meets

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has arrived in Damascus to meet with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the first visit of an Iraqi prime minister to Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

The visit comes as the two neighbours seek to strengthen bilateral ties and boost economic and oil cooperation.

According to the official Iraqi News Agency (INA), the two leaders discussed the export of Iraqi oil through the Baniyas line, increasing the volume of trade exchange and joint work to develop the agricultural sector to achieve food and economic integration.

Iraq has recently begun exporting limited quantities of oil through Syria following the outbreak of the US-led war on Iran.

Last July, the two countries signed agreements to revive the Haditha Baniyas pipeline to transport Iraqi oil in addition to signing a memorandum of understanding with a consortium of three companies, most notably the American oil major Chevron to implement the project.

“The Iraqi and Syrian people are one people in two countries,” Zaidi said according to INA, noting that “work to develop partnership and joint cooperation in various fields especially economic and social affairs, enhance security co-operation, unify positions on regional and international issues, and work to achieve peace and stability in the region”.

For his part, the Syrian president expressed his “great appreciation for the visit of al-Zaidi and his accompanying delegation,” stressing “the depth of bilateral relations and Syria’s keenness to achieve the highest levels of cooperation between the two countries”.

Al-Sharaa and al-Zaidi had previously met last September in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, where they discussed ways to strengthen political and security coordination and expand economic and trade cooperation.

The other memory Carney hopes proves ineradicable is the powerful feeling that accompanied carrying Sam onto Achill Island alongside team-mates Donnacha McHugh and Diarmuid O’Connor.

Carney has deep family roots on the island. His father and grandfather hail from there and both were present as Carney, McHugh and O’Connor – soundtracked by more than 100 bagpipers, including his father – carried the famous trophy across the Michael Davitt Bridge and onto the island.

Given his connection to Achill, the power and significance of the moment was not lost on Carney.

“According to my father and grandfather, that’s never happened before [bringing Sam Maguire on to the island], so I recognised the cultural importance of it – and you could feel it,” says Carney.

“That originally wasn’t on the calendar as a club until further down the line. The island empties when summer is over. People return to where they’re from originally, Dublin or Galway or wherever, and I really wanted to get the trophy down there while the island was vibrant and alive.

“My grandfather was the sergeant on Achill Island. My father grew up in the barracks and the GAA pitch was the back garden. They kind of claim me as half one of their own.”

Carney, whose two-point score launched Mayo’s All-Ireland final comeback against Kerry, added: “With no Achill player on the team, it was really important that both myself and Donnacha – both our fathers are from there – to get down there and show our appreciation for what they’ve done for us and our families.

“And Diarmuid O’Connor just has a sense of knowing when something will be good and when to be there.

“He came down with us and I’m delighted he was there because someone who didn’t really understand the weight of it all – when we were crossing the bridge, he could say he could just feel it, he said, ‘this is something different here’.”

Hegseth has travelled to Israel to meet Netanyahu ahead of a closely contested election, Axios reported, citing sources.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an undisclosed visit to Israel, according to Axios.

The meeting between the hawkish ally of US President Donald Trump and the veteran Israeli premier facing a knife-edge election occurred on Monday, Axios reported, citing two sources with knowledge of the matter.

The Reuters news agency could not immediately confirm the visit. The Pentagon and Israel’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and there was no immediate indication of what they discussed.

Trump endorsement

President Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social on Sunday to endorse Netanyahu in next week’s parliamentary election, the first vote since the Hamas-led October 7 attacks in 2023 and Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza began.

Trump praised the prime minister for being an ally of the US in its war on Iran. He added that Netanyahu had his “Complete and Total Endorsement”.

“BIBI NETANYAHU WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” Trump wrote.

Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition is projected to lose its governing majority, although the opposition may also struggle to form a government, opinion polls suggest.

US Vice President JD Vance, however, declined to endorse Netanyahu in an interview earlier on Monday, saying he was not getting involved in Israeli elections.

“I endorse American candidates, and that’s where I’m focused on is the midterms,” Vance, who travelled to Budapest and endorsed Viktor Orban in Hungarian elections earlier this year, said in an interview with digital media outlet 2WAY.

“I’m not anti-endorsing him, but I’m not pro-endorsing him; I’m not getting involved in Israeli elections,” Vance said.

SCARLETT Moffatt has shared some adorable new photos of her son Jude meeting her newborn for the first time.

The star and her partner Scott Dobinson welcomed their second child – son Clark – earlier this week.

In the new photos, Scarlett is sitting up in her hospital bed surrounded by her expanded little family.

Clark is laying on one of Scarlett’s legs wearing a small cream coloured baby suit, while Jude is sitting between Scarlett’s legs.

Jude smiles widely at his little brother, who is partly resting on his lap.

Proud dad Scott is beaming by the bedside while the sweet moment unfolds, taking it all in.

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Scarlett gushed in the post’s caption on Instagram: “The moment Jude met Clark.

“Watching the boy who first made me a mammy become a big brother is a moment I’ll treasure forever.

“And judging by the last slide, Clark did very well with his choice of Transformer toy for his big brother.”

Announcing news of the birth on October 9, Scarlett shared online: “Our beautiful boy is here! Clark Xander Dobinson.

“Arriving a little earlier than expected and not quite as straightforward as planned, our little family of four was made complete on Monday.

“Our hearts have never been so full, and I’d do it all again for you, Clark.”

The I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! star announced that she was expecting baby number two back in April by showing her fans and followers snaps of her baby scan in a short video.

In the clip, the expectant mum’s son Jude could be heard talking about being a “big brother“.

Scarlett beamed as she held up a pregnancy scan and posed alongside Scott.

She captioned her sweet reveal: “We honestly can’t believe we’re writing this…

“After everything, we feel unbelievably lucky to be able to say… our family is growing.

“One little miracle gave us Jude, and now he’s going to be a big brother.

“And if there’s one thing we know for certain, it’s that he is going to be the most amazing big brother.

“We are so grateful, so excited, and still a little bit in shock…

“Our hearts are fuller than we ever thought possible.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry says reopening the strait has been its main goal, while the US continues to focus on nuclear talks.

The Strait of Hormuz is going to remain closed until the United States accepts Tehran’s seven-day plan to reopen the waterway, Iran’s top negotiator and parliament speaker has said.

Iranian state-linked news agency Nournews, quoting ⁠Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, reported on Sunday that Washington made “some proposals through a mediator” days after the US replied ⁠to Iran’s diplomatic proposal.

The US should know “that the era of wasting time and dictating unilateral demands is over”, Ghalibaf said, adding Iran’s position remains “clear and definite”.

He emphasised that “the Strait of Hormuz will not open until our seven conditions based on the Islamabad memorandum are met”, and that Iran is “present on the military battlefield and will confront them with new surprises”.

He added that Iran was neither “excited” nor “intimidated” by the latest US proposals and would “both fight and negotiate”.

US President Donald Trump ruled out an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz last week, hours after Iran put forward a roadmap to reopening the strait, through which one-fifth of global oil and natural gas is shipped during peacetime.

Last month, Trump threatened to “annihilate” Iran in his speech on the floor of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

On Sunday, Iranian Foreign ⁠Minister Abbas Araghchi also said Iran is “serious about finding diplomatic solutions just as we are serious about defending ourselves”.

Speaking to foreign ambassadors and diplomats in Tehran, Araghchi said Iran had clearly explained ⁠its conditions for reopening the strait and ⁠that Tehran hoped Washington would choose diplomacy and accept its proposal.

However, Araghchi warned that if the US takes military action again, Iran is “more prepared than before and will take whatever action is necessary to defend ourselves”.

Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei added that Tehran used the UNGA platform last month to provide world leaders with its position on ending the US-Israel war on Iran.

He said the US has continued to focus on nuclear talks, while reopening the strait has been Iran’s main goal.

“We are at this stage mainly focusing on the strait, and our principal concern is to reach a solution and to have peace and stability restored within this waterway,” Baghaei said.

The Strait of Hormuz has been largely blocked and disrupted for more than seven months, since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, driving one of the worst maritime shipping disruptions in decades.