Leo Varadkar

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Ireland Elects Youngest PM Ever
Ireland Elects Youngest PM Ever
Apr 9, 2024 11:09 AM CDT

Ireland Elects Youngest PM Ever

Simon Harris is just a wee lad of 37

(Newser) - Lawmaker Simon Harris was elected Ireland's prime minister by a vote in parliament Tuesday, becoming at 37 the country's youngest-ever leader. As the AP reports, Harris takes over as head of Ireland's three-party coalition government from Leo Varadkar, who announced his surprise resignation last month. Harris, who...

Groundbreaking Irish PM Abruptly Quits

Leo Varadkar was country's first openly gay and biracial taoiseach, as well as the youngest

(Newser) - Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who made history as his country's first gay and first biracial leader, announced Wednesday that he'll step down within weeks once a successor is chosen. Varadkar said he's quitting immediately as head of the center-right Fine Gael party, part of Ireland's...

Israel Summons Irish Envoy Over 'Lost Child' Tweet

Emily Hand, 9, was kidnapped by Hamas and released Saturday

(Newser) - Israel's Foreign Ministry said Sunday that it would summon the Irish ambassador over a tweet celebrating the release of a 9-year-old girl from Hamas captivity, alleging the post didn't adequately condemn the militant group. Earlier in the day, the Irish prime minister lauded the release of Emily Hand,...

Irish PM Has Part-Time Job to Help Out With the Virus

Leo Varadkar re-registered as a doctor so he can assist one day a week during pandemic

(Newser) - Before his career in politics, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar was a medical doctor. Now, the coronavirus outbreak has spurred a return to his roots. The Irish Times reports that in March, the 41-year-old taoiseach registered once again to practice medicine, after a seven-year hiatus, when his country's health...

Irish Politics in Turmoil After Sinn Fein Surges

Two-party system is over, SF leader says

(Newser) - Ireland faced political turmoil Sunday as an exit poll from the weekend’s parliamentary election suggested that Sinn Fein, a left-wing party committed to reunification of the island, finished in a virtual dead heat with the two parties that have governed since the country won independence almost a century ago....

Trump Shocks Irish With Border Wall Remarks

His sons got a 'hero's welcome' in small village

(Newser) - President Trump paid his first visit to Ireland as president Wednesday—and he did not endear himself to his hosts with a remark about a border wall. Trump, who met Leo Varadkar, Ireland's prime minister, in the VIP lounge at Shannon Airport, told the leader that he thought Brexit...

Lawyer Refers to Teen's Lacy Thong in Her Rape Trial

'You have to look at the way she was dressed,' lawyer said of 17-year-old

(Newser) - A female lawmaker stood in Irish parliament Tuesday and pulled a pair of lacy thong underwear from her sleeve . This "might seem embarrassing," MP Ruth Coppinger began. But "how do you think a rape victim or a woman feels at … her underwear being shown in a...

Irish PM: 126 Children Were 'Robbed of Their Identity'

Leo Varadkar apologizes for 'dark chapter' in his country's history

(Newser) - Prime Minister Leo Varadkar issued an official apology Wednesday on behalf of his country for "another dark chapter" in Ireland's history. The New York Times reports at least 126 children adopted there between 1946 and 1969 were told their adoptive parents were their birth parents, complete with altered...

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