Barack Obama to come to Dublin for sit down interview with Fintan O'Toole in 3Arena
The event is taking place on 26 September, it's being billed as an 'evening with President Barack Obama'.
Tickets are on sale from Thursday of this week, and there are VIP ticket packages on offer also, which cost over €600.
Event organisers Fane, Kilimanjaro and Singular Artists are behind the event.
Advertisement
They say it will be a 'unique opportunity to hear from one of America's most transformational leaders, as he returns to the stage to share a message of hope, resilience, and the power of lifting one another up.'
Barack Obama was President of the United States for two terms. He was first inaugurated in January 2009, and his second term ended in January 2017.
Obama was the first African-American to be elected as President.
His presidency was defined by its response to the global financial crash, the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and his handling of the end of the war in Iraq and the US military's presence in Afghanistan.
Much has been said about the use of drone strikes during his presidency in countries including Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.
Now aged 63, and mainly focused on the running of the Obama Foundation, Obama is still regarded as one of the most influential figures in the US Democratic Party.
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
Learn More
Support The Journal
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Rwanda agrees to take deportees from the US after migrant deal with UK collapsed
Rwanda on Tuesday became the third African nation to agree to accept deportees from the United States under the Trump administration's plans to send migrants to countries they have no ties with to get them off American soil. Rwandan government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo told The Associated Press in a statement that the East African country would accept up to 250 deportees from the US, with 'the ability to approve each individual proposed for resettlement' under the agreement. Ms Makolo did not provide a timeline for any deportees to arrive in Rwanda or say if they would arrive at once or in several batches. She said details were still being worked out. The US sent 13 men it described as dangerous criminals who were in the US illegally to South Sudan and Eswatini in Africa last month and has said it is seeking more agreements with African nations. It said those deportees' home countries refused to take them back. Those approved (for resettlement in Rwanda) will be provided with workforce training, healthcare and accommodation support to jumpstart their lives in Rwanda, giving them the opportunity to contribute to one of the fastest-growing economies in the world over the last decade The US has also deported hundreds of Venezuelans and others to Costa Rica, El Salvador and Panama under President Donald Trump's plans to expel people who he says entered the US illegally and are 'the worst of the worst'. Rwanda attracted international attention and some outrage when it struck a deal in 2022 with the UK to accept migrants who had arrived in the UK to seek asylum. Under that proposed deal, their claims would have been processed in Rwanda and, if successful, they would have stayed there. The contentious agreement was criticised by rights groups and others as being unethical and unworkable and was ultimately scrapped when Britain's new Labour government took over. Britain's Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that the deal was unlawful because Rwanda was not a safe third country for migrants. The Trump administration has come under scrutiny for the African countries it has entered into secretive deals with to take deportees. It sent eight men from South Sudan, Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar and Vietnam to South Sudan in early July after a US Supreme Court ruling cleared the way for their deportations. They were held for weeks in a converted shipping container at an American military base in Djibouti as the legal battle over their deportations played out. South Sudan, which is tipping towards civil war, has declined to say where the men are being held or what their fate is. The US also deported five men who are citizens of Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen and Laos to the southern African kingdom of Eswatini, where the government said they will be held in solitary confinement in prison for an undetermined period of time. A human rights lawyer in Eswatini said the men are being denied access to legal representation there and has taken authorities to court. Eswatini is Africa's last absolute monarchy. The king rules over government and political parties are effectively banned. Both South Sudan and Eswatini have declined to give details of their agreements with the US. Rwanda, a country of some 15 million people, has long stood out on the continent for its recovery from a genocide that killed more than 800,000 people in 1994. It has promoted itself under long-time President Paul Kagame as an example of stability and development, but human rights groups allege there are also deadly crackdowns on any perceived dissent against Mr Kagame, who has been president for 25 years. This agreement enhances Rwanda's strategic interest of having good relationships with the Trump administration Government spokesperson Ms Makolo said the agreement with the US was Rwanda doing its part to help with international migration issues because 'our societal values are founded on reintegration and rehabilitation'. 'Those approved (for resettlement in Rwanda) will be provided with workforce training, healthcare and accommodation support to jumpstart their lives in Rwanda, giving them the opportunity to contribute to one of the fastest-growing economies in the world over the last decade,' she said. There were no details about whether Rwanda had received anything in return for taking the deportees. Gonzaga Muganwa, a Rwandan political analyst, said 'appeasing President Trump pays'. 'This agreement enhances Rwanda's strategic interest of having good relationships with the Trump administration,' he said.
The Journal
6 hours ago
- The Journal
US grand jury probe ordered into alleged ‘Russiagate' conspiracy against Trump
US ATTORNEY GENERAL Pam Bondi has ordered federal prosecutors to open grand jury proceedings into allegations of a so-called 'Russiagate' conspiracy, claims long pushed by Donald Trump that his political enemies fabricated ties between his 2016 campaign and Russia. Bondi has directed an unnamed federal prosecutor to present evidence to a grand jury, following a criminal referral made last month by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. The US Justice Department has not commented on the proceedings, and it remains unclear what charges, if any, might be levied against former officials. Gabbard has alleged multiple times that Obama led 'Russiagate'. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Gabbard's referral was based on over 100 pages of declassified files she claims show evidence of a 'treasonous conspiracy' and a 'years-long coup' against Trump, allegedly orchestrated by officials in Barack Obama's administration. The documents include internal emails, excerpts from intelligence briefings, and meeting notes from 2016, which Gabbard claims reveal manipulation of intelligence assessments about Russian interference in the presidential election. Russia did interfere in the 2016 US presidential election – this has been confirmed by multiple US intelligence agencies, bipartisan Congressional investigations, and the Special Counsel investigation led by Robert Mueller. However, investigations found no evidence of criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, though there were multiple contacts. Advertisement Democrats have dismissed Gabbard's claims of a 'coup' against Trump as politically motivated. They point to a bipartisan 2020 Senate Intelligence Committee report, as well as a 2017 US intelligence assessment, which both concluded that Russia sought to damage Hillary Clinton's campaign and assist Trump, though neither found evidence that vote outcomes were affected. Among the declassified materials is a March 2016 memo, cited in a separate report by Special Counsel John Durham, alleging that Hillary Clinton approved a plan to smear Trump as a Russian asset. The files also include a disputed email exchange involving an aide to Clinton and a senior official at George Soros' Open Society Foundations, referring to a plan to 'demonise Putin and Trump.' Durham, however, did not establish that the FBI conspired in such a scheme and made no determination on the authenticity of the emails. Fox News have reported that former CIA Director John Brennan and ex-FBI Director James Comey will be under criminal investigation in relation to the Trump-Russia probe. Both have denied wrongdoing, accusing Trump of abusing the justice system for political retaliation. Trump, who has repeatedly called the Obama-era investigation a 'hoax,' reacted to Bondi's move by claiming on social media that 'the TRUTH always wins out.' Truth Social Truth Social He previously accused Obama of 'treason' without providing evidence, an allegation the former president's spokesman called 'bizarre' and 'ridiculous.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
7 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Russia says it will no longer abide by self-imposed missile moratorium
Russia has declared that it no longer considers itself bound by a self-imposed moratorium on the deployment of nuclear-capable intermediate-range missiles. It is a warning that potentially sets the stage for a new arms race as tensions between Moscow and Washington rise again over Ukraine. In a statement on Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry linked the decision to efforts by the US and its allies to develop intermediate-range weapons and preparations for their deployment in Europe and other parts of the world. It specifically cited US plans to deploy Typhoon and Dark Eagle missiles in Germany starting next year. The ministry noted that such actions by the US and its allies create 'destabilising missile potentials' near Russia, creating a 'direct threat to the security of our country' and carry 'significant harmful consequences for regional and global stability, including a dangerous escalation of tensions between nuclear powers'. It did not say what specific moves the Kremlin might take, but President Vladimir Putin has previously announced that Moscow was planning to deploy its new Oreshnik missiles on the territory of its neighbour and ally Belarus later this year. 'Decisions on specific parameters of response measures will be made by the leadership of the Russian Federation based on an interdepartmental analysis of the scale of deployment of American and other Western land-based intermediate-range missiles, as well as the development of the overall situation in the area of international security and strategic stability,' the Foreign Ministry said. The Russian statement follows US President Donald Trump's announcement on Friday that he is ordering the repositioning of two US nuclear submarines 'based on the highly provocative statements' of Dmitry Medvedev, who was president in 2008-12 to allow Mr Putin, bound by term limits, to later return to the office. Mr Trump's statement came as his deadline for the Kremlin to reach a peace deal in Ukraine approaches later this week. Mr Trump said he was alarmed by Mr Medvedev's attitude. Mr Medvedev, who serves as deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council chaired by Mr Putin, has apparently sought to curry favour with his mentor by making provocative statements and frequently lobbing nuclear threats. Last week he responded to Mr Trump's deadline for Russia to accept a peace deal in Ukraine or face sanctions by warning him against 'playing the ultimatum game with Russia' and declaring that 'each new ultimatum is a threat and a step toward war'. Former Russian president Dmitri Medvedev (Alamy/PA) Mr Medvedev also commented on the Foreign Ministry's statement, describing Moscow's withdrawal from the moratorium as 'the result of Nato countries' anti-Russian policy'. 'This is a new reality all our opponents will have to reckon with,' he wrote on X. 'Expect further steps.' Intermediate-range missiles can fly between 500 to 5,500 kilometres (310 to 3,400 miles). Such land-based weapons were banned under the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Washington and Moscow abandoned the pact in 2019, accusing each other of violations, but Moscow declared its self-imposed moratorium on their deployment until the US makes such a move. The collapse of the INF Treaty has stoked fears of a replay of a Cold War-era European missile crisis, when the US and the Soviet Union both deployed intermediate-range missiles on the continent in the 1980s. Such weapons are seen as particularly destabilising because they take less time to reach targets, compared with intercontinental ballistic missiles, leaving no time for decision-makers and raising the likelihood of a global nuclear conflict over a false launch warning. Russia's missile forces chief has declared that the new Oreshnik intermediate-range missile, which Russia first used against Ukraine in November, has a range to reach all of Europe. Oreshnik can carry conventional or nuclear warheads. Mr Putin has praised the Oreshnik's capabilities, saying its multiple warheads that plunge to a target at speeds up to Mach 10 are immune to being intercepted and are so powerful that the use of several of them in one conventional strike could be as devastating as a nuclear attack. Mr Putin has warned the West that Moscow could use it against Ukraine's Nato allies who allowed Kyiv to use their longer-range missiles to strike inside Russia.
