Category: News

The Government has urged more effective dialogue around bonfires. A Belfast pensioner and a family were left homeless after embers from an Eleventh night blaze near the Shankill Road set fire to a row of terraced houses.

Ireland will exercise its right to expel any suspected jihadists, even if the evidence against them would not be enough to support a criminal prosecution, according to Minister for Justice and Equality Frances Fitzgerald. Ms Fitzgerald said she would “make no apology” for deporting individuals suspected of supporting Islamic extremism.

The “vast majority” of Irish citizens in Nice have been accounted for and are safe and well. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it is trying to make contact with a small number of people with whom contact has not yet been made – but said there is no reason to believe they… Continue reading 'Vast majority' of Irish citizens in Nice safe and well

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said the Nice terror attack was an assault on innocent people during an occasion of joy and celebration. Irish consular staff in Dublin and Paris were manning phone lines for concerned citizens and relatives.

Enda Kenny has admitted official figures for the Irish economy are inaccurate. As experts lined up to dismiss a claimed 26% spurt in the economy last year, the Taoiseach said the numbers can be exaggerated.

More than one in 10 parents have to cut food bills in order to cover back to school costs, a survey has found. The Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU) said the money needed to get youngsters ready for the new term in August and September has soared since 2012.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has dismissed calls for him to resign early. After Fine Gael backbencher Brendan Griffin broke ranks and demanded a new leader by September, Mr Kenny insisted he has a mandate and job to complete.

The amount people have paid for water bills has almost halved. Irish Water said households paid 18.3 million euro for drinking supplies and waste water treatment during January to March as new bills were sent out in April and May when the Government announced plans to suspend charges for nine months.

UTV Ireland is being bought for 10 million euro by Virgin Media. The telecoms and television giant, run under tycoon Sir Richard Branson’s brand, is adding the country’s youngest TV station to its books after sealing the deal for TV3 late last year.

Students’ representatives have warned the Government a loan scheme for university and college courses would lumber young people with another mortgage. A report for the Department of Education set out three options for third level funding – “free fees”, keepin g the 3,000 euro registration fee or borrowings for a study now and pay later… Continue reading Student loan scheme 'a mortgage on young people for their education'