Category: Ireland

Varadkar Takes Over as Irish PM for Second Time Under Rotation Deal

Leo Varadkar has become taoiseach, or prime minister, of the Republic of Ireland for a second time as part of an historic coalition reshuffle. Varadkar, who held the role of taoiseach from 2017 until 2020, remains one of the country’s youngest leaders at the age of 43. The rotation of the taoiseach role is part…


Ex-Sinn Fein Councillor Says Irish Gangster Asked for Dissident Republican Help to End Underworld Feud

A former Sinn Fein councillor has testified that alleged Irish gangland boss Gerry Hutch told him he was one of two men who killed an associate of underworld rival Daniel Kinahan at a boxing press conference in Dublin in 2016. Hutch—who has been known as “The Monk” since murdered journalist Veronica Guerin gave him the moniker…


Strep A Being Investigated as Factor in 4-Year-Old Irish Child’s Death

An investigation is being carried out into the death of a child in Ireland to see if it is linked to strep A bacterial infection. On Wednesday, Dr. Eamonn O’Moore, director for national health protection at the HSE and the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), said that strep A could be linked to the 4-year-old…


Ireland Expels 4 Russian Diplomats After Moscow Sanctioned 52 Irish Politicians

The Irish government has asked four people from the Russian embassy to leave the country but there is no plan to close the embassy, Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said on Saturday. It comes after Moscow sanctioned 52 Irish politicians over the Irish government’s support for EU sanctions against Russian nationals. Speaking at Fine Gael’s annual…


Northern Ireland Police Vehicle Hit in Suspected Bomb Attack

LONDON—Police in Northern Ireland said Friday that two officers escaped injury when their vehicle was damaged by a homemade bomb. The force said it was treating the attack as attempted murder. The Police Service of Northern Ireland said the blast in Strabane on Thursday night “appears to have been a targeted attack on police.” “Investigations…


Scottish Court Rules Man Arrested in COVID Ward Is US Fugitive Who Allegedly Faked His Death

A man who was arrested in a Glasgow hospital after catching COVID-19 is a rape suspect wanted by the United States, a Scottish judge ruled on Friday. The man is also accused of faking his death to avoid prosecution. Evidence showed that the 35-year-old man, who goes by Arthur Knight, is Nicholas Rossi, who is wanted by…


Northern Ireland Secretary Rules Out Assembly Election Before New Year

There will be no snap election in Northern Ireland before the New Year, the UK central government’s Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said on Friday. In a written statement, the minister said the decision to rule out a Christmas election came after he listened to concerns from people across Northern Ireland. He also said he will make a…


China’s TikTok Admits Its Staff Can Spy on User Data in Other Countries

The Chinese media platform TikTok admitted that its staff in China has the ability to access the private accounts data in the United Kingdom and the European Union. This comes after years of criticism from around the world, particularly in Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States over concerns that personal information could be…


Northern Ireland to Hold Snap Election After Deadline Passes to Form Executive

Northern Ireland is set to hold a snap election, months after the last assembly election, after the deadline passed to form a functioning parliament and a government. It comes after a last-ditch effort to restore the Northern Ireland Assembly and to produce a Northern Ireland Executive failed on Thursday owning to the Democratic Unionist Party’s (DUP) refusal…


Ireland Orders Closure of Chinese Police ‘Service Station’ in Dublin

An unofficial Chinese police station in Dublin has been told to shut down, the Irish government confirmed on Wednesday. Safeguard Defenders, a human rights NGO that uncovered the existence of the overseas Chinese police stations last month, applauded the Irish government for taking a “great first step” while urging it to investigate “the wider issue at stake.”…