Few sights in the night sky are as awe-inspiring as aurora. The vibrant dancing lights – usually seen close to the planet’s poles – are produced by a wind of charged particles streaming from the Sun into Earth’s atmosphere. The resulting disturbances are called geomagnetic storms. Earlier in 2024, the world was treated to an exceptional show of aurora borealis (northern hemisphere) and aurora australis (southern hemisphere). A particularly strong geomagnetic storm produced bright auroras visible at latitudes much closer to the equator than usual. This has reignited public interest in aurora, and you might see more frequent headlines in…
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One of the arresting officers. A Roman Catholic woman is being prosecuted in Northern Ireland for praying inside an abortion clinic buffer zone. Claire Brennan was arrested outside Causeway Hospital in Coleraine last October where she had been saying The Lord’s Prayer and holding up a sign that said ‘Pray to End Abortion’. Her colleague, David Hall, was also arrested. If found guilty of breaching the hospital’s ‘safe access zone’, she faces a fine and up to six months in prison. The Christian Legal Centre (CLC), which is supporting her challenge against prosecution, said it was the first case of its…
Criminals intent on causing violence and unrest on our streets will be stopped in their tracks thanks to a new National Violent Disorder Programme, the Prime Minister has announced today. At a meeting of police chiefs in Downing Street this afternoon, he offered his clear backing to forces up and down the country – pledging that the government will work in direct partnership with them to stamp out the violent disorder seen in recent weeks. Following the meeting, he has announced the immediate creation of the new programme, which will bring together the best policing capabilities from across the country…
The education minister in Northern Ireland has “unreservedly” apologised after the personal details of more than 400 people who had offered to contribute to a review of special education needs were breached. The embarrassing data breach came to light on Thursday after the education department said it had mistakenly sent to 174 people a spreadsheet attachment that contained the names, email address and titles of 407 individuals who had expressed an interest in attending the end-to-end review of special education needs (SEN) events across Northern Ireland. The spreadsheet included comments made by a number of individuals. The department said the…
Irish police are questioning a man in his 30s about the death of a woman in County Cork. The woman was found with serious injuries at a flat in the town of Midleton at about 4.15pm on Friday. The woman, named locally as Daena Walsh, is believed to be a 27-year-old mother of two who lived in the flat. She received emergency medical attention at the scene but was pronounced dead a short time later. It is understood she may have been stabbed. The scene has been sealed off for examination by gardaí, and the local coroner and the state…
PARIS: Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen set the fastest time in qualifying for the men’s 1500 metres freestyle on Saturday, and then set his sights on a world record and a second Paris gold. Wiffen became the first Irishman to win a gold medal in swimming with his victory in the 800m freestyle on Tuesday and his time of 14:40.34 was 2.22 quicker than Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri. “I’m not gonna lie. I felt like I was carrying a bit of fatigue. I haven’t really slept properly since the 800,” said Wiffen. “(At) The start I was a bit uncomfortable and then I…
PARIS – Daniel Wiffen is not used to the fame that comes with becoming an Olympic champion after he became the first Irishman to win a gold in the pool but the 23-year-old is not one to shy away from posing for selfies in the athletes’ village in Paris. Wiffen set an Olympic record to claim the 800 metres freestyle on Tuesday and he is well set for a double at La Defense Arena after he topped the 1,500m freestyle heats on Saturday. The unassuming but confident Irishman said it would “mean everything” if he came away with two golds,…
meetings in Qatar, Lebanon and Israel this week aimed to drive de-escalation Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary pushed calls for peace and stability on a visit to the Middle East the joint visit demonstrates UK’s commitment to keeping the UK safe at home and secure abroad Defence Secretary John Healey visited Israel today to push for an immediate ceasefire and drive de-escalation in the Middle East, following joint Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary visits to the region this week. The meeting in Tel Aviv with Israeli Defence Minister Gallant follows a call that John Healey had with the Palestinian Authority…
Andrea De Domenico was speaking from Jerusalem in his final briefing to journalists at UN Headquarters in New York as the Israeli authorities have not renewed his visa. Reflecting on his time in the region, Mr. De Domenico recalled that the UN Secretary-General had previously said that Gaza was becoming a graveyard for children and “unfortunately he was right, and this is what Gaza became.” He said the international community “has to answer the question of how much human suffering can be tolerated in the name of security”. ‘Systematic dehumanisation of civilians’ Mr. De Domenico said that over the past…
The government has accepted advice from the JCVI for an autumn COVID-19 vaccination programme this year. Minister for Public Health and Prevention, Andrew Gwynne, said: We are committed to protecting those most vulnerable from COVID and have accepted the independent advice from the JCVI for the autumn 2024 vaccination programme. We will also continue to offer COVID vaccination to frontline NHS and social care workers and those working in care homes for older people this autumn. I encourage anyone invited for a vaccine to get one as soon as possible to protect yourself and reduce pressure on the NHS during winter, helping…