Foreign News

Dublin riot sees clashes with police after five hurt in stabbings

Published

3 years ago

2023/11/24

Priyan

Vehicles have been set on fire and shops looted in Dublin after a knife attack that left a number of people, including three children, injured.

A five-year-old girl and a woman in her 30s were seriously hurt in the attack after 13:40 local time. It happened on Parnell Square East in the city centre, outside the children’s school Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire. A man in his 40s who was also seriously injured is a person of interest, police said. They added that they were not looking for any other people at this time and are following a definite line of inquiry.

Sources have indicated to the BBC that the man suspected of carrying out the attack is an Irish citizen, who has lived in the country for 20 years.

The head of An Garda Síochána (Irish police), Drew Harris, blamed the subsequent disorder on a “lunatic, hooligan faction driven by a far-right ideology”, who engaged in violence as police tried to maintain the crime scene.

The streets are now “mainly calm”, the Irish police have said, with no serious injuries reported as a result of the violence.

Chief Superintendent Patrick McMenamin said more than 400 officers remain on patrol after the disorder which he blamed on “gratuitous thuggery”. “Some of my colleagues were attacked and assaulted, thankfully none were seriously injured and I commend them all on their bravery to protect our community,” he added.

It is unclear how many arrests have been made, but Irish Justice Minister told Irish national broadcaster RTÉ that it was a significant number.

Fires and looting

Riot police were deployed after protesters gathered in the area near the scene of the attack. The disorder centred on several streets in the city centre near the the scene of the attack earlier, including O’Connell Street.

A number of vehicles were set on fire, including a car, a tram and a bus. A shop on O’Connell Street was looted while the windows of other stores were smashed.

Trinity College, which is nearby in the city centre, said it was in lockdown with all gates to its campus closed due to the disturbances.

Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar said extra police resources had been deployed. He added that he had been shocked by the incident and “the facts in this matter are still emerging”.

Mr Harris urged people to “act responsibly, not to listen to misinformation and rumour that is circulating on social media”. “We know what happened, but the motive for this is entirely unclear.”

Meanwhile, the head of Ireland’s National Bus and Railworkers’ Union described those who targeted bus and trams as “thugs” and “despicable people”.

‘Standalone attack’

Dermot O’Leary told RTÉ: “We have to make a decision whether to suspend all transport in and out of Dublin City. “The safety of all our members is our primary concern.”

In a press conference earlier, Supt Liam Geraghty said that the five-year-old girl is receiving emergency care in hospital, while another girl, aged six, and a five-year-old boy were less seriously hurt.

He added that although it is early in the investigation, gardaí (police) are confident that there is “no terror-related activity” and that it would appear to be a “standalone attack”.

Irish President Michael D Higgins said that his thoughts were with the children and families affected by the incident. “This appalling incident is a matter for the gardaí and that it would be used or abused by groups with an agenda that attacks the principle of social inclusion is reprehensible and deserves condemnation by all those who believe in the rule of law and democracy,” he added.

The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) said: “Our hearts are with the entire school community of Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire following the horrendous incident that has taken place today.

(BBC)

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Foreign News

Head teacher evacuated 900 children minutes before school washed away by Nepal floods

Published

2 days ago

2026/08/30

Priyan

A head teacher’s quick decision to evacuate his school saved 900 pupils from deadly flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border

Rajendra Dawadi tells the BBC he was tipped off about incoming flood waters and moved students to higher ground with just minutes to spare. One pupil says she and her friends survived by just 10 seconds and watched as a nearby bazaar was swept away

Wednesday’s disaster has killed at least 794 people and more than 2,500 people are missing in Nepal, local officials say

In Tibet, the official death toll is 16, with 546 reported to be missing, according to Chinese state media –

[BBC]

Foreign News

Ferry carrying 260 people capsizes off northern Cyprus coast

Published

2 days ago

2026/08/30

Priyan

A ferry carrying around 260 people has capsized off the coast of northern Cyprus with a search underway for survivors, according to local media.

The catamaran-style boat was travelling from the port of Kyrenia, also known as Girne, and started sinking a few kilometres off the coast of the island state on Sunday.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

[Aljazeera]

Foreign News

Ex-White House teleprompter operator ordered to pay $172,000 for Trump speech bets

Published

4 days ago

2026/08/29

Priyan

The staffer was found to have made tens of thousands of dollars through betting on what the president would say in his speeches (BBC)

A former White House teleprompter operator has been ordered to pay more than $172,000 (£127,000) for using inside information to bet on US President Donald Trump’s speeches.

Gabriel Perez was found to have made trades on what the president would say during addresses between December 2025 and February 2026 on Kalshi – a prediction markets platform where users can bet on real-world events.

Its regulator, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), said Perez would have to surrender profits of $107,539.02 (£79,452) and pay a civil penalty of $65,000 (£48,000).

The White House has not yet commented. In July then press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Perez was on unpaid leave and would not return to his post.

Announcing the settlement on Friday, the CFTC said Perez had “misappropriated” his prior knowledge of Trump’s speeches to place bets “in breach of his duty of trust and confidence”.

It said his civil penalty had been reduced due to his “exemplary co-operation” with the investigation.

Perez has also been banned from trading for three years.

Writing on X, Kalshi’s lead lawyer Bobby DeNault welcomed the decision: “It doesn’t matter who you are: violate our rules or federal law and you will face the consequences.”

(BBC)