Russia has said it is working to prevent a conflict between advancing Turkish and Syrian government forces, as Turkey’s president defied growing pressure from Western allies for a ceasefire in northern Syria.

British prime minister Johnson’s fixation on a no-deal exit from the European Union is without justification. Brexiteers claim a trade relationship with the US will redefine trade for the world in the 21st century.

A senior US politician has warned that lawmakers could block a future US-UK trade deal if the Good Friday Agreement is undermined.

Whether four oil tankers in the Gulf were attacked by Iran or whether the incident was orchestrated by the US, both should desist for the sake of peace, says John Andrews.

In a midsummer week that may culminate when — if — the sinister buffoon Boris Johnson becomes the 14th British prime minister of Queen Elizabeth’s near seven-decade reign, it is not hard to argue that politics have failed.

Hungary’s Viktor Orbán visits the White House today, but Donald Trump will try to cut an arms deal with him, not promote democracy, say Anne-Marie Slaughter and Melissa Hooper.

As Israel pounded Gaza with airstrikes, the Palestinian death toll rose to 22, including two pregnant women and two babies.

A woman has died in clashes between protesters and security forces in Venezuela.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's most trusted policy adviser has been removed from one of his posts, according to a politician in South Korea.

President Xi’s repression of Muslim minorities is redolent of the Soviet Union’s gulag and will foster a new generation of Islamist domestic terrorists, says Brahma Chellaney

Many US presidents didn’t see eye-to-eye with their top spies, but none has came close to the damage being wrought by the current incumbent, writes former public affairs director of the CIA, Kent Harrington.

Not for the first time, the US government speaks with forked tongue. Mr Trump says North Korea no longer poses a nuclear threat. His secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, disagrees; he says it does.

Latest: The Trump administration says it is withdrawing from a treaty that has been a centrepiece of superpower arms control since the Cold War, in a move some analysts claim could fuel a new arms race.

China's slowing growth, Brexit woes and US-China trade disputes pose risks to the world economy, Japan's prime minister has said.

As well as internal pressures, Iran’s leaders have faced significant anti-government activity from ethnic minority groups, but have failed to engage, writes Brenda Shaffer.

Oil prices fell about 1%, heading for a weekly loss of over 6%, with investors worried about oversupply as the US said it will temporarily spare eight jurisdictions from Iran-related sanctions.

Your lunchtime bulletin.

The United States is withdrawing from the UN Human Rights Council, the US ambassador to the world body said, calling it "an organisation that is not worthy of its name".

US President Donald Trump has cancelled the June 12 summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, citing "tremendous anger and open hostility" in a recent statement.

Your morning headlines.

Donald Trump has said media speculation that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will soon leave his job is "fake news".

US President Donald Trump does not intend to block the scheduled release of thousands of secret government documents related to President John F Kennedy's assassination.

Latest: Harvard University has reversed its decision to name Chelsea Manning a visiting fellow, a day after CIA chief Mike Pompeo scrapped an appearance over the designation for the soldier who was convicted of leaking classified information.

Eli Lake says that US citizens should want their government to undermine the gulag state of North Korea, not help preserve it with another compromise    

Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un have been ramping up the rhetoric in recent weeks. The crisis must reach a peaceful conclusion — and China will play a key role, writes Yoon Young-kwan.          

America's top military officer has told his counterparts in South Korea that the United States is ready to use the "full range" of its military capabilities to defend itself and its allies from any North Korean provocation.

US vice president Mike Pence has tried to strike a balance between Latin American opposition to US military intervention in neighbouring Venezuela, and his boss Donald Trump's assertion that action is an option.

"The US military is locked and loaded every day," HR McMaster said.

America's CIA director is making an unannounced visit to South Korea amid heightened tension on the Korean Peninsula.

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the White House, the Trump administration is going back and forth over whether its vision for Middle East peace includes a Palestinian state.

It was announced yesterday that Taoiseach Enda Kenny will visit the White House for the by-now annual St Patrick’s Day expression of fealty.

Donald Trump has signed directives which will not only see a wall built along the US border with Mexico, but also crack down on cities that shield illegal immigrants, such as the undocumented Irish.

A draft executive order shows President Donald Trump asking for a review of America’s methods for interrogating terror suspects and whether the US should reopen CIA-run "black site" prisons outside the United States.

US president Donald Trump has made unsubstantiated claims about election fraud - even as he reached out to Democratic rivals, business leaders and union chiefs in a bid to sell his policies.

The US Senate has approved the appointment of Donald Trump's nominee Mike Pompeo to run the CIA, despite claims that he has been less than transparent about his positions on torture, surveillance and Russia's election meddling.

Here’s a briefing on some of the stories and issues highlighted on irishexaminer.com today.