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☆ The prospect of a united Ireland emerges as a republican leader takes office in Belfast
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - FEBRUARY 3: First Minister Michelle O'Neill speaks during proceedings of the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont on February 3, 2024 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. LONDON — A referendum on Irish reunification could be in the cards within a decade, according to Northern Ireland's first-ever nationalist first minister, who took office at the weekend. Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill was appointed as first minister on Saturday, the first Irish nationalist to hold the office since Northern Ireland was founded as a Protestant-majority state in 1921. The island to the west of England is divided in two; Northern Ireland is part of the U.K., whereas its neighbor, the Republic of Ireland, is an independent nation and a member of the European Union. The deal that secured their return includes a contribution of more than £3 billion ($3.8 billion) from the British government for Northern Ireland's public services.

Persons: Michelle O'Neill, Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill, Democratic Unionist Party's Emma Little, Pengelly, Sinn Fein Organizations: Northern Ireland Assembly, Stormont, Northern Ireland's, Irish, Democratic Unionist, DUP, European Union, Northern Locations: BELFAST, IRELAND, Belfast , Northern Ireland, Northern, Northern Ireland, England, Republic of Ireland, Republic

LONDON (AP) — Sinn Fein Vice President Michelle O'Neill is poised to make history Saturday by becoming the first Irish nationalist leader of Northern Ireland as the government returned to work after a two-year boycott by unionists. Northern Ireland was established as a unionist, Protestant-majority part of the U.K. in 1921, following independence for the Republic of Ireland. The return to government came exactly two years after a DUP boycott over a dispute about trade restrictions for goods coming into Northern Ireland from Great Britain. Northern Ireland’s 1.9 million people were left without a functioning administration as the cost of living soared and public services were strained. The new changes included legislation “affirming Northern Ireland’s constitutional status” as part of the U.K. and gives local politicians “democratic oversight” of any future EU laws that might apply to Northern Ireland.

Persons: Sinn, Michelle O'Neill, O'Neill, Brexit, ” O’Neill, Sinn Fein Organizations: Irish, Republic of Ireland, Democratic Unionist Party, DUP, Northern Ireland Assembly, Stormont Assembly, Irish Republican Army, Windsor Locations: Northern Ireland, Northern, Ireland, Republic of, Government, Stormont, Great Britain . Northern, Belfast

☆ Northern Ireland appoints Irish nationalist as First Minister in historic shift
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - FEBRUARY 3: Michelle O'Neill makes her way to the Assembly chamber before being nominated as First Minister at Stormont on February 3, 2024 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill becomes the new Northern Ireland First Minister. This appointment marks the first time a nationalist has held the post of First Minister. Britain's minister for the region, Chris Heaton-Harris, said the restoration of government represented a "great day for Northern Ireland". As the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), Sinn Fein was long shunned by the political establishment on both sides of the border.

Persons: Michelle O'Neill, Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill, Charles McQuillan, Michelle O'Neill's, Sinn Fein's, O'Neill, Chris Heaton, Harris, Sinn Fein, Emma Little Organizations: Stormont, Northern Ireland First, DUP, Sinn Fein, Democratic Unionist Party, Irish Republican Army, IRA Locations: BELFAST, IRELAND, Belfast , Northern Ireland, British, Ireland, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, Irish Republic

LONDON (AP) — The U.K. government on Wednesday published the details of a deal that has broken Northern Ireland’s political deadlock and should — barring a major upset — restore the regional government in Belfast after almost two years on ice. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesThat angered Northern Ireland’s British unionists, who said the east-west customs border undermined Northern Ireland’s place in the U.K. In February 2022, the Democratic Unionist Party walked out of Northern Ireland’s government in protest. The new changes go farther, eliminating routine checks and paperwork for goods entering Northern Ireland and making legal tweaks designed to reassure unionists that Northern Ireland’s position in the U.K. is secure. The Northern Ireland Assembly then can meet to elect a speaker, followed by the nomination of a first minister and a deputy first minister.

Persons: Michelle O’Neill, Sinn Fein Organizations: European Union, EU, Northern Ireland, U.K, Democratic Unionist Party, DUP, Northern Ireland’s, Windsor Framework, Northern, Northern Ireland Assembly, Sinn, Irish Republican Army Locations: Belfast, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Northern, Northern Ireland’s, Ireland

☆ Britain's Keir Starmer plots painstaking path to power
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Elizabeth Piper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

[1/2] British Labour Party leader Keir Starmer speaks during Prime Minister's Questions, at the House of Commons in London, Britain, May 24, 2023. Hours later, those from the opposition Labour party were summoned by senior members in charge of discipline and ordered to delete the posts and apologise. Welcome to Keir Starmer's Labour Party. "Thanks to Keir Starmer's leadership, voters see a changed Labour Party that is ready to change the country with a mission-driven government," a Labour spokesperson said when asked to comment for this story. 'CORBYN WITHOUT THE MADNESS'Named after the founder of the Labour Party, Keir Hardie, Starmer was brought up in a staunchly left-wing household.

Persons: Keir Starmer, Jessica Taylor, Handout, Gene Simmons, Simmons, Islam, Keir Starmer's, Jeremy Corbyn, we've, Starmer, Tony Blair, Rishi Sunak, Keir Hardie, Charlie Falconer, Claire Ainsley, Olaf Scholz, Australia's Anthony Albanese, Ainsley, Falconer, COVID, Keir, Mark Stephens, Blair, Starmer's, Andrew Cooper, David Cameron, Cooper, David Clarke Organizations: British Labour Party, REUTERS, Labour, Reuters, Keir Starmer's Labour Party, Conservatives, Conservative, Labour Party, Policy Institute, Labor Party, Public Prosecutions, Critics, Board, Police Service, Northern, Human, OF, DPP, of Human, Reigate Grammar, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Australia, Germany, U.S, Caribbean, Uganda, Reigate

☆ Fleetwood secures Ryder Cup for Europe after brave U.S. fightback
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

But I am so proud of my 12 guys," said Europe skipper Luke Donald, whose team seized control of the 44th Ryder Cup on Friday with a 4-0 sweep of the morning foursomes. The 32-year-old Fleetwood, who picked up three points from his four matches, had not expected to be centre of attention. Northern Ireland's McIlroy, playing his seventh Ryder Cup, beat dogged rookie Sam Burns 3&1. McIlroy, Europe's talisman, ended up with four points to take his career Ryder Cup tally to 18, and said it made up for the pain of Whistling Straits. But Fowler drove his tee shot into water at the par-four 16th and when Fleetwood found the green, Europe could breathe easy.

Persons: Ryder, Marco Simone Golf, Luke Donald, Phil Noble, Fleetwood, Hovland, McIlroy, Hatton, MacIntyre, Homer, Koepka, Thomas, Schauffele, Tommy Fleetwood, Marco Simone, Rickie Fowler, Zach Johnson, I'm, Donald, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Spain's, Rahm, Scottie Scheffler slugged, Scheffler, Brooks Koepka, Northern Ireland's McIlroy, Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay's caddie, Justin Rose, Englishman Tyrrell Hatton, Brian Harman, Swede Ludvig Aberg, Max Homa, Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele, Nicolai Hojgaard, Fowler, Martyn Herman, Clare Fallon, Ed Osmond Organizations: Country Club, Ryder, REUTERS, European Ryder, U.S, mojo, Briton, 44th Ryder, Northern, British, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, ROME, Europe, American, Whistling Straits, U.S, Bethpage

☆ Northern Irish police accidentally share names of all officers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Police officers stand outside the Grand Central Hotel, where U.S. President Joe Biden is staying, as he visits Northern Ireland, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, April 12, 2023. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne/File PhotoBELFAST, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Northern Ireland's police force accidentally shared the names and work locations of every member of staff on Tuesday in a data breach it said would be of "significant concern" to officers who are often targeted by militant groups. The information was publicly available on the requestor's website for around two-and-a-half hours before being removed, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said. However, officers' data is especially sensitive in Northern Ireland as many "go to great lengths and do everything possible to protect their police identity and role," the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, the representative body for officers, said in a statement. While a 1998 peace deal largely ended three decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland, police officers are still sporadically targeted by dissident groups in bomb and gun attacks.

Persons: Joe Biden, Clodagh, Chris Todd, Todd, Amanda Ferguson, Padraic Halpin, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Grand Central Hotel, REUTERS, Police Service of Northern, Police Federation, Northern, Thomson Locations: Northern Ireland, Belfast , Northern Ireland, Northern, Police Service of Northern Ireland, Belfast

☆ Brian Harman powers to 2023 Open Championship victory, clinching first career major
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

CNN —Brian Harman won the 151st Open Championship on Sunday, sealing the first major of his career in dominant fashion. When Faldo birdied at the subsequent hole, Hoch's hopes of a first major win similarly went up in the air. David Cannon/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images Lorena Ochoa, US Women's Open (2005) Ochoa secured a top-four finish at the 2005 US Women's Open. Not when you led at the final hole. A par at the final hole would have been enough to put the American into the playoff, but an agonizing missed putt [pictured] epitomized her painful afternoon in San Francisco.

Persons: Brian Harman, Australia’s Jason Day, Austria’s Sepp Straka, Tom Kim, Jon Rahm, Harman, “ I’m, ” Harman, Osullivan, Brooks Koepka, Wyndham Clark, Rahm, Kim, Rory’s, Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo, ” McIlroy, “, ”, Luke Walker, Greg Norman, France’s Jean van de Velde, –, McIlroy, Andrew Redington, Sam Snead, Snead, Lew Worsham, Louis, Arnold Palmer, Palmer, Billy Casper, Casper, Ed Sneed, Sneed, Fuzzy Zoeller, Tom Watson, Watson, Scott Hoch, Hoch, Nick Faldo, skyward, Faldo birdied, Hoch's, Mark Calcavecchia, Calcavecchia, Colin Montgomerie, Germany's Bernhard Langer, Norman, Faldo, David Cannon, Jean Van De Velde, Van De, Van De Velde, Frenchman, Barry Burn, Paul Lawrie, Lorena Ochoa, Ochoa, Birdie Kim, Harry, Phil Mickelson, Mickelson, Lefty, Geoff Ogilvy, Ezra Shaw, Stewart Cink, Warren Little, Dustin Johnson, Johnson, Graeme McDowell, Donald Miralle, Jason Dufner, Dufner, Keegan Bradley, Bradley, Adam Scott, Ernie Els, Scott, Jordan, Buddy, Jordan Spieth, Danny Willett, Spieth, Jim Watson, Lexi Thompson, Yuka Saso, Thompson, Sean M, Mito Pereira, Pereira, Justin Thomas, Will Zalatoris, Christian Petersen, Van de Velde, Stuart Franklin, Ghostbuster Harman, Tommy Fleetwood, Read, Brian Harman shrugs, unflappable Organizations: CNN, 151st, PGA, Reuters, Northern, Royal Liverpool, PGA Championship, North, Louis Post, Bettmann, Augusta, Augusta National, Getty, Ryder, American, Scottish, Team Europe, . Augusta National, Barry Burn . Pictures, South Korean, Chevron, Royal Lytham, Nasa, Mito, Southern Hills Country Club, eventual Locations: Royal Liverpool, South, Georgia, Carnoustie, Augusta, North America, San Francisco, Kiawah, Europe, Jean Van De Velde , British, Scotland, Mexican, British, Turnberry, Atlanta, American, New York, St, Annes, squander, Tulsa, Liverpool, Harman’s

☆ McIlroy salvages opening round after struggle, still in the mix
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"When you hit it into these bunkers you're sort of riding your luck at that point. McIlroy came close to winning last year's Open when he led into the final day only to be reeled in by Cameron Smith. He was second at the U.S. Open in June but his win at the Scottish Open underlined his favourites' tag. Two over through 12, I think walking to the 13th tee I probably would have taken even par to finish the day. "Just go out there in the morning, shoot something in the 60s, and I'll hopefully be right in the mix."

Persons: Rory McIlroy, Paul Childs HOYLAKE, " McIlroy, I'm, McIlroy, Cameron Smith, I've, Martyn Herman, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: 151st, Royal, REUTERS, Royal Liverpool, US PGA, U.S, Thomson Locations: Royal Liverpool, Hoylake, Britain, Northern, Royal

☆ Northern Ireland's DUP head says could back new post-Brexit trade proposal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The DUP has not returned to Northern Ireland's devolved executive since February 2022, rejecting the first post-Brexit deal with the EU and then the second, so-called Windsor Framework, which is due to be introduced later this year. "We are very clear that the Windsor Framework does not meet our seven tests. The DUP has criticised the government's post-Brexit deals for the province since former Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed the so-called Northern Ireland protocol in order to secure a Brexit divorce and wider trade deal with Brussels. The government has said the Windsor Framework solves most of the post-Brexit trade problems and that it has no plans to renegotiate it. Instead it is trying to offer the DUP legal guarantees to protect post-Brexit trade with the province.

Persons: Jeffrey Donaldson, Rishi Sunak, Donaldson, We've, I've, Boris Johnson, Elizabeth Piper, Christina Fincher Organizations: Northern Ireland's, Democratic Unionist, DUP, European Union, EU, Windsor, Centre, Ireland, Windsor Framework, Thomson Locations: Northern, Britain, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, Windsor, London, Brussels, Ireland

☆ UK minister says talks to restore Northern Ireland government moving slowly
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 20 (Reuters) - Britain's Northern Ireland minister said on Tuesday talks to restore the province's devolved government were moving slowly because there was a lack of clarity on the right legislative approach to end the impasse. Northern Ireland's devolved executive collapsed in February last year when the Democratic Unionist Party pulled out in protest at Britain's post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union. They then also rejected a revised deal, the Windsor Framework, reached last February. The British government is in talks with the DUP on restoring the power-sharing system but Northern Ireland minister Chris Heaton-Harris declined to be drawn on the details of how those talks were going. Speaking separately in Dublin, U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland Joe Kennedy said that while there is real interest from U.S. companies to invest in Northern Ireland, they want to see how that Windsor Framework is implemented.

Persons: Chris Heaton, Harris, Northern Ireland Joe Kennedy, Kennedy, Alistair Smout, Padraic Halpin, Jonathan Oatis, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Northern, Democratic Unionist Party, European Union, DUP, Heaton, Good, Northern Ireland, Windsor, Thomson Locations: Northern Ireland, Northern, Windsor, London . London, United Kingdom, Dublin, U.S, British, Ireland, Stormont, London

☆ McIlroy grouped with Koepka as PGA-LIV battle set to continue at US Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The tournament will be the first major to be played since the bombshell announcement of a partnership between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the Saudi-backed LIV circuit. Koepka became the first active member of LIV Golf to win a major when he triumphed by two shots at the PGA Championship three weeks ago. Defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick will go head-to-head with reigning British Open winner Cameron Smith - another LIV recruit - and American Sam Bennett. World number one Scottie Scheffler headlines the morning action when he starts his bid alongside two-times major champion Collin Morikawa and home favourite Max Homa. Masters champion Jon Rahm, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, will also be out early and has been grouped with Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele, ranked fifth and sixth in the world, respectively.

Persons: Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Jonathan Ernst, LIV Golf, McIlroy, Koepka, Hideki Matsuyama, LIV, Matt Fitzpatrick, Cameron Smith, Sam Bennett, Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, Max Homa, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele, Hritika Sharma, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Golf, PGA, 123rd U.S ., Los Angeles Country Club, Thomson Locations: Augusta , Georgia, U.S, Northern, Saudi, Hyderabad

☆ Taylor and Conners to try and make it Canada Day at national championship
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Jun 10, 2023; Toronto, ON, CAN; Nick Taylor hits his tee shot at the 17th hole during the third round of the RBC Canadian Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY SportsTORONTO, June 10 (Reuters) - Perhaps no sporting event in Canada goes out of its way to tug at the heritage heartstrings more than the Canadian Open. But entering Sunday's final round there is plenty of Canadian content on the leaderboard with Nick Taylor and Corey Conners in position to make history. Six will start Sunday's final round two off the pace including Taylor, who rocketed into contention with a course record nine-under 63. "I would love to win the Canadian Open for the third time.

Persons: Nick Taylor, Dan Hamilton, Caesar, Bloody Mary, Pat Fletcher, Corey Conners, Taiwan's, Pan, Rory McIlroy, Taylor, Northern Ireland's McIlroy, LIV, McIlroy, I've, Steve Keating, Andrea Ricci Organizations: RBC Canadian, Sports TORONTO, Canadian, Oakdale Country, PGA, Thomson Locations: Toronto, Canada, Muskoka, Australia, Zimbabwe, Canadian, Saudi

☆ Sinn Fein sweep past unionist rivals again in Northern Ireland local elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Amanda Ferguson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BELFAST, May 20 (Reuters) - Irish nationalists Sinn Fein followed up last year's historic Northern Ireland Assembly victory by overtaking their unionist rivals by a wide margin in council elections on Saturday to become the biggest party at local level for the first time. It is the latest political milestone for the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) who want to leave the United Kingdom and form a united Ireland. The left-wing party also comfortably leads opinion polls in the Republic of Ireland ahead of national elections due in 2025. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), until last year the biggest party at local and regional level, had 118. The poll also marked the first time a Black person was elected to office in Northern Ireland, with Maasai woman Lilian Seenoi-Bar winning a seat for the nationalist SDLP.

☆ Rahm, Smith and Fitzpatrick form PGA Championship major attraction
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] May 15, 2023; Rochester, New York, USA; Jon Rahm tees off on the 8th hole during a practice round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Oak Hill Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-USA... Read moreROCHESTER, New York, May 16 (Reuters) - Spaniard Jon Rahm, Australian Cameron Smith and Briton Matt Fitzpatrick were put together on Tuesday in a star-studded group of major champions for the first two rounds of the PGA Championship. Another power threesome of PGA Championship winners heads out at 8:11 AM ET (1211 GMT) with reigning champion Justin Thomas opening the defence of his crown in the company of Northern Ireland's four-time major winner Rory McIlroy and double major winner Collin Morikawa. World number two Scottie Scheffler will partner twice PGA Championship winner and LIV Golf hope Brooks Koepka and 2019 U.S. Open winner Gary Woodland. Also carrying the LIV flag will be Phil Mickelson, the six-time major winner, partnered with world number four Patrick Cantlay and Rickie Fowler who will go out in the afternoon wave.

☆ British, Irish PMs open to Good Friday Agreement reforms when time right
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Amanda Ferguson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Clodagh KilcoyneBELFAST, April 19 (Reuters) - The Irish and British prime ministers said on Wednesday that they were open to considering reforming Northern Ireland's Good Friday peace accord, but that any debate could only happen when the powersharing government underpinning it was restored. That, coupled with the rise of the Alliance party, which identifies as neither nationalist or unionist, has sparked calls for an overhaul of a political architecture that the largest unionist party, the DUP, has boycotted for more than a year. "I think it's the shared view of the British and Irish government that there is a conversation that needs to happen about reforming the Good Friday Agreement. No agreement should be set in stone forever," Varadkar told reporters after an event to mark 25 years of the peace accord. "I urge you to work with us to get Stormont (Northern Ireland's assembly) up and running again," Sunak told unionist politicians.

☆ Northern Ireland recognises women who helped bring peace
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Amanda Ferguson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"There wouldn't be a Good Friday agreement to celebrate today if it were not for the women of Northern Ireland," Clinton said, to applause from the audience. The peace accord largely ended 30 years of violence between mainly Catholic nationalist opponents and mainly Protestant unionist supporters of British rule. Other recipients included Ireland's first female president, Mary Robinson, Northern Ireland's first female first minister, Arlene Foster and Lyra McKee, a journalist who was killed in 2019 during an outbreak of the sporadic violence that still exists. "I was amazed that my name was among such an illustrious group of women," Avila Killmurray, a co-founder of the Women's Coalition, said at the ceremony. "However it's really nice because I worked mainly with women in local communities and I think very often their contribution over the years doesn't go recognised enough."

☆ McIlroy takes $3 mln hit for skipping second designated event
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

That total represents 25% of the $12 million bonus he was awarded for finishing second behind Tiger Woods on last year's PIP list which rewards the golfers who have the biggest positive impact on the PGA Tour. Golfers can skip one designated event and still collect their full bonus but McIlroy has now missed two of them, which the PGA Tour created to get the top players competing against each other more often amid a threat posed by LIV Golf. To miss a second designated event without penalty, players need an excused absence, like an injury, or risk losing part of their PIP payout from the previous year. World number three McIlroy announced his decision to withdraw from the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head Island in South Carolina on the heels of his missed cut at the Masters, which was his sixth PGA Tour start in nine weeks. Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto Editing by Christian RadnedgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden meets Sunak on N.Ireland peace trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsBiden meets Sunak on N.Ireland peace tripPostedU.S. President Joe Biden met British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Belfast on Wednesday on a visit to mark the 25th anniversary of Northern Ireland's 1998 peace deal, and highlight Biden's "strong desire" to increase U.S. investment there.

Ambassador to the United Kingdom Jane Hartley greet U.S. President Joe Biden next to Joe Kennedy upon Biden's arrival at RAF Aldergrove airbase in County Antrim, Northern Ireland April 11, 2023. Ahern said he knew from experience that "knocking heads together" did not usually work in Northern Ireland and that Biden should point out the obvious case that, in any democracy, institutions of parliament were essential. Biden will travel later on Wednesday to County Louth - midway between Belfast and Dublin - where his great-grandfather was born. Biden will meet relatives from another side of his family in the western county of Mayo on Friday. Writing by Padraic Halpin; Additional reporting by Conor Humphries; Editing by Peter Graff and Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden heads to Northern Ireland at delicate political juncture
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Conor Humphries | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BELFAST, April 11 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden arrives in Belfast on Tuesday at a delicate political time in Northern Ireland as he helps mark the 25-year anniversary of a peace deal that largely ended 30 years of bloodshed there. Biden was expected to meet representatives from five Northern Irish parties in advance of his speech at Ulster University but was not planning to pressure them, a senior administration official said. Biden, who will float the possibility of closer investment ties between the U.S. and Northern Ireland to try to encourage an end to the impasse, clashed with the British government at times during the Brexit talks, drawing a rebuke from the DUP. Britain's MI5 intelligence agency recently increased the threat level in Northern Ireland from domestic terrorism to "severe" - meaning an attack is highly likely. "Since (Jonh F.) Kennedy there hasn't been as Irish American a president as Joe Biden and we're really looking forward to welcoming him home," Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Sunday.

☆ McIlroy withdraws from RBC Heritage after missing Masters cut
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Golf - The Masters - Augusta National Golf Club - Augusta, Georgia, U.S. - April 6, 2023 Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy hits his tee shot on the 4th hole during the first round REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstApril 10 (Reuters) - Rory McIlroy has withdrawn from this week's RBC Heritage at Harbour Town, the PGA Tour said on Monday, after the world number three failed to make the cut at the Masters last week. McIlroy bid for a career Grand Slam ended when he shot a disappointing second-round 77 after being a favorite to win his first Green Jacket at Augusta National heading into the major. McIlroy will not be replaced by an alternate, with the field reduced to 143 players for the tournament on Hilton Head Island, where Jordan Spieth is the defending champion. The 33-year-old McIlroy, who captured the last of his four majors in 2014, had been hoping to win the Masters so that he could join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tiger Woods as the only players to achieve the career Grand Slam. Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles, editing by Pritha SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Irish PM seeks to restore Northern Ireland power-sharing within months
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBLIN, April 9 (Reuters) - Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar pledged on Sunday to intensify efforts with his British counterpart Rishi Sunak to restore power-sharing government in Northern Ireland and hopes to break the deadlock there in the next few months. London has said it will not renegotiate any part of its the new agreement. The latest suspension of the assembly is casting a shadow over Monday's 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. U.S. President Joe Biden will visit Northern Ireland on Tuesday to mark the peace accord that ended three decades of bloodshed. Power-sharing has collapsed a number of times for different reasons since its introduction as part of the peace deal, each time being restored after long political talks.

☆ McIlroy's career Grand Slam bid officially ends with missed cut
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

One of the pre-tournament favourites, McIlroy's disappointment dragged on into Saturday as 39 players returned to complete their weather hit rounds where the cut line was set at three over. Major winners Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia and Bubba Watson along with Jason Kokrak all missed the cut. Tiger Woods made the cut but by the skin of his teeth when good friend Justin Thomas bogeyed the 17th moving the cut line to three over. "I've always loved this golf course, and I love playing this event," said Woods at the end of his round before the cut line had been set. Couples also became the oldest player in Masters history to make the cut when the 63-year-old returned a second round two-over 74 for a one-over total.

☆ UK PM Sunak to meet President Biden in Northern Ireland
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Phil Nobel/PoolLONDON, April 9 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will meet Joe Biden in Northern Ireland next week when the U.S. president flies in to take part in events to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday peace accord. Sunak will greet Biden on Tuesday evening when Air Force One lands for what will be a closely watched visit to both sides of the Irish border at a time of heightened political uncertainty in Northern Ireland. The Good Friday Agreement - signed on April 10, 1998 - largely ended three decades of sectarian bloodshed that had convulsed Northern Ireland since the late 1960s. However the anniversary has been overshadowed by a year-long boycott by Northern Ireland's largest pro-British unionist party of the power-sharing devolved government central to the peace deal. Although that deal has so far failed to restore the devolved government in Northern Ireland, Sunak will seek to bolster his support for the province by announcing a summit later in the year to stimulate international investment.

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