Tag: Ireland

• Monday, October 22nd 2018 - 08:30 UTC

  Tristan albatross threatened by super sized mice in Gough island; an eradication campaign planned for 2020

  

  Super-sized mice are killing millions of seabird chicks on a remote island in the South Atlantic, threatening some rare species with extinction. According to a study from the RSPB, the mice have learned to eat the eggs and chicks of the many millions of birds that make Gough Island their home.

• Saturday, October 20th 2018 - 08:42 UTC

  Ireland insists a Brexit transition period is not an alternative for backstop proposal

  

  An extended Brexit transition period is not an alternative to the EU’s backstop proposal, Irish premier Leo Varadkar has warned. The Taoiseach said he is open to the idea of an extension but it fails to resolve the border issue.

• Wednesday, October 17th 2018 - 08:34 UTC

  Ireland is getting Brexit-ready and has earmarked funds in next year's budget

  

  Ireland is stepping up preparations for physical infrastructure at ports and airports after Brexit, premier Leo Varadkar said. Irish ministers held detailed discussions in Dublin on Tuesday surrounding the hiring of customs officers and veterinary inspectors as well as the upgrading of IT systems.

• Monday, October 8th 2018 - 07:12 UTC

  SNP would back a new Brexit referendum, says party leader Nicola Sturgeon

  

  Scottish National Party members of parliament would back a new Brexit referendum if it were put to them, party leader Nicola Sturgeon has said. Campaigners have been pressing for a fresh vote on whatever exit plans result from talks with EU leaders. Ms Sturgeon said SNP MPs would oppose anything short of staying in the single market and customs union.

• Friday, October 5th 2018 - 08:34 UTC

  Facebook facing potential £1.2bn fine for a data breach affecting 50 million users

  

  Facebook is facing a potential £1.2bn fine for a data breach which allowed hackers to access the personal information of 50 million users. The Irish Data Protection Commission (IDPC), the lead supervising authority for Facebook in the EU, officially opened its investigation this week after the social media giant admitted hackers could have accessed the accounts of millions of users through a “vulnerability” last Friday.

• Thursday, October 4th 2018 - 08:16 UTC

  EU drafting new partnership terms with UK, including the Ireland border issue

  

  Unworkable”, “unacceptable”, “impasse”, are some of the words used to describe Brexit talks between Britain and the European Union do little to temper concerns that the two are heading for a chaotic divorce. But behind the scenes, both sides are preparing concessions as part of what one British official called “a constructive dialogue” that could yet lead to a deal.

• Tuesday, October 2nd 2018 - 08:43 UTC

  Two “Bloody Sunday” families have been awarded compensations

  

  The families of two men shot dead on Bloody Sunday, January 1972, have been awarded a combined £700,000 in compensation. The family of Gerard McKinney, a 35-year-old father-of-eight, who was shot dead at Abbey Park in Londonderry, were awarded £625,000. Michael McDaid, 20, was killed near a barricade in Rossville Street. His family received £75,000.

• Thursday, September 20th 2018 - 08:24 UTC

  Polite EU 27 plus Theresa May meeting , but Irish border bogs any deal on Brexit

  

  Prime Minister Theresa May appealed directly to fellow European Union leaders on Wednesday to drop “unacceptable” Brexit demands that she said could rip Britain apart, urging the bloc to respond in kind to her “serious and workable” plan.

• Wednesday, September 19th 2018 - 08:59 UTC

  Apple pays €14.3bn to the Irish treasury, an EU tax Dublin does not want to collect

  

  Apple has paid the Irish government €14.3bn (£12.7bn), money that the European Commission ruled the tech giant owed due to illegal tax breaks. Ireland's Finance ministry said the payment was a “significant milestone”, although Dublin insists Apple was not given any special tax treatment. In 2016 the Commission ruled the below 1% effective tax rate the firm paid in Ireland amounted to illegal state aid.

• Monday, August 27th 2018 - 08:59 UTC

  Francis ends visit to Ireland begging forgiveness for the abuses perpetrated by Church leaders

  

  Pope Francis has begged forgiveness for members of the Catholic Church's hierarchy who “kept quiet” about clerical child sex abuse. He was ending a two-day visit to the Republic of Ireland by celebrating a Mass at Dublin's Phoenix Park.