Northern Ireland

Unionists hopes for progress on Northern Ireland stalemate in weeks

The leader of Northern Ireland's biggest pro-British political party hopes to receive a "definitive" response from the British government on its concerns over post-Brexit trade within weeks, but it could…

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Sinn Fein sweep past unionist rivals again in N. Ireland local elections

BELFAST (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…

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UPDATED: Biden to pledge support for peace and investment in Belfast

Biden priority to help "keep the peace" in brief visit Powersharing government collapsed over a year ago President to travel south to meet distant relatives By Steve Holland and Amanda…

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Architects of Northern Ireland peace see hope beyond Brexit deadlock

By Padraic Halpin and Kate Holton Good Friday dealmakers overcame overwhelming odds in 1998 UK's Blair says peace has grown deep roots over decades Peace process must keep moving, says…

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UK PM Sunak to meet President Biden in Northern Ireland on Tuesday

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will meet Joe Biden in Northern Ireland when the U.S. president flies in to take part in events to mark the 25th anniversary of the…

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Pope hopes N.Ireland accord can be ‘consolidated’ to benefit all Ireland

VATICAN CITY, April 10 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Monday he was praying that the Good Friday agreement signed 25 years ago that largely ended violence in Northern Ireland…

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Work to be done, PM Sunak says 25 years after Northern Ireland peace deal

LONDON, April 10 (Reuters) - A quarter of century since the signing of a peace deal that largely ended violence in Northern Ireland, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said efforts…

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Northern Ireland police warn of dissident violence ahead of Biden visit

April 7 (Reuters) - The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has warned of the potential for public disorder by dissident republicans over the Easter weekend, days before a visit…

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Northern Ireland’s Orange Order says new Brexit deal needs improvement

Northern Ireland's influential Orange Order said it had voted unanimously to oppose any return of devolved government in the British province unless substantial improvements are made to a reworked post-Brexit deal…

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Britain raises domestic threat level for Northern Ireland to “severe”

Britain's MI5 intelligence agency has increased the threat level from domestic terrorism to Northern Ireland to "severe" - meaning an attack is highly likely, Britain said on Tuesday. Chris Heaton-Harris,…

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In-Depth – ‘New chapter’- A risk taken, UK’s Sunak announces the Windsor Framework

By Elizabeth Piper and Sachin Ravikumar LONDON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak struck a new deal with the European Union on post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland on…

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UPDATE UK’s Sunak to meet EU chief in push to finalise Northern Ireland deal

By William James LONDON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will meet European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen on Monday in an effort to finalise a new deal…

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UPDATED: UK, EU inching towards Northern Ireland protocol deal – Irish PM

DUBLIN, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Britain and the European Union are inching towards concluding talks on revising post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland and an agreement is possible, but by…

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UPDATED: Northern Irish police supect New IRA behind detective shooting

BELFAST, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Northern Irish police suspect that the New IRA Irish nationalist millitant group may have been responsible for the attempted murder of a senior detective who…

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Britain’s Sunak tells Northern Ireland parties’ no EU protocol deal yet

Sunak in Belfast, foreign minister going to Brussels UK PM tells N.Ireland politicians deal not done yet Apparent sides moving towards deal - N.Ireland's Long Political support crucial to ending…

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N.Ireland unionists face historic choice as EU, UK near protocol deal

EU, Britain make progress in talks on Protocol Deal unlikely to meet unionist demands If DUP accepts compromise, rivals may pounce Rejection could sink devolution, power-sharing Polls suggest most in…

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UK’s Cleverly: Work is moving fast on Northern Ireland protocol

LONDON (Reuters) -Work is moving "pretty fast" to resolve outstanding issues with the EU on the agreement which governs post-Brexit trade with Northern Ireland, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said…

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Britain delays Northern Ireland election further

LONDON/BELFAST, Nov 9 (Reuters) - The British government on Wednesday pushed back a deadline to hold a new election in Northern Ireland until at least March and said it would move to…

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Britain says no fresh election in N.Ireland this year

BELFAST, Nov 4 (Reuters) - The UK government will not call fresh elections in Northern Ireland before the end of the year and will announce how it intends to proceed…

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UK minister Coffey: N. Ireland elections will ‘definitely’ happen

LONDON, Oct 28 (Reuters) - British environment minister Therese Coffey said an election to Northern Ireland's regional assembly will "definitely" happen, following the refusal of the province's largest pro-British party…

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UK says there is still time to avoid Northern Ireland elections

LONDON, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Fresh elections to resolve a political impasse in Northern Ireland can still be avoided, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesman said on Thursday, urging political…

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Northern Ireland has more Catholics than Protestants for first time – census

BELFAST, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Northern Ireland has more Catholics than Protestants for the first time, census results showed on Thursday, a historic shift that some see as likely to…

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EU’s Sefcovic offers to reduce Northern Ireland border controls – FT

Sept 12 (Reuters) - The European Union's Brexit chief Maros Sefcovic said he could reduce physical customs checks across the Irish Sea to just a few lorries a day, the…

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First year of Northern Ireland protocol required 1 million customs declarations

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Over 10,000 firms completed one million customs declarations to move goods from Britain into Northern Ireland in 2021, the first year of operation of post-Brexit checks that…

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Irish PM Martin urges Britain to resume talks with EU over its N.Ireland law

LONDON, June 19 (Reuters) - Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said on Sunday a new British law to change part of a Brexit deal to try to ease trade with Northern Ireland…

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UPDATED: Britain seeks significant changes to protocol without scrapping it – PM’s spokesman

LONDON, May 16 (Reuters) - Britain wants to make significant changes to the enforcement of the Northern Ireland Protocol in negotiations with the European Union but Prime Minister Boris Johnson believes this…

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UPDATED: UK tells EU: Without flexibility, we will act on N. Ireland

LONDON, May 12 (Reuters) - Britain will have no choice but to take action unless the European Union shows more flexibility in talks over post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland, Foreign Secretary…

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UK rejects EU proposals to resolve N.Irish trade row

LONDON, May 11 (Reuters) - Britain said on Wednesday it would not shy away from taking action to resolve post-Brexit trade tensions in Northern Ireland as it rejected European Union proposals to…

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Northern Ireland poised for watershed election result as counting begins

BELFAST, May 6 (Reuters) - Sinn Fein sought to become the first Irish nationalist party to win the most seats in British-ruled Northern Ireland on Friday as counting began in an election…

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Sinn Fein retains wide lead days out from Northern Irish election

BELFAST (Reuters) - Sinn Fein holds a six-point lead with less than a week to go to elections in Northern Ireland, a poll showed on Friday, as they seek to…

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UK says it may have to take unilateral action on N. Ireland protocol

LONDON, April 22 (Reuters) - Britain may have to take unilateral action to address problems in Northern Ireland caused by Brexit arrangements, Northern Ireland Office minister Conor Burns told LBC radio on…

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Irish foreign minister ‘saddened and frustrated’ by attempted attack

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said he was "saddened and frustrated" by the hijacking of a van and its driver in Belfast on Friday in an apparent attempt to attack…

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Irish trade with Northern Ireland booms after Brexit

Ireland's trade with Northern Ireland grew rapidly in 2021 with imports up 65% and exports to the British-run region 54% higher, helping to offset a 13% fall in imports from…

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EU, UK plan “intensive” Northern Ireland talks in coming days

European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic and British Foreign Minister Liz Truss said on Friday their officials would continue "intensive" discussions over Northern Ireland in the coming days after their third…

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Explainer: What Northern Irish political turmoil means for Brexit deal

Northern Ireland's First Minister Paul Givan resigned on Thursday in protest at post-Brexit trade rules, a day after an attempt by one of his colleagues to halt some checks on…

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UPDATED: Halting Brexit checks ‘absolute breach’ of law, EU’s McGuinness says

DUBLIN, Feb 3 (Reuters) - An order by Northern Ireland's Agriculture Minister to halt all post-Brexit checks on agri-food goods would be "an absolute breach of international law" if carried…

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‘Bloody Sunday’ still scars Northern Ireland 50 years on

LONDONDERRY (Reuters) - Five decades after British soldiers killed 13 unarmed Catholic civil rights marchers on one of the defining days of the Northern Ireland conflict, relatives are still searching…

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EU seeks to resolve Northern Ireland impasse with UK by end of February

BRUSSELS, Jan 20 (Reuters) - The European Union is seeking to resolve the impasse with Britain over Northern Ireland's trading arrangements by the end of February, aware that campaigning then…

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Seeking N. Ireland solution, UK’s Truss hosts EU talks at her country house

LONDON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - British foreign minister Liz Truss will on Thursday seek to inject momentum into talks with the European Union to resolve post-Brexit disputes over trading rules,…

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New restrictions come into force in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

New restrictions are coming into force today in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in a bid to curb rising coronavirus cases. Further rules have not been announced in England, with…

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EU’s Sefcovic says N.Ireland Brexit talks will ‘probably’ drag into next year – Politico

Nov 23 (Reuters) - Talks between the European Union and Britain on Northern Ireland trade rules will "probably" continue into next year, the vice president of the European Commission, Maros…

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“Come to your senses”, Germany urges Britain on N.Ireland

Germany urged Britain on Tuesday to come to its senses by respecting its commitments under the Brexit divorce agreement with the European Union and resolve differences over Northern Ireland. London has repeatedly…

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UK’s Frost says post-Brexit N.Ireland deal possible by Christmas

DUBLIN, Nov 17 (Reuters) - British Brexit minister David Frost said on Wednesday that his government's preference is to strike a deal to improve post-Brexit trade arrangements for Northern Ireland…

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UK wants to find a N.Ireland trade solution, Times says

Nov 12 (Reuters) - Britain wants to de-escalate tensions with the European Union and renew efforts to find a solution over a Northern Ireland trade dispute that has threatened broader…

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Anger, tangle and trouble: Is another Brexit showdown looming?

What happens if Britain triggers emergency unilateral provisions in the Brexit divorce deal known as Article 16? WHAT IS ARTICLE 16? Article 16 is a clause in the Protocol on…

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Bus hijacked and set alight by armed and masked men in Northern Ireland

A bus has been hijacked and set alight by armed and masked men in an incident thought to be linked to loyalist opposition to Brexit’s Northern Ireland Protocol. Police said…

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UK PM: Concerns about European Court of Justice role in N. Ireland

LONDON, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Britain has concerns about the role of the European Court of Justice in Northern Ireland, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told his Polish counterpart, amid a…

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Support for N.Ireland protocol grows among voters – poll

BELFAST, Oct 28 (Reuters) - A slim majority of voters in Northern Ireland view its post-Brexit trade arrangements as being on balance a "good thing" for the British-run region, a…

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Ireland hopes for agreement on Northern Irish trade within weeks

The dispute between Britain and the European Union over Northern Irish trade could be resolved within weeks to end economic uncertainty in the province, Ireland's European Affairs minister, Thomas Byrne,…

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What’s in the EU plan for future Britain-to-Northern Ireland trade?

The European Union proposed measures on Wednesday that could halve customs paperwork required to move goods from Britain to Northern Ireland and cut checks on food imports by 80%. Northern…

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Northern Ireland’s DUP and business groups react cautiously to EU proposals

Northern Ireland's largest pro-British party said on Wednesday the European Union's proposed measures to ease the transit of goods to Northern Ireland from Britain are a "starting point" but "appear…

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Why are the EU and UK arguing over Northern Ireland?

British Brexit minister David Frost called in a speech in Lisbon on Tuesday for the European Union to allow "significant change" to post-Brexit rules governing trade with Northern Ireland. He…

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UPDATED: EU to unveil measures to ease British goods flow to N. Ireland

The European Commission will on Wednesday put to Britain a package of measures to ease the transit of goods to Northern Ireland, while stopping short of the overhaul London is…

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Britain to stress need for ‘significant change’ in Northern Ireland protocol

LONDON, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Britain will tell the European Union again next week that "significant change" to the Northern Ireland protocol is vital for the restoration of genuinely good…

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EU to finalise N. Ireland package next week, eyes year-end resolution

The European Commission will finalise next week a package of measures it believes can lead to a resolution of problems with the trading situation of Northern Ireland by the end…

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Britain again warns EU it will trigger Brexit safeguard measures

Britain warned the European Union on Monday it would trigger safeguard measures in their divorce deal if the bloc failed to agree to changes to smooth trade with Northern Ireland,…

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Ireland thinks Britain unlikely to trigger N.Ireland trade clause

DUBLIN, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Ireland does not expect Britain to trigger a clause in Northern Ireland's fraught post-Brexit trading deal to unilaterally jettison some of its terms, Foreign Minister…

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