Micheal Martin

Ireland's European parliament elections finally concluded early Friday with all 14 seats filled after a marathon five-day count — the longest in the 27-member bloc.

The governing centre-right parties Fine Gael, led by Taoiseach (prime minister) Simon Harris, and Fianna Fail led by deputy premier Micheal Martin won four seats each.

Ireland is certain to recognise Palestinian statehood by the end of May, the country's foreign minister said Wednesday, without specifying a date.

"We will be recognising the state of Palestine before the end of the month," Micheal Martin, who is also Ireland's deputy prime minister, told the Newstalk radio station.

Britain's government on Monday proposed new legislation that would unilaterally rewrite post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland, despite opposition from some U.K. lawmakers and EU officials who say the move violates international law.

Belarus has been accused of "hijacking" a civilian airliner by forcing a Ryanair passenger flight to land in the country using a fake bomb threat so that authorities could arrest a prominent critic of its authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko.

Current and former world leaders joined a chorus of condolences from around the world following the death of Prince Philip on April 9 at the age of 99.

Here are some reactions:

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed Philip's "extraordinary life", sending his condolences to Queen Elizabeth after her husband's death was announced.

Political leaders in Europe on Dec. 24 hailed the belated sealing of a U.K.-EU post-Brexit deal that aims to lay the groundwork for long-term future cooperation.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson lauded what he termed "a good deal for the whole of Europe," which offers "a new stability and a new certainty" to relations.

Parts of Europe reopened stores on Nov. 28 in time for the holiday season after progress in containing the coronavirus, but Los Angeles will halt nearly all gatherings with the pandemic surging across the United States.

Irish left-wing nationalists Sinn Fein demanded a place in Ireland's next government on Feb. 25 at a packed rally in Dublin, saying the country's two dominant centre-right parties were trying block voters' demand for change.