Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has re-registered as a medical doctor to directly help with his country’s response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Mr Varadkar, who worked as a doctor for seven years before leaving the profession to become a politician, will work one shift each week to aid in Ireland’s effort against the Covid-19 crisis.
The Irish leader, who was removed from the medical register in 2013, rejoined the profession in March to return to his practice in the face of Ireland’s mounting coronavirus emergency.
"Many of his family and friends are working in the health service. He wanted to help out even in a small way," a spokesman for the prime minister said.
Mr Varadkar comes from a medical family and has returned to his profession with thousands of others who have answered a call for eligible medics to go back to the Irish healthcare system.
Last month, Health Minister Simon Harris launched a recruitment drive for the country's struggling health service to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.
Ireland’s Health Service Executive said it spoke to thousands of healthcare professionals who may be eligible to return after it received more than 70,000 responses for its "Be on call for Ireland" initiative.
Mr Varadkar had appeared to be pushed out of government in Ireland’s most recent general election where his centre-right Fine Gael party lost 12 seats. However, as opposition parties and independents have failed to form a governing coalition, Mr Varadkar has been given a reprieve.
Fine Gael now looks poised to form a coalition with Fianna Fail. Under a likely agreement the two parties will rotate the premiership. Mr Varadkar currently heads a caretaker administration.
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Amith's selections:
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6pm: Taajer
6.30pm: Pharitz Oubai
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- Torque: 760nm
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- Price: Not announced yet
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
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The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA
Price, base / as tested Dh150,900 / Dh173,600
Engine 2.0L inline four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 211hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 1,200rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
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Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa
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(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
