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Micheál Martin will deliver Ireland's National Statement to the UN General Assembly

Taoiseach Micheál Martin to address UN in New York

As part of Ireland's presidency of the United Nations Security Council, Taoiseach Micheál Martin will travel to New York next week for a series of engagements.

Ireland • 14 Sep 21

Derek Chauvin was sentenced in June to 22 and a half years in prison

Ex-cop convicted of Floyd murder to reappear in court

The former Minneapolis policeman convicted of murdering George Floyd will be back in court today via video-link, along with three other officers involved in the killing that sparked America's biggest racial justice demonstrations in decades.

World • 14 Sep 21

Francis Collins warned Covid will spread more widely if the millions of children returning to school are not required to wear masks

Top health official says US 'failing' on Covid-19

A top public health official in the United States has warned that the country is "failing" on Covid-19, after the country recorded its highest daily case load in six months.

Coronavirus • 08 Aug 21

Onlookers cheered as the statue was put on a truck and driven away

Charlottesville statues of Confederate generals removed

A statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee has been taken down in the US city of Charlottesville, Virginia, nearly four years after white supremacist protests over plans to remove it led to clashes in which a woman was run down by a car and killed.

World • 10 Jul 21

US and Russian cybersecurity officials are scheduled to meet next week on the ransomware problem

Biden pressured to act on 'Russian' cyberattacks

Top US officials met at the White House on stopping ransomware, as pressure mounted on President Joe Biden to take action against Russia over cyberattacks.

World • 07 Jul 21

US defence systems fired rockets into the air in Baghdad

US forces shoot down armed drone over Iraq embassy

US forces have shot down an armed drone above their embassy in Baghdad, Iraqi security officials said, hours after a rocket attack on a base housing US soldiers in the west of the country.

World • 06 Jul 21

The storm had previously wreaked havoc in parts of Barbados, St. Lucia, Haiti, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic

Tropical storm Elsa makes landfall in Cuba

Tropical storm Elsa made landfall near Cuba's Bay of Pigs on its south-central coast after causing at least three deaths elsewhere in the Caribbean.

World • 05 Jul 21

Several carmakers in Europe have come under scrutiny since the Volkswagen "dieselgate" scandal

Citroen charged with consumer fraud over dieselgate

Carmaker Stellantis said that its French Citroen unit had been charged with consumer fraud by French prosecutors in a far-reaching diesel emissions probe.

Business • 10 Jun 21

A separate US national security review of TikTok remains ongoing

US withdraws Trump orders seeking to ban TikTok, WeChat

US President Joe Biden is withdrawing a series of executive orders that sought to ban new downloads of WeChat and TikTok and ordering a new Commerce Department review of security concerns posed by those app, the White House said today.

Business • 09 Jun 21

Biden offered to drop plans to hike corporate tax rates as high as 28%

Biden offers to drop plans to hike corporate tax rates

US President Joe Biden offered to scrap his proposed corporate tax hike during negotiations with Republicans, two sources familiar with the matter said, in what would be a major concession by the Democratic president as he works to hammer out an infrastructure deal.

Business • 03 Jun 21

Colonial Pipeline's Dorsey Junction Station in Woodbine, Maryland (File pic, Getty Images)

Major US pipeline pays $4.4m in ransom to hackers

Colonial Pipeline paid $4.4m in ransom to hackers after a cyberattack because it was "the right thing to do for the country," the company's head said, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

World • 19 May 21

Joe Biden proposed to hold a summit with Vladimir Putin

Russia bans US officials in retaliation for sanctions

Russia has said it will ban a string of top officials from US President Joe Biden's administration from entering the country.

World • 16 Apr 21

Joe Biden set a goal of withdrawing all 2,500 US troops remaining in Afghanistan no later than 11 September

US troops to withdraw from Afghanistan on 11 September

US President Joe Biden has declared that he plans to end the longest American war and that it is "time for American troops to come home" from Afghanistan.

World • 14 Apr 21

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits totaled a seasonally adjusted 744,000 for the week ended April 3

US weekly jobless claims unexpectedly rise

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week, but the increase likely understates the rapidly improving labor market conditions as more parts of the economy reopen and fiscal stimulus kicks in.

Business • 08 Apr 21

Chicago and Boston are important hubs for Irish-American links, according to Ireland Gateway to Europe

Post-Covid US trade mission planned for April 2022

Business group Ireland Gateway to Europe has announced plans for a post-Covid trade mission to the US next year.

Business • 06 Apr 21

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits totalled a seasonally adjusted 712,000 for the week ended 6 March

US weekly jobless claims drop to four-month low

The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits dropped to a four-month low last week as an improving public health environment allows more segments of the economy to reopen, putting the labor market recovery back on track.

Business • 11 Mar 21

Police have warned that a militia group could be planning an attack

Session cancelled amid fears of unrest at US Capitol

The US House of Representatives has cancelled its planned session today amid fears of unrest at the Capitol Building.

US • 04 Mar 21

The UN Human Rights Council's next session will starts on 22 February through to 23 March

US to 're-engage' with UN rights council

The United States is to "re-engage" with the UN Human Rights Council, nearly three years after former president Donald Trump's administration withdrew.

US • 08 Feb 21

Republican Luke Letlow, 41, had been elected to Louisiana's 5th district and was due to be sworn in on Sunday

US Congressman-elect Luke Letlow, 41, dies of Covid-19

A representative-elect from Louisiana has died of Covid-19, the first member of the US House of Congress to succumb to the disease.

Coronavirus • 30 Dec 20

The US coronavirus death toll stands at more than 220,000, according to Johns Hopkins University

Nearly 300K excess US deaths since January, says CDC

The United States has seen around 300,000 more deaths than usual since late January, with two-thirds attributable to Covid-19 and the rest due to other causes, a US government study said today.

World • 20 Oct 20

No part of the QAnon theory is based on fact

QAnon crackdown: What are social media platforms doing?

A number of social media firms, including Facebook and Instagram, have said they will ban all accounts linked to the far-right QAnon conspiracy group.

News Lens • 08 Oct 20

TikTok sued US President Donald Trump's administration over US ban last month

Trump to block US downloads of TikTok, WeChat on Sunday

The US Commerce Department said it will issue an order that will bar people in the United States from downloading Chinese-owned messaging app WeChat and video-sharing app TikTok starting on 20 September.

World • 18 Sep 20

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has denied the allegations

Mexico requests report from US on immigration claims

Mexico has formally requested a report from United States authorities regarding alleged negligent practices in US immigration detention centers, citing accusations of sexual abuse and unauthorised hysterectomies.

World • 17 Sep 20

The reading was registered by an automated observation system at 3.41pm local time at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center

Possible record temperature as mercury hits 54.4C in US

A temperature of 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54.4 degrees Celsius) recorded in California's Death Valley yesterday by the US National Weather Service could be the hottest ever measured with modern instruments, officials say.

Environment • 17 Aug 20

US-China relations have become increasingly tense in recent weeks after Donald Trump announced a ban on TikTok and WeChat

China calls for end 'restrictive' US trade stance

China hopes the United States will stop taking restrictive and discriminatory action against Chinese firms and create conditions for the implementation of a Phase 1 trade deal, assistant minister of commerce Ren Hongbin has said.

Business • 13 Aug 20