In historic move, Northern Ireland appoints Irish nationalist as First Minister

Northern Ireland's parliament appointed an Irish nationalist as First Minister for the first time on Saturday, a historic milestone in a state established a century ago to ensure the dominance of pro-British unionists.

Michelle O'Neill's appointment, the delayed result of a watershed 2022 election, is the latest sign of the rise in the British region of a Sinn Fein party that has said its ultimate dream of a united Ireland is "within touching distance".

The appointment came as Sinn Fein's pro-British rival, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), formally ended a two-year boycott of power-sharing government after striking a deal with the British government to ease post-Brexit trade frictions.