Archive October 23, 2025

Irish police arrest 23 people in second night of anti-immigration unrest

Following a second night of unrest outside a hotel where asylum seekers were housed, Irish police have said that 23 people have been detained in Dublin, Ireland.

Following violent demonstrations against the government’s immigration policies, six people were arrested the night before the disturbances on Wednesday.

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Demonstrators reportedly hurled fireworks and missiles at police in video that was posted on social media.

According to police, one officer was hit in the head with a bottle, and the other suffered arm and shoulder injuries.

The Irish police, known as An Garda Siochana, said in a statement that “the public disorder was primarily carried out by young adult males and teenagers.

Irish Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan praised police for responding to the “thuggish violence” “bravely” and “professionally”

On X, O’Callaghan stated, “Many have been arrested and more will follow.”

Our criminal justice system will charge, name, and treat them relentlessly.

Since Monday, protesters have gathered outside the Citywest Hotel in Saggart, southwest of Dublin, in response to the arrest of a 26-year-old man over an alleged sexual assault on a 10-year-old girl.

The man is a foreign national, according to local media reports, who was deported earlier this year after a failed asylum application.

Sinn Fein’s leader, Mary Lou McDonald, addressed the Irish parliament on Tuesday, calling on the populace to have faith in the country’s asylum system.

When a deportation order is issued, “any question mark around a person overstaying in the State is, again, deeply unsettling,” McDonald said.

In Ireland, far-right politics have made little progress, which is in contrast to many other European nations, but immigration has remained stagnant as arrivals have recently reached record highs.

Respondents in a poll conducted by Irish Times/Ipsos B&amp last year indicated that they were in favor of a more restrictive immigration policy.

Mamdani, Cuomo clash in final NYC mayoral debate: Key takeaways

In a last push to win over voters before the November 4 election, frontrunner Zohran Mamdani, former governor Andrew Cuomo, and Republican Curtis Sliwa squared off on Wednesday in the final debate of the mayoral race in New York City.

However, their attacks on one another and their defenses were mostly along predictable lines, as their precedents, including that of Israel’s and President Donald Trump’s war against Gaza, predominated in their clash at LaGuardia Community College in Queens.

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After claiming a surprise victory in the June primary on a platform of affordability, Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, maintains a sizable lead in the polls, partially offset by higher taxes that favor the wealthy.

Cuomo has repeatedly criticised Mamdani’s promises, most of which would require the approval of state lawmakers, and has repeatedly criticized the 34-year-old Democratic Socialist for having no prior experience in government. Since Eric Adams, the current mayor, left, only Mamdani, Cuomo, and Sliva remain in the race, which has narrowed.

What were the key lessons learned from the discussion?

Future versus experience

Cuomo and Mamdani drew attention to the themes that had shaped the race’s final stretch as the night rolled around.

Cuomo referred to himself as the “can get it done, not just talk about it.”

He has never managed or run anything. He compared Mamdani to saying that he has never had a real job.

Mamdani described himself as the “sole candidate running with a vision for the city’s future.”

He is a “desperate man” who has been criticizing Cuomo because he is aware that his one true love, power, is now slipping away.

Sliwa later addressed both of his rivals in a critical tone, saying, “Zohran, your resume could fit on a cocktail napkin, and Andrew, your failures could fill a New York City public school library.”

Trump’s opposition

The New York City mayoral race has had a significant impact on the US president. Immigration agents descended on Manhattan’s Chinatown on Tuesday, escalating federal enforcement efforts in the nation’s largest city, and the debate broke out hours later.

If Mamdani is elected, Trump has pledged to use the National Guard and reduce federal funding for the city. Trump and Cuomo have a lot of the same donors, but they both have a reputation for making threats that hurt the city from a win.

Trump has said that he will take over New York if Mamdani wins because he doesn’t value him. Trump [thinks he’s a kid, and he’s going to knock Mamma on his tuchus,” Cuomo said.

Trump’s dream is for him to win over Mamdani because he will use him politically throughout our nation and take over New York City, he said. Make no mistake, both the mayor and the president will be in charge.

Cuomo was Mamdani’s version of Donald Trump.

Donald Trump said, “He wants Andrew Cuomo to be mayor, not because it will be good for New Yorkers, but because it will be good for him,” and that “any day of the week you can hear him tell you that.”

Palestine’s support once more is significant.

Mamdani was once more questioned about his unwavering support for Palestinian rights, which Cuomo repeatedly and blatantly denounced as anti-Semitic.

Mamdani claimed that he would be the mayor of New York City who celebrates and values Jewish people more than just protecting them. He claimed that Cuomo was “scoreing political points” by making false anti-Semitism claims.

Cuomo claimed that he was “ignoring the hatred against Jews.”

Sliwa falsely accused Mamdani of supporting “global jihad.”

I responded, “It is not something I have said, and it continues to be attributed to me,” and “quite frankly, I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I am the first Muslim candidate to be on the verge of winning this election.”

Mamdani announces the selection of a police commissioner

In addition, the leading candidate made a statement during the debate, saying he would ask Jessica Tisch, the current police commissioner, to keep her post if elected.

Some of Mamdani’s supporters may find that to be unfavorable because they believe the police chief, who is currently Mayor Adams, is out of step with the promised police reforms.

Tisch, whose wealthy family is worth billions, has advocated for more “quality of life” enforcement, which according to critics disproportionately harms minority communities. She has also pushed for stricter enforcement of some criminal laws.

Cuomo was questioned about sexual assault.

Cuomo’s opponents repeatedly questioned him about allegations of sexual misconduct from his staff, which led him to resign as governor of New York in early 2021.

Later, state attorney general investigation revealed that Cuomo had “sexually harassed a number of New York State employees, both current and former.”

Cuomo claims that the cases have been settled “legally,” but litigation persists in some cases.

Mamdani made the revelation that Charlotte Bennett, who Cuomo is currently suing for defamation, was one of the accusers during the discussion.

What do you tell the 13 women who you sexually harmed? Cuomo asked him.

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,337

On Thursday, October 23, 2025, how things are going:

Fighting

  • The villages of Pavlivka and Ivanivka in the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine were taken, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. In response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian targets, the ministry claimed it also attacked Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
  • Six people were killed by Russian-prolonged assaults on Ukrainian territory on Wednesday, including two children, and nationwide power outages were forced, according to Ukrainian officials.
  • According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia launched 405 drones and 28 missiles at Ukraine overnight in an attack on its energy infrastructure. According to the air force, Ukraine detonated 16 Russian missiles and 333 drones, while other missiles detonated directly and defeated directly at targets.
  • Svitlana Hrynchuk, the minister of energy of Ukraine, claimed that Russia is conducting a systematic attack to systematically devastate Ukraine’s energy system and is targeting repair teams at energy facilities with secondary attacks.
  • Four people were hurt in the second night of Russian drone attacks in Kyiv, according to Tymur Tkachenko, the city’s military commander, early on Thursday. A kindergarten was among the damage done by drones, according to Takachenko.
  • Overnight attacks were carried out by the Ukrainian military against an oil refinery in Dagestan and a weapons and ammunition factory in Mordovia, Russia.
  • Following recent sharp increases in Ukrainian drone attacks that have been sweeping across the nation in recent months, Russian Vice Admiral Vladimir Tsimlyansky declared that Russia’s army would use reservists to defend civilian infrastructure, including oil refineries.
  • According to reports, Russian President Vladimir Putin conducted a test of Russia’s nuclear forces on land, sea, and air to review their level of readiness and organizational structure. A nuclear submarine launched a ballistic missile from a land-based Yars intercontinental missile, a Sineva ballistic missile launched from a strategic bomber, and nuclear-capable cruise missiles were also used during the test.

Sanctions

  • As his anger with President Putin grows over the failure to implement a ceasefire, the president of the United States has for the first time in his second term put sanctions on Russia for Ukraine.
  • The US Department of Treasury called on Moscow to accept a ceasefire immediately and declared it would investigate further action.
  • US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated in a statement that the government is sanctioning Russia’s two largest oil companies, which fund the Kremlin’s war machine, because President Putin has refused to put an end to this pointless conflict. We ask our allies to support us and follow these restrictions.
  • Trump added that he anticipated reaching a trade agreement with Xi Jinping, and that he would raise concerns about China’s plans to buy Russian oil at their meeting in South Korea the following week.
  • Additionally, Russia’s 19th package of sanctions, which includes a ban on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports, was approved by the European Union.
  • Short-term contracts expire after six months, and long-term contracts expire on January 1, 2027, respectively.
  • Due to the undermining German state control of two German subsidiaries of the sanctioned Russian oil giant Rosneft, Britain has issued a special license allowing businesses to collaborate with them. Russia’s two biggest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, were accused of helping to fund the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine by Britain last week.
  • Ukraine is urging European nations to refrain from using a proposed $163 billion loan based on frozen Russian state assets, arguing that it needs to be able to purchase non-European weapons, repair Russian-attack damage, and pay compensation for victims. To boost their defense industries, some EU states have suggested that the funds should be used primarily for European-made weapons.
  • Russian Deputy Finance Minister Alexey Moiseev stated that while it has no intention of seizing any European assets, including banks and companies, Russia will consider its position if the EU seizes frozen Russian sovereign assets.

talks on a ceasefire

  • Due to the timing of the meeting and the lack of progress in diplomatic efforts to end Ukraine’s hostility, President Trump claimed.
  • Trump told reporters at the White House, “We called off our meeting with President Putin because it just didn’t feel right.” It didn’t seem like we were going to arrive where we needed to be. Trump responded, “I cancelled it, but we’ll do it in the future.”
  • Trump also expressed frustration with the stalled negotiations, saying, “Every time I speak with Vladimir, I have good conversations, and then they don’t go anywhere. They simply don’t move anywhere.
  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine, described Trump’s suggestion that Russia and Ukraine should “freeze the war at its current front lines” as “a good compromise,” but he doubted that Putin would back it.

financial and military assistance

  • Trump refuted a news report that claimed the US had approved for Ukraine to launch long-range missiles into Russia, adding that the US “has nothing to do with those missiles.”
  • After meeting with President Zelenskyy, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced that Sweden has signed a letter of intent that could allow it to send 150 of its domestically produced Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine.
  • Next year, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine plans to start using Swedish Gripen jets. Gripens are a top priority for our army, they say. He claimed that it is all about the money and maneuvers.
  • According to the Norwegian government, Norway will give Ukraine another 1.5 billion Norwegian crowns ($149.4 million) for the purchase of natural gas to provide electricity and heating.

Celebrity Traitors star Celia Imrie makes cheeky confession about rival contestant

Celia Imrie, who was in Thursday Murder Club, had a suspicion that Jonathan Ross might be a bad guy in the BBC series Celebrity Traitors, in which Welsh singer Charlotte Church was “murdered” yesterday.

Veteran actress Celia Imrie told Jonathan Ross she has “a bit of a crush” on him during last night’s Celebrity Traitors.

The performer, who participated in Thursday Murder Club this year, admitted that Ross, 64, might be a traitor. Following the roundtable discussion on Wednesday’s drama-packed episode, Imrie, 73, voted to fire him.

Imrie, who has worked in numerous well-known dramas and films for the past five decades, said, “This is a little tricky because I have a bit of a crush on you right now, but I put you Jonathan because I believe you have the chutzpah and brilliance to be a traitor.”

Presenter Claudia Winkleman declared the banishment would be left to chance after two rounds of voting ended with Scottish actor Mark Bonnar and historian David Olusoga receiving equal numbers of votes.

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Following a roundtable discussion where contestants debate the identities of the secret traitors who meet at night to plot their next “murder,” the episode ended before the banishment’s conclusion, in an effort to extort the charity prize pot from the faithfuls.

In a number of scenes with Imrie, including one where she audibly passed wind while on a stressful job in a cabin, which caused the audience’s fellow cast members to chuckle all over the place.

Another Imrie clip, which featured her improvising to the sound of a banshee for a challenge, was made into a meme.

READ MORE: The Celebrity Traitors star Ruth Codd shares tragic reason behind leg amputation

When comedian Lucy Beaumont said, “You know what you do in a well, don’t you?” before the challenge, she replied, “Put the pussy in.”

Continue reading the article.

Until Imrie’s confession, none of the Traitors – Ross, Alan Carr, and Cat Burns – had really even been suspected – but is their time running out and are the Faithfuls finally onto them?

Earlier in the episode, Welsh singer Charlotte Church became the latest contestant to be “murdered” by the traitors – comedian Alan Carr, TV presenter Jonathan Ross and singer Cat Burns – who had plotted their next move during last Thursday’s episode.