'January has been exceptionally wet because we've seen a very persistent Atlantic weather pattern,' explained Met Office science manager Dr Amy Doherty. 'A strong jet stream has repeatedly steered low-pressure systems towards the UK, bringing frequent spells of rain and wind. 'With little opportunity for drier conditions in between, the ground has become saturated, so even moderate rainfall has had a greater impact. 'This succession of Atlantic systems is the main reason rainfall totals this month are well above average for many areas.'
Some say we've gone too far, that we're going against the current, he said. But I would like to ask you, when did recognising rights become something radical? When did empathy become something exceptional? It comes days after the Socialist-led coalition government approved a decree that it said would regularise half a million people. The initiative, expected to come into effect in April, made headlines around the world for its rejection of the anti-migration policies and rhetoric seen across much of Europe and the US.
Anna Novicka (28) and her daughter Mia Vahera have been reported missing since Saturday, January 31. They were last seen in Swords, Co. Dublin, on Thursday, January 29 at around noon. Ms Novicka is described as being approximately five foot 10 inches in height, with a medium build, brown hair and blue eyes. When last seen, she was wearing a light brown jacket, trousers and white Puma runners.
Though they're individually tiny, parking spots quietly play a dominant role in shaping urban landscapes. Most US cities dedicate at least 25% of their developable land to them. Some, even more. That land usage doesn't only determine the way a city looks. It also means covering large swathes of urban areas in heat-absorbing asphalt, which contributes to making summers hotter and heightens the risk of flooding since it prevents drainage during storms and heavy rainfall.
I tell you now, there is an attempt by some of the longer serving chief constables to get rid of me, says Ch Insp Andy George. I can guarantee I know exactly what they think of me: that I'm a wee upstart, so I am, that doesn't know my place, he adds with a smile. The eldest son of a Protestant mother from Armagh in Northern Ireland and a father who was born in Malaysia but served in the British army,
When the gunmen came for Jimmy Graham they were thorough. They fired the first two shots as he parked his bus in the school yard, then boarded the bus and fired another 24 shots. As the killers sped away they whooped in delight. Yahoo, they screamed. Yahoo. It was 1 February 1985 and the IRA team had special reason to celebrate: it had bagged a third Graham brother. They had killed Ronnie Graham in June 1981, Cecil Graham in November 1981 and now, just over three years later, they got Jimmy. A hat-trick.
LNER has unveiled the name and interior design of a new fleet of long-distance trains, which will be the first to carry the new Great British Railways branding when it launches in a few years time. LNER says demand on its East Coast Mainline route has continued to grow since the pandemic, with more than 24 million passengers travelling in 2024-25.
For more than four years, the family of Niall O'Brien (21) have sought justice. Last Tuesday, a Trinity College Dublin law graduate was found guilty of causing the death of Niall, a University of Limerick student, after a confrontation on the island of Ios. Joseph Patrick Connolly (24), from Rostrevor, Co Down, was found guilty of fatal bodily harm when he punched Niall in the early hours of August 30, 2021.
Austria's government has agreed on a list of everyday foods that will be taxed at a lower VAT rate from July, in a move it said should reduce prices for households and slightly dampen inflation. According to ORF, the Council of Ministers approved the product range on Wednesday after intensive discussions. The reduced VAT rate of 4.9 percent, down from ten percent, is set to apply from July 1st. The government also set an upper cost limit of 400 million for the measure, ORF reported.
A Eurowings spokesperson told Business Insider that its owner, the Lufthansa Group, decided not to fly over Iranian or Iraqi airspace as a precautionary measure. They added that the refueling stop was "due to a longer flight distance and stronger headwinds on the alternative route at the time." "In the event of such refueling, we inform our passengers accordingly before departure in Dubai," they said.
I think anything that is distracting from these Games is sad, right? But we've learned over the many years ... there's always been something that has taken the lead, leading up to the Games," Coventry said. "Whether it has been Zika, COVID, there has always been something.
Investigators have said they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fire when they came too close to the ceiling at the packed Le Constellation bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana, less than two hours after midnight on Jan. 1. Authorities are looking into whether soundproofing material on the ceiling conformed with regulations and whether the candles were permitted for use in the bar. Fire safety inspections hadn't been carried out since 2019.
"The unprecedented blackmail of the president by Petr Macinka is absolutely unacceptable. This has no place in a democratic culture," the independent Million Moments for Democracy movement said on Facebook.
A teenager injured in the fire that engulfed a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana during new year celebrations has died in hospital, taking the death toll from the blaze to 41. The Wallis canton's public prosecutor, Beatrice Pilloud, said in a brief statement on Sunday: An 18-year-old Swiss national died at a hospital in Zurich on January 31.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address on Friday that both Ukraine and Russia had begun a weeklong pause in attacks on each other's energy infrastructure amid plummeting winter temperatures. In all our regions, from Friday night, there were indeed no strikes on energy facilities. Almost none. Except for the Donetsk region, where there was one strike on gas infrastructure an aerial bomb hit, he said.
Retired detective superintendent Eamon O'Neill and four serving gardaí were found not guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice Limerick businessman Steve Collins has expressed his "shock and anger" over the State's decision to prosecute the senior garda who helped convict his son's killers. Earlier this week, retired detective superintendent Eamon O'Neill and four other serving gardaí were unanimously acquitted of attempting to pervert the course of justice. It followed a nine-week trial in front of a jury at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court.
"I've never seen that much snow in my life," says Sudalenko. "As soon as you enter the prison, everyone including those in quarantine is ordered out to the courtyard to start shoveling. You are given an improvised shovel consisting of a piece of plywood nailed to a broomstick and told to shovel down to the blacktop. It's not about clearing sidewalks like in the outside world," he says. "No, not a single snowflake is allowed to be seen at the prison."
United States special envoy Steve Witkoff has said he held productive and constructive meetings with Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Florida, as President Donald Trump's administration presses to end Russia's nearly four-year war in Ukraine. We are encouraged by this meeting that Russia is working toward securing peace in Ukraine, wrote Witkoff in a post on X following Saturday's talks.
We've had a look at a fresh line of the hurdle track right out beside the chase track, Graffin said on Friday. In my opinion, this line is currently fit to race despite 22mm of rain last night. However, we do have the potential for a further 10-20mm of rain. We would like to get a bit of luck with that, but it is currently fit to race.
