Herald section
The latest politics reporting from The Belfast Herald.
Catherine Connolly and Heather Humphreys are the main contenders in the Irish presidential election, with voting concluding on 24 October 2025. The result will be determined by proportional representation via the single transferable vote system.
Protests under the No Kings banner occurred across the United States and at multiple U.S. embassies worldwide. Demonstrators expressed opposition to policies associated with the Trump administration.
A strike by 51,000 Alberta teachers began on 6 October 2025, disrupting education for over 700,000 students across the province. The dispute centres on pay, class sizes, and funding for student support needs.
Belfast City Council has approved a new Irish language policy aimed at increasing the use of Irish across city services and public spaces.
The 2025 Right Livelihood Award is awarded to a student organization in the Pacific Islands fighting climate change, activist organization Justice for Myanmar, Taiwanese activist Audrey Tang, and the Sudanese Emergency Response Rooms for their work in combating injustice in their respective regions.
The Taliban has imposed a nationwide internet blackout in Afghanistan, reducing connectivity to 14% of normal levels by cutting fiber-optic services, according to NetBlocks. The move follows a decree by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada banning the service to prevent immorality.
President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of the Army National Guard to Memphis, Tennessee, to address crime, citing federal law enforcement coordination and a task force led by Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer reshuffles his cabinet following the resignation of deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, who stepped down after admitting underpayment of stamp duty on a property purchase. The reshuffle includes new appointments to key ministerial roles.
