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Extra.ie
7 days ago
- Extra.ie
Gaine suspect says organised criminals 'may be trying to string me up'
An American man who has identified himself as the man who was arrested for the suspected murder of Kenmare farmer Michael Gaine has suggested that organised criminals may be trying to frame him. Mr Gaine, a 56-year-old sheep farmer with land near Kenmare in Co. Kerry, was reported missing from his home more than eight weeks ago. Partial human remains, confirmed to be those of Mr Gaine, were discovered last week in a field where slurry was spread on Mr Gaine's farm. May 21st 2025: Forensic Gardai continue their examination of silage bales on the farm of Mike Gaine near Kenmare Counrty Kerry on Wednesday. Photo: Don MacMonagle An American man who was arrested as a suspect in the Michael Gaine murder investigation over a week ago, has now said that he had nothing to do with the farmer's death and suggested that someone is trying to 'string me up'. Farmhand and former member of the US Armed Forces, Michael Kelley made his status as an asylum seeker public last week after being arrested on Sunday, May 18, and detained at Killarney Garda Station in Co. Kerry. Mr Kelley was detained for 24 hours before being released without charge the following night. A member of Garda Technical Unit at the scene in Carrig East, Kenmare, as they investigate the disappearance of Kerry farmer Michael Gaine. Pic: Noel Sweeney/PA Wire Speaking to the Irish Mirror, the 53-year-old said: 'There may be elements that want to string me up – people who have an interest in organised crime – people who are involved in organised crime.' Mr Kelley was refused asylum in Ireland and had been served with a deportation notification. However, he still has the right to reside here and is legally entitled to appeal the refusal of his asylum application. Michael Gaine. Pic: An Garda Síochána Missing Persons Speaking to the Mirror, he said he is only seen as a suspect because 'I lived there'.
Mint
25-05-2025
- General
- Mint
Memorial Day 2025: Date, importance, and how it's observed
Memorial Day in 2025 is observed on Monday (May 26). The day marks a solemn occasion in the United States, honoring military personnel who lost their lives while serving in the US Armed Forces. Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States, observed annually on the last Monday of May. It is often regarded as the unofficial start of summer, but its origins are deeply rooted in remembrance and mourning. Originally known as Decoration Day, the holiday was first widely observed after the American Civil War to commemorate Union and Confederate soldiers who had died in battle. The practice of decorating soldiers' graves with flowers was a key part of the observance — hence the original name. The first official national observance took place on May 30, 1868, following a proclamation by General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans. After World War I, the holiday evolved to honor all American military personnel who died in all wars. In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by Congress and placed on the last Monday in May to create a three-day weekend. While many Americans use the long weekend for family gatherings, travel, and barbecues, Memorial Day remains a time for national reflection. Across the country, people visit cemeteries, place flags and flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers, and attend parades and memorial services. A national moment of remembrance is held at 3:00 PM local time, where Americans are encouraged to pause in silence to honor those who died in service. The holiday is also marked by ceremonies at iconic locations such as Arlington National Cemetery, where the President or Vice President typically lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
South China Morning Post
24-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Trump takes credit for US military might in speech to West Point graduates
US President Donald Trump used the first military commencement address of his second term on Saturday to congratulate West Point cadets on their academic and physical accomplishments while veering sharply into politics, taking credit for America's military might while boasting about the 'mandate' he says he earned in the 2024 presidential election. 'In a few moments, you'll become graduates of the most elite and storied military academy in human history,' Trump said at the ceremony at Michie Stadium. 'And you will become officers of the greatest and most powerful army the world has ever known. And I know, because I rebuilt that army, and I rebuilt the military. And we rebuilt it like nobody has ever rebuilt it before in my first term.' Wearing a red 'Make America Great Again' hat, the Republican president told the 1,002 graduating cadets that the US is the 'hottest country in the world', boasted of his administration's achievements and underscored a distinct America First ethos for the US military, which he called 'the greatest fighting force in the history of the world'. 'We're getting rid of distractions and we're focusing our military on its core mission: crushing America's adversaries, killing America's enemies and defending our great American flag like it has never been defended before,' Trump said. He later said that 'the job of the US Armed Forces is not to host drag shows or transform foreign cultures', a reference to drag shows on military bases that former US president Joe Biden's administration halted after Republican criticism.
News18
24-05-2025
- Politics
- News18
Trump Claims Russia Stole US Missile Tech Under Obama Administration
Last Updated: Donald Trump also said that the US is making 'a lot of' hypersonic missiles during the commencement ceremony at West Point. US President Donald Trump on Saturday used the first military commencement address of his second term Saturday to congratulate West Point cadets and blame Russia for stealing American hypersonic missile technology. 'Eight cadets here today took on the challenge of designing their own hypersonic rocket. We are building them right now. We had ours stolen. We are the designers of it. We had it stolen during the Obama administration," the US President said, appearing to cast blame on his Democrat predecessor. 'The Russians stole it, something bad happened. But we're now building them, lots of them," said Trump, blaming Moscow for stealing missile secrets from the US. 'Something bad happened' — RT (@RT_com) May 24, 2025 Trump told graduating cadets at the US Military Academy that he had rebuilt America's armed forces during his first term and said the military must return to its core mission of national defence. Speaking at West Point's Michie Stadium, the Republican said: 'You'll become officers of the greatest and most powerful army the world has ever known. And I know, because I rebuilt that army. We rebuilt it like nobody has ever rebuilt it before in my first term." 'We're getting rid of distractions and focusing our military on its core mission—crushing America's adversaries, killing America's enemies and defending our great American flag like it has never been defended before," he said. He also took aim at recent military policies under the Biden administration. 'The job of the US Armed Forces is not to host drag shows or transform foreign cultures," he said, referring to past events on military bases that drew Republican criticism and were later halted. Trump told cadets they were entering the service at a critical time. He criticised past wars and military interventions, saying the US had been led into 'nation-building crusades to nations that wanted nothing to do with us." He said his future military agenda would exclude programs like critical race theory and gender identity training, which he called political. Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published:
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The Trump Administration Is Gutting the Space Force
The Trump administration has slashed the US Space Force's workforce by almost 14 percent, a dramatic cut that could have an enormous impact on the smallest and youngest branch of the US Armed Forces. As Defense One reports, early retirement and voluntary-resignation programs, both widely used tactics by the newly-minted Trump administration to slash government budgets, are having an "outsized impact" on the Space Force. According to chief of space operations general Chance Saltzman, 14 percent, or roughly 780 civilians, are affected. That's considerably higher than the ten percent that officials had warned would be cut earlier this month. It's a troubling development that could directly undermine the Pentagon's mission to secure the United States' interests in space. During a Senate Armed Services committee hearing this week, Saltzman warned that the Space Force could leave the nation's efforts to protect its assets in orbit woefully behind schedule, allowing adversaries to gain the upper hand. Meanwhile, the Department of Defense is also heavily affected and is expected to lose five to eight percent of its civilian workforce. "I'm worried about replacing that level of expertise in the near term as we try to resolve it and make sure we have a good workforce doing that acquisition," Saltzman said. And even more Space Force staffers could soon walk, taking deferred-resignation offers. "The DOD is really looking at what the size of the civilian workforce is, and so if those incentives to reshape the workforce affect the Space Force, I'm not sure exactly where we're going to end up, what our final size is going to be," Saltzman said. "As soon as I understand what that size is, then we will redistribute, and reallocate this for." The cuts came at an extremely unfortunate time for the Space Force. "We were in a period of managed growth, and so there was a deficit when we were trying to get to a larger civilian workforce, and we were asked to stop, and then asked to offer some to resign early," Saltzman said at the committee hearing. Beyond early retirements and voluntary resignations, the Space Force was already planning to cut its workforce by as much as eight percent, according to an announcement earlier this year. Where the cuts leave the Space Force's efforts to gain the upper hand in the space domain remains to be seen. Officials have long warned of adversaries, including Russia and China, that are developing space-based weapons and potentially leaving the US behind. "We are not adequately funded for the new missions that I've been given in space superiority," Saltzman said. Despite all of these cuts, the White House announced that it would build an enormous, potentially half-a-trillion-dollar "Golden Dome" missile and air defense shield, indicating that its priorities may simply lie elsewhere. More on the Space Force: The Space Force Is Working on an Aircraft Carrier for Space
