Us elect

For more than 30 years, Mr Martin has been married to Mary O'Shea, who he met at university. The couple have had five children together, but two have passed away. In 2010, their daughter Leana died in hospital in London at the age of seven, having battled a cardiac condition. A son, Ruairi, passed away in infancy. The Martins have a daughter, Aoibhe, and two sons, Micheal Aodh and Cillian. … [Read more...] about Micheal Martin: Ireland elects a new leader – who is he and why will he only get two years?

Mr Pence had been a key to Mr Trump's two campaigns by bringing in the religious vote. The former governor is a devout Evangelical and has huge support among the party's Christian voters, and he holds conservative views on abortion and gay rights. To many Republicans, he was also a solid and trustworthy presence in the Trump administration. … [Read more...] about What next for Mike Pence as Joe Biden takes office?

One masked Proud Boy I met at a rally in Portland, ostensibly there to support Gibson’s Senate bid, told me that anyone in their crew who expressed racist views would be stomped out – but “not literally”, the Proud Boy, who said his name was John, quickly added. But for every John, there’s a “General Graybeard” – an older man who led members of the “Freedom Crew” and “Hiwaymen”, two patriot groups from Arkansas, wearing tactical gear and bearing shields emblazoned with the Confederate battle flag. He explained that the imagery was about honouring the south’s history. “We fly it so people know it’s not racist,” the self-proclaimed general said. “It’s about heritage. It’s about the constitution.” When I asked John whether he accepted this explanation, he shrugged. “I gotta take that at face value,” he said. … [Read more...] about Trump’s useful thugs: how the Republican party offered a home to the Proud Boys

From Bush to Biden: How Angela Merkel interacts with US presidents Who's the boss now? The picture raised eyebrows around the world: Merkel and Trump at the G7 summit in Canada in June 2018. Is Merkel in control here, standing above Trump, as the true leader of the free world? Or is he the boss — the only one sitting? The image was released by the German government, captioned as a "spontaneous meeting between two working sessions." … [Read more...] about Joe Biden inauguration: ‘This is democracy’s day’

Ramifications on international business   Many of those accused of having taken part in repression in Xinjiang are already under US sanctions. Pompeo's declaration is the latest move in a series of steps the outgoing administration has taken against China and will likely not come with any immediate ramifications including penalties. … [Read more...] about Trump administration declares China’s treatment of Uighurs ‘genocide’