'Please sound the alarm': Israeli authorities intercept Gaza-bound flotilla
The Taoiseach has said that UN agencies should be "enabled and allowed" to distribute food aid in Gaza amid ongoing deaths at aid centres. Video: Bryan O'Brien
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Irish Times
12 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Ireland to ratify high seas treaty and scale-up marine-protected areas, Taoiseach tells UN summit
The State will move quickly to ratify the UN high seas treaty and back implementation of the European Union ocean pact, which will mean greater protection of marine areas and conservation of fish across Europe, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said. Speaking in Nice on Monday, where he is attending the UN oceans conference, Mr Martin said he would be asking relevant Ministers to short-circuit ratification of the treaty in advance of a new EU directive coming into force. It aims to protect a vast area of ocean beyond national boundaries by providing governance structures 'in the interests of conservation and protection, because without the oceans, we do not have a planet', he said at a briefing. Speaking at the opening, UN secretary general António Guterres called on more than 60 global leaders present to move 'from plundering to protection', by addressing illegal fishing, plastic pollution and rising sea temperatures that threaten delicate ecosystems and the people who depend on them. READ MORE 'The ocean is the ultimate shared resource, but we are failing it,' Mr Guterres said, citing rising sea levels, collapsing fish stocks and ocean acidification. The Taoiseach said at the briefing that the Government is to introduce legislation banning fishing for sprat and other species by trawlers operating in estuaries, following reports that whales and dolphins were leaving Irish waters because of an absence of fish in their traditional feeding areas. A previous directive was struck down by the High Court in 2020. Mr Martin said this legislation was required to support the blue economy, including conservation of whales, dolphins and seabirds, and to protect ecotourism. Ireland is moving to protect 30 per cent of its marine areas by 2030, he told the conference. 'By restoring our marine ecosystems and supporting sustainable fishing, we will not only protect our marine environment but also preserve and strengthen all the special communities that call the coast their home,' he added. Mr Martin endorsed the EU pact agreed in recent days, which commits to bringing '20 per cent of Europe's marine ecosystems back to life by 2030'. If work to drive its implementation falls during the State's EU presidency next year, 'we will ensure [it's] resourced and prioritised accordingly'. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said €1 billion would be allocated to scientists and conservationists around the world for 50 projects. 'We will strive to cut plastic and nutrient pollution by half within five years. We will restore natural habitats and shelter our coasts more effectively from the impact of climate change. We are inches away from the 60 signatures for ratification,' she added. French president Emmanuel Macron, the conference's co-host, said 50 countries had ratified and 15 promised to do so. The treaty will only come into force once 60 countries ratify it.
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Tough decisions to tackle housing crisis are under way – but will they work?
The expected move to ease rent caps is part of a Government response to the worsening housing crisis which will see further policy changes announced in the coming weeks, before a revised plan for housing is finalised in July. Government insiders hope that the departures will show them finally getting to grips with the housing crisis. But it would be an exaggeration to say there is confidence that all this will work quickly to increase housing supply. Meanwhile, opposition to the rent cap changes is growing and will be heard both in the Dáil tomorrow and on the streets next week when Raise the Roof, an umbrella group co-ordinated by the trade unions and including NGOs and Opposition parties, holds a major protest outside Leinster House. The housing measures include some already announced and some yet to come. There will be changes in planning regulations to allow small residences in back gardens, extensions and attic conversion s without planning permission; potentially also changes in regulations on apartment construction; the role of the Land Development Agency will be expanded to include mixed-use developments with private sector partners; the appointment of a 'housing tsar' ( just don't call it that ) is also coming; commencing the changes in last year's mammoth planning Act will make it harder to block planning permissions; and money will be provided for new planners in local authorities and An Bord Pleanála to speed up the planning process. READ MORE [ Explainer: Garden rooms and attics – What are the proposed changes to regulations? Opens in new window ] Divisions remain in Government over the possibility of tax incentives for builders and developers of certain types of housing, and they are unlikely to be settled until the budget. But at the top level of Government, there is a growing sense that urgent action is needed on housing, with one insider insisting that the series of decisions now under way will place housing at the very centre of the Government's priorities from now until the summer recess in mid-July. However, there is also an awareness that some measures to increase supply will leave the Coalition open to political attack and public unpopularity. [ Proposed changes to rent rules will incentivise evictions, housing charity warns Opens in new window ] And the problem for the Government is that the unpopularity and the political attacks will be immediate – but any potential payback from the measures in the shape of increased supply is at best years away, and may not even be felt until after the next general election. Even without the planning delays and legal actions that they have to factor into their considerations, builders and developers say it can still take three to four years to deliver a block of apartments. There is no doubt the measures will be welcomed by developers and landlords. But that is not necessarily the same thing as prompting them to move quickly to increase supply. Many will want to see if tax incentives are introduced in the budget; others will want to see if the Government has the political will to resist the pressure already building on the rent pressure zone changes. 'Look, the reality is there is no silver bullet,' says one senior Government source. But, the source says, we need apartments, and the people who build apartments are not building them right now because of the rent caps. [ Rules for renters: What are the planned reforms and will they work? Opens in new window ] All very well, but the simple and logical outcome of changing the rent cap rules is that rents will go up – that's why the landlords and the developers are in favour of it. The Government says that its package will protect renters – but among groups working at the coalface of homelessness, there is little confidence in that. An uptick in evictions and rising rents – both predicted by Opposition parties – would pile enormous pressure on the Government. Within Government, there is an undoubted willingness to take difficult decisions, and an awareness that the time to take them is in the first year of its term of office. But that is not matched by any great confidence that the measures will work. [ Ireland's housing crisis: Why is there such a shortage of homes to buy and rent here? Opens in new window ]
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Iran to present counterproposal to US in nuclear talks
Iran will soon hand a counterproposal for a nuclear deal to the United States via Oman, the Iranian foreign ministry said on Monday, in response to a US offer that Tehran deems 'unacceptable' . Iran also called on the international community to force nuclear disarmament upon Israel , Iran's long-standing foe, which Tehran says is trying to thwart the nuclear negotiations. 'The US proposal is not acceptable to us. It was not the result of previous rounds of negotiations. We will present our own proposal to the other side via Oman after it is finalised. This proposal is reasonable, logical, and balanced,' Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said. 'We must ensure before the lifting of sanctions that Iran will effectively benefit economically and that its banking and trade relations with other countries will return to normal.' READ MORE It was previously reported that Tehran was drafting a negative response to the US proposal, which was presented in late May. An Iranian diplomat said the US offer failed to resolve differences over uranium enrichment on Iranian soil, the shipment abroad of Iran's entire stockpile of highly enriched uranium and reliable steps to lift US sanctions. [ Trump tells Iran sanctions will remain until it ends nuclear programme Opens in new window ] Mr Baghaei said there was not yet any detail on the timing of a sixth round of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington. Last week, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed the US proposal as against Iran's interests , pledging to continue enrichment on Iranian soil, which western powers view as a potential pathway to building nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes. During his first term in 2018, US president Donald Trump ditched a 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and six powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy. Iran responded by escalating enrichment far beyond that pact's limits. [ Trump pulls US out of landmark Iran nuclear deal Opens in new window ] Iran says the West has turned a blind eye to Israel's nuclear programme even while pushing against Iran's. Israel neither confirms nor denies that it has nuclear weapons. Mr Baghaei said sensitive Israeli documents, which Iran has previously promised to unveil, would demonstrate 'that parties constantly questioning Iran's peaceful nuclear programme actively work to strengthen Israel's military nuclear programme'. The negotiating parties should not allow Israel to disrupt diplomatic processes, he said. – Reuters
