Author: yreape

According to reports, Arthur Griffith was a writer who after a spell in south Africa founded and edited the Irish statesman newspaper. Reportedly, in 1905 he founded Sinn féin and was arrested in 1916 during the easter uprising. According to reports, he was minister for home affairs, then minister for foreign affairs, and was appointed chairman of the Irish delegation to negotiate the anglo Irish treaty of March 1922, of which he was a signatory.

Reportedly, the treaty which concluded the Irish war of independence created a so called free state within the British empire, except for northern Ireland, creating a rift in the Dáil and leading to the Irish civil war, consisting of pro and anti treaty factions.

According to reports, Eamon de Valera resigned after the treaty was narrowly approved in the Dàil. Reportedly, he was replaced by Arthur Griffith who died of a brain hemmorage in August 1922. According to reports, the treaty lost the support of Sinn féin, creating the need for a party to support the treaty. Cumann na nGaedheal, meaning society of Gaels became Fine gael in 1933.

According to reports, Sinn fein won the northern Ireland elections, the first nationalist party to win an election in northern Ireland since 1921. In a press conference shortly after the election the president of Sinn fein who elected Michelle O’Neill as first minister said the power sharing executive needed to be reestablished. Reportedly, sir Jeffrey Donaldson, leader of the dup said the dup would not enter into a power sharing government unless northern Ireland protocol was ditched, though checks have revealed some goods to be below standard. The people have spoken.

Election results were Sinn fein 27 seats, dup 25 seats and alliance party of northern Ireland, a centrist liberal party, 17 seats.

According to reports, northern Ireland elections were held Friday, with a turnout of 63%. Reportedly, Sinn fein are currently in the lead with the dup in second place.

According to a report, the leader of the dup has been in limbo between Westminster and Stormont. Reportedly, in May 2021 he delegated the job of first minister to Edwin Poots, who announced that he had been ordered that northern Ireland protocol should stop, and resigned after 21 days. According to reports, he was succeded by Paul Givan who resigned in February in protest about the northern Ireland protocol, effectively collapsing the executive assembly.

Reportedly, Sinn fein are in favour of the protocol.

According to a report, palestinian militant relocation to Lebanon was followed by a civil war lasting from 1975-1990. Reportedly, the plo fought the Christian dominated government along with sunni and shia factions. The large Lebanese Christian population may stem from the league of nations mandate for Lebanon and Syria, previously controlled by the Ottoman empire.

According to reports, the Lebanese government brokered a peace deal in 1976 which resulted in an arab league backed Syrian occupation. Reportedly, 270 documented plo attacks from Lebanon into Isreal resulted in an Israeli invasion and occupation of southern Lebanon where the idf worked with the Christian dominated south Lebanese army, pushing the plo north.

According to a report, a proposal to limit the plo guerilla presence in Lebanon was followed by the Taif agreement signed in Saudi Arabia in 1979, requiring the plo to disarm, but they refused.

According to reports, the attempted assasination of an israeli diplomat in London in 1982 resulted in Israel bombarding Beirut and cutting off food, water supplies and electricity, the plo were stationed in west Beirut. Reportedly, hezbolla, a shia political party and militant group became operational the same year, known to oppose Israel and be loyal to Iran.

Reportedly, tensions between sunnis and shias remained after the war. According to reports, the Lebanese armed forces have central government authority over about two thirds of the country, the Christian Muslim government ratio being 50;50 as per agreement.

Reportedly, there were protests beginning in 2006 against the saudi backed government followed by a battle between shia hezbolla and pro government sunnis resulting in hezbolla seizing west Beirut. According to a report, Israel carried out dozens of air campagns with the intention of preventing Iran from smuggling advanced weaponry to hezbolla. Reportedly, all militias except hezbolla have been disolved in Lebanon, and Palestinians were expelled. According to reports, Beirut is being rebuilt at a cost.

According to a report, Ukraine has blamed Russia for two explosions hitting radio antennas near the Ukraine border in Transnistria, a seperatist region of Moldova. Reportedly, Russia is cutting off natural gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria because of a failure to pay in rubles. According to the report, Poland are well prepared for the move after working to reduce their reliance on russian energy. Reportedly, Bulgaria get over 90% of their gas from Russia, and officials say they are working to find other sources.

According to a report, the u.s. have pressed its allies to move heaven and earth to keep Kyiv well supplied with arms as russian forces fire on eastern and southern Ukraine. Reportedly, the war has resulted in the deaths of 2,729 civilians and 2,500-3,000 ukrainian soldiers. According to a report, Ukraine say 21,900 russian soldiers including 300 officers have been killed, unconfirmed by Russia. The number of high ranking soldiers has been attributed to their presence on the battlefield and the special care taken to repatriate their bodies, but may suggest they were targeted.

According to a report, a pivotal battle for eastern Ukraine is underway. Reportedly, the uk armed forces minister said it is not inevitable that Russia will take parts of eastern Donbas. According to a report, the u.s. and nato are rushing to get artillery and heavy weaponry to that area in time to make a difference. Reportedly, the russian president has cited nato expansion and the risk that Kyiv could join the alliance as reason for the conflict which has been described by the russian foreign minister as a nato proxy war. According to reports, in recent days Ukraine has fired on logistic targets in russian territory including a fuel depot in the western city of Bryansk, about 100 kilometres from the Ukraine border.

Reportedly, Russia’s invasion has worried several countries in eastern europe who fear they could be next. According to reports, securing southern Ukraine would open the door to the Moldovian separatist region of Transnistria. Moldova is not a member of nato. Article 11 of the constitution of Moldova proclaims its permanent neutrality.

Reportedly, in recent days Ukraine has fired on russian territory, including a fuel depot in the western city of Bryansk, about 100 kilometres from the Ukraine border.

According to a report, Russia announced the existence of a humanitarian corridor for evacuating civilians from the Azovstal steel plant where an estimated 1,000 citizens are hiding with 2,000 ukrainian fighters. Reportedly, Ukraine refused to agree, saying the u.n. should be the initiator and guarantor of any such deal. According to the report, Russia who have been attacking the largest steel plant in europe from the air and with artillery and tanks. have destroyed an oil refinery and fuel depots in central Ukraine along with 56 overnight targets .

Reportedly, the u.s. secretary of state and defence secretary visited Kyiv on Sunday, saying the fact they were able to come to Ukraine’s capital was proof of its tenacity in forcing Moscow to abandon an assault on Kyiv last month. According to the report, the two pledged further assistance worth €713 million to Ukraine and other countries in the region.

Reportedly, Moscow wants to take full control over southern Ukraine. According to the report, the deputy commander of Russia’s central military district was quoted as saying that full control over southern Ukraine would give Russia access to Transnistria, described as a breakaway Moldovian state. Reportedly, this would mean pushing hundreds of miles from the front line through Mikolaiv and Odesa and would cut off Ukraine’s entire coastline, the goal being occupation of eastern and southern Ukraine.

According to the report, Ukraine’s general staff said Russia had increased attacks in the east. Reportedly, Russia said its forces had captured a large arms depot in the Kharkiv region, north of Donbas and hit dozens of targets in the Kharkiv and Donestk region.

According to a report, Russia launched dozens of airstrikes across eastern Ukraine on Monday night, followed by thousands of russian troops advancing in Donbas. Reportedly, russian attacks on cities across Ukraine show their intent to disrupt the movement of forces to the east. According to the report, Ukraine said they halted evacuation from frontline towns and cities in the east for two days.

Reportedly, Russia who gave ukrainian fighters holding out in Mariupol a new ultimatum to surrender by 2 pm Moscow time Wednesday were hitting the Avoztal steel plant, the main remaining stronghold in Mariupol with bunker buster bombs, a type of munition designed to hit targets deep underground. According to the report, Russia said they hit a logistics centre holding large batches of foreign weaponry delivered to Ukraine over the past six days. Reportedly, the u.s., Canada and the uk said they would send more artillery weaponry, and the u.s. are expected to announce a new military aid package following last weeks $800 million package.

According to a report, 170 people have been injured since Friday in clashes on the Temple Mount in the al Aqsa mosque compound. Reportedly, the clashes which coincided with the Jewish passover and the month of ramadam resulted in Jewish worshipers leaving the site on Sunday morning protected by police. According to the report, police said early on Sunday morning hundreds of Palestinian protesters inside the mosque compound started gathering piles of stones. Reportedly, police entered the mosque compound to remove protestors and establish order.

According to reports, the Temple mount is considered the holiest place in Judaism. Reportedly, the al Aqsa mosque compound which houses the dome of the rock and the Masjid al Aqsa mosque, originally built by sunni muslims during the 7th and 8th Centuries contains the original site of the holy Temple of Jerusalem, of which the western wall, an extension of the second temple built by king Herod still stands.