Wednesday’s Top Stories: The Irish soldiers who trained a rogue general’s army in Libya; Biden official claims Ireland changed alcohol labelling after US pressure

The Irish soldiers who trained a rogue general’s army in Libya

Former members of the Defence Forces have been providing military training for the forces of Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar in an apparent breach of a United Nations arms embargo, an Irish Times investigation has found.

From early 2023, Irish Training Solutions, run by former members of the elite Army Rangers Wing and Defence Forces, recruited departing and former Irish soldiers and flew them to Haftar-controlled Benghazi, where they worked as trainers alongside military veterans from other countries.

There they worked as contractors training the 166 Infantry Brigade of Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army, rivals to Libya’s UN-recognised government in Tripoli, according to travel records and other documents, photos and footage, and the accounts of multiple people familiar with the situation who spoke to The Irish Times.

Top News Stories

• Fine Gael junior ministers vie for promotion as Coveney’s departure frees up second place at Cabinet: Several Fine Gael junior ministers are vying for promotion to Cabinet in advance of incoming taoiseach Simon Harris’s reshuffle next week.
• Too few gardaí, too many ‘ne’er’ do wells’ in Dublin, city’s most senior official claims: An Garda Síochána is “under-resourced” to police Dublin’s streets where “ne’er do wells” have become emboldened since the Covid pandemic, Dublin City Council chief executive Richard Shakespeare has said.
• Biden official claims Ireland changed alcohol labelling rules after US pressure: A member of US president Joe Biden’s cabinet claimed in a new report that Ireland changed new alcohol labelling restrictions in the face of pressure from the US.
• Derelict properties being brought back to use in Tipperary despite grant scheme issues: Raised grant payment is driving up the cost of vacant and derelict properties, anecdotal evidence in Tipperary indicates.
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News from around the World

• Taiwan earthquake leaves at least four dead and scores injured: Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in 25 years has left at least four people dead and 97 injured, prompting mainland China, Japan and the Philippines to issue tsunami warnings, Denis Staunton reports.

The Big Read

• ‘A few months ago my wife left the country. A little while later, she told me she was not coming back’: The last six months or so have been the most traumatic of my life and I keep switching from feeling normal, sometimes even positive about my future, to feeling profound despair, a reader writes to psychotherapist Trish Murphy, in this week’s Tell Me About It column.

The best from Opinion

• Kathy Sheridan: I split my house with my daughter, without government help. Stop shaming ‘empty nesters’
• Michael McDowell: Republicans who do not respect unionists or recognise State are standing in way of united Ireland

Today's Business

• ‘Don’t dream it’s over’: life Down Under not limited to backpackers on holiday visas: Ireland was in the top 15 countries whose citizens successfully applied last year for a skilled visa in Australia, which allows recipients to work in certain occupations experiencing domestic skill shortages. This type of visa is popular among those who have aged out of the working holiday permit, and are looking to pursue their career rather than a sun tan and/or have children, given it’s one of the few visas that allow family members to be added through subclass application.

Top Sports news

• Leona Maguire interview: ‘My game is in a good spot, I’m trying to tie it all together’: All eyes are on Nelly Korda these days. Which suits Leona Maguire just fine, writes Philip Reid, as the Cavan golfer patiently plots her own way on tour with grand designs on more wins to add to a career CV – LPGA Tour wins, Solheim Cups – that has a long journey yet to completion. She’ll get her share of the spotlight.

Martyn Turner

Culture and Life & Style Highlights

• ‘I always say the five main pillars of health are checking yourself, diet, sleep, exercise and orgasms’: “Without a doubt” we are still embarrassed talking about certain aspects of women’s health. So says Laura Dowling, aka Fabulous Pharmacist, and organiser of Viva la Vulva, a May 5th event in the National Concert Hall, Dublin, promising empowerment, education and laughter as a panel of experts delve into often taboo discussions around women’s health and sexuality.

Video & Podcast Highlights

• In the News: Will Israel’s Damascus attack further escalate tensions across the Middle East?

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