From 2014 to 2017, Raqqa was the de facto capital of what the Islamic State called its caliphate. “They were called Islamic State and they behaved like a state.”Medical waste at an illegal dump in Raqqa. Raqqa was largely destroyed by heavy aerial bombardment during the military campaign to oust Islamic State, and the consequences are still evident. A earth-mover deals with rubbish from an illegal dumping ground in Raqqa city. In a previous life he covered Assad and his family for Syrian state media, before documenting the Syrian revolution for international media, using a pseudonym, and then the takeover of Raqqa by Islamic State.

Seán O'Connor and Aidan Fitzmaurice look ahead to another busy Friday night in the League of Ireland Premier Division with five fixtures taking placeas champions Shamrock Rovers take on league leaders Bohemians in what promises to be an explosive Dublin derby at Dalymount. There’s also an interesting sub-plot at Richmond Road where St Pat’s manager Stephen Kenny will take on a Dundalk side containing his son Eoin.

A passenger on board an Aer Lingus flight was left in tears after a cabin crew member 'wouldn't let him use' the bathroom during the journey. Following a row over the passenger allegedly using bad language while boarding the flight, senior flight attendant Alan O'Neill reportedly refused him bathroom access for safety reasons. The flight attendant, who was sacked after the incident, filed a complaint in Ireland under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977. The complainant was denied entry to the bathroom by Mr O'Neill, and then said, 'under his breath', the words 'oh for f***'s sake', according to flight attendant Claire Durkan. Flight attendant Joan O'Gorman said of the passenger: 'I could see him coming down the aisle.

County councillors are expected to give unanimous cross-party backing for a motion calling on the Government to ensure they get proper annual funding for maintenance. She said this funding should be allocated to local authorities on a sustainable, multi-annual basis. “However, there's currently no equivalent ring-fenced, long-term maintenance stream to match that capital funding. There's no additional stream of funding provided by central government set aside for the long-term upkeep of this new infrastructure. Without dedicated funding, we risk seeing these valuable assets deteriorate simply because there is no sustainable financial plan in place,” she said.

Now is no time for mixed signals, with a minister and Taoiseach reading from different scriptsA recent Daft.ie report for the rental market reveals that the supply of properties has hit a new low. There were 1,777 homes for rent nationwide on February 1, down 22pc on the same date the year before. A report this week by the Banking and Payments Federation Ireland highlighted how mortgage approvals for second-hand properties have hit a new low. One would hope they are close to “make your mind up mode” on their options, given current levels of global threats. In any event, now is no time for mixed signals coming out of the Government, with a minister and Taoiseach reading from different scripts.

Grimsby officially enters race to be crowned UK's first-ever Town of CultureYoung people's energy and ideas sit at the heart of the bid, said Melanie Onn MPView 2 Images Actor Tommy Turgoose backs Grimsby's bid to be UK Town of Culture 2028 (Image: North East Lincolnshire Council)Grimsby has officially entered the race to be crowned the first-ever UK Town of Culture. ‌The UK Town of Culture bid was endorsed by the Greater Grimsby Board at its meeting on Friday, February 27. Grimsby UK Town of Culture 2028 Workshop – Wednesday March 11, 2pm – 4pm, Weston Hall, YMCA Humber – Tickets on Eventbrite. The UK Town of Culture competition follows the UK City of Culture programme, which was hosted in 2017 by Hull. Since 2023, spearheaded by Create North East Lincolnshire, more than £9.45m of investment has been secured by local organisations.

Eleven days later, Longford Town hosted Cork City at Bishopsgate Stadium, wearing their away yellow-and-blue strip in solidarity with Kyiv. The gesture was endearingly heartfelt and obviously futile: whatever else he was doing that weekend, Vladimir Putin is unlikely to have been keeping tabs on the League of Ireland First Division. To support a League of Ireland First Division club is to routinely go off the beaten track without a map or a guidebook. But while the Premier Division has changed, down in the basement of the First Division, the old eccentric League of Ireland – that masochist’s paradise promising anything and everything aside from a good time – rocks on regardless. The First Division is Ireland, but rawer, wider, wilder – an upside down that makes you want to never go back to the right side up.

Flowers are nice, but a working printer delivered by a life partner who has researched all the crummy models and found the one in a million that spits out pages on demand? For 2026, I have small goals: join a club, regain muscle mass (Hi, perimenopause), meet more friends for coffee, and own a printer that doesn’t gaslight me. In our family WhatsApp, we know who has a working printer at any given time; we’ve organised express get-togethers around it. The printer is a tipping point: here to tell you you’ve failed at life. I’ll take my love token in the form of a working printer.

New rule for all new cars and vans in UK will apply from autumnNew vehicles will need to comply will rule that will impact manufacturers and pricesView Image The new rule will affect all newly-registered cars and vans in the UK (Image: PA)A big change coming later this year is set to impact the manufacturers of all new cars and vans in the UK - and their prices. Euro 7 is a new emissions rule designed to cut down on harmful pollutants and it is due to come into effect from November 29. And that means an impact upon UK manufacturers and the prices of new cars. Vehicle emissions are said to be the major contributors to both local air pollution and global greenhouse gases. The last few emissions standards have been in place for between four and six years.

Keir Starmer: the impressive victory for the Greens, with Labour pushed into third place behind Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, can only be seen as a disaster for the UK prime minister. Yet its taunt on Friday morning that a crucial byelection result suggests Keir Starmer has “killed” the Labour Party may not be as outlandish as it sounds for the embattled UK prime minister. Much of his internal political danger lies in the fact that Labour’s defeat in Gorton and Denton was partially self-inflicted – by him. Andy Burnham, the popular mayor of Greater Manchester, wanted to contest the byelection but he was blocked by Starmer and his allies. Yet its nature suggested that Labour’s candidate, Angeliki Stogia, who was backed by Bangladeshi power brokers, might struggle to win the same level of support from Kashmiris.

He likes routines,” said Ona’s guardian, who did not wish to be named and asked that the boy be identified by his first name only. I think he’s feeling at home.”Before coming to Ireland, Ona’s aunt said she was working as a real estate agent in Johannesburg. South Africa has a history of criminal syndicates “hijacking” buildings that are often neglected or dilapidated, and renting them out illegally. Ona’s school and guardian share a concern that returning to South Africa would spell the end of essential special needs assistance for him. Researchers suggested that between 500,000 and 600,000 children with special needs were not in formal education in South Africa.

Actor Robert De Niro speaks of 'betrayal' at the ‘State of the Swamp’ event held to counter Trump’s State of the Union.

Rita Ora enjoyed a romantic stroll hand-in-hand with husband Taika Waititi in swanky Beverley Hills on Thursday. Meanwhile movie director Taika, 50, who wed Rita back in 2002, cut an equally casual figure in a T-shirt and jeans. Rita Ora enjoyed a romantic stroll hand-in-hand with husband Taika Waititi in swanky Beverley Hills on ThursdayShe said: 'Taika and I are basically just best friends and we wanted to just live in that element forever, I guess.' Prior to their romantic relationship, Rita and Taika were close friends for five years. Film director Taika shares his two children with his ex-wife Chelsea Winstanley, also 50, who he split from in 2018 after seven years of marriage.

Jack was the most popular baby name for eight years in a row, but has been knocked off the top spot at last. Photograph: iStockRían and Lily were the most popular baby names in Ireland last year, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on Friday. The top five names for baby girls in 2025 were Lily, Éabha, Fiadh, Grace and Sadie. The top five names for newborn boys were Rían, Jack, Noah, James and Oisín. When releasing the latest statistics, the CSO also includes the most popular names in Ireland from 50 years ago.

Future Cork 2026, attended by business leaders, politicians and senior policymakers, focused on issues critical to Cork's future, including housing, infrastructure and sustainability. Picture: Chani AndersonCork Docklands ‘will be a 15-minute city’Cork City Council CEO Valerie O’Sullivan said the city must move at pace to deliver adequate public transport. Call for NTA-led partnership with Cork City CouncilDiscussing future transport plans, Cork Chamber chief executive Conor Healy called for strong coordination between the National Transport Authority (NTA) and Cork City Council to deliver BusConnects and the Cork Luas. Video Vox Pop showing on screen at the Future Cork 2026 event at The Metropole Hotel, Cork. Cork’s future is 'multicultural and multi ethnic'Paul Hosford, Irish Examiner Deputy Political Editor interviews Taoiseach Michéal Martin during the fireside discussion at the Future Cork event at the Metropole hotel.