DUBLIN: Ireland said Wednesday it plans to buy a multi-million euro military radar system from France as it prepares to host the rotating EU presidency next year amid concerns over its defense capability.
The EU member “will now immediately commence detailed negotiations with France on a potential agreement” following cabinet approval, said a statement on the government website.
A government-level approach with one country was “the only feasible way for Ireland to develop the required radar capabilities,” it said.
“This approach guarantees the use of the experience and knowledge of a trusted partner country which cannot be provided through any other option,” it said.
Media reports estimate the cost of the new “Military Radar Programme” (MRP) system at between 300 and 500 million euros ($350-$585 million).
The move comes after several unidentified drones blamed on pro-Russian actors were spotted off the Irish coast near Dublin around the time Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in the Irish capital for a one-day visit earlier this month.
The incident emerged in a local media report only after Zelensky had left Ireland, sparking doubts over its defense capability.
The militarily neutral country which will host EU leaders summit meetings when it takes over the six-month bloc presidency in July next year maintains a small army and has no combat air force or large naval fleet.
The government is also “in final negotiations to conclude a contract before the end of the year” to provide counter-drone technology in advance of the EU presidency, Defense Minister Helen McEntee said in a statement on Wednesday.
“My department will work with the (Irish) Defense Forces to ensure that they have the capacity to identify and neutralize threats posed by drones,” she said.
Ireland moves to buy military radar system from France
https://arab.news/mxdab
Ireland moves to buy military radar system from France
- The EU member “will now immediately commence detailed negotiations with France on a potential agreement“
- Media reports estimate the cost of the new MRP system at $350-$585 million
WHO says one person dead from Nipah virus in Bangladesh
- Nipah is an infection that spreads mainly through products contaminated by infected bats, such as fruit
DHAKA: The World Health Organization said on Friday that a woman had died in northern Bangladesh in January after contracting the deadly Nipah virus infection.
The case in Bangladesh, where Nipah cases are reported almost every year, follows two Nipah virus cases identified in neighboring India, which has already prompted stepped-up airport screenings across Asia.
The patient in Bangladesh, aged between 40-50 years, developed symptoms consistent with Nipah virus on January 21, including fever and headache followed by hypersalivation, disorientation and convulsion, the WHO added.
She died a week later and was confirmed to be infected with the virus a day later.
The person had no travel history but had a history of consuming raw date palm sap. All 35 people who had contact with the patient are being monitored and have tested negative for the virus, and no further cases have been detected to date, the WHO said.
Nipah is an infection that spreads mainly through products contaminated by infected bats, such as fruit. It can be fatal in up to 75 percent of cases, but it does not spread easily between people.
Countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Pakistan implemented temperature screenings at airports after India said cases of the virus had been found in West Bengal.
The WHO said on Friday that the risk of international disease spread is considered low and that it does not recommend any travel or trade restrictions based on current information.
In 2025, four laboratory-confirmed fatal cases were reported in Bangladesh.
There are currently no licensed medicines or vaccines specific for the infection.
