US President Donald Trump has said he plans to name hostage negotiator Robert O’Brien as his new national security adviser.

After US President Donald Trump walked away from the Iranian nuclear deal, which closed the door on diplomacy, his administration’s pretext of freeing Iranians from authoritarianism is similar in tone to previous US war propaganda in this region.

This week’s story about a British man who was arrested in the UAE after wearing a Qatari football shirt might give some people ideas, writes Tommy Martin.

As I write the US is organising the groundwork for a coup in Venezuela. Things are progressing along a tried and tested plan which was used in Chile in 1973 and recently in Ukraine.

George H.W. Bush was the last person elected president of the United States with any prior foreign policy experience.

Iraq has hanged 13 prisoners convicted on terror charges following a recommendation by the prime minister to speed up executions of those on death row for terror-related offences.

Russia has failed in its "ludicrous" bid for a joint UK/Russian investigation into the Salisbury attack, Boris Johnson has said.

The two countries should hold bilateral talks and air their historic grievances, or else the mistrust will deepen, says Christopher R Hill

The West’s failure to support Kurdish independence will condemn this people to further oppression by hostile forces, writes Shlomo Avineri.

World crude oil prices have fallen by 3% in the past week, defying attempts by the producer group Opec to boost prices as demand splutters.

All players in the Middle East must value diplomacy not conflict, writes Jeffrey D Sachs

The High Court has blocked a bid by a former chief of staff of the Iraqi army to bring a private prosecution against Tony Blair over the Iraq War.

Pressed on the claims, Gen Jones said the report is "deeply irresponsible and frankly naive".

John Chilcot has said he does not believe Tony Blair was "straight with the nation" about his decisions in the run-up to the Iraq War.

Genocide is defined as “Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part”. 

Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have signalled they may allow some Qataris to stay in their countries amid a diplomatic rift with the Gulf nation.

Alvaro Morata pounced with a late equaliser to earn Spain a 2-2 draw in their international friendly against Colombia at Estadio de La Condomina in Murcia.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, has raised pricing for July sales of all crude grades to Asia, the US, and north-west Europe.

The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, which happened just after midnight on Tuesday.

Opec and non-member oil producers have moved closer to clinching a deal on extending output cuts by nine months to clear a global stocks overhang and prop up the price of crude.

Iraq's United Nations ambassador has said there is no evidence that the Islamic State extremist group used chemical weapons in an attack in Mosul, the country's second-largest city.

Iraqi forces have captured a government complex in western Mosul from the so called Islamic State group, a senior military commander has said.

US president Donald Trump's new travel ban order will temporarily halt entries to the US for people from six Muslim-majority countries who are seeking new visas, sources revealed.

Syrian government warplanes have pounded a rebel-held neighbourhood in the central city of Homs, killing at least three people and wounding dozens, opposition activists said.

Government troops are now in "full control" of eastern Mosul, according to Iraq's military, after routing Islamic State militants from that part of the city.

Several attacks in and around Baghdad have killed at least 27 people on a particularly brutal day in the Iraqi capital.

Oil rose to an 18-month high as output cuts by Kuwait and Oman signalled that Opec and its partners are delivering on their accord to stabilise the market.

It is feared fuel prices will go up after the world's largest group of oil exporters agreed to cut production.

Oil climbed as Iraq’s oil minister said it pledged to co-operate with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) to reach an agreement this week that’s acceptable to all members.

Iraqi forces have pushed into a town south of Mosul after Islamic State fighters fled with civilians used as human shields, officials said.

Iraq threw an obstacle in Opec’s path toward a final deal to stabilise oil markets when it balked at joining efforts to trim output to prop up crude prices.

Just two weeks ago Neymar’s commitment to the Olympic team was questioned by Brazil’s fans.

Iraq has executed 36 men convicted of taking part in the IS group’s massacre of hundreds of soldiers in 2014, officials said.

Terrorist attacks, a military coup, EU disintegration, the rise of the far right, demise of political credibility — all amid mass migration, economic volatility, and deep divisions in the US. Caroline O’Doherty asks what’s going on and what does it mean for life as we know it?

The idea that Ireland is still a neutral state is false, says one expert, pointing to the US military landings in Shannon

Mrs Brown’s Boys gets a one-off live special tonight at 9.20pm on RTE One.