For Islamic extremists, African gold mines are a treasure trove both of explosives and funds to recruit new members and buy arms, writes David Lewis and Ryan McNeill

The brutal ‘reign’ of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of IS, self-proclaimed caliph, and the world’s most wanted man, has ended, write Ahmed Rasheed and Ahmed Aboulenein.

Why the US decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria is so dangerous.

Access to global networks is a great source of power but it must be used with responsibility and not be taken for granted, write Anne-Marie Slaughter and Elina Ribakova

Doing Justice: A Prosecutor’s Thoughts on Crime, Punishment, and the Rule of Law

Pope Francis is to meet members of the Naval Service when he visits in August so he can acknowledge their role in saving thousands of migrants from drowning in the Mediterranean Sea.

Facebook has closed almost 1.3bn fake accounts in the past six months.

While the West does arms deals, doctors in Jordan try to help the people of Yemen suffering from the constant bombardment, writes Norma Costello.

America’s limited intervention won’t change the course of the Syrian war or temper Bashar al-Assad’s scorched earth policy against rebels and civilians, writes Mohamad Bazzi.

Irish photographer Richard Mosse has used military technology for his refugee-related exhibition at the Barbican in London, writes Shilpa Ganatra

The relationship between the US president and the Russian leader could suffer as they begin to deal with some of the more pressing issues, writes Josh Cohen.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan has confirmed that entities with ties to terrorist network al Qaeda have more than $1.2m (€1.13m) frozen in several bank accounts here.

An Independent TD for Roscommon has warned of major problems unless the Justice Department has a clear plan for the relocation of 80 refugees to the town of Ballaghadereen.

Anti-Islamic leaflets have been handed out in Ballaghaderreen ahead of the arrival of some 80 Syrian refugees in the town this month.

Your letters, your views.

The American military and industrial complex needs a new enemy to justify its massive budget and Vladimir Putin is the right person at the right time, argues Peter Van Buren.

A Russian transport helicopter was shot down in opposition rebel territory in northern Syria yesterday and all five crew and officers onboard were killed, the Kremlin said. 

In an update to her weekly column, Victoria White, argues that we can never come to the beginning of the end of atrocities such as Nice if we don't understand that Bastille Day doesn't mean the same thing to many Arabs as it does to the French.

Anyone who  believes that suicide bombings are the dying sting of Islamic State is mistaken writes Peter Van Buren

The terror group grew out of an al Qaeda offshoot, and could mutate further in response to material victories by the US-led coalition, warn Colin P Clarke and Chad C Serena

Police in Bangladesh have arrested a home-grown Islamist militant over the killing of two gay rights campaigners amid a surge in violent attacks against liberal activists and other minorities in the south Asian nation.

The ceasefire in Aleppo could prove to be a real turning point in the Syrian conflict, and what happens in the city could be seen as setting the tone for the rest of the country, says Peter Apps

US and Russia succeed in having fragile ceasefire extended to city

Gardaí would panic and “run around like headless chickens” if there was a terrorist attack, a Garda conference was told yesterday.

While the bombings in Paris and Brussels are being seen as an attack on Europe as a whole, forging a collective EU response to global terrorism will be very difficult, writes Lucian Kim

Fighting in Syria appeared to have mostly stopped yesterday, the second day of a US-Russian deal on a cessation of hostilities which seemed to be holding despite accusations of violations and air strikes in Aleppo.

A suspected suicide bomber who blew a hole in the fuselage of a Daallo Airlines plane last week and forced it to make an emergency landing in Mogadishu was meant to be on a Turkish Airlines flight, the Daallo chief executive said.

Tens of thousands of trapped Iraqi civilians are running out of food and medicine in the western city of Falluja, an Islamic State (IS) stronghold under siege by security forces, according to local officials and residents.