Australia Progresses AUKUS Review as U.S. Affirms Strong Support 
Trump Administration Tightens H-1B Visa Vetting With New Focus on Free Speech and Censorship 
Cuba Reaffirms Anti-Drug Cooperation as Tensions Rise in the Caribbean 
Pentagon Probe Finds Hegseth’s Use of Signal Risked Exposing Sensitive Yemen Strike Details 
Michael Dell Pledges $6.25 Billion to Boost Children’s Investment Accounts Under Trump Initiative 
UN Chief Says Gaza Operation “Fundamentally Wrong” as Concerns Over War Crimes Grow 
UN General Assembly Demands Russia Return Ukrainian Children Amid Ongoing Conflict 
China Urged to Prioritize Economy Over Territorial Ambitions, Says Taiwan’s President Lai 
Maduro Confirms “Respectful” Call With Trump, Signals Openness to Diplomatic Dialogue 
U.S. Justice Department Orders Intensified Probe Into Antifa and Domestic Extremist Groups 
Honduras Election Turmoil Deepens as Nasralla Alleges Fraud in Tight Presidential Race 
U.S. Expected to Expand Travel Ban to More Than 30 Countries 
U.S.-Russia Talks Leave Ukraine Peace Efforts Uncertain 
Drones Spotted Near Zelenskiy’s Flight Path in Ireland Trigger Security Alert 
IMF Deputy Dan Katz Visits China as Key Economic Review Nears 
Taiwan Signals Openness to Renew Ties with Honduras as Election Unfolds 
U.S. Defense Chief Pete Hegseth Defends Controversial Second Strike on Suspected Drug-Smuggling Vessel 
Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheal Martin weighed in on the United Kingdom’s move to scrap out the Northern Ireland protocol. Martin said the breach made by the UK was “very serious.”
Martin responded to the United Kingdom’s plan to scrap out the Northern Ireland protocol which was established when the UK left the European Union regarding trade with Northern Ireland. The Irish leader said the unilateral breach of the protocol would be “very serious.”
“Unilateral breach of the protocol is very serious – an international deal ratified by British Parliament and approved by the PM,” Martin tweeted. “It goes to the heart of the issue of trust.”
The UK published its plans Monday to override some of the post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland. The plan would scrap checks and challenge the role of European Union courts even as Ireland criticized the move as a “new low” with Brussels saying that this was a breach of trust.
The move by the UK was described by Prime Minister Boris Johnson were “relatively trivial” measures to improve trade while reducing bureaucracy. The European Commission Vice President Marcos Sefcovic said the EU’s response would be appropriate, but ruled out re-negotiating the trade protocol.
This follows the UK’s claim that the EU of taking a heavy-handed approach to the movement of goods between Britain and Northern Ireland, the checks needed to keep an open border with the EU-member country.
“I’m very willing to negotiate with the EU, but they do have to be willing to change the terms of the agreement which are causing these very severe problems in Northern Ireland,” said UK foreign secretary Liz Truss. “We’re completely serious about this legislation.”
Johnson defended the Northern Ireland law Monday, explaining that the UK only wanted to fix the issues surrounding post-Brexit trade to disapply parts of the agreement with the EU.
“It is relatively simple to do it, it’s a bureaucratic change that needs to be made. Frankly, it’s a relatively trivial set of adjustments,” said Johnson on LBC Radio, calling out the critics of the legislation who say it will violate international law. “All we are trying to do is have some bureaucratic simplifications between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.”
