The European Union is formally launching accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, setting the fragile former Soviet states off on a long path towards membership that Russia has tried to block. The landmark move is aimed in particular at sending a vote of confidence in Ukraine’s future as Russia has …

Israel kept up its bombardment of Gaza after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the “intense phase” of the war was winding down, as the United States urged its ally to avoid further escalation along the Lebanon border. Israeli forces launched more deadly strikes, with 13 people killed across two schools …

The Government will approve legislation to raise the age to legally buy tobacco products to 21 years old. Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly will bring a memo with the final landmark legislation for Cabinet approval. The Public Health Tobacco Amendment Bill 2024 is expected to go before the Oireachtas before …

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is due to plead guilty for violating US espionage law in a deal that will end his imprisonment and a long legal odyssey over the release of hundreds of thousands of classified US military documents. But who is Julian Assange, and why did he come to …

The Department of Further and Higher Education has indicated that university fees will be waived again this year for Leaving Certificate students from Ukraine. It has told RTÉ News that Minister for Further and Higher Education Patrick O’Donovan is “minded to continue” with arrangements that were in place last year …

Concert goers are being warned of the possibility of taxi shortages in Dublin this weekend. The Taxis for Ireland Coalition, which is pressing for the greater provision of taxi services around the country, said the Taylor Swift, Longitude, Shania Twain and Fairview Park concerts, along with the Dublin Pride Parade …

The Government is expected to approve a plan to take water from the River Shannon at Parteen Basin in Co Tipperary and then pipe it to Dublin. The Water Supply Project for the eastern and midlands region aims to provide a resilient supply of water to meet the needs of …

The Government will approve legislation to raise the age to legally buy tobacco products to 21 years old. Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly will bring a memo with the final landmark legislation for Cabinet approval. The Public Health Tobacco Amendment Bill 2024 is expected to go before the Oireachtas before …

13,104 cases were treated for problem drug use last year, according to the Health Research Board. It is the highest annual number recorded and an increase of more than 1,000 cases compared to 2022. A case relates to a treatment episode in the National Drug Treatment Reporting System data system …

Julian Assange “is free” and has been released from a high-security London prison where he was held for five years, Wikileaks said, after reaching a US plea deal. The 52-year-old Australian was taken yesterday from Belmarsh Prison to London’s Stansted Airport, a Wikileaks statement said, from where he boarded a …