Author: Angela Nurse

Relations between Northern Ireland and the Republic have never been better, Stormont’s outgoing first minister has claimed at his last cross-border governmental meeting. Peter Robinson used his final appearance at the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) to hail the current levels of co-operation as the most positive since partition.

Thousands of well-wishers have sent messages to an Irish teenager potentially facing execution in Egypt as he prepares to spend his third birthday behind bars. Ibrahim Halawa is said to have endured “torture and inhumane treatment” – including regular beatings – while in detention at the notorious Wadi Natrun prison, where guards are alleged to… Continue reading Dublin's Ibrahim Halawa remembered as he spends 20th birthday in Egypt prison

Almost half of prisoners released from jail in Ireland reoffend within three years, figures indicate. Recidivism is more common for men than women and is also more prevalent among younger offenders, according to the analysis published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

Flood alerts remain in place in parts of Ireland as the River Shannon continues to rise, over a week after Storm Desmond hit. While there was a 2.5cm (1 inch) rise in the mid to lower stretches of the river in the last 24 hours, the rate of increase has slowed to around half that… Continue reading River Shannon still rising as flood alerts stay in place

An Irish man killed in a motorway crash in Wales has been named by police. Andre Murphy, known to friends as Nick, was killed on the M4 near Newport in a two-vehicle collision at 4.15am on Monday.

Hundreds of jobs are being created by multinationals in their latest recruitment drives. Microsoft is to hire more than 100 experienced professionals and graduates and has vacancies for another 60 interns across its divisions.

Nurses have called off planned strikes in emergency departments over the overcrowding crisis. In an 11th-hour deferral, the Irish Nurses’ and Midwives’ Organisation (Inmo) said it had been given new proposals from health chiefs to ease the pressure in A&E units.

The family of a forestry worker murdered in the Irish Republic almost 40 years ago have taken their campaign for justice to the Dail. Relatives of Seamus Ludlow have already launched a legal action against authorities in Northern Ireland for alleged collusion.

Ireland’s economy is continuing to punch in the fastest growth rates in the Europe Union. The value of goods and services grew by 7% over the last year, making the Republic the best performing country in the bloc – seven years after collapsing in a devastating recession.