The Republic of Ireland’s domestic economy grew by 2.7% in 2024, official figures suggest. Irish domestic output is estimated using a measurement called modified domestic demand (MDD). The economic performance of most countries is measured using gross domestic product (GDP), but Irish GDP is heavily distorted by the activities of multinational companies. The figures suggest … Read more
Karol Swiacki Karol Swiacki and Marc Edwards survived a missile strike on the hotel they were staying at in Kryvyi Rih A UK-based aid worker said he and his friends and colleagues were “so lucky to be alive” after they narrowly escaped a Russian missile attack on a hotel in Ukraine on Wednesday night that … Read more
Canadian provinces pulling US alcohol off store shelves in response to Trump trade policy is “worse than tariffs”, the boss of Jack Daniel’s maker Brown-Forman has said. Several Canadian provinces, including Ontario, which is by far the most populated, took action this week in retaliation for US tariffs on Canadian goods. The Liquor Control Board … Read more
Paul Kirby Europe digital editor Getty Images Denmark’s letter deliveries began in 1624 Denmark’s state-run postal service, PostNord, is to end all letter deliveries at the end of 2025, citing a 90% decline in letter volumes since the start of the century. The decision brings to an end 400 years of the company’s letter service. … Read more
At least a dozen people were injured after Mozambican police violently dispersed a protest led by opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane, the runner-up in last year’s disputed presidential election, Mondlane’s team and a civil society group say. Eyewitnesses and Mondlane’s aides said the police fired live rounds at the opposition leader’s convoy and the anti-government protesters … Read more
Nigel Farage’s insurgent Reform U.K. party has attracted more than a dozen donors from Britain’s once dominant Conservative Party, new data reveals, underlining the threat the Tories face from a right-wing populist party that models itself on President Trump’s MAGA movement. In total, Reform U.K. raised 4.75 million pounds ($6.1 million) last year, a sharp … Read more
Ana Faguy BBC News, Washington Getty Images President Donald Trump is considering an executive order that would shut down the US Department of Education – a long-cherished goal of conservatives. The move would deliver on a promise he made on the campaign trail. Trump plans to end some of the department’s programmes, while others would … Read more
Clearing the Way for Bicyclists, for a Healthier Population and Planet
Cyclone Alfred is set to bring damaging winds and heavy rain to Australia’s east coast when it makes landfall as a category 2 storm later this week. It’s the first cyclone to hit the region in since Cyclone Zoe in 1974. The BBC’s Katy Watson speaks to residents on the Gold Coast as they prepare … Read more
North Korea has stopped tourists from visiting, just weeks after the first Western tourists entered the country for the first time in five years. North Korea sealed itself off at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, and started to scale back restrictions in the middle of 2023. It opened up to Russian … Read more