historical Society faces the challenge of serving an audience fragmented over age and political leaning. And in Mexico, environmental groups have welcomed an increase in the number of butterflies.

In Turkey, people have been protesting against the detention of the politician who is expected to be the opposition's candidate in early presidential elections - Migrants are continuing to leave West Africa on fishing boats to make the journey for Spain's Canary Islands - Why a plan to pedestrianise more of Paris is dividing opinion.

On Friday, former central banker Marc Carney was sworn in as Canada's 24th prime minister. In the UK, the government has given the green light to expand Gatwick Airport. And in India, a Muslim sect is being targeted by the Pakistani government and a far right Islamist party during Ramadan.

Tensions are rising between Greenland and Denmark, as an election is set to take place on 11 March, unaccompanied children who traveled to the Canary Islands from West Africa are finding themselves at the centre of a political row in Spain, while in Czechia a colony of beavers managed to beat bureaucracy and save the taxpayer over €1m.

Canadians have reacted strongly to the threat by Donald Trump of tariffs against Canada. In the Democratic Republic of Congo the UN has warned of a risk of a full scale regional war as rebels and Rwandan forces continue to take territory, and in Turkey there is hope of an end to the 40 year rebellion by Kurdish militants

Syrian prisons used during the al Assad regime are being revisited by former detainees trying to process the cruel treatment they suffered there. In India the worlds largest religious festival is winding down in the city of Prayagraj, and in Denmark mink farming returns to the country after millions of animals were culled during the Covid pandemic.

In Tunisia human rights abuses have prompted a review of EU funding. In Australia it has been another exhausting week for firefighters battling wildfires in the state of Tasmania and in France wine producers are raising concerns about tariffs, climate change and lower consumption amoung young people.

In Togo, 14 people, including an Irish citizen, accused of taking part in demonstrations against the Togolese regime are sentenced to ten years in prison. In the UK a plan to phase out diesel/ petrol vehicles by 2030 has raised alarm in the automotive industry, and Nigeria's government increases telecommunications tariffs on calls and data to 50%.

The killing of an eight-year-old girl in Turkey last year became a national scandal, but her family members' trial, who were responsible, has disappointed many. India is refusing to comply with Bangladesh's request to extradite former Prime Minister Sheik Hasina. The German city of Chemnitz is celebrating as it becomes European Capital of Culture.

Indigenous communities in Honduras are coping with intense storms and hurricanes due to deforestation and climate change. In Denmark discussions are to take place with Donald Trump over the future of the Arctic region, and in Italy a priest in Bari could face manslaughter charges over the death of a newborn baby left at his church in early January.

Relations between Ukraine and Slovakia have deteriorated sharply in recent weeks, in a dispute over supplies of Russian gas to Central Europe. Along the Mexico-US border - migrant shelters are preparing for mass deportations ahead of the inauguration of Donald Trump and in Australia a federal inquiry is examining the closure of live music venues.

Canada will soon have a new Prime Minister after the resignation of Justin Trudeau. A number of Nordic countries have begun creating domestic contingency plans in case of war, and in Italy authorities in Rome have drawn up plans to charge a fee for visiting the Trevi Fountain.

Donald Trump's idea of buying Greenland has stirred up questions on geopolitics, sovereignty, & the island's future. In Argentina, President Javier Milei has brought radical change: slashing state spending by a third, and removing vital subsidies for energy costs, transport and groceries. In Mexico, researchers are trying to save rare salamanders.

Deadly turf wars and drive-by shootings linked to the drugs trade are spreading in France. In India an 81-year-old bridge is in the news because the Indian government has roped in the same British firm for maintenance which had designed it, and in Australia 94,000 Irish born people will be hoping for sunshine and clear skies for the festive season.

A recent attack on a military base in Chad, which resulted in the deaths of 40 soldiers, has been blamed on Boko Haram. In Estonia the government is moving to restrict non-citizens from voting in local elections. In Tenerife holidaymakers are being encouraged to look beyond the beaches… to visit the volcanic landscapes and UNESCO heritage sites.

As the 13 year old civil war in Syria flares up again, what role is Turkey playing and what are the interests of the country's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan? In Canada there is concern over the threat by Donald Trump to impose tariffs from goods crossing the border. In France birth rates have fallen to levels last seen at the end of WWII.

Over 1.2 million displaced Lebanese began to return home after a ceasfire was announced between Israel and Hezbollah. In Mexico the country's new president Claudia Sheinbaum faces a battle to contain cartel violence, and in Thailand, animal welfare groups want greater protections for the Asian elephant.

The air pollution crisis has escalated across South Asia, with both India and Pakistan grappling with alarming levels of smog. In Norway a strict minimum wage is to be enforced to limit social media use. In the Czech Republic one of the world's oldest airlines made its final flight, bringing to a close just over 100 years of aviation history.

Climate change is believed to be changing the way wildfires in California are spreading. In Ukraine there are concerns over the election of Donald Trump as US President and in Italy scientists believe over 2,000 people who died when the ancient city of Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D may have been misidentified.

Thousands of domestic workers from Senegal employed in Lebanon remain trapped in the war torn country. In the Maldives there is evidence that coral bleaching can be reversed. In Canada three cigarette giants are facing a historic settlement of 32-billion dollars, and in Singapore people caught taking drugs may be forced to undergo mandatory rehab.

Over 6-million people in Ukraine are using an Air Raid Warning app. In Italy researchers claim to have made a breakthrough that confirms the authenticity of the shroud of Turin. In Australia politicians have called for a reexamination of the disappearance of 60 women. In Germany a World War II bunker has been repurposed as an eco friendly hotel.

Despite a bombing by Israel, the government run hospital in Nabatieh is still operating, with staff and their families having moved in. In France a study is taking place of the Catacombs to establish how many are buried there. In Cameroon mystery surrounds the whereabouts of President Paul Biya, and in Ibiza, lizards are becoming endangered.

In the Czech Republic time is running out for women to apply for compensation after being coerced into sterilisation. Uzbekistan is now an emerging tourism destination after suffering reputational damage due to child labour. The Australian government plans to cap enrolments of overseas students & in Romania, the famous blue Danube is in trouble.

As fighting continues in Ukraine the population is struggling to access basic needs. In Italy a painting found by a junk collector is an original Picasso. In Canada a doctors organisation has apologised to the indigenous peoples. In the US Kamala Harris praises women's clubs as generations of black female college graduates smash the glass ceiling.

In Lebanon people live in fear of their lives after a series of attacks by Israel in response to rocket attacks by Hezbollah. Both Copenhagen and Stockholm was in the past week - hit by attacks on Israeli embassies. In Tunisia presidential elections take place this weekend, and in Ukraine a major tech conference went ahead despite the ongoing war.

The first elections in a decade are underway in Kashmir. In Nigeria severe flooding has destroyed homes and livelihoods in Borno state. In the UK plans to remove cars from Oxford Street have caused a political rift, and in Kazakhstan efforts are underway to revive the Aral Sea which has been partially destroyed by aggressive agricultural practice

The casualty list continues to rise in Lebanon following Israeli strikes on Beirut. In Czechia towns and villages asses the damage following the devastating Storm Borris floods, while in France some familiar Irish groups are among 450,000 attending a unique political festival.

Thousands people across Turkey have protested over the murder of eight-year-old Narin Güran. In Canada former fashion mogul Peter Nygard has been sentenced to 11 years for sexually assaulting four women in Toronto, and in Australia employees have for the first time, been given the right to ignore their bosses outside of working hours.

The rape and killing of a woman in Calcutta and an official report on how men in the Kerala film industry demand sexual favours from women has led to protests demanding justice. The President of the Canary Islands is seeking the help of EU parliament in dealing with incoming migrants. In Tunisia controversy surrounds the arrest of Sonia Dahmani.

Swedish and Danish police are uniting in a bid to crack down on gangs, with membership to certain motorbike groups also banned. Political crisis in Tunisia as journalists, civil society figures and activists are arrested, and Canada's temporary foreign workers policy under the microscope as UN calls it a breeding ground for contemporary slavery.

An outbreak of Mpox in central Africa is spiralling out of control, with Congo the worst hit country. In Brazil investigations continue into a plane crash in which 62 people died, and we look at the deadliest migration route in the world - from a rescue boat on the Central Mediterranean.

Thousands have been evacuated from Ukraine's side of the Kursk border as bombing has intensified since the country's forces went into Russian territory. In Australia, the government is about to bring in legal protections aimed at helping the surfing industry, while water companies in the UK are putting pressure on the government as funds dry up.

A pro-democracy movement in Bangladesh has evicted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from office and forced her to take refuge in India. In Tunisia, a typhoid epidemic looms at migrant camps in the South & in Canada an indigenous group has appealed to a human rights commission over the lack of action in tackling mercury contamination for their people.

As the war in Gaza enters it's tenth month, analysts say a 'slower' war has been continuing for years in the in the Israeli occupied West Bank. In Australia the mystery of what happened to the MV Noongah has been solved, and in Nigeria a spate of attacks by female suicide bombers has caused widespread death and destruction and shocked the nation.

In Slovakia president Petr Pellegrini has hinted he may take reciprocal measures against Ukraine, after Kyiv halted the transit of crude oil from Russia to Central Europe. In India a religious guru has refused to take responsibility for a stampede causing 121 casualties, and in Israel some Kibbutzim remain uninhabited after October attacks.

A look at the Republican National Convention which took place in Milwaukee this week. In Nigeria, Cameroon's elite forces have rescued 300 people taken hostage by Boko Harem, and in Denmark a rise in far right activity has resulted in Danish courts imposing tougher sentences on those convicted of encouraging others to engage in terrorist acts.

France is bracing itself for a day of high drama as voters go to the polls for a second round of voting for the National Assembly. In Lebanon migrant workers live precarious lives, often on poor wages and with an uncertain immigration status. In Canada an international team has discovered the wreck of the last ship belonging to Ernest Shackleton.

Slovakia's public broadcaster is due to be closed on Monday, as the country's populist nationalist government claims it lacks objectivity, meanwhile in Jordan there are concerns over how the war in Gaza is affecting tourism, and violent scenes in Kenya as protestors hit the streets to rally against a controversial finance bill.

The UK's new rules on voting means that one British woman who has been in the US for 60 years may be able to cast her ballot in the July election, while in the UAE a major project in carbon extraction could prove to be a game-changer in helping to reduce emissions, and in Cuba, Guantanamo Bay remains open despite Biden's efforts to wind it down.

The Nigerian government is under pressure as prices have been skyrocketing. In Jerusalem Gazans who were in hospital when the war broke out no longer have home to go to, and in the UK universities face financial woes as the country's migration policy has led to international students enrolling elsewhere.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins a third term term in office today. In Lebanon wine makers face myriad challenges including an existential crisis due to climate change. In Paris the suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis is becoming a rapidly growing new epicentre of contemporary French art.

General elections in India, the world's biggest democracy, have ended after six weeks with the result eagerly anticipated. In the UK questions have been raised about the future of the London Stock Exchange as more companies delist in favour of trading in the US. In Australia, wine prices have plummeted due to glut of wine on global markets.