Joe Biden’s top aide the incoming president would sign about a dozen executive orders on his first day in office, as police fearing violence from Trump supporters staged a nationwide security operation ahead of the inauguration. Authorities in Washington, where Wednesday’s…
Over 2,000 student nurses and midwives are to have their clinical placements suspended for at least two weeks in order to free up qualified supervisory staff for frontline duties in hospitals. Sources confirmed that the HSE contacted the Department of…
Many people are doing a lot more walking during lockdown, but today Mandy Finlay reached her goal of one million steps. The 47-year-old who has Down syndrome is fundraising for the Lakers Social and Recreational Centre in Bray, Co Wicklow….
The Department of Health has announced 60 more Covid-related deaths. Of the notified deaths, 59 deaths occurred in January and one death occurred in December. There has now been a total of 2,595 Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland. The median age of those who died…
The parents of a 12-year-old boy with autism have called for an end to the uncertainty over the re-opening of special schools and the re-opening of classes for children with additional needs. Reece O’Mahony lives with his family at Kilbrittain…
There is growing expectation that the re-opening of the hospitality sector will not begin until after Easter at the very earliest. Representatives from the hospitality sector met a number of Government ministers yesterday and were left with the sense that…
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni won a decisive re-election victory today, elections officials said, but his main rival Bobi Wine alleged widespread fraud and said citizens should reject the result. Mr Museveni won 5.85 million votes, or 58.6%, while main opposition…
Former president of Ireland, Mary McAleese, said the report by the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes showed the Catholic Church was “most complicit” in what happened. “The Church was most complicit, alongside a subservient State,” she told…
Around 1,800 frontline medical workers are receiving a Covid-19 vaccine as part of a targeted vaccination programme this weekend. GPs and GP practice nurses are being administered their first dose of the Moderna vaccine. It is the first time it…
The Chief Executive of the HSE has said the hospital system is tightening up as the numbers being treated for Covid-19 increases. Speaking on Saturday with Katie Hannon, Paul Reid said: “We have formally gone into surge capacity. “We are…
Anti-epidemic authorities in north China’s Tianjin Municipality are tracing close contacts with ice cream contaminated with the coronavirus after three samples tested positive for the virus. All of the products produced by Tianjin Daqiaodao Food Company has been sealed and…
The Director of Public Health for the North East has said the region has been hit by unprecedented levels of the virus and the “war is not over yet” in stopping the spread of the infection. The border counties of…
Ferry operator Stena Line is to further increase its freight capacity direct from Ireland to continental Europe in response to increased post-Brexit demand by adding a new weekend sailing from Dublin to Cherbourg. The new service will start next Saturday…
Transporting horses abroad has become more expensive due to Brexit and could impact on animal comfort and welfare, a leading breeder has warned. Wicklow-based Ronan Rothwell breeds about 20 top showjumping horses a year. Around 70% will end up being…
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CDU party will elect a new leader, in a key vote kicking off the race for Germany’s top job as a deadly pandemic roils Europe’s biggest economy. The veteran chancellor urged the party to remain rooted…
Forty-seven players competing in the Australian Open will be forced to remain in their hotel rooms for 14 days following three positive Covid-19 tests. Two people on a chartered flight carrying 24 players – travelling from Los Angeles – returned…
The US government early has carried out the 13th and final federal execution under President Donald Trump’s administration, just days before President-elect Joe Biden takes office with a promise to try to end the death penalty. Dustin Higgs, 48, was…
Louisa Meehan used to be unusual – because for the last seven years, she has operated her mediation business Woodview HRM from her home in Wicklow. She said this decision transformed her life, allowing her to reduce stress, while combining work, family, community and acting as…
Two weeks into Brexit problems are mounting and recriminations are flying in all directions. The reality of Brexit is proving every bit as toxic as the four-and-a-half-year slog that got us to this point. Scottish shellfish exporters are facing bankruptcy because…
The Class of 2021 is again shouldering the anxiety of the uncertainty hanging over this year’s Leaving Cert. They’ve already had to deal with months out of school, along with remote learning and now there’s a question mark over…
Three new variants of Covid-19 have been causing concern in recent times. One that originated in the UK, another that originated in South Africa and more recently a variant that has originated in Brazil. But what are variants and should…
The tide is beginning to turn in the fight against coronavirus here. But it may not always feel that way. That’s because this latest tide was a tsunami and given the scale of what the health system has been forced…
This week has been bleak. Another publication laying bare the injustices of the past. Injustices that continue to have an impact on Irish society today. The week began with a leak containing aspects of the report by the Commission of…
US President-elect Joe Biden has announced he would surge federal resources into making “thousands” of vaccine sites, while also deploying mobile clinics and expanding the public health workforce to accelerate the rollout of Covid-19 shots. Mr Biden has said he…
The union that represents Special Needs Assistants has said agreement to reopen schools for children with special educational needs has not been reached. In a statement issued late last night, hours after the Department of Education told schools that interim…
Seals of the Apocalypse Listen here: We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept…
WhatsApp has delayed a data-sharing change as users worried about privacy fled the Facebook-owned messaging service and flocked to rivals Telegram and Signal. “We’re now moving back the date on which people will be asked to review and accept the…
It’s quintessentially Irish, the peat briquette warmed homes and fired stoves across the country for decades. It even inspired one of the Boomtown Rats, Patrick Cusack, to adapt it as his stage name – he became known worldwide as Pete…
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered the closure of all travel corridors from Monday to protect the UK against new coronavirus strains, ending the quarantine exemption for arrivals from selected nations. A spokesperson for the British Embassy in Dublin…
All passengers who returned to Ireland from Brazil in the past 14 days are being told to self-isolate for two weeks since their arrival date as well as undergo a Covid-19 test, following the emergence of a new variant of the virus….
Guidance is expected to be issued to schools this evening as to how to manage the return of children with physical and intellectual disabilities to special schools and dedicated classes in mainstream schools. Further talks took place today between Department…
A judge has criticised the Garda Ombudsman Commission for prosecuting a garda who was cleared in court of any wrongdoing. Garda Noel Gibbons was charged with assault, false imprisonment and giving misleading information to GSOC in connection with the arrest…
The mother of an Irish teenager who was found dead after she went missing in Malaysia in 2019 has said the inquest into her death has brought up more unanswered questions. Earlier this month Nóra Quoirin’s family said they were…
The High Court has wound up an Irish registered company within the Norwegian Air airline group. An examiner was appointed to the airline, which owes its creditors some US$5 billion and several of its subsidiaries last month. Arising out of Norwegian’s decision earlier…
Nuclear-armed North Korea unveiled a new submarine-launched ballistic missile at a military parade in Pyongyang, state media showed today in a calculated show of strength days before Joe Biden’s inauguration as US president. The display came after the five-yearly congress…
The actor John Connors has described recruiting children to commit crime as “child abuse.” He was speaking to RTÉ following the Government’s announcement that it is introducing a new law to prevent adults grooming children to commit crime. The Exploitation of Children in the Commission of Offences…
Pharmaceutical company Pfizer is to temporarily reduce deliveries to Europe of its vaccine against Covid-19 while it upgrades its production capacity, with the head of the Irish vaccine taskforce saying that an “accelerated programme planned for this weekend” may have to…
Northern Ireland is facing crippling tariffs on steel imports due to a potential double hit resulting from Brexit, RTÉ News has learned. Industry groups have warned of factories closing as a result. The European Commission is understood to be looking into…
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said the move late last year from Level 5 restrictions back to Level 3 “turned out to be quick”. Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, Mr Varadkar said that this was the advice given to the…
A Belfast woman has failed in a bid to overturn her conviction for attempting to murder police officers and has instead had her sentence increased to 25 years. Christine Connor, 35, was convicted last year of attempted murder and causing an…
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s government has resigned over a child benefits scandal, media reported, threatening political turmoil as the country battles the coronavirus pandemic. Thousands of parents were wrongly accused by Dutch authorities of fraudulently claiming child allowance, with…
The Irish Aviation Authority said today that 2020 saw the lowest level of flights in Irish airspace since the late 1980s. Despite a positive start to the year with strong January and February results, it said the rest of the…
Attorney General Paul Gallagher has confirmed to Taoiseach Micheál Martin that no referendum will be required on the legal right to access birth certificates. A bill will be published shortly on the information and tracing legislation with regard to survivors…
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has said she is going to take time off after the birth of her baby as she continues to try secure maternity leave for politicians. Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, she said “the…
A Welshman has offered local officials a potential £50m (€56m) coronavirus relief fund if they let him search a landfill for a hard drive containing bitcoin worth £210m which he dumped in 2013. James Howells had 7,500 units of the virtual currency…
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties have criticised the use of fixed charge penalty notices to enforce Covid-19 guidelines. Executive Director Liam Herrick said that the previous approach, where the Director of Public Prosecutions would be consulted before a fine…
The coronavirus-linked death toll in Northern Ireland has passed 2,000, according to the Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra), which provides a broader picture of the impact of Covid-19 than the death toll reported by Stormont’s Department of Health. The department’s statistics…
The head of Europe’s medicines regulator has said she is hopeful it will give approval to the AstraZeneca vaccine by the end of the month. The biopharmaceutical company, which developed the vaccination with Oxford University in England, formally applied to…
A powerful earthquake has killed at least 35 people and injured hundreds on Indonesia’s island of Sulawesi. People were trapped under rubble and unleashing dozens of aftershocks as authorities warned of more quakes that could trigger a tsunami. Thousands of residents…
Willie Mullins has expressed relief after it emerged he will not have to make a VAT payment to British Revenue before running a horse in Britain. The trainer had earlier raised concerns that Brexit regulations could see Irish horses liable…
President Yoweri Museveni took an early lead in Uganda’s presidential election, according to preliminary results released this morning by the electoral commission, as his main rival said he had proof that the poll had been marred by fraud. Yoweri Museveni…
More than 30 million coronavirus cases have been officially recorded in Europe, according to an AFP tally based on official health statistics. The 52 nations, which include Russia, constitute the world’s worst affected zone in terms of the number of…
President Higgins: “Church, State ‘bear heavy responsibility’ over mother-and-baby homes” President Michael D Higgins has responded to the publication of the report on mother-and-baby homes saying that the State must bear primary responsibility for failing to provide appropriate supports for…
Kathleen Mattimoe R.I.P. The death has occurred of Kathleen Mattimoe (nee Kearns) on the 14th of January 2021, peacefully in the Plunkett Home, Boyle and late of Smutternagh, Knockvicar, Boyle, Co. Roscommon. Predeceased by her loving husband James (Jim). Deeply…
President Michael D Higgins has responded to the publication of the report on mother-and-baby homes saying that the State must bear primary responsibility for failing to provide appropriate supports for tens of thousands of young women and their children. In a…
A racing pigeon detained by Australian authorities and set to be destroyed over concerns it was an American intruder received a lifeline this morning, when experts revealed its leg tag was probably fake. Originally thought to have flown from Alabama…
An Irish customs expert says she has found a solution to the Brexit “Percy Pig” problem, that could result in retailers here avoiding having to pay hundreds of millions of euro in tariffs each year. Under the EU-UK trade agreement…
US federal prosecutors said rioters at the US Capitol last week intended “to capture and assassinate elected officials.” Prosecutors offered that view in a filing asking a judge to detain Jacob Chansley, the Arizona man and QAnon conspiracy theorist who was…
US federal authorities have executed a former drug trafficker and convicted murderer, and a final execution of Donald Trump’s administration was scheduled for today with just five days left of his presidency. Corey Johnson was part of a gang implicated…
The Irish Freight Transport Association has written to the Taoiseach warning of huge disruption in the coming weeks as the impact of Brexit fully takes hold of trade between Ireland, the UK and Europe. The letter, seen by RTÉ News,…
The National Public Health Emergency Team has said that although the incidence of Covid-19 is exceptionally high, at about 20 times the levels seen in early December, it is starting to fall. It warned however, that deaths due to the…
Over 630,000 people will be hit with tax bills from Revenue today. Taxpayers are due to receive a preliminary end of year statement, which will outline how much tax an individual owes – or in some cases how much tax…
Kathleen Mattimoe R.I.P. The death has occurred of Kathleen Mattimoe (nee Kearns) on the 14th of January 2021, peacefully in the Plunkett Home, Boyle and late of Smutternagh, Knockvicar, Boyle, Co. Roscommon. Predeceased by her loving husband James (Jim). Deeply…
US President-elect Joe Biden outlined a $1.9 trillion (€1.6 trillion) stimulus package proposal, saying bold investment was needed to jump-start the economy and accelerate the distribution of vaccines to bring the coronavirus under control. Mr Biden campaigned last year on…
The Government is to legislate to give employees the right to request remote working as part of a National Remote Working Strategy under a permanent framework for after the pandemic ends. While the employee will not have an automatic right…
The Government has announced it is to bring in a new law to prevent adults grooming children to commit crime. The Exploitation of Children in the Commission of Offences Bill makes it an offence to compel, induce or invite a…
A small number of protests have been permitted for next week’s inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden in Washington DC, as officials implement unprecedented security measures amid warnings of possible attacks by groups involved in the 6 January siege of the…
Homes, schools and businesses are set to receive new incentives later this year to invest in solar panels and other ways to generate their own electricity. A key change is that they will be able to sell any excess generated…
Around 420,000 people will be issued tax bills tomorrow, as a result of payments they received under the two main Covid subsidy schemes last year. 71% of those in receipt of the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme and 33% of those…
A report by an independent research group later this month is expected to recommend an inquiry into the running of mother-and-baby homes in Northern Ireland. Stormont’s political leaders will meet Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman next week in advance of receiving…
A proposal to mark the end of the pandemic with a Europe-wide set of concerts has received a warm reception from other EU culture ministers. The proposal was put forward by Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media,…
As officials warn we are at the most challenging point in the pandemic to date, case numbers are climbing in some age groups despite some positive indications that things may be stabilising. Here are seven things we learned from today’s…
Listen here: We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the…
The United States must cancel its decision to classify Yemen’s Houthi rebels as “terrorists” to avoid the risk of a famine not seen for decades, a senior United Nations official has told the Security Council. “What is the likely humanitarian…
As the Dail returned after the Christmas break politicians dealt with the harrowing Mother and Baby home investigation and heard the Taoiseach Micheál Martin issue a State apology. This week Labour Party Senator Ivana Bacik joins presenter Mary Regan…
An American pigeon believed to have strayed more than 14,000 kilometres from home had Australian authorities in a flap after it turned up in a Melbourne backyard having evaded strict quarantine rules. Kevin Chelli-Bird discovered the emaciated pigeon tagged with…
A juror involved in convicting a man of raping his niece has alleged that fellow jurors engaged in bullying and that they did not understand the basic principles of a criminal trial. It emerged during a Court of Appeal application…
A taxi firm is to invest €6 million to assist drivers to install home chargers for electric vehicles. Free Now says the move will help drivers to make the switch to EVs. The company has also urged the Government to do…
The world is on course for a “catastrophic” temperature rise this century, the United Nations has said as it confirmed that 2020 rivalled 2016 as the hottest year on record. The relentless pace of climate change is destroying lives, said…
There have been 28 Covid-related deaths reported by the Department of Health. The Department has also reported 3,955 more cases of the coronavirus. There are 169 patients with Covid-19 being treated in intensive care units. Earlier this afternoon there were…
“Covid somehow got into the house even though everyone was following the guidelines and ten people ended up getting Covid.” Patrick Quinn Byrne, is a 27-year-old gym instructor and photographer. He developed symptoms on St Stephens’ Day which came on…
The Minister for Climate Change, Eamon Ryan, has been told the Government’s €100 million Just Transition plan to create thousands of jobs in the midlands will collapse within weeks, unless €6 million of support funding from the ESB is released to employers…
Twenty-nine people have been fined €100 each for breaching Covid-19 restrictions since the introduction of new enforcement measures on Monday. Gardaí say the fixed payment notices were issued to people who had travelled more than five kilometres from their homes without…
A US appeals court ordered that the last two scheduled federal executions under President Donald Trump’s outgoing administration could proceed today and tomorrow, overturning a stay from a lower court delaying them until March to allow the two condemned men to recover…
Previous Covid-19 infection provides some immunity for at least five months, but people may still carry and transmit the virus, according to a new study. Experts have warned that a small number of those with immunity may still be able…
Guatemala has declared emergency powers as the first groups of migrants headed toward its border ahead of a larger caravan scheduled to depart Honduras tomorrow morning bound for the United States. This week’s caravan would be the first of the year…
The European Union’s top court has issued an opinion in its first case heard in the Irish language, almost 50 years after Ireland joined the bloc, in a case relating to an Irish man wishing to see dual-language labelling on…
The US House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump yesterday for a second time – just days before he is scheduled to leave office – raising questions about what happens next. The House voted 232-197 to impeach the president, with ten members of…
A 22-year-old Dublin man accused of carrying out a string of armed robberies set his pit bull terrier on gardaí when they raided his home, a court has heard. Michael McDonagh, from Emmet Crescent, Inchicore, Dublin 8, was refused bail…
Former billionaire Sean Quinn has pledged not to trespass on a quarry operated by the company he once owned. The formal undertaking given at the High Court in Belfast ended legal action brought against him by the rebranded Mannok. A…
Where are they now? (L-R) Eithne. Yvonne, Grainne, Joanne, Vivienne, Fiona, Olwyn, and Deirdre.
Church urged by Taoiseach to help compensate for mother and baby homes survivors’ trauma Taoiseach Micheál Martin has called on the religious orders associated with mother and baby homes to make a “financial contribution” to a redress scheme for survivors.
News Headlines 14th January • MacSharry says Ireland should do side-deals to get more vaccines [here…] • China reports first coronavirus death in eight months [here…] • Donald Trump becomes first US president to be impeached twice [here…] • Man injured in shark…
Ugandans go to the polls today to choose a president and lawmakers in the country’s general election. Here are five things to know about the East African nation. 1.Pearl of Africa Uganda is landlocked, straddling the equator roughly 800km inland from the…
The Tower of London’s “queen” raven is missing and feared dead, but her master says there are still seven ravens in residence preventing the fall of the kingdom. Raven Merlina, described as “free-spirited”, has not been seen at the Tower…
Retailers in Northern Ireland are urging shoppers not to stockpile after problems with supplies left many shelves empty. Smaller retailers say they fear months of disruption because of confusion about arrangements for importing food products from Britain following Brexit. Retail…
A senior law lecturer at the University of Limerick has said having a referendum on the legal right to access birth certificates, as recommended by the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes, would “complicate the issue”. Dr Laura Cahillane said while…
Climate activist Greta Thunberg is to feature on a set of stamps issued by Sweden’s postal service. She will join a hall of fame of Swedish personalities, from Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Greta Garbo, who have been depicted on the country’s…
A man swimming in Perth’s Swan River is in a serious condition after he was bitten by a shark. It was the first reported shark attack in the Australian city’s river since 1969. The man was bitten on the leg by…
Ugandans are voting in a tense election under heavy security and an internet blackout as veteran leader Yoweri Museveni pursues a sixth term against a former pop star half his age. The internet went down on the eve of the…