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On Saturday the Russian defence ministry said it shot down four so-called ATACMS missiles over Crimea that had been recently shipped by the US to Ukraine. Photograph: Grigory Sokolov/Pools/AFP via Getty ImagesThe Russian defence ministry said on Saturday its air defence forces shot down four US-produced long-range missiles over the Crimea peninsular, weapons known as Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) that Washington has shipped to Ukraine in recent weeks. On Tuesday, Russian officials said Ukraine had attacked Crimea with ATACMS in an attempt to pierce Russian air defences of the annexed peninsula but that six had been shot down. A US official said in Washington last month that the United States secretly shipped long-range missiles to Ukraine in recent weeks. The Pentagon initially opposed the long-range missile deployment, concerned that taking the missiles from the American stockpile would hurt US military readiness.

Just days after Dublin City Council cleared the Mount Street ‘tent city’ that had surrounded the International Protection Office (IPO) for weeks, around 50 new tents have re-appeared just around the corner. For months, Irish authorities have struggled to provide accommodation for significant numbers of asylum seekers entering the State, leading to hundreds of migrants becoming homeless upon arrival in the country. Many of these homeless male migrants subsequently chose to set up tents around the steps of the Irish Department of Justice’s IPO building, forming what observers described as a ‘shantytown’ or ‘tent city’, which had grown to contain over 200 tents by last week.

Some of the roughly 40 tents lining the Warrington Place side of the Grand Canal between Mount Street and Huband bridges on Saturday afternoon are occupied by migrants who had been sleeping in tents outside the International Protection Office (IPO), which is about 200m away on Lower Mount Street. Asylum seekers have established an encampment close to the International Protection Office on Mount Street, where a large number of tents were removed recently. Video: Bryan O'BrienAhmed, from Palestine, said he was one of those who had been bussed to Citywest from outside the International Protection Office when the area was cleared on Wednesday. He was then issued with a letter saying the International Protection Accommodation Service (Ipas) was not in a position to provide him with any supports. “It’s strongly the view of businesses and residents in the area that the International Protection Office can no longer safely operate from Lower Mount Street.

The RAC said the average price of a litre of petrol increased by 3p in April alone, with the forecourt cost per litre now standing at 150.0p. Meanwhile, diesel drivers were warned they were being “seriously overcharged for diesel”, with average prices increasing by 2p per litre in April to 157.8p. The RAC is calling on the biggest fuel retailers to charge “fairer margins” to benefit drivers. And it would reduce fuel prices in Britain to levels in Northern Ireland, where they are consistently 5p per litre cheaper. “Some of this is down to the oil price and the pound-to-dollar exchange rate making wholesale petrol more expensive for retailers to buy.

Concern: Lib Dem peer Baroness BowlesNationwide has been accused of using 'sneaky' tactics to avoid putting its £2.9 billion takeover of rival lender Virgin Money to a member vote. Campaigners accuse Nationwide of 'relying on a technicality' in the Building Societies Act to block a vote. Virgin Money's home loan income last year was £1.5 billion – less than 40 per cent, suggesting a vote is needed, campaigners claim. But Nationwide insists the 50 per cent hurdle is cleared if income from financial contracts called swaps is included. Lib Dem peer Baroness Bowles, who sits on the London Stock Exchange's board, said: 'It does seem that Nationwide is being somewhat sneaky by including swap income.'

The musician on her solo life on the road and the joy of waitingFor the umpteenth time this morning, Susan O’Neill trails off mid-sentence. The singer-songwriter is here to talk about her second solo album Now In a Minute, which is due for release in September. “Or just go walk along the coastline in rugged Doolin and listen to the birds singing in a certain frequency. But her love for the west of Ireland is so pure and infectious, it is impossible to take umbrage. In On the Road, he sings “the life I love is making music with my friends”.

Today’s Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks opinion poll lays bare the impact of last week’s row on the attitude of voters here — and it shows those attitudes to have hardened considerably in relation to immigration. Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin has referred to work the Government has to do to explain the complexities of immigration to the public. That is one of the failures of this administration, which is struggling with the hugely difficult task of managing an ever-growing crisis. Today’s poll indicates the extent of the communications shortcomings, which can be set alongside a shortage of accommodation for asylum-seekers and a lack of early preparedness at the International Protection Office in Dublin to meet the challenge. If anything, there is a high level of confusion about the migration pact — ­another failure of government communication.

Shareholders in investment trust Odyssean have had an enjoyable – yet bumpy – journey since the fund was launched six years ago. It is also founded on an expected rerating of the sector that Odyssean targets – UK smaller companies. These factors, he says, could provide the trigger for a period of sustained performance from these smaller companies. 'We search for unloved gems,' says Widdowson, 'and hope they turn into polished diamonds.' First, its shares seldom trade at a discount to the underlying assets, which means shareholders' holdings are not diminished in value.

Tributes have been paid to a Cork woman who died suddenly after taking ill while canyoneering in the Philippines. Meg Haugh, a 26-year-old from Ballintemple, had been taking part in the adventure activity in the town of Badian when she collapsed having complained of chest pains on Thursday morning.

8.00There are two Saturdays for me — the one when I’m gigging and the one when I’m not. If I’m in Ireland I like to get home after a gig but if I’m abroad I’m in hotels. 15.00If I’m gigging I try to eat at around 3pm, which is an odd time because everywhere is usually closed. If I’m not gigging or on family duties, I’d be in the studio on a Saturday — there is always something to do. People talk about the ‘flow state’ when you’re playing music – you’re in the eye of the storm.

The staff, students and parents of St Kilian’s Community School, Bray, were delighted to welcome their German exchange partners recently, after almost five years. On Tuesday, the German pupils and their teachers visited Wicklow Gaol and Beyond the Trees at Avondale. On Wednesday, the group, along with their Irish host students, were warmly welcomed by Cathaoirleach Melanie Corrigan at a civic reception in Bray Town Hall, while Thursday saw the group travel to Dublin. The group returned to Germany on Sunday afternoon, after spending Saturday with the host families. Their trip to Ireland was a wonderful success, and the pupils are already looking forward to the return trip to Wurzburg in June.

German interior minister Nancy Faeser said the attack on Matthias Ecke, a German member of the European Parliament, was 'an attack on democracy'. Nationwide, the number of attacks on politicians of parties represented in parliament has doubled since 2019, government figures published in January show. A surge in support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) over the past year has taken it to second place in nationwide polls. The Greens in her region had agreed that information stands should always have at least three staff for extra safety. – Reporting by Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke and Christian Ruettger in Berlin, Additional Reporting by Kate Abnett in Brussels(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024

Profile of a parkrunner: Meet PatrickMeet Patrick Carlyle, a parkrun enthusiast who is a regular at Mountlucas parkrun but enjoys engaging in some “parkrun tourism” on occasion. What is your favourite thing about parkrun? What is your favourite parkrun memory? I completed my 50th parkrun on my Birthday, so everyone singing happy Birthday, and then completing my 50th parkrun was really, really nice. It’s so welcoming and it puts you in really good form because everyone is really nice and asks how you’re getting on, and particularly if you’re there consistently.

A young South Roscommon student has raised hundreds of euro for cancer research, putting his body, and hair, on the line to do it. Sixteen-year-old Matthew Parker from Toberdan, Lecarrow, has almost €2,000 of a €5,000 goal raised for the Irish Cancer Society. “Cancer has affected me in my life, and I just wanted to do something to help,” said Matthew, who plans to study medicine after secondary school. He also plans to run 5km, and should he reach his €5,000 goal he will get an Irish Cancer Society daffodil flower tattoo. To donate visit Matthew’s ‘Fundraising for Irish Cancer Society’ GoFundMe page.