Kherson liberation
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the Russian withdrawal from Kherson “the beginning of the end of the war” on Monday as he met soldiers in the southern city.
The liberation of Kherson after a grinding offensive that forced Russia to pull back its forces from the city is one of Ukraine’s biggest success so far of the nearly nine-month invasion and a stinging blow for the Kremlin.
Mr Zelensky said that the country’s “strong army” was persistently reclaiming the territories taken by Russia since its invasion while also acknowledging the difficulties and the heavy human toll.
Stings gigs
Sting and Madness have both announced Dublin gigs for this summer.
Sting will perform a special 'My Songs' concert in Malahide Castle, Dublin June 28th, 2023. Tickets from €69.90 including booking fee go on sale this Friday at 9am from Ticketmaster.
My Songs includes the greatest hits from Sting's career, solo and with The Police.
Vicky Phelan
CervicalCheck campaigner Vicky Phelan has passed away at age 48.
She is survived by her two children, Amelia (16) and Darragh (10).
As the Irish Examiner reports, she announced last October that she had returned home to Ireland from the US after the treatment she received there no longer worked.
The medical team at Georgetown University Hospital in Maryland recommended that Vicky return home to receive palliative chemotherapy.
Meath charge
A man has been charged in connection with the death of a woman in an apartment in Co Meath.
The body of Ioana Mihaela Pacala, aged 30, was found in a duplex apartment in Ratoath shortly after 6pm on Saturday.
Gardai and emergency services attended at the domestic residence at River Walk Court on Saturday night and a man, aged in his 30s, was arrested at the scene.
Gardai said the man was due to appear before Trim District Court in Meath on Monday morning.
A forensic and technical examination of the scene has taken place and an incident room has been established at Ashbourne Station.
Sea swimmer tribute
Tributes are pouring in for a man in his 60s who drowned while swimming off the coast of Wicklow.
The body of the man was recovered from the sea at Bray beach at around 8.30am on Sunday.
The man has been named locally as Ciarán Megannety, from Bray, Co Wicklow and is believed to have been a member of Bray Sea Swimmers.
Emergency services including the Rescue Helicopter attended the scene following reports of a swimmer in difficulty and it is understood he got caught in a dangerous riptide while out swimming.
Biden and Xi meeting
President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping opened their first in-person meeting on Monday since the US president took office nearly two years ago, aiming to “manage” differences between the superpowers.
Mr Xi and Mr Biden greeted each other with a handshake at a luxury resort hotel in Indonesia, where they are attending the G20 summit of large economies, before they sat down for what was expected to be a conversation lasting several hours.
“As the leaders of our two nations, we share responsibility, in my view, to show that China and the United States can manage our differences, prevent competition from becoming anything ever near conflict, and to find ways to work together on urgent global issues that require our mutual cooperation,” Mr Biden said to open the meeting.
Mayo rescue
A man was rescued off the coast of Co Mayo by emergency services after his yatch overturned in high seas, the Western People reports.
After the vessel capsized, two men spend 72 hours stranded at sea before Achill Coast Guard attended the scene on Friday afternoon. One of the men had managed to scale the cliffs off Dooega Head and alert emergency services.
The Cliff Top Rescue Team climbed Dooega Head and Rescue 118 landed a short time later after personnel assessed the scene.
