His centrist government partners, the Fianna Fáil party led by Foreign Minister Micheál Martin also hopes to claim top spot and, with it, first dibs on the taoiseach’s chair. Even before Harris made his announcement, the 64-year-old Martin was already pressing the flesh with voters at a nearby Dublin crossroads. Reflecting how well his party … Read more
DUBLIN — Prime Minister Simon Harris announced a snap election in Ireland for Friday, Nov. 29, in a bid to extend his Fine Gael party’s record 14-year run in power. The 38-year-old Harris, who became Fine Gael leader and Ireland’s Taoiseach in April, launches the contest with his pro-business and socially progressive party topping the polls on 25 percent in a … Read more
Cash for kids Income tax bands will be raised sharply to prune €1.6 billion from payslip deductions, particularly for workers earning less than €44,000 a year, in a system that already taxes lower-paid workers little by international norms. Chambers said the changes would mean workers earning less than €20,000 would pay no income tax at … Read more
Who wants what? France and Italy are the biggest European powers eying a portfolio that includes one or more of the following: Competition, trade, industry and economic policy, several EU diplomats said, much to the despair of northern, more budget-disciplined EU governments. Ireland and Luxembourg are interested in a financial portfolio, while Spain wants an … Read more
While the 81-year-old Democrat quickly corrected himself, the gaffe has fueled speculation about his fitness for office ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November, with dozens of his own allies calling for Biden to step down in favor of a younger candidate. His rival, Republican challenger Donald Trump, has wasted no time mocking the … Read more
Instead, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil resurrected their fortunes with virtually identical 23 percent shares of first preference votes, both better than expected — while Sinn Féin slumped to below 12 percent. Independents, among them a babel of new anti-immigrant voices alongside established rural mavericks, topped a staggering 21 percent. Some Sinn Féin activists bluntly … Read more
Ireland in recent weeks has discussed the potential timing of recognizing Palestinian statehood in a series of meetings with the governments of Spain, Slovenia, Belgium, Norway and Malta, all of whom broadly share Ireland’s view that the EU as a whole ought to recognize Palestinian statehood. Anticipating Dublin’s move, the Israeli foreign ministry issued a … Read more
In a statement shared with RTÉ, a spokesperson for Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris confirmed that the justice minister had been tasked to “bring proposals to Cabinet next week to amend existing law regarding the designation of safe ‘third countries’ and allowing the return of inadmissible International Protection applicants to the U.K.” The move comes … Read more
 "Why is it so difficult to lose weight? ‘Fat cells’ may be the reason – Firstpost")
