Author: News Desk

White House insists Biden is ‘not anti-British’ as he gives Northern Ireland speech The Metro says President Joe Biden is not ‘anti-British’ the White House has said, as he gave a historic speech in Northern Ireland. The 46th President urged the return of power-sharing to Stormont as he spoke in front of a small crowd at Ulster University. In his relatively short 20-minute speech he said Northern Ireland was ‘transformed by peace’ and spoke about the impacts of Brexit, and new economic opportunities. It is the third time the President had met with UK relations in three months, after claims…

Joe Biden is ‘anti-British’ pro-Irish nationalist, says DUP The Independent says DUP politicians have attacked Joe Biden as “anti-British” and pro-Irish Republican as they again resisted pressure to resume powersharing at Stormont. Senior unionist party figures spoke out against the US president as he arrived in Northern Ireland for a brief visit to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. “Joe Biden hates the UK – I don’t think there’s any doubt about that,” former DUP first minister of Northern Ireland Dame Arlene Foster told GB News. DUP MP Sammy Wilson said Mr Biden, a Catholic who had…

Biden dangles $6bn investment if Northern Ireland power sharing agreed The Guardian says Joe Biden has dangled a $6bn (£5bn) carrot in front of Northern Ireland’s leaders with a promise to boost the country’s economy with US investment if power sharing is restored. In a thinly veiled message to the Democratic Unionist party, which has been boycotting the devolved government for more than a year, the US president told an audience in Belfast that American investors were ready to “triple” the $2bn already invested. “The simple truth is that peace and economic opportunity go together,” Biden said. He reminded representatives…

Joe Biden’s ‘Black and Tans’ gaffe was unfortunate – he might want to stick to the script from now on Sky News says It had all been going so well. The serious political business of the day dispensed with, Joe Biden left Belfast and broke for the border. Arriving for the first day of ancestral exploration in County Louth, he was taken on a tour of Carlingford Castle, the last sight his great-great-grandfather Owen Finnegan would have seen in 1849 as he sailed away to a new life in America. The rain sheeted down, the cold was something from the…

Passengers told to avoid London’s Waterloo Station all day after major signalling problem Rail passengers have been advised to avoid London Waterloo due to major signalling problems, which have resulted in a significantly reduced service and disruption expected throughout the day. South Western Railway has warned customers not to travel to or from the station, which is the busiest in Britain, as 14 out of its 24 platforms are currently closed. Network Rail has confirmed a “major power failure” to equipment and is investigating the fault, which occurred before 04:00. Even if the issue is resolved soon, disruption is likely…

PC Sharon Beshenivsky death: Man extradited and charged with murder of PC shot dead in 2005 Piran Ditta Khan, a 74-year-old man, has been extradited from Pakistan and taken into custody at a West Yorkshire police station. He has been charged with the 2005 murder of PC Sharon Beshenivsky, as well as robbery, two counts of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, and two counts of possessing a prohibited weapon. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said that the charges were authorised in 2006 and led to the issuance of the extradition warrant. Khan is due to appear at…

Strike action sees UK economy flatline in February The UK economy experienced no growth in February due to strikes by public sector workers, according to official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Although a rise in construction activity was noted, it was offset by walkouts by teachers and civil servants.  The UK saw a 0.4% jump in economic growth in January. Despite February’s flat performance, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt stated that the UK’s economic outlook was “brighter than expected” with GDP growing by 0.1% in the three months to February, and the UK was “set to avoid recession”.  However,…

North Korea missile launch sparks confusion in Japan North Korea’s missile launch on Thursday caused panic and confusion in northern Japan, with residents being told to evacuate immediately. However, the evacuation order was retracted within half an hour after it was confirmed that the missile did not land near the island. Tensions have been rising in the region as North Korea has already fired 27 missiles this year. The missile launched on Thursday flew about 1,000 km, which South Korea’s military called a “grave provocation.” Details about the weapon tested have not been made public yet. Japanese coast guards said…

Trump sues former lawyer Michael Cohen for $500m Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, alleging breach of contract and seeking $500m (£400m) in damages. Trump claims that Cohen failed in his duty to act in his client’s best interests and made “improper, self-serving, and malicious statements” about Trump, his family, and his business. The lawsuit comes amid increased attacks on Cohen by Trump allies and as Cohen is a key witness in an investigation into Trump. Cohen worked for Trump for over a decade, but the two had a major falling out after the…

US thinks UN chief too accommodating to Moscow, leaked files suggest The latest revelation from a series of leaked US classified documents suggests that the US believed the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is too willing to accommodate Russian interests. The leaked documents appear to suggest that Washington has been watching Mr Guterres closely, and contain other observations on topics such as the war in Ukraine and several African leaders. One of the leaked documents focuses on the Black Sea grain deal brokered by the UN and Turkey in July 2022, following fears of a global food crisis. It suggests…