January 12: Today’s top stories in 60 seconds

Junior minister Damien English resigns

Junior Fine Gael Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment Damien English has resigned over a failure to properly declare a property interest. In a statement, he said: “I reviewed this application, made in 2008, and it is clear to me that I failed to inform Meath County Council about ownership of my house in Castlemartin. This was wrong, not up to the standard required and I apologise for doing so.”

Irish Examiner

Noteworthy analysis

Findings from an investigation by Noteworthy show that there are many governance issues among a large number of local development companies across Ireland, with a significant number of board members serving lengthy terms of over a decade and women making up less than 40% of the board in two thirds of these local groups.

thejournal.ie

Taoiseach and Tánaiste in Northern Ireland

Today, the Taoiseach and Tánaiste arrive in Northern Ireland for a series of meetings to discuss the protocol and power-sharing at Stormont. “These two visits happening on the same day is a clear sign of the Government’s commitment to resolving the difficulties around the Protocol and helping ensure that the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement can once again operate effectively across all three strands.”

RTÉ

Michael Flatley

Michael Flatley has been diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of cancer. The Riverdance legend is confirmed to have undergone surgery and is “in the care of an excellent team of doctors.” The 64-year-old Flatley has previously had skin cancer after being diagnosed with a malignant melanoma in 2003, after it was spotted by a viewer on MTV.

The Guardian

Tributes paid for Jeff Beck

Ozzy Osbourne, Sir Brian May and Jimmy Page are among those honouring the late Jeff Beck through moving online tributes. Passing away at the age of 78, the renowned guitarist was well known and respected for his work with The Yardbirds and The Jeff Beck Group.

I can’t express how saddened I am to hear of @JeffBeckMusic’s passing. What a terrible loss for his family, friends & his many fans. It was such an honor to have known Jeff & an incredible honor to have had him play on my most recent album, #PatientNumber9.
Long live #JeffBeck pic.twitter.com/hG6O9tzfij

— Ozzy Osbourne (@OzzyOsbourne) January 11, 2023

Independent.ie