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Woman settles court action over misreported smear test
A terminally ill woman who took a High Court action over the misreporting of her smear test slides has settled her case. The settlement was reached a day after the HSE and a hospital apologised to the 40-year-old woman after it was acknowledged the reporting of her smear test "fell below a reasonable standard" and had "devastating consequences" for the woman who could die at any time.
No deal yet but things could move quickly
The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Maroš Šefčovič has told member states that there was no deal yet on the Northern Ireland Protocol, but that things could move "quickly" in the coming days. Mr Šefčovič briefed 27 EU ambassadors in Brussels this afternoon following his lunch with the British foreign secretary James Cleverly. An EU diplomat briefed on the meeting said: "The notion was very clear: there is no deal yet.
Bulgaria finds 18 migrants dead in truck - ministry
Eighteen migrants have been found dead in an abandoned truck, Bulgaria's interior ministry has said, as the Balkan nation struggles with an increase in illicit border crossings. The vehicle "was illegally transporting around 40 migrants hidden under some wood", the ministry said. "Eighteen of them have died." After locals alerted the police, the truck was located near the village of Lokorsko, 20 kilometres northeast of Bulgaria's capital Sofia.
Judge allows challenge against works near Kylemore
A judge has ruled that a challenge against Galway County Council's decision to authorise emergency flood relief works near Kylemore Abbey in Connemara can be admitted to the High Court's Commercial Planning and Strategic Infrastructure Development list. In his judgement on a preliminary issue in the case Mr Justice Richard Humphreys rejected the council's claim that admitting the case, taken by the Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) over the works, would result in additional legal costs.
Hoteliers owed six-figure sums warn of contract exodus
Hoteliers hosting Ukrainian refugees which are currently owed six-figure sums by the State have warned that if payment delays aren't immediately addressed, many in the sector will let contracts lapse next month when they come up for renewal. This week the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth confirmed to RTÉ's News at One programme that it owes hundreds of hotels, hostels and B&Bs owners €41 million in unpaid bills.
Ex-officers plead not guilty to killing Tyre Nichols
Five fired Memphis police officers have pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges stemming from the beating of Tyre Nichols, a Black man whose death three days later stirred outrage and fresh calls for reform. Police video captured images of the officers beating and kicking Mr Nichols, hitting him with a baton, spraying him with pepper spray and firing a stun gun at him on 7 January following a traffic stop.
Homeless refugee in High Court action offered shelter
A homeless Afghan man - who initiated a legal challenge in the High Court earlier this week over the State's failure to provide him with basic shelter - has been offered accommodation. The number of asylum seekers without State provided accommodation has fallen slightly to 184, after 26 who were intitally refused shelter were offered a space yesterday.
Naughten: 'Being shunned by former FG colleagues hurt'
Former Communications Minister, Denis Naughten, has opened up about being shunned by members of the Fine Gael parliamentary party in Leinster House. He was speaking to Katie Hannon for Upfront: The Podcast, in the wake of his announcement this week that he will leave politics ahead of the next General Election. He's currently 49 years old. Mr Naughten lost the Fine Gael parliamentary whip in 2011, when he voted against the Government on proposed changes to the operation of Roscommon Hospital.
Japan weighs finally lifting age of consent from 13
A Japanese justice ministry panel has proposed raising the country's age of consent, currently among the world's lowest at just 13, as part of a major overhaul of sex crime legislation. The move to raise the age of consent to 16 is part of a package of reforms that would also clarify rape prosecution requirements and criminalise voyeurism.
INMO sanctions industrial action over staff shortages
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) says its Executive Council has sanctioned a campaign of industrial action over staff shortages. The move follows a month-long period of consultation during which the union said it was made clear that there is a severe staffing crisis in hospitals and that unsafe staffing is becoming the norm.
As deal nears on NI Protocol, how did we get here?
Edwin Poots is ousted as DUP leader following internal party tensions over a planned deal on the Irish language legislation. He had only been elected on 14 May. Belfast's High Court rules that the DUP decision to withdraw ministers from North-South meetings was in contravention of Stormont's ministerial code and a breach of legal obligations. It does not make any order in respect of returning to them.
Ryan announces €8.5m investment in 67 bus routes
The Minister for Transport has announced 67 new or enhanced bus routes under the Connecting Ireland programme. They will be rolled out before the end of the year at a cost €8.5m. Speaking in Tullamore at the launch of the routes Minister Eamon Ryan said: "It's a really important day for public transport in Ireland. "It's the Connecting Ireland service, it started last year and now we are really ramping it up." He said numbers have grown on the 38 bus routes introduced last year.
Floral bloom turns Saudi desert purple
A desert bloom triggered by heavier than usual winter rains has carpeted the sands of northern Saudi Arabia with purple flowers, drawing sightseers from across the Arabian Peninsula. Muhammad al-Mutairi drove nearly six hours from his hometown in the centre of the kingdom to see the rare burst of colour in the drab landscape.
Man admits applying for passport used by Daniel Kinahan
A 43-year-old man has admitted he applied for a false passport in his own name which was used by the Kinahan organised crime group's leader, Daniel Kinahan. Seamus Walsh, from Mountainview Crescent in Dundalk, was paid €2,000 after he said he was approached by a man he said he did not know who was "a member of the Travelling community". Walsh was a heroin addict at the time and said he did not know who his passport was going to.
Artist Niamh O'Malley announces Ireland At Venice tour
Artist-led tours, workshops for family and community events form part of artist Niamh O'Malley’s multi-venue national tour which takes place in Dublin, Sligo and Mayo over the coming weeks. O’Malley represented Ireland at the Venice Biennale in 2022. Her work is being shown over five rooms at The Model in Sligo from February 3rd – April 9th, an exhibition which also reveals and considers the influence of the West of Ireland on her work.
War in Ukraine to dominate global security gathering
Tánaiste Micheál Martin will join other politicians, military officers and diplomats from around the world in Munich to discuss Europe's security situation following the Russian invasion of Ukraine almost a year ago. The war has reignited long-running debates on questions such as how much Europe should build up its own military capacity, how much it should rely on the United States for its security, and how much governments should spend on defence.
Humans might need more sleep during winter, study finds
Humans do not hibernate, but new research suggests we might need more sleep during the winter. The analysis of people undergoing sleep studies found that people get more REM (rapid eye movement) sleep in the winter. According to the researchers, if the findings can be replicated in people with healthy sleep, this would provide first evidence for a need to adjust sleep habits to season - perhaps by going to sleep earlier in the darker and colder months.
Olena Kurylo, face of Ukraine war, recalls invasion
One year after photographs of her bloody face and bandaged head became early symbols of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Olena Kurylo vividly remembers the devastating events of 24 February, 2022. A teacher at the time, now a refugee, she dreams of home. "An explosion jolted me awake at 5am," said the now 53-year-old who lives in Poland, where millions of Ukrainians have found refuge and help.
'Incompatible' leaders face off
One is a former KGB agent and ruthless autocrat in power for more than two decades. The other is a successful comedian-turned-politician who found himself a war-time leader after less than three years as president. Russian strongman Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are the faces of the year-long war in Ukraine, Europe's bloodiest conflict since World War II.
NI dog search team returns from 'carnage' of quake zone
A dog search and rescue team from Co Down has returned to Northern Ireland after working in Turkey following the devastating earthquake there on 6 February. The K9 Search and Rescue NI charity deployed to the disaster zone a few days after the earthquake struck, killing more than 40,000 people in Turkey and neighbouring Syria.
Moscow's silent calls for peace
Despite strict government censorship and the threat of jail, residents of Russia's capital are finding subtle ways to express alarm and dissent over the Kremlin's year-long offensive in Ukraine. The messages are barely visible but omnipresent throughout Moscow - scrawled on signposts, graffitied on walls, or pasted as stickers on drain pipes. "Write. Speak.
NATO chief looks back on Ukraine invasion
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says he went to sleep on the eve of 24 February 2022 knowing full well the carnage that would be unleashed within hours. Months of warnings from the head of the Western military alliance had hardened into certainty that Russian President Vladimir Putin would launch his all-out attack on Ukraine that day. "I went to bed.
Group to protest outside UHL ahead of Taoiseach meeting
The Mid-West Hospital Campaign group will hold a protest outside University Hospital Limerick (UHL) today ahead of a meeting with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. Mr Varadkar will meet staff and the hospital's management team, and will tour the hospital's Emergency Department which was the most over crowded in the country last year. Last month, thousands of people took part in a march in Limerick city centre to protest continued overcrowding at the hospital.
Irish 9s giving Munster trio something to chase
While the cats are away. Mike Prendergast says the exploits of Conor Murray and Craig Casey in the Six Nations can only inspire the rest of the Munster scrum-halves. The Ireland duo have combined to help Andy Farrell's side to back-to-back championship wins, with Murray starting and Casey coming on as a replacement against Wales and France, with Leinster's Jamison Gibson-Park sidelined.
All you need to know
It's a down week in the Guinness Six Nations so the BTK United Rugby Champions takes centre stage. Leaders Leinster are bidding to make it 14 wins on the bounce as they host the Dragons, while the Ospreys visit Thomond Park. Glasgow is the destination for Ulster and Connacht make the trip to Zebre Parma. TV Munster v Ospreys (Friday 7.35pm) and Zebre v Connacht (Saturday 3.05pm) are both live on TG4 and Premier Sports, while Leinster v Dragons (Saturday 7.45pm) is live on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player.
Campbell taking nothing for granted on the road to Oz
Megan Campbell has had more than enough painful setbacks in her career to take nothing for granted. The Liverpool defender is enjoying an injury-free campaign in the Women's Super League and is thankful for it. That is a privilege the 30-year-old has not enjoyed for large chunks of her career. Last February she returned to the Ireland squad after a hellish two-and-half-year absence, a hiatus that would make even the toughest characters question their international future.
Cancer patient developed uncontrollable 'Irish brogue'
A US man, who was being treated for prostate cancer, developed an uncontrollable 'Irish brogue' accent, despite having no Irish background. Researchers in the US said the development was consistent with Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS). According to a study, published in the British Medical Journal, the man, who was in his 50s, was diagnosed with small cell neuroendocrine prostate cancer and was receiving treatment.
Do early mornings actually lead to better productivity?
Waking up at the crack of dawn because it will make you more productive is not a new thing. The likes of Dwayne Johnson and Jeff Bezos claim that their early wake-up time makes them super productive, and people have been jumping on the ‘5am club’ bandwagon for a long time. But, like many routines designed to aid well-being, TikTok has taken this and run with it, and the five-nine routine has become a big, pre-work ordeal.
Care home resident, 85, rides world's fastest zipline
An 85-year-old resident at a Welsh care home had her wish come true when she zipped across the sky at 160 kilometres per hour. Sally Webster, a resident from Deewater Grange care home in Chester, took on the 1.5km zipline at Penrhyn Slate Quarry with her daughter, Juliet.
Russia intensifies attacks in Ukraine's eastern front
Russian forces intensified attacks along front lines in eastern Ukraine as senior politicians and military leaders from around the world were due to meet in Germany with Ukrainian officials expected to address the security conference. Bolstered by tens of thousands of reservists, Russia has intensified ground assaults across southern and eastern Ukraine as the first anniversary of its 24 February invasion nears.
British embassy guard faces jail for spying for Moscow
A former security guard at the UK's Berlin embassy, who pleaded guilty to spying for Moscow, faces up to 14 years in prison when he is sentenced today. David Ballantyne Smith, 58, admitted to passing sensitive material to the Russian embassy in Germany and was then caught in a sting operation. Judge Mark Wall said yesterday that he would sentence Smith on the basis that he had an "ongoing relationship" with Moscow and was "paid for his treachery".
Aid focus turns to homeless after Turkey, Syria quake
International aid agencies are stepping up efforts to help millions of people, many sleeping in tents, mosques, schools or cars, 11 days after a massive earthquake hit Turkey and Syria killing more than 43,000. Two people were reported to have been pulled alive from the rubble in Turkey yesterday, but such rescues have become increasingly rare.
Weather, Fri 17 February 2023
Weather, Fri 17 February 2023 Updated / Friday, 17 Feb 2023 06:23
The charming pugilist who became Ireland's first sport celebrity
He was the charming pugilist who became a huge star in 19th century Ireland - and whose right arm ended up on display in a pub in Kildare. In this extract from the Dictionary of Irish Biography's new book Irish Sporting Lives, Paul Rouse tells the story of Dan Donnelly Dan Donnelly was born in Townsend Street, Dublin, eldest surviving son among seventeen children of Joseph Donnelly, carpenter, of Dublin; his mother's name was Gore.
Civil War Ireland then and now: Waterford is taken
In 1922 and 1923, Ireland was once more a battlefield, as the Civil War saw conflict break out all over the country. In this interactive series, photographer David Cleary returns to locations captured on film a century ago and takes new photographs showing how those settings have changed - or not. This image from the National Library of Ireland's collection was taken on July 22nd 1922, just after the National Army took the city from anti-Treaty forces.
'Major internal incident' at UHL stood down
A "major internal incident" that was declared at the University Hospital Limerick earlier this month has been stood down. The UL Hospitals Group has said "extraordinary measures" taken, have helped to reduce the "extreme levels" of overcrowding seen early last week at the hospital's Emergency Department. Oireachtas members from the midwest took part in a virtual meeting with the Taoiseach, the Minister for Health, and senior hospital management yesterday.
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