Cervical survivors “emotional and disappointed” after meeting
Patient representatives have said they are "emotional and disappointed" after this afternoon’s meeting with senior health officials over the latest CervicalCheck crisis.
The CervicalCheck steering group, which oversees the State screening programme held a two-hour meeting earlier.
It is the first time patient representatives have had a chance to question health officials since it emerged 856 women had their test results delayed.
The women never received their results due to an IT glitch at the US-based Quest lab.
US warship destroys Iranian drone in international shipping lane
A US warship has destroyed an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz.
President Trump announced the action while hosting the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at an event in the White House this evening.
He said the USS Boxer took “defensive action” against the drone after it came within 1,000 yards (915 metres) of the ship.
He said it ignored “multiple calls to stand down and was threatening the safety of the ship and the ship’s crew.”
“The drone was immediately destroyed,” he said.
Flanagan makes citizenship court ruling "urgent priority"
The Justice Minister has said citizenship issues arising from a recent court ruling are being dealt with as an "urgent priority".
It follows a recent High Court ruling that has drawn concern among some involved in the citizenship process.
The case was taken by Roderick Jones, an Australian national who has applied to become a naturalised Irish citizen.
Under current rules, a person must have "one year's continuous residence in the State" immediately before applying to become a citizen.
At least 33 dead after suspected arson at Japanese animation studio
At least 33 people are dead and dozens injured following a suspected arson attack at an animation studio in Kyoto in Japan.
A fire broke out at the Kyoto Animation Co. studio at around 10:30am local time on Thursday morning, when around 70 people were inside the building.
Local media quotes authorities as saying a man had poured a liquid that appeared to be gasoline around the studio.
Witnesses reported hearing the man shouting "die" as he then set fire to the building.
Coveney hits out at ‘unacceptable’ scenes at Trump rally
Tánaiste Simon Coveney has described scenes at a rally held by US President Donald Trump as "chilling".
Mr Trump renewed his attacks targeting four US congresswomen at a campaign rally - prompting a crowd of supporters to chant 'send her back' about one of the women, Ilhan Omar.
The US president was speaking in North Carolina on Wednesday, amid the ongoing controversy over his attacks on progressive Democrats Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley.
They are all from black or minority ethnic backgrounds, and are often referred to as 'the Squad'.
