‘I was born here but I only received citizenship at the age of 18': Italians head to the polls for referendums
©Associated Press
Today at 21:30
Italians began voting over two days yesterday in referendums that would make it easier for children born in Italy to foreigners to obtain citizenship, and on providing more job protections.
But apparent low public awareness risks rendering the votes invalid if turnout is not high enough. Campaigners for the change in the citizenship law say it will help second-generation Italians born in the country to non-EU parents better integrate into a culture they already see as theirs.
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Irish Times
12 hours ago
- Irish Times
Chinese diplomats and Barbados ambassadors: Who have Irish MEPs been meeting?
The main cafe in the European Parliament in Brussels is a good politician-watching spot for journalists, lobbyists, and, likely, the occasional foreign spy. There is a steady flow of MEPs walking towards the parliament chamber nearby, or to some meeting. Advisers and other staff also regularly pass through, turning the row of tables and chairs into a wind tunnel of political gossip. For the price of a coffee, you can usually pick up a fair bit of information if you hang around chatting. I've yet to happen across one of the 14 Irish MEPs sitting down with any interesting characters here. That said, members of the European Parliament are required to publish a log of all the lobbyists, interest groups and other representatives they meet, so I don't have to camp out by the parliament cafe to see who has caught their ear. The ambassador of Barbados, Nicolla Simone Rudder, discussed relations between the Caribbean island and the EU with Fine Gael MEP Sean Kelly in Brussels last month Irish MEPs found time to chat to Chinese diplomats, associations of football supporters, tech and pharmaceutical lobbyists, and politicians from the disputed territory of Western Sahara, logs show. READ MORE The ambassador of Barbados, Nicolla Simone Rudder, discussed relations between the Caribbean island and the EU with long-time Fine Gael MEP Sean Kelly in Brussels last month. They mainly spoke about an EU law combating money laundering, said a spokesman for Kelly. Kelly had sit-downs with Facebook-owner Meta and the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) , entries you might expect to see in any Irish MEPs' diary. The IFA and other farming lobby groups appeared regularly in the meeting logs of most Irish representatives. Perhaps more unusual was a meeting Kelly had with the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums to talk about animal protection laws. Fine Gael's Regina Doherty met representatives from Twitter, Intel, banking firm JPMorgan Chase and payment app Revolut Many of Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Andrews's meetings related to his role as head of the European Parliament's development committee. Logs show he met Irish aid charity association Dóchas, the World Bank, Oxfam, the Belgian development agency and Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares, among others. Fine Gael's Regina Doherty met representatives from Twitter, Intel, banking firm JPMorgan Chase and payment app Revolut, logs of her meetings show. Records show the European Football Supporters Association spoke to Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan to drum up support for its campaign to require stadiums to provide free drinking water during matches. 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The former Clare TD said he had an interest in the region due to human rights and democratisation work he was involved in 20 years ago, when he was with the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe. The only Irish MEP who had not published details of their meetings was Labour's Aodhán Ó Ríordáin. A spokesman said the omission was an administrative oversight that would soon be corrected.
Irish Independent
14 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Donald Tusk gets backing from Polish parliament, with rocky road ahead for his government
©Associated Press Today at 21:30 Donald Tusk's government survived a confidence vote yesterday, shoring up its mandate after the nationalist opposition's victory in the presidential election raised doubts about the Polish prime minister's ability to deliver on key reforms. Lawmakers voted 243-210 in favour of the government in the 460-seat Sejm, the lower house, with supporters rising to applaud Mr Tusk and chant his name. Register for free to read this story Register and create a profile to get access to our free stories. You'll also unlock more free stories each week.
Irish Independent
14 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Letters: Each and every person deserves to be treated humanely and with respect
In fact, people in power (irrespective of religious views) are morally obliged to have an ethical long-term view of the effects of their policies. There are ample historical examples of sadistic treatment of fellow human beings seen as 'others'. Kristallnacht 1938; Hungary 1956; Mississippi 1964; Burntollet Bridge 1968; Bloody Sunday 1972. The Gaza and Israel of today – will they ever meet other than violently? This week Los Angeles was chosen because it is a Democrat-voting state, for no other reason than to stir up violence. As William Butler Yeats reminds his readers, responsibility lies with those who light the match; alas, the instigators walk away from their responsibilities. Why? They reject the fact they are accountable for not only their soul, but the intellect given to each of us for the greater good of mankind. Today greed is astronomical, when allied to ignorance – they become like oil and water. Declan Foley, Melbourne, Australia Parallels between Warsaw Ghetto and Gaza hard to ignore, despite protests Gustawa Jarecka, a survivor and writer of the Warsaw Ghetto, depicted the effects of hunger and morale collapse among residents. We should all take note. She writes in A Cup of Tears: A Diary of the Warsaw Ghetto a first-hand account of the desperation that led residents to commit horrible acts against one another in their struggle to survive. She could be writing about Gaza. ADVERTISEMENT Jarecka described the overwhelming obsession with food: 'The first days of hunger are the worst, then, it becomes bearable. First comes the weariness, your arms and legs feel heavy, each word becomes a painful noise ringing in the ears. The colours do not bring joy to the eyes; the light hurts them. You feel a constant thirst; chapped lips dry out. 'The jaws clench of their own accord and you feel a pain behind the ears at the sight of a tin spoon abandoned on a table. Then, thoughts about food start; terrible, exhausting daydreams.' The purpose of the ghetto was to dehumanise the residents, to make them appear to their oppressors as less than human. The next stage was to displace, eradicate and replace. The tragedy today is partly that we seem powerless to act to stop the crimes against humanity being committed by Israel. But isn't it a moral crime also to be cowed by anyone who uses the martyrs of the Warsaw Ghetto to justify identical crimes today? For Israel to condemn anyone who draws the parallel between the Warsaw Ghetto and Gaza as 'antisemitic' is an absurdity. Declan Doyle, Co Kilkenny Seventy-year-old granny putting all those spineless EU politicians to shame Seventy-year-old Cork grandmother D Murphy has been deported by Israel after spending time in Givon Prison because she felt she could not sit around while Palestinians are being killed and forced out of their homes in the Occupied West Bank – something that has been going on for decades. I suggest EU politicians, who many would say 'talk out of both sides of their mouth', could learn from this lady. Michael Moriarty, Rochestown, Co Cork Our food processing chain gets more protection than elderly people in homes At the moment in many food processing plants in Ireland there are full-time Department of Agriculture inspectors whose job is to ensure that rules and regulations are adhered to. They have the authority to shut down lines when a problem arises and are not answerable to the owners of the plant. The cost of having them on site is recouped from the owners. Would it not be possible to have a qualified person in a care home full-time to ensure nothing like what we witnessed on Prime Time would happen again? That person would be there for the protection of both staff and patients. The benefits of having eyes and ears permanently in those homes would be immeasurable. It may sound like drastic measures, but really, when we are revisiting a problem that most of us thought was no longer an issue, then maybe drastic measures are all that will work. Or is food safety more important than old age and abuse? John Higgins, Ballina, Co Mayo The magic of sport is its uncertainty – and that always breeds new hope One of the joys of live sport is its unpredictability. Now that the dust has settled at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick, we can reflect on how nail-biting the Munster hurling final remained until the long-awaited final whistle. The subsequent tie-breaker resolution leaves room for further debate. For neutrals, no doubt it was an enthralling contest. For Cork supporters, there was the glorious satisfaction of winning another provincial championship. To the victors the spoils. For this Limerick fan and my fellow believers, the phrase 'all is not lost' now carries deep and tantalising possibilities. Further twists will emerge as the hurling season continues to beguile us. Tony Wallace, Longwood, Co Meath With the greatest respect, Pride now highlights only the things that divide us I'm frequently told by people of impeccable judgment that I haven't a vindictive bone in my body. By and large, I subscribe to the 'live and let live' philosophy'. However, I'm beginning to find the relatively recent phenomenon of Pride events irritating in the extreme. Why on earth do people have to make such a big deal of their sexuality? It shouldn't be your defining characteristic. There is much more to human beings than that. It's essentially a private matter and no one else's business. I don't really want to know if anyone is heterosexual or homosexual, provided they are decent in their dealings with me. So, while wishing those with same-sex attraction peace and contentment, can we please put an end to these Pride events? They only emphasise difference rather than our common humanity.
