Foreign News
Irish parliament elects first female speaker
Independent Wexford TD Verona Murphy will be the next Ceann Comhairle (speaker) of Dáil Éireann.
She will become the first woman to ever hold the role after being elected by her fellow TDs (members of the Irish parliment).
Fianna Fáil’s John McGuinness and Seán Ó Fearghaíl as well as Aengus Ó Snodaigh from Sinn Féin also ran for the position.
Politicians in the Republic of Ireland met for the first time since the general election on Wednesday.
[BBC]
A senior Islamic State (IS) group leader in Iraq and Syria has been killed in an operation by members of the Iraqi national intelligence service along with US-led coalition forces, the Iraqi prime minister has said.
Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, also known as Abu Khadijah, “was considered one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world”, according to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.
US President Donald Trump said “he was relentlessly hunted down by our intrepid warfighters”.
The US Central Command (Centcom) said it conducted a “precision airstrike” in Iraq’s western Al Anbar province, which killed “one of the most important” IS members on Thursday.
Rifai was the head of IS’s most senior decision-making body and was responsible for operations, logistics, and planning conducted by IS globally, the US Central Command said.
He also directed a large portion of finance for the group’s global organisation, Centcom added.
Posting on his Truth Social platform, President Trump said: “His miserable life was terminated, along with another member of ISIS, in coordination with the Iraqi Government and the Kurdish Regional Government. PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!”
Rifai was found dead alongside one other IS operative, Centcom said.
“Both terrorists were wearing unexploded ‘suicide vests’ and had multiple weapons,” it added.
Centcom and Iraqi forces were able to identify him through a DNA match from DNA collected on a previous raid where he “narrowly escaped”, it added.
Gen Michael Erik Kurilla said Rifai “was one of the most important IS members in the entire global IS organisation.
“We will continue to kill terrorists and dismantle their organizations that threaten our homeland and US, allied and partner personnel in the region and beyond.”
IS once held 88,000sq km (34,000sq miles) of territory stretching from north-eastern Syria across northern Iraq and imposed its brutal rule on almost eight million people.
Iraq declared the defeat of IS in December 2017 and the group was driven from its last piece of territory in 2019.
However militants and sleeper cells continue to have a presence in various parts of the country and carry out sporadic attacks against Iraq’s army and police.
[BBC]
Millions of people in South Asia celebrated Holi, the Hindu festival of colours, by smearing each other with brightly coloured powder, dancing to festive music and feasting on traditional sweets prepared for the occasion.
The raucous spring festival sees Hindus take part in a kaleidoscopic celebration of the end of winter and the triumph of good over evil. The festival is a national holiday in India, while in Nepal it’s a two-day event that began on Thursday. It’s also observed in other South Asian countries as well as among the Indian diaspora.
Holi has its origins in Hindu mythology and celebrates the divine love between the Hindu god Krishna and his consort Radha, signifying a time of rebirth and rejuvenation.
Across the country, people dressed mostly in all-white clothes celebrated the festival by hurling coloured powder at each other. Children, perched on rooftops and balconies, flung water balloons filled with coloured pigments at passersby.
Groups of young men also used water guns to chase people down in public parks and on the roads, while others danced on the streets to music blaring from speakers.
In some places, people hurled marigolds, roses and jasmine petals instead of coloured powder.
[Aljazeera]
A British man has been killed in a hit-and-run incident involving a vehicle in the motorcade of Kenyan President William Ruto.
The man, who has been named as 79-year-old Edgar Charles Frederick, died on Thursday after being struck in the accident on a main road in the capital, Nairobi.
Police detained a driver, who has since been released on bail.
They say he was driving a support vehicle that was travelling as part of President Ruto’s official convoy of cars.
Police spokesman Michael Muchiri told the BBC that Mr Frederick had been visiting Kenya to see his sister and nephew who are residents of the country.
The victim’s next-of-kin have been informed, and a post-mortem is likely to be conducted later on Friday.
The police said the driver, who failed to stop after the incident, would appear in court following an investigation.
A spokesperson for the UK High Commission said officials were aware of the reports and were seeking more information.
Videos posted on social media show a man in blue jeans and a light-coloured shirt lying bleeding on the road outside a busy shopping area.
Other pictures show the victim covered in a checked shawl, known locally as a Maasai Shuka.
Mr Muchiri told the BBC the vehicle belonged to the regional administration and was providing support to the presidential detail.
President Ruto held events in the vicinity of the scene on Thursday as part of ongoing political engagements with the public in the capital.
[BBC]
Islamic State leader in Iraq and Syria killed, US says
Our government has reaffirmed its commitment to breaking barriers that limit women’s full participation in the economy, recognizing their vital role in national development. – Dr. Harini Amarasuriya
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