visits

President Ahmed al-Sharaa is on his first trip to Germany since ousting Syria’s longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.

Interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has been received by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin before talks with Chancellor Friedrich Merz on rebuilding his country and the return of refugees.

“Our interest is in seeing Syria rebuilt as a stable and prosperous nation, including with the help of the many, many Syrians who came here to Germany and Europe during the civil war and found refuge here,” government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said before Monday’s talks.

Speaking at a Federal Foreign Office forum in Berlin on Monday, al-Sharaa said: “We want to put this difficult time behind us and now catch up with the rest of the world.”

He pointed to investment opportunities in Syria’s energy, transport and tourism sectors, describing his homeland as diverse and with “a great wealth of people”.

“We stand with Syria,” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said, pledging to support reconstruction efforts. “The Syrians deserve a chance, and we want to help ensure that this opportunity is well utilised.”

Al-Sharaa also suggested that he would like to see some of the Syrians who fled to Germany return to help with its reconstruction.

“These are Syrians who have studied at German universities, acquired German expertise and are now working in German companies,” he said. “Through investments in Syria, they can then bring this expertise back to Syria.”

Al-Sharaa was initially planning to visit Germany in January, but the trip was postponed as he sought to end fighting between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the country’s north.

Refugee issue

A demonstration against the plan to send refugees back to Syria has been registered in Berlin on Monday under the slogan “No deportation deals with human rights abusers”.

About one million Syrians fled their war-torn country for Germany in recent years, many of them arriving at the peak of the influx in 2015-2016 to escape the war.

The conservative Merz, who took power in May, has stepped up a drive to limit irregular immigration as he seeks to counter the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany party.

Merz said last year that with Syria’s war over, Syrians now have “no grounds for asylum in Germany”.

The government in December resumed deportations to Syria although only a handful of cases have gone ahead so far.

Merz also said he assumed many Syrians would return home voluntarily, drawing criticism from campaign groups who cited continued instability and rights abuses in Syria.

A Canadian woman who moved to the UK with her partner and three children recently paid a visit to a charity shop where she noticed several differences between the stores here and in her home country

A Canadian woman currently living in the UK has shared the key differences she noticed when perusing charity shops here as opposed to the “thrift stores” in her home country.

Many people from the United States and Canada relocate to the UK and quickly come to realise that despite sharing the same language, there’s plenty of cultural quirks and differences. This seems to be the case for Jaclyn Walton, who swapped life in North America for England with her partner and their three children.

The mum has praised many aspects of life in the UK, from the school curriculum involving swimming lessons to the “beauty and history” that’s rife, as well as the football opportunities for her son.

She also spotted the different terms used commonly over here, like “sweets” instead of her native “candy” and “holiday” instead of the Canadian term, “vacation”.

Recently, Jaclyn took to Instagram to share a video of herself exploring a small charity shop here in the UK. Over the top of the footage, she narrated her thoughts: “Come with me to a British charity shop – it’s like a thrift store in Canada but here they call them charity shops as the sales help raise funds for charity.

“The differences I notice in Canada and the UK is the culture around charity shops. In the UK, it’s common, easy to pop in, take a look, and pretty normal.

“In Canada, you’re either a thrifter or you’re not. In the UK, like almost everything else, it’s smaller; these little shops with this type of selection.”

She went on: “In Canada, they have small ones like this but you also immediately think of big ones like Value Village where you have aisles and aisles upon selection.”

Back to her thoughts on UK charity shops, Jaclyn concluded: “These shops often have volunteers working here as well.”

In the comments section, Jaclyn added: “I didn’t love thrift stores in Canada but I do enjoy looking around here… maybe I just wasn’t in my thrifting era yet.

“I feel like with all the history in England, I am looking for a beautiful find.”

Fellow Instagram users were keen to share their thoughts. One said: “I think the difference in the UK is that people donate old stuff and the charity sells it for money.

“A thrift store is a kind of recycling centre where you can sell old stuff like books, which the operator cleans up and resells for a profit.”

Another said: “I never went in charity shops until I developed a book habit! I can now never resist popping int. My hometown is blessed with eight charity shops.

“One in particular is so nicely set out that you would think it is new items only. I look at clothes now and have bought some really lovely items. I’m definitely a thrifter now!”

A third commented: “You can find some really good stuff a charity shops in affluent areas. Try places like in the Cotswolds like Chipping Norton.” And a fourth added: “Love it.”

A YouTuber who visited Riga, Latvia, was stunned by the four-star hotel prices in the city voted one of Europe’s cheapest by Post Office Travel

A YouTuber who toured Europe‘s most affordable city was taken aback by the cost of one item he purchased during his journey.

Ed Chapman, who shares his adventures on his eponymous YouTube channel, visited Riga, the capital of Latvia, and filmed a video about his experiences in the city after it was named one of Europe’s cheapest in a survey by Post Office Travel.

His primary reason for visiting Riga was to compare it with one of the priciest cities in Europe, Oslo, Norway. According to Skyscanner, flights to Riga can be purchased for as little as £28 from Leeds Bradford Airport.

One of the most striking differences between the two, Ed pointed out, was the disparity in hotel prices.

In Oslo, he stayed at a three-star hotel for one night, while in Riga, he lodged at a four-star hotel, but the price difference was significant, reports the Express.

After exploring and commenting on his hotel room, he remarked: “We’re in the heart of the city centre, literally one street away from the main stuff. Four-star hotel. £62 a night. Now that’s tasty. For a capital city, for the middle of the city centre that’s a bit mad isn’t it?

“Bearing in mind in Oslo I stayed in a three-star hotel, also bang in the city centre and that was £140 for a night there. Less than half price that’s crazy.”

Ed isn’t alone in highlighting Riga’s charm. The city, home to approximately 600,000 residents, is located at the centre of the Gulf of Riga where the Daugava River flows into the Baltic Sea.

Additionally, the city’s historic centre has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its Jugendstil and Art Nouveau architecture standing out as two of its main attractions.

Among Riga’s most distinctive landmarks is the Riga Central Market. Built using repurposed German Zeppelin hangars, these structures rank amongst the city’s most recognisable buildings, spanning 778,000 square feet and housing approximately 3,000 trading stalls.

Furthermore, Riga offers convenient access to nearby coastal areas such as Jurmala. The Mirror previously reported that one visitor was impressed not just by the affordability, but by the amenities available.

They commented in a review: “Changing pods are available on the beach and the sand is soft and flat. We paid €5 each for a sun lounger for the day, although in the afternoon people could help themselves to ones that were left or that people had finished with.

“Well worth the journey from Riga which is about 25 mins by train from central Riga and very cheap. We booked the day before online and it cost us about €6 return for both of us – amazing value.”

Israel’s National Security Minister has filmed himself in front of gallows at a Jerusalem museum, threatening the death penalty for “terrorists”. Itamar Ben-Gvir is leading a campaign to expand the grounds for execution, which human rights groups have slammed as discriminatory.

SIR David Beckham was just miles from his estranged son Brooklyn in LA on Monday — but the pair failed to meet.

Insiders said Becks, 50, was in the US city for work following a ski break in Canada with son Romeo.

Brooklyn, 27, and his wife Nicola, 31, live in Los Angeles and were at Sir Elton John’s Aids Foundation Oscars viewing party on Sunday.

A source said: “David was in Los Angeles for a new ad campaign, but given Brooklyn’s decision to cut off his family, there was no meeting between them.

“David had just come back from a ski trip with Romeo and friends in Canada when he flew to Los Angeles for work.

“Brooklyn would have just been miles away from him in the house he shares with Nicola.”

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The Sun first revealed how Brooklyn had cut off his family last year in a multi-pronged row.

In October insiders confirmed Brooklyn had no interest in making amends with his family.

By January he was communicating with them through lawyers.

Days later, Brooklyn released a bombshell statement confirming the story.

He went on to make allegations against his family, including claiming fashion designer Victoria had “hijacked” his first dance with Nicola at their wedding in 2022.

As well as cutting off his famous parents, Brooklyn is no longer in contact with his brothers Romeo, 23, and Cruz, 21, and sister Harper, 14, after blocking them on social media.

Yesterday, musician Cruz revealed the lyrics to a new song, Loneliest Boy, which appears to allude to Brooklyn.

On the track, Cruz sings: “Loneliest boy, mama don’t talk too much. It’s breaking her heart.

“It shows in the small things that you don’t do.

“I guess in the end that it’s you, yourself, and you.

“Tell me how do you live, when you’ve got nobody to lose?”

Brooklyn and wife Nicola were all smiles when they were invited by his godfather Sir Elton to be guests at his Oscars bash in Los Angeles on Sunday night.

Yesterday, Nicola shared a series of pictures of the night on her Instagram, including a black and white photo of her and Brooklyn.

She wrote: “What a beautiful evening for such an important cause. Thank you for having us Elton John and David Furnish, we love you both so much.”

On Sunday, Brooklyn’s social media followers rounded on him after he shared photos of mother-in-law, Claudia Peltz, who had celebrated her 71st birthday a few days earlier.

His post coincided with Mother’s Day. Mum Victoria shared tributes from Romeo, Cruz and Harper on Instagram, but fans noted there was no message from Brooklyn.

Those close to Brooklyn and Nicola said there was no going back in the feud with his parents.

A source said: “Brooklyn has said his piece. He is done. Moving on with his life with Nicola is his priority now.”

March 17 (UPI) — President Donald Trump hosted Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin at the White House on Tuesday during their annual St. Patrick’s Day visit.

Taoiseach Martin thanked the president for “affirming the tremendous bonds” between the two countries at the Oval Office.

Trump said there is a “tremendous trade relationship” between Ireland and the United States.

“We have a tremendous trade relationship with Ireland, and we’ll keep it that way. I think it’s going to be expanded very quickly,” Trump said. “Probably they want to talk a little bit about tariffs, but I won’t mention that – you might want to be discussing that a little bit.”

Vice President JD Vance also hosted a breakfast in honor of Martin at the vice president’s residence in the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C.

A reporter asked Trump what his message was to Irish people who are paying high energy prices because of the war with Iran.

“I have a lot of friends from Ireland, they’re very happy that I’m getting rid of … a nuclear power, a nuclear terrorist,” Trump said. “And as soon as that war is over, which will be soon, your prices are going to drop like a rock. You watch.”

Martin said the connection between the two countries is important.

“The Irish have helped to build America,” he said. “We’re very proud of that connection, and we think you hosting us here in the White House is affirmation to all the Irish-Americans out there and to our diaspora in this country for what they’ve contributed to America.”

He also said he wants to develop a legal path for migration between the two countries.

Some Irish politicians have boycotted the trip.

Sinn Féin President Mary-Lou McDonald and Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill are boycotting the St Patrick’s Day events in the United States because of the Trump administration’s policies in Gaza, the BBC reported.