As a festival celebrating Cuban culture kicks off in Kilkee, Richard Fitzpatrick talks to artist Jim Fitzpatrick, who created the iconic image of Che Guevara, about his meeting with the revolutionary

Russia is accusing Ukrainian officials of barring crews of Russian commercial airlines from going outside their aircraft at Ukrainian airports.

Airlines flying to Russia have been warned that terrorists may try to smuggle explosives on board hidden in toothpaste tubes.

Ireland agreed to ban Soviet airlines from the tarmac at Shannon, just 10 days before nuclear catastrophe was narrowly avoided during the Cold War.

THE longstanding Irish policy of neutrality, an ongoing balancing act of several competing pressures — nationalism, the post-colonial relation with Britain, a burgeoning involvement with European politics — came under particular scrutiny in 1983.

Ryanair has been granted permission to fly to destinations in Russia from March next year by the country’s aviation authority.

The salaries of the superstar players are set to continue their inexorable rise but there are already signs of an end to wage inflation for the rank and file below them, according to Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.

Bryan Robson has warned Wayne Rooney “the grass is not always greener” and the England striker will find it very difficult to match life at Manchester United.

Russia defied White House pressure to expel former spy agency contractor Edward Snowden to the US before he flees Moscow on the next stop of his globe-crossing escape from US prosecution.

Whistelblower Edward Snowden has apparently not caught the Cuban-bound flight he was due to leave Moscow on today.

Ecuador’s government is considering an asylum request from Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor wanted for revealing secrets.

A former National Security Agency contractor wanted by the United States for revealing highly classified surveillance programs has been allowed to leave for a “third country” because a US extradition request did not fully comply with Hong Kong law, the territory’s government said today.

Russia’s top investigative agency has filed criminal charges against tycoon and British newspaper backer Alexander Lebedev.

An Aeroflot plane carrying 256 people from New York to Moscow has made an unscheduled landing in Iceland after a report of a bomb on board, according to a Russian media report.

A tycoon whose holdings include a newspaper critical of the Kremlin says he wants to sell his Russian assets because of pressure from the security services.

THE Green Army are bound to be watching the Red Army’s Euro finals manoeuvres with interest in light of the remarkable news two of Russia’s biggest airlines have indicated they will answer a call by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to transport the national team’s fans to Euro 2012 for free.

THE European Commission has decided to put pressure on member states in a bid to ease the headaches Russia and its monopoly airline Aeroflot are causing Europe’s airlines.

Russia has ordered the country’s airlines to stop using Tu-154B planes until the cause of a passenger jet fire and explosion that killed three people is determined.

Three people died when a passenger plane caught fire and then exploded on a runway at a Siberian airport, Russian officials said today.

A Russian passenger jet carrying 128 people caught fire and later exploded at a Siberian airport today, killing one person and injuring 10.

Russian transport bosses were carpeted by prime minister Vladimir Putin and banned from taking New Year holidays after freezing weather brought chaos to Moscow.

Two people were killed and 83 injured when a passenger jet with 155 people on board skidded off the runway during an emergency landing at a Moscow airport today, Russian officials said.

Billionaire Alexander Lebedev, owner of Britain’s Independent newspaper, was held inside the Moscow headquarters of a bank he owns while masked police rifled through company files, his spokesman said today.

A week of national mourning has been declared in Poland after the country's President died in a plane crash.

Former KGB agent and Evening Standard owner Alexander Lebedev is in exclusive talks to buy British newspapers The Independent and Independent on Sunday, it was confirmed today.

The Russian oligarch owner of the Evening Standard newspaper is in advanced talks to buy Independent News & Media (INM) newspapers The Independent and The Independent on Sunday, it was reported today.

RUSSIAN billionaire and one-time KGB spy, Alexander Lebedev, is understood to be locked in advanced talks to buy London-based The Independent and the Independent on Sunday.

The pilot of the Aeroflot jet that crashed, killing all 88 people on board, ignored commands from air traffic controllers, probably contributing to Russia’s worst air disaster in two years, according to reports.

RUSSIAN investigators yesterday sifted through the wreckage of an Aeroflot jet that crashed in the Ural mountains killing all 88 people on board, as the region marked a day of mourning.

An engine fire appeared today to be the cause of a Russian jet crash that killed all 88 people on board.

A passenger jet travelling from Moscow to the Ural Mountains city of Perm crashed while preparing to land early today, killing all 88 people aboard, officials said.

A passenger jet travelling from Moscow to the Ural Mountains city of Perm crashed as it was preparing to land early today, killing all 88 people aboard, officials said.

Exiled Russian plutocrat Boris Berezovsky was today convicted by a Moscow court of embezzling millions of dollars from national airline Aeroflot and sentenced to six years in prison.

A preliminary hearing was held today in the trial in absentia of Kremlin foe Boris Berezovsky on charges that he embezzled millions of pounds from Russian national airline Aeroflot.

Rolls-Royce's ambitions in Russia were boosted today after national carrier Aeroflot placed its first ever order for the company's Trent engines.

AFTER 13 years Boris Yeltsin’s explanation for events at Shannon Airport finally emerged yesterday — it was his aide’s fault.

DES LONG (Irish Examiner letters, March 22) says I used emotive language on the future of Shannon airport (Letters, March 15) and the harm done to our other airports by the Shannon stopover until the open skies deal was agreed recently by the US and the EU.

An American mother and daughter rushed to hospital in Moscow for suspected thallium poisoning arrived home today as colleagues and relatives struggled to understand how they could have been exposed to the potentially fatal chemical.

A Russian Aeroflot airliner made an unscheduled landing at Prague’s Ruzyne international airport today after an apparent hijacking attempt, Czech Republic police said.

GERMAN investigators have confirmed a car used by a contact of a fatally poisoned ex-KGB agent before the two men met was contaminated with the rare radioactive substance polonium-210, police said.

German authorities say they are investigating Russian businessman Dmitry Kovtun on suspicion that he may have improperly handled radioactive material before he met ex-spy Alexander Litvenenko in London.

German authorities said today they have found traces of the rare radioactive substance polonium-210 at an apartment visited by a contact of poisoned ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko before they met in London.

SEVENTY years ago Aer Lingus Teoranta was registered as an airline, on May 22, 1936.