An Garda Síochána (Irish police force) has launched an investigation after drones were detected in Irish skies on the night the Ukrainian president arrived in Ireland. Volodymyr Zelensky flew into Dublin late on Monday night for a one-day official visit with his wife, First Lady Olena Zelenska. Senior Irish government figures, including Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin, have been briefed on the issue. Martin confirmed it would be discussed at a National Security Council meeting later this month. In a statement, gardaí said its Special Detective Unit (SDU) is investigating the matter and will be liaising with the Defence Forces and international security partners.

At least six people have been killed in a wave of Russia strikes on Kyiv, which the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned as a heinous attack. The BBC's James Landale visited the scene of one attack in eastern Kyiv where a drone rammed through a block of flats and left six people dead. Several other regions were also targeted. A drone attack on a market at Chornomorsk in the south of the country killed two people. Catherine Connolly has'never believed more' in the spirit of Ireland New Irish President Catherine Connolly says she has been given a powerful mandate to articulate a vision for a new republic.

Watch: Russia's AI robot falls seconds after being unveiled Footage shows the moment Russia's first anthropomorphic robot, AIdol, fell just seconds after its debut at a technology event in Moscow. The robot was being led on stage to the soundtrack from the film'Rocky', before it suddenly lost its balance and fell. Assistants could then be seen scrambling to cover it with a cloth - which ended up tangling in the process. Catherine Connolly has'never believed more' in the spirit of Ireland New Irish President Catherine Connolly says she has been given a powerful mandate to articulate a vision for a new republic. The online shopping giant opened its first physical shop in the world - in a Parisian department store.

Ireland senator weighs in on bill to'restrict' speech for the'common good.' (Credit: Houses of the Oireachtas, June 13, 2023) Ireland's government condemned the recent burning of a hotel meant to house 70 migrants outside of Galway in the west of the country as a suspected arson attack. "I am deeply concerned about recent reports of suspected criminal damage at a number of properties around the country which have been earmarked for accommodating those seeking international protection here, including in County Galway last night," Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said in a statement Sunday. "There is no justification for violence, arson or vandalism in our Republic. Garda [police] investigations are underway." The statement came in response to a fire that erupted Saturday night at the Ross Lake House Hotel in Rosscahill, County Galway, in the west of Ireland, destroying the building.

Irish officials may be questioned over the country's plans for facial recognition technology for surveillance during a session with the United Nations Human Rights Committee in Geneva this week. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has submitted a Shadow Report on what they determine as gaps between the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the reality in Ireland, plus recommendations to rectify them. The group also blames Irish authorities for failing to uphold GDPR, thus allowing surveillance to remain business as usual for digital companies worldwide. The ICCL report, an alternative to the report submitted by the Irish state, is endorsed by 37 organizations and has identified gaps across areas such as the right to a fair trial and freedom from torture, as well as three breaches involving police surveillance and six across data protection. The UN Human Rights Committee meets every four years and countries are invited in turn to defend their human rights provision.

The Irish Government released its AI Strategy "AI - Here for Good" in July 2021, outlining a set of initiatives to meet to be an international leader in using AI to benefit our economy and society. It is a positive step towards further materialising the significant benefits from AI and associated technologies. Ireland is well positioned to be a leader in AI thanks to its innovative culture, adaptable capability, and tech savvy workforce. Adopting AI across the enterprise is a critical component of realising our national ambition. It is within organisations and businesses where the theoretical capability of AI is combined with industry knowledge to create powerful solutions, which can result in a meaningful impact to our economy, our society and our lives.

The Government of Ireland released its national AI strategy on Thursday 8th July 2021, presenting it online, with key members of the government and the public sector in attendance. Comprising a 73-page document, the strategy considers AI from three different perspectives: building public trust in AI, leveraging AI for economic and societal benefit, and enablers for AI. These key aspects are detailed in the strategy document, with eight actionable corresponding strands ranging from how to engage and raise awareness of the public about AI, to building a strong AI innovation ecosystem, to nurturing and developing AI skills and talents. Following the European approaches of ethical, human-centred, and trustworthy AI, "The National AI Strategy will serve as a roadmap to an ethical, trustworthy and human-centric design, development, deployment and governance of AI to ensure Ireland can unleash the potential that AI can provide," writes Robert Troy, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation. "Underpinning our Strategy are three core principles to best embrace the opportunities of AI – adopting a human-centric approach to the application of AI; staying open and adaptable to innovations; and ensuring good governance to build trust and confidence for innovation to flourish, because ultimately if AI is to be truly inclusive and have a positive impact on all of us, we need to be clear on its role in our society and ensure that trust is the ultimate marker of success."

The Taoiseach said he is conscious that the concept of AI "hasn't had the best reputation" in popular culture, but said it could play a crucial role in economic recovery. Enterprise Ireland's Carol Gibbons joined Taoiseach @MichealMartinTD and Minister @RobertTroyTD for the launch of Ireland's first National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy. Find out more about the opportunities for Irish enterprise in AI technologies: https://t.co/YIDyuH6A2u He said AI had the capacity to double economic growth by 2035. "Inevitably, that popular culture suspicion has sometimes leaked into important discussions about the role it will actually play in our economy and in our society in the years and decades ahead," he said.

Trade unions have vowed to oppose any move by employers to use technological advances in robotics, automation and artificial intelligence as tools to exploit workers. Unions also pledged to fight any Government plan to restrict the right to strike in some essential services, as proposed recently by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. The biennial conference of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions in Belfast also passed a motion calling for the Government to introduce legislation to give union officials the right to enter workplaces to represent, organise and recruit workers. In an address to the conference, Ictu general secretary Patricia King also urged the Government to scrap the existing reduced VAT rate for the hotel and food services sector, which she described as "completely untenable". She said three-quarters of all workers in the accommodation and food services sector earned less than €400 per week.