Boris Johnson to visit Northern Ireland on Monday amid Brexit protocol crisis
May 14, 2022, 9:30 am

Boris Johnson to visit Northern Ireland on Monday amid Brexit protocol crisis

Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British politician serving as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party since 2019 - Official Twitter account

The Politico reproetd, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will travel to Northern Ireland on Monday (May 16) amid a growing political crisis in the region triggered by escalating tensions over Brexit.

Johnson's visit comes amid intense speculation that the British government is poised to break the post-Brexit trade protocol for Northern Ireland, a move with potentially far-reaching consequences for U.K.-EU relations.

While Downing Street didn’t immediately confirm Johnson's travel plans, Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill — who is supposed to lead Northern Ireland’s next cross-community government — said British officials have told her he's coming and she is seeking face-to-face talks.

"They're playing a game of Chicken with the European Commission right now and we're caught in the middle"

Sinn Fein's Vice President, Michelle O'Neill, warns Boris Johnson to "stop pandering to the DUP"

📸 Warning: This video contains flash photographyhttps://t.co/uo6gDkNumZ pic.twitter.com/BylDoZizbW
— Sky News (@SkyNews) May 13, 2022

Efforts to launch a new power-sharing administration are being held up by Sinn Féin’s political rivals in the Democratic Unionist Party, who say the Brexit protocol is damaging and must be overhauled.

“I intend to put it to him directly that he needs to stop pandering to the DUP. They're playing a game of chicken with the European Commission right now and we're caught in the middle,” said O’Neill, whose Irish republican party overtook the DUP for the first time in last week’s Northern Ireland Assembly election.

UK-EU rift deepens over Northern Ireland protocol

Politicians from two other Northern Irish parties told Politico they also plan to meet Johnson in Belfast.

Johnson faces pressure from DUP politicians, who followed through on their threat Friday to block any formation of a new government until Britain stops EU-required checks on British goods arriving at Northern Ireland ports.

When the Brexit deal was signed, the U.K. government and the EU agreed to those checks to avoid creating customs and sanitary controls on Northern Ireland’s land border with the Republic of Ireland, an EU member. The prospect of a hard land border with customs controls and checkpoints was seen as a potential threat to peace on the island of Ireland.

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The protocol is supported by most Northern Ireland parties but the DUP says such checks threaten the region's place within the U.K. and must stop. As the largest pro-British party, the DUP wields a veto on power-sharing under terms of Northern Ireland's 1998 peace accord.

Source: politico

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”