Back in 2017, in the early days of Leo Varadkar’s period as taoiseach, he was fond of referring to Ireland as “an island at the centre of the world”. It was a phrase that reflected both Varadkar’s facility for a catchy soundbite but also Ireland’s good fortune in the second half of the 2010s, as […]
Continue ReadingIf Astrid Lindgren, the creator of Pippi Longstocking, had written Nordic westerns then she would have set them in a place like Nuuk. A sprawl of multicoloured wooden homes on snowy hills, Nuuk feels like a frontier town and, as the world’s most northerly capital city, is tucked into the southwestern coast of Greenland. The […]
Continue ReadingThe European Union (EU) has approved a trade deal with a bloc of South American countries, opening up a big new market for European producers but likely drawing backlash from farmers. The Mercosur trade deal has for years been a contentious flashpoint between efforts to expand the union’s global influence and the powerful farming lobby […]
Continue ReadingThe Government has decided not to back a significant European Union trade deal with a South American bloc in a move that risks damaging relations with Brussels but preserves Coalition stability. Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the decision, which came after speculation that the Coalition could change course and back the Mercosur agreement, was due to […]
Continue ReadingThe British government may be saying as little as possible to upset Donald Trump but it is still frantically reassessing the UK’s place in the world, with implications for Ireland, North and South. Much of this has manifested itself as a fresh debate over Brexit, directly and indirectly connected to defence. The UK wants to […]
Continue ReadingEuropean leaders are pushing for “legally binding” assurances that western allies would jointly guarantee Ukraine’s security from a future Russia attack, as a core element of any peace deal to end the brutal conflict. A Paris summit of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, attended by the leaders of Europe’s major powers, plus US officials, […]
Continue ReadingIrish doctor Lorraine Nolan has taken over as head of the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA), the Lisbon-based organisation that provides independent research and analysis on all aspects of drug use. Elected to the position last June, Dr Nolan succeeds Belgium’s Alex Goosdeel, who led the organisation for a decade. She is the organisation’s fourth […]
Continue ReadingChina is keen on expanding economic and trade co-operation with Ireland while aiming for mutually beneficial results, Chinese president Xi Jinping has told the Taoiseach in Beijing. The Chinese leader positioned stronger bilateral ties between Dublin and Beijing as a way to also boost relations with the European Union. Mr Xi emphasised mutual respect and […]
Continue ReadingIreland’s upcoming presidency of the council of the European Union will cost the State over €293 million, with €125 million being allocated to An Garda Síochána alone. Ireland will hold the EU presidency from July until December 2026, and for six months will have an opportunity to lead the policy agenda of the EU. Over […]
Continue ReadingItalian prosecutors said on Saturday they had arrested nine people on suspicion of financing Hamas through charities based in Italy, in an operation coordinated by anti-mafia and anti-terrorism units. The suspects are accused of “belonging to and having financed” the Palestinian group, which the European Union designates as a terrorist organisation, prosecutors in the northern […]
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