On Friday, the G20 convenes an extraordinary meeting on debt reduction for developing countries affected by the COVID-19 economic crisis. read full story / add a comment

Call for Covid-19 ‘track and trace’ for rhododendron
Spread of rhododendron ‘death warrant’ for countryside

The spread of rhododendron across Ireland’s countryside has been likened to Covid-19 by an environmental charity, Friends of the Irish Environment [FIE]. FIE have called for a ‘track and trace’ programme to be put in place to control the increasing spread of this ‘beautiful and picturesque death warrant’.

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Twelve years after losing their original case against the planning permission for a LNG terminal on the Shannon River, Friends of the Irish Environment [FIE] today received a High Court order quashing An Bord Pleanala’s grant of permission and awarding costs in their favour. The proposed terminal was due to process Liquid Natural Gas [LNG] from the USA for consumption in Ireland and to be distributed throughout the EU.

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High Court to hear challenge against unsustainable fishing in Ireland and the EU

The Irish High Court granted leave today to the environmental charity Friends of the Irish Environment [FIE] to apply for a Judicial Review aimed at challenging the EU Regulation setting 2020 fishing quotas under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) because of its failure to meet a legally defined deadline of ending overfishing in all stocks by 2020.

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I do not know much about it. But I think science policy nationally and internationally is a delicate balance. It's difficult to form a picture of who is doing research, what are their objectives, what are the rewards. My impression is that science is mostly controlled by commercial interests. What is invented mostly is what can sell. You have copyright and secrecy backed up by law to preserve the pitch for profit. It is easy to see the sense in this because it provides an incentive for scientists and their employers to spend time and money on research.

But there is also a negative aspect to this way of doing things. Manufacturers are not wholly induced to innovate. They might see more profit from concentrating on already discovered products. Pharmaceuticals are, perhaps, an example of this. Instead of looking for new and improved drugs, they may see more profit from continuing to produce older drugs even if they are less than perfect with lots of unwanted effects. read full story / add a comment

In an article by Tommy Sheridan, he discusses the recent suspension of former leader of the UK Labour party, Jeremy Corbyn by the party on spurious grounds that he was anti-semtic. His real crime was his sympathy with the Palestinian people and willingness to call out Israel’s human rights abuses.

The other day a thoroughly decent and honest man suffered a grave injustice. A man who has a peerless record in opposing racism and anti-Semitism was suspended by the political party he has been a member of for over fifty years, has represented it in the British Parliament since 1983 and was its leader from 2015-20.

Irony died in Britain yesterday when Jeremy Corbyn was suspended by the Labour Party with the consent and probable collusion of the man who succeeded him as leader, Sir Keir Starmer.

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UPDATE: The motion was passed despite opposition. See responses below. We believe it is important to keep emailing. Make sure they understand this is serious. The ICCL had to lobby to get a sunset clause added to the first version of this Act. There is no provision that prevents another (or indefinite) extension.

The Dáil is meeting on October 22nd 2020 to pass a motion on the extension of the above mentioned emergency measures until June 9th 2021. They are also voting for more power to enforce these measures through fines and with the help of Garda Síochána.

Many of us are concerned about the proposed extension of extraordinary powers given to the State during the Covid-19 pandemic under the Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020 and would like to message our TDs about these concerns.

Unfortunately this article should have been published on Oct 20th read full story / add a comment

Brussels (EU and European NATO Headquarters) – On 21 October 2020, the German Press Agency (dpa) reports that Germany pledges NATO soldiers for possible Covid-19 operations: “German soldiers could be sent on crisis missions to other NATO and partner countries during the second wave of the Corona pandemic. As a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense confirmed, the German government has promised NATO support for its “Allied Hand” emergency plan. According to this plan, medical personnel, pioneers and experts from the force would be made available for foreign missions to counter nuclear, biological or chemical hazards as required. The contingency plan is to be activated, for example, if a collapse of the health care system is imminent in allied or NATO partner countries due to very high infection rates and the affected state asks for support.” read full story / add a comment

Dave Donnellan and Colm Roddy, both with addresses in Dublin, attempted to get Shannon personnel to search a US plane for arms in 2916 and were charged with criminal damage. A jury has found them not guilty. The following report is based on sources (listed below). Due to the pandemic I was unable to attend read full story / add a comment

By now, readers will be familiar with the single strongest argument against Ireland’s impending level five lockdown: Cases are rising, yes, but hospitalisations, and deaths, remain low, notwithstanding the thirteen fatalities reported yesterday. read full story / add a comment

After running into Paul Cullen, health correspondent at the Irish Times on October 3rd during the protest march from Custom House, we had the pleasure to deepen our conversation by way of the following interview.

These are the questions presented to us:

I think your organisation pre-dates the current pandemic. What led you (and others, presumably) to set it up? Was it because of personal experiences and, if so, could you tell me a bit about these?

Ireland and other countries are currently facing repeated waves of Covid-19 infections. Do you think a vaccine, if developed, can play a role in resolving this problem?

Do you have concerns about the Covid-19 vaccines under development? Are these specific to this vaccine or general to all vaccines?

Are there any vaccines you think are useful? (On your website, you make a series of assertions about vaccines which are almost entirely negative.) Would you consider yourself, or your organisation, anti-vaccine?

What are your concerns about the likely introduction of a Covid-19 vaccine? Do you think it will be made mandatory, or that access to, say, creches or schools etc might be barred to people who are not vaccinated? What action would you take in the event of this happening?

Please tell me a bit about HFI: who set it up? who runs it? who sits on the board/council/organising committee? How is it funded?

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Patrick O'Neill told the court of Ankle monitoring in America on the Day of his sentencing. On Friday last, 16 October, Patrick O'Neill was sentenced in Georgia to 14 months in prison for a non-violent protest In Kings Bay Trident Nuclear Base on 4 April 2018. He is the third of the Kings Bay 7 to be convicted. read full story / add a comment

The 7 Plowshares activists who were found guilty of damage at Kings Bay, (Georgia USA) nuclear base back in 2018 are being sentenced, Liz Mc Alister was first. Fr. Steve Kelly second. read full story / add a comment

G20 finance ministers agreed to extend debt payment relief for the 73 poorest countries and, in principle, to have a common framework to cancel debts. The G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors met on global COVID-19 response plans ahead of the Annual IMF and World Bank Meetings. read full story / add a comment

Analyzing the economic crisis spurred by the coronavirus, the International Monetary Fund released the Global Financial Stability Report and the 2020 World Economic Outlook Report, "A Long and Difficult Ascent." The economic outlook report projects global economic growth to contract 4.4%. read full story / add a comment

There is to be a protest titled "Let ireland Live - Destroyed Livelihoods, destroyed Communities, Destroyed Lives - End the lockdown " LEINSTER HOUSE, KILDARE ST, DUBLIN, OCTOBER 10TH, 1PM read full story / add a comment

Given the expectation that the public must accept what restrictions the State imposes, the basis of these decisions are not the exclusive preserve of experts and advisers or even of elected officials. None of these officials was elected with the prospect of severe restriction of personal liberty in view. Yet this power has been arrogated by these officials on the basis of advice of a dire public health emergency, the predictions of which proved wholly exaggerated. It is insufficient at this stage to claim “emergency.” The emergency has passed. The harm has proved far less than advertised. Deaths are few. Yet “recommendations” are still being promulgated, and severe restrictions are again being proposed. read full story / add a comment

IMF head Kristalina Georgieva warned that developing countries could face a second wave of economic crises just as they are recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. "... There is a need to reform the international debt 'architecture' ... to provide speedy and sufficiently deep debt relief to countries that need it, benefitting not only these countries but the system as a whole," wrote Georgieva and other top IMF officials in a Fund blog published Thursday. read full story / add a comment

Call on Minister to control private companies as Bord Na Mona quits peat bedding sector

Action comes two years after environmental complaint

Two years after calling on the Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, to exercise his powers under the legislation to stop Teagasc, the Farm Advisory Service, and Bord na Mona from promoting the use of deep peat for bedding in animal housing, Bord na Mona has announced that it is exiting the peat bedding market.

The extent of the practice came to light on field trips conducted by Friends of the Irish Environment in the summer of 2018. It coincided with Bord na Mona and Teagasc beginning to market peat as an alternative to straw after the poor harvests led to shortages of straw. The company entered the market in 2017, having reportedly appointed a team to manage sales and grow the market in the wake of reduced use of peat for power generation.

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The current debacle in education over Leaving Cert results is a stark example of lack of thought about the fundamentals of human rights. Should high marks in an exam entitle one child to a place in some coveted university course while denying it to another child who has lower marks. Put another way does high intelligence give a student more entitlements. read full story / add a comment