Despite fiery all-night debate, Ireland’s abortion bill inches toward law
Passage of the bill, which would legalize abortion in Ireland for the first time, looks all but assured.
Jason Walsh
Ireland takes step toward gay marriage rights
By Jason Walsh
Ireland’s Constitutional Convention voted Sunday, with 79 percent in favor of extending marriage rights to same-sex couples. Next up will likely be a referendum.
British papers rebel as UK press regulation moves closer to reality
By Jason Walsh
Even as the House of Lords passed legislation that would create a new, independent press watchdog, British editors lined up to condemn the body as a threat to basic freedoms.
ECB nod allows Ireland to shut down toxic bank, easing debt pressures
By Jason Walsh
Ireland closed down the bankrupt Anglo Irish Bank in 2011, absorbing its debt and assets into a state-owned bank. Overnight, it voted to shut down that bank as well.
Ireland announces abortion law reforms, leaving no one satisfied
By Jason Walsh
The new legislation is meant to clarify Ireland’s stance on abortion when the mother’s health is at risk, but antiabortion groups say it goes too far, and abortion-rights groups not far enough.
N. Irish police involved in Belfast lawyer’s 1989 murder, says report
By Jason Walsh
Today’s report said Northern Irish police colluded in a loyalist paramilitary’s murder of high-profile lawyer Patrick Finucane, though it did not find an ‘overarching state conspiracy.’
Six days of riots erupt in the ‘New Northern Ireland’
By Jason Walsh
A motion in Belfast to stop flying the British Union flag year round touched off the riots, but the issues run deeper.
Thousands protest in Ireland to liberalize abortion laws
By Jason Walsh
The recent death of a woman reportedly denied an abortion has sparked outrage. In Dublin, thousands of marchers demanded liberalization of Ireland’s tough — and, some say, unclear — anti-abortion laws.
Irish abortion debate inflamed by pregnant woman’s death
By Jason Walsh
The death of Savita Halappanavar, who was reportedly denied an abortion when miscarrying, has upped the urgency of Ireland’s current review of its near-total abortion ban.
The Troubles are over. So why is Northern Ireland still so unsettled?
By Jason Walsh
Amid riots this summer by both loyalists and republicans, and with fears of more to come Saturday, some say the peace process itself has formalized seasonal violence.
Long cherished, the shorter workweek loses ground in Europe
By Jason Walsh
Since the economic crisis hit in Europe, aggregate hours for full-time workers have increased across the European Union, according to a new report.
In Ireland, EU treaty on debt remains in doubt
By Jason Walsh
For most of the EU, the fiscal treaty approved this year is a done deal. In Ireland, where the Constitution requires a national referendum, approval is far from certain.