Mary Robinson - ‘we are seeing an unfolding famine and an unfolding genocide'
Sisters Patsy and Jean Canavan live in the shadow of the West Belfast peace wall, which separates the Falls Road from the Shankill Road. Video: Bryan O'Brien
Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu says that Israeli intends to take control of all of Gaza in order to "have a security perimeter." Video: Reuters
Musicians at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Wexford have broken the Guinness World record for the largest céilí band ever assembled. Video: Bryan O'Brien
US president Donald Trump has said that he could meet with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin "very soon" for talks over Ukraine. Video: Reuters
Ed Sheeran made a surprise appearance at the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Wexford performing a number of songs in a pub in the town. Video: Warner Music
We follow Sean-Michael Larkin, one of Dublin's Waste Management Co-Ordinators, as his crews clean up the city centre after a Saturday night. Video: Dan Dennison
Paolo Viscardi, natural history keeper, gives an insight into the collection at the Dead Zoo Lab, now on display at Dublin's Collins Barracks. Video: Kate Byrne
The Irish Times spends a Saturday evening on call with the Dublin Fire Brigade. Video: Barry Cronin
Megan Cunniss from Galway wins Best Dressed Lady at Galway Races Ladies Day. Video: Niamh Browne
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The Journal
17 hours ago
- The Journal
Where is the government storing all its ‘vital data'? In a centre in Co Kildare, of course
THE GOVERNMENT'S NEW data centre has been delivered on time and on budget. This afternoon, Minister of State with special responsibility for Public Procurement, Digitalisation and eGovernment Emer Higgins, paid a visit to the new Government Data Centre at Backweston in Co Kildare. Construction on the data centre began in 2023 and was completed last month. However, work is still underway on the internal fit-out, which is due to be completed by the end of the year. This state-of-the-art building was developed under the European Union's recovery plan, NextGenerationEU. This recovery plan provides financial aid to EU States to combat the economic and social effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and make the European economy 'more resistant to future shocks'. Advertisement Ireland's allocation is €1.15 billion, and the government submitted its third payment request, with a value of €240 million, earlier this week. Ireland has already received its first and second payments of €324 million and €115 million respectively. The third payment request includes the expansion of the rehabilitation of peatlands, as well as further works on electrification of the transport networks in Cork and Drogheda. Meanwhile, a government spokesperson said that the new data centre will 'provide secure operations that will future proof the reliable delivery of essential digital services to the public'. Once the fit-out of the building is complete, the migration of services to the new facility is scheduled to begin early next year. Higgins said Backweston Data Centre is a 'fantastic example of how the NextGenerationEU funding is delivering real, tangible results'. She said the fact that the 'complex' build was completed on time and on budget is a 'testament to the skill and dedication of everyone involved'. She said the new data centre will use the 'latest and most efficient technologies to ensure that vital Government data is stored in a secure and energy-efficient way'. Related Reads British government asks people to delete old emails to reduce data centres' water use Does Ireland need more data centres in the near future? Yes, says Taoiseach Build it and they will hum: What next for Ireland and data centres? Higgins said this will help the State in meeting its technology and energy-saving requirements 'both now and into the future'. 'This state-of-the-art facility will give State bodies the ICT infrastructure they need to work more efficiently, streamline processes, reduce duplication and bring greater consistency to how public services are delivered,' said Higgins. She also described it as a 'significant step forward in our digital transformation journey' and that it will 'ultimately help us to provide better public services'. In England, people have been urged to delete old photos and emails to reduce demands on data centres, which require large amounts of water. Dr Venkatesh Uddameri, a Texas-based expert in water resources management, recently told the BBC that a typical data centre can use between 11 million and 19 million litres of water per day, roughly the same as a town of 30,000 to 50,000 people. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Times
21 hours ago
- Irish Times
Israel imposes extra restrictions on efforts to feed Gazan civilians
Aid organisations have accused Israel of hampering efforts to feed Gazan civilians by imposing a host of bureaucratic restrictions. Amid reports of hunger spreading across the enclave after 22 months of conflict , humanitarian groups, including Israeli organisations which act as unofficial facilitators between the government and humanitarian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) inside Gaza, argue that the obstacles are making a bad situation worse. One major hurdle is a new restriction by Israel requiring humanitarian organisations to submit a list of all Palestinian staff. Israel claims the request is designed to vet employees who may have links to militant groups. Visas can also be denied if senior officials of the humanitarian groups have voiced support for boycotts against Israel. An additional obstacle is caused by the fact that all supplies entering Gaza come overland via Israel after arriving from Jordan, Ashdod port or the West Bank. The passage requires complex co-ordination with Israeli authorities and customs approval. The Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza previously served as the main supply route but was closed down last year by Egypt after Israeli forces took control of the border area. READ MORE [ Death toll mounts as Israel pounds Gaza city before planned seizure Opens in new window ] The European Union, Britain and Japan have called for urgent action to alleviate the humanitarian crisis. 'The humanitarian suffering in Gaza has reached unimaginable levels. Famine is unfolding before our eyes,' a joint statement signed by the EU's top diplomat and foreign ministers from 24 countries, including Canada and Australia said this week. 'Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation.' The ministers and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also demanded Israel 'provide authorisation for all international NGO aid shipments and to unblock essential humanitarian actors from operating.' Seventeen EU countries, including Ireland, signed the statement. The UN's humanitarian agency says the amount of aid entering Gaza continues to be 'far below the minimum required to meet people's immense needs'. An investigation by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), released on Tuesday, said Hamas has amplified claims of famine in Gaza. [ Israeli hostages not a priority for ministers planning Gaza takeover Opens in new window ] The IDF's Co-ordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (Cogat), claimed to have uncovered significant discrepancies between the number of deaths from malnutrition reported by the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry and the cases documented with full identities in media and on social networks. According to Cogat most victims had serious pre-existing medical conditions that worsened independently of nutrition levels. It said some had received treatment in Israel before the war. Officials concluded that these cases do not reflect the overall health situation in Gaza, but selectively highlight extreme cases involving chronic illness. The UN and food security experts have warned starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at the highest levels since the war began. Eight more people, including three children, died of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza in the previous 24 hours, the territory's health ministry said. That took the total to 235, including 106 children, since the war began. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The UN and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war casualties. – Additional reporting: AP
Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
Zelenskiy says Trump promised post-war security guarantees for Ukraine
US president Donald Trump has reportedly agreed to a key Ukraine demand for postwar security guarantees ahead of Friday's Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin . V olodymyr Zelenskiy , the Ukrainian president, said Mr Trump's promise left him optimistic that the summit, to which he is not invited, will bring progress in ending the three-and-a-half year conflict. European leaders, including Mr Zelenskiy, held a video call with Mr Trump in a bid to influence his meeting with Mr Putin. After the call, Mr Zelenskiy declined to answer directly if, as the price of peace, he would accept territorial losses. READ MORE 'We want a ceasefire, we want strong security guarantees and president Trump confirmed this and said he supports this,' said Mr Zelenskiy during a surprise visit on Wednesday to Berlin. 'Russia cannot have right of veto regarding our own perspective in Europe and Nato. What we need is to exert pressure to achieve peace.' Regarding Mr Trump's recent talk of 'land swaps' between Russia and Ukraine, Mr Zelenskiy declined to rule out the idea. Instead, hesitating for a moment during a press conference, he added that 'our territorial integrity is something that will be decided by the Ukrainians'. German chancellor Friedrich Merz, who initiated Wednesday's virtual gatherings, said subsequent talks with Mr Trump and vice-president JD Vance had been 'extremely constructive and a good conversation' with 'great unity' on the key issues. Mr Merz told Mr Trump he could count on European leader's 'full support' for any deal that maintains European and Ukraine's security interests and the inviolability of national borders. 'We made clear that Ukraine must be at the table as soon as follow-up meetings take place,' said Mr Merz at a joint press conference with his Ukrainian visitor. 'We want negotiations to proceed in the right order, with a ceasefire at the outset.' The German leader said US president 'largely shared' the European wish to 'increase the pressure' if Russia refused to make concessions and, as in the past, continued to talk with the West while continuing its military campaign. 'This cannot continue, otherwise these discussions are not credible,' said Mr Merz. 'I am hoping that Mr Trump will try to be assertive here.' Wednesday's trip to Berlin marked the high point of a frantic week of diplomacy for Mr Zelenskiy. In his first video conference, he joined Mr Merz and other leaders from the so-called 'coalition of the willing': heads of state and government of Britain, Finland, France, Italy, Poland and the European Union – as well as Nato secretary general Mark Rutte. The former Dutch prime minister said last week that some Ukrainian territory might end up being de facto controlled by Russia, even if not formally recognised. 'The ball is now in Russia's court,' said Mr Rutte after Wednesday's meeting, praising Mr Trump's 'leadership and close co-ordination with allies'. After the call, French president Emmanuel Macron said Mr Trump agreed to use his Alaska meeting with Mr Putin to push for a ceasefire before peace talks, a position Russia rejects. Mr Macron insisted that, while there were 'currently no serious territorial exchange schemes on the table', Mr Trump agreed that 'territories belonging to Ukraine cannot be negotiated and will only be negotiated by the Ukrainian president'. Mr Zelenskiy confirmed in Berlin that all parties on Wednesday's video call agreed his country must be involved in any territorial talks as part of a ceasefire agreement with Russia. Such guarantees from Washington – should they hold – will go some way to assuaging Ukraine's fears, based on previous remarks by Mr Trump, that a carve-up of its territory could be part of a peace deal agreed between Washington and Moscow. The Ukrainian leader played down talk of a 'historic' encounter, echoing Mr Trump's insistence that Alaska will be a 'feel-out' meeting with the Russian leader. Mr Zelenskiy said he urged Mr Trump not to believe Mr Putin's 'bluffs' that Russia could occupy all of Ukraine, or that sanctions were ineffective. He said the US president promised to call him after the meeting 'to discuss results if there will be results, so we can discuss the next steps'. Mr Merz declined to be drawn on how European allies would contribute to the security guarantees sought by Kyiv. Its European allies would 'continue to strengthen the Ukrainian army', Mr Merz added, and their contributions, 'differing from country to country, were not discussed' on Wednesday. 'We will discuss that when we find ourselves on a path to peace,' he added.
