The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has fined Facebook parent firm Meta €1.2 billion for violations involving the transfer of personal data from the EU to the US. It surpasses the previous record fine of €746 million, which was levied on Amazon in 2021, to become the highest EU privacy fine ever. As part of … Read more
The identification of plastic-eating fungi and bacteria in salt marshes near the Chinese coast by an international team of researchers opens up new opportunities for the management of global waste. Researchers from China and the UK collected samples of microorganisms in May 2021 from China’s Dafeng, a UNESCO-protected location close to the Yellow Sea shore. … Read more
Global temperatures are likely to surge to record levels in the next five years, fuelled by heat-trapping greenhouse gases and a naturally occurring El Niño event, according to a new update issued by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). There is a 66% chance that the annual average near-surface global temperature between 2023 and 2027 will be more … Read more
The US Department of Justice has announced that a YouTuber accused of intentionally crashing his plane to boost his views has decided to plead guilty to obstructing a federal investigation. According to a statement by the US attorney’s office, Trevor Jacob, 29, may spend up to 20 years in federal prison for deliberately destroying the … Read more
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared that Covid-19 no longer represents a global health emergency, a major step towards the end of the pandemic that has killed more than 6.9 million people, disrupted the global economy and ravaged communities. The global health agency’s emergency committee met on Thursday and recommended the UN organization declare an … Read more
Former US President Donald Trump is to visit Ireland at the beginning of May. Additionally, he is anticipated to go to Scotland, where he would spend the week-long trip at his Trump Turnberry and Trump International Golf Links properties in Aberdeen. Donald Trump is reported to be on his way to his luxury golf facility … Read more
Noel Hanna, a well-known climber from Northern Ireland, died after coming down from the top of the tenth-highest mountain in the world. An Indian climber is also missing on the same mountain, according to climbing officials. Mr Hanna, who had climbed Mount Everest ten times, scaled the 8,091 metre-high Annapurna peak in west Nepal yesterday. … Read more
Today, US President Joe Biden will wrap up his trip to Ireland with series activities in Co Mayo. The main event of the day will be a public address in Ballina, where President Biden’s forefathers emigrated in the middle of the nineteenth century. His links with the area and the bonds he has forged in … Read more
A cancer patient in the United States developed an “uncontrollable Irish accent” during treatment, despite never having visited Ireland and having no close relatives from the country. Researchers in the US said the development was consistent with Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS). According to a study published in the British Medical Journal, the man in his … Read more
A Portuguese dog named Bobi celebrated his 30th birthday in a tiny village in central Portugal last year. Guinness World Records has recognised him as the “oldest dog in the world.” Rafeiro do Alentejo dogs typically live 12 to 14 years, and Bobi is a purebred member of this breed. He was 30 years and … Read more
Authorities in New Zealand announced on Wednesday that they had discovered 3.2 tonnes of cocaine floating at sea that was thought to be headed for Australia and was worth more than €295 million. In a joint operation with the New Zealand Customs Service and the New Zealand Defence Force, the New Zealand Police claimed in … Read more
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Micheál Martin, has announced €2 million in emergency assistance to the people of Türkiye and Syria following the devastating earthquakes which struck the region. With over 2,600 people confirmed dead, many injured and more fatalities expected, search and rescue operations are continuing amidst wide-scale destruction, harsh … Read more
The oldest person in the world, French nun Lucile Randon, has died at the age of 118. Randon, who took the name of Sister Andre when she became a nun in 1944, died in her sleep on Tuesday at the nursing home where she lived. According to the World Supercentenarian Rankings List published by the … Read more
The New York Times has selected Kerala, a state in southern India, as one of the 52 places to visit in 2023. The only tourist destination listed from India is Kerala, which is ranked 13th on the newspaper’s annual list of places to visit. Kerala was referred to in the report as a state in … Read more
Dubai eliminated its 30% tax on alcohol sales in the sheikhdom and made the required liquor licences freely available, ending a long-standing source of income for the ruling family and ostensibly helping to increase tourism to the emirate. Beer regularly costs more than $15 for a pint, or half-litre, despite the price reduction being announced … Read more