Changes to generous EU flight compensation rules are needed, airline lobby group says
EU transport ministers meet this week to discuss possible changes to EU261 rules
EU transport ministers will meet this week in Luxembourg to discuss potential changes to the generous compensation that air passengers can secure when their flights are delayed.
It comes as air passengers can expect further delays this summer, mainly due to air traffic control factors.
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John Mulligan
EU
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Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
‘Livelihoods are at stake': High Court to decide this week on lifting of Skellig Michael boats suspension
A High Court judge has said he will decide this week whether or not to lift a suspension on boating permits needed to ferry people to and from Skellig Michael, saying 'people's livelihoods are at stake'. The permits have not been issued while legal proceedings are before the courts in the form of a judicial review of the tendering process. At the High Court on Tuesday, Mr Justice Garrett Simons said he was 'staggered' by the assertion by lawyers for the Office of Public Works (OPW) that it would need six months to prepare the case. He ordered the case would be heard next month and would get 'top priority'. READ MORE The granting of permits to successful applicants is on hold pending a judicial review taken against the OPW by two companies who were unsuccessful in their applications to the government body for the 2025 season, which runs from May to the end of September. The OPW had run a competition in late 2024 to award 15 boating permits for summer 2025 to serve the Co Kerry island, which was chosen as a film location for the Star Wars movies The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. The OPW has said that under Irish and EU law it was precluded from issuing permits for the 2025 summer season until legal proceedings were resolved. Skellig Michael Boat Trips and Atlantic Endeavour Limited both dispute the process underpinning the granting of the licences, alleging it to be 'deficient' and 'without transparency'. They have been granted permission for the challenge. David Dodd, for the plaintiffs, told Mr Justice Simons nobody wanted the boats not to visit the island. He said permits could be granted by the court in an interim fashion and the issuing of a one-season permit was not a 'contract' as contended by the OPW. Mr Dodd said he was resisting a suggested 'five-year framework' on the OPW's granting of the permits as part of a contract, but the plaintiffs also wanted to see the boats out. He said the OPW in applying to the court to have the suspension lifted had referred to a 'contract' having to be in place for the boats to take to sea. There should be no such 'contract' and permits issued were akin to planning permission or a gun permit being granted, neither or which, he said, were 'contracts' nor necessitated frameworks. A permit is a statutory one without an offer or an acceptance as found in a contract, he said. Whether or not this granting amounted to a 'contract' was a matter for the full hearing of the main case, Mr Dodd said. 'We are happy, however, for the suspension to be lifted,' he said. Mr Justice Simons asked Andrew Beck SC, for the OPW, how it was looking for six months to prepare for this 'most straightforward case of competition for licences'. Mr Beck said there was discovery of documents needed, amendments to make and a possible issue around cross-examination. The judge said he was 'staggered' the case would take up to six months to get on. Mr Justice Simons said he would rule on Thursday whether or not he would lift the suspension of the permits. He adjourned the main hearing to July 21st.
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Gardaí join Europol operation tackling rise in 'child radicalisation' online
Gardaí have taken part in a European police operation targeting the exploitation and radicalization of children online. The operation was coordinated by Europol, the EU police agency, and involved 11 member states and five other countries not in the EU, including Britain and Ukraine. The so-called 'Referral Action Day' identified more than 2,000 links pointing to 'jihadist and right-wing violent extremist and terrorist propaganda' targeting minors. Europol said the action day comes just a few weeks after it set up a new operational taskforce to tackle 'the rising trend' of online groups recruiting young perpetrators into serious and organised crime. The taskforce has identified trends in online propaganda to attract younger people, typically combining images and videos of children with extremist messaging. They have also found guidance to parents that have been radicalized in how to raise 'future jihadists'. Europol said: 'One of the key observations that led to this coordinated action is the use of AI, particularly in the creation of images, text and videos designed to resonate with younger audiences. 'Propagandists invest in content, short videos, memes, and other visual formats, carefully stylised to appeal to minors and families that may be susceptible to extremist manipulation, as well as content incorporating gaming elements with terrorist audio and visual material.' It said that other material include the 'glorification' of minors involved in terrorist attacks. In this regard, terrorist propaganda predominantly targets male minors, manipulating them into joining extremist groups by promoting heroic narratives that portray them as 'warriors' and the 'hope' of society'. It said female minors are referenced less frequently, with their roles largely confined to raising and indoctrinating future 'fighters' for the cause. Europol said that another manipulation technique that has been 'worrying' for the past years is the increased use of victimhood narratives, particularly imagery of wounded or killed children in conflict zones. 'This manipulation serves a dual purpose: it fosters emotional identification with the victims while simultaneously inciting a desire for retaliation and further violence,' Europol said. It said that in 2024, law enforcement authorities in EU member states worked on a 'large number of terrorism-related cases involving minors'. It said that Europol's Counter Terrorism Centre supports member states in preventing and investigating the dissemination of terrorist content online. Europol executive director Catherine De Bolle, said: 'Terrorist groups are increasingly targeting young people, exploiting their vulnerabilities but also their abilities to manage online capabilities to advance violent and extremist agendas." Strong collaboration between public authorities and private sector partners is essential to prevent the radicalisation of minors into harming themselves and our society. Ireland isn't part of the operational taskforce established at the end of April. It is being led by Sweden, which has seen a rise in the use of children to carry out violent acts for gangs for a fee – up to and including murder. Europol said: 'Young people are being deliberately targeted and recruited to commit a wide range of crimes — from drug trafficking and cyber-attacks to online fraud and violent extortion. Recruitment is often highly strategic, exploiting vulnerabilities and glamorising a luxurious, violent lifestyle. 'Social media platforms and messaging apps are used to reach young people through coded language, memes and gamified tasks. In return for money, status or a sense of belonging, they are drawn into criminal schemes that are both violent and transnational.' It addition to Sweden, other countries in the taskforce are Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands and non-EU member Norway. Last February, Europol issued an alert on a related issue, highlighting online groups and so-called online 'grooming cult groups' that are targeting vulnerable young people to join networks that share extremely violent material. Read More Gardaí seize devices with child sexual abuse material as part of international operation
Agriland
3 hours ago
- Agriland
Deadline looming for NI farmers to use up old ID tags
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland (DAERA) is reminding all livestock keepers they have less than four weeks to use any remaining stocks of 'UK' prefixed livestock identification (ID) tags that they hold. From the June 30, 2025 only 'XI' prefixed tags can be used to identify newborn cattle, sheep, and goats. A DAERA spokesperson said: 'DAERA facilitated a 12-month transitional period to allow livestock keepers time to use up stocks of 'UK' prefixed livestock tags. 'However, this transitional period will end soon and from June 30, 2025, any unused 'UK' prefixed tags will become obsolete and keepers will not be able to use them to identify their animals.' DAERA continues to recommend that 'XI' prefixed tags are applied to newborn animals that may be exported to outside the UK in the future. Otherwise, they may have to be re-identified prior to export. There is no requirement to re-identify animals with 'XI' tags, if identified in Northern Ireland, with 'UK' tags prior to June 30, 2025, if they will remain in the UK. However, livestock keepers, will need to check the identification requirements for animals destined for the EU, which is available on the DAERA website. The change to the prefix code on livestock tags, which is a legal requirement under EU Animal Health Law, will ensure continued unfettered access to both EU and UK internal markets for NI livestock and agri-food products. DAERA has stated that this is subject to normal export eligibility requirements. Since June 24, 2024: All new cattle tags issued in NI begin with 'XI 0', replacing 'UK 9'. This will allow the whole tag number to be encoded on electronic identification devices in future; All new sheep tags issued in NI begin with XI 17 replacing 'UK 17'. From June 30, 2025, all sheep being exported to the Republic of Ireland must be identified with 'XI' tags prior to their export,. This includes any previously identified with 'UK' tags with the re-identification being recorded in the flock register. Keepers may wish to consider identifying all sheep going to market with 'XI' tags to ensure they are eligible for purchase for export. However, cattle identified with 'UK' tags prior to June 30, 2025 can still be exported to Ireland after this date without being re-identified with 'XI' tags. Currently all livestock exported to continental Europe must be identified with 'XI' tags prior to their export. Any such animals previously tagged with 'UK' tags must be re-identified with 'XI' tags. For cattle, this must be done under veterinary supervision.
