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Updated: 9am A return of Covid-19 restrictions may be necessary if the current high level of infections persists, a former director-general of the HSE has said. Speaking to Newstalk, Tony O’Brien said the Government and public health experts need to assess the possible reasons behind the recent surge in case numbers, after the country recorded the highest daily increase in cases since January on Tuesday. Following the recent easing of restrictions, which saw the return of nightclubs and eased crowd limits for live events, Mr O’Brien said action must be taken quickly before infections spiral out of control. The @hpscireland has today been notified of 3,726* confirmed cases of #COVID19. As of 8am today, 493 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, ofContinue Reading

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Responding to a statement from the Home Office on gun licenses in relation to the Keyham Shooting, which revealed that 14% of applicants who were refused a gun had their licence returned, Luke Pollard MP said: “People in Keyham want answers as to why the killer had his firearm returned to him. I am hoping that the Police Watchdog’s investigation will provide some of these answers in due course. “The new figures from the Home Office today show that returning a firearm in the Keyham incident was far from being an isolated example. We now know that 14% of applications who are refused a gun certificate later have their gun returned. “It is clear to me that the current gunContinue Reading

Does the government’s plan to allow 'consensual' conversion therapy undermine its proposed ban?

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Shutterstock/Studio Romantic The UK government has announced proposals to ban so-called “conversion therapy” – attempting to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity under the guise of support. It has opened a short public consultation asking for views on its plan. But the proposals contain an exemption that is worth noting. Conversion therapy will still be allowed in cases involving “consenting” adults. This is a thorny issue that warrants consideration. Could an exemption on this point undermine the stated aim of “ending” such practices? I was the lead author on the study the government commissioned to help inform their approach. My team and I were tasked with reviewing existing international evidence, and we also interviewed people who had undergoneContinue Reading

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With the exception of cricket, India – a country of nearly 1.5 billion people – is spectacularly below average when it comes to international competitive sports. The world’s second most populous nation has the worst Olympic record in terms of medals per head of population. So its saving grace – so far as proving its sporting prowess is concerned – has been cricket, in which it is a dominant force. Once regarded as a British colonial import, cricket is the only sport that unites most Indians, who are deeply divided by caste, region, religion and skin colour. So, whenever there is an apparent lack of patriotic fervour when it comes to supporting India – especially when the country is playingContinue Reading

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An ongoing dispute between the European Union and Poland over its government’s apparent lack of respect for democratic values has raised the question of whether Poland could follow the UK in leaving the EU. The reality, however, is that this is incredibly unlikely. As my research shows, Polish citizens strongly support the EU. They generally take a very rational approach to this issue and recognise that Poland and Polish people on an individual level have largely benefited from joining the EU. The EU can suspend rights, but cannot expel a member state. Other EU member states are divided over what to do about Poland several years after the Law and Justice Party (PiS) began making changes to the Polish legalContinue Reading

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World leaders have gathered at the crunch climate summit in Glasgow amid warnings that they must take urgent action to limit dangerous global warming. Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Australian prime minister Scott Morrison, German chancellor Angela Merkel, and Canadian leader Justin Trudeau were among some 120 leaders due to attend. The issue for Cop26 on climate change is “matching the rhetoric with action”, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said. “There’s no alternative facing the world but to deal very quickly and urgently with the climate change challenge,” he said. Meanwhile, delegates arriving at the conference faced long queues to get into the Scottish Event Campus venue on Monday for the opening ceremony. British prime minister Boris Johnson, who was welcoming leaders toContinue Reading

Brexit fish wars: history explains why France and the UK get so angry about access to the seas

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A scene from the First Anglo-Dutch War, from British Battles on Land and Sea, by James Grant. falkensteinfoto/Alamy A dispute between Britain and France about fishing territories has escalated rapidly. French authorities detained a British trawler on Thursday October 28, and Britain promptly summoned the French ambassador for talks. The wider issue here is the licenses now required under the new Brexit arrangements. French fishermen complain that many of their applications for these licenses have been rejected, especially by officials on Jersey. The French government has threatened to subject British fishing companies to obfuscating bureaucracy, perhaps to bar British fishing vessels from French ports, and even to cut off the power supply to the Channel Islands. The British government, meanwhile,Continue Reading

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Michelle O’Neill has hit out at the DUP for “rolling back” on political agreements, accusing the party of denying rights and equality. The Sinn Féin deputy leader used her opening speech at the party’s Ard Fheis to criticise the Democratic Unionists, accusing the party of “provoking outrage” by boycotting the North-South Ministerial Council. Sinn Féin is holding its annual conference in north Dublin, and TDs and Stormont ministers are speaking at the scaled-back event. Ms O’Neill said the balance of power at Stormont has “shifted irreversibly” and the political unionist majority is gone. Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O’Neill speaking during the Ard Fheis at the Helix in Dublin. Photo: Damien Storan/PA “The DUP roll back on political agreements, theirContinue Reading