Plot targeting Miami Showband would have impacted Irish everywhere
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Belfast Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
‘It's not a good use of public money': Judge refuses request to conduct proceedings in Irish
A Co Antrim man accused of speeding failed to convince a judge to hear his case in Irish. Sean Curran appeared before Antrim Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena today, where it was revealed that the defendant had asked for any letters sent to him to be translated into Irish.
Powys County Times
7 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Simon Harris holds talks with Haitian counterpart over Gena Heraty kidnapping
Ireland's deputy premier Simon Harris has held talks with his Haitian counterpart about the kidnapping of Irish woman Gena Heraty. Mr Harris, Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs, spoke to Haiti's foreign minister, Harvel Jean-Baptiste by phone and asked that everything is done to ensure the release of Ms Heraty and the other hostages, including a three-year-old child. Ms Heraty was kidnapped along with seven other people from an orphanage in Haiti. Ms Heraty is originally from Westport in Co Mayo. She oversees the orphanage, which is run by the humanitarian organisation Nos Petits Freres Et Soeurs (Our Little Brothers And Sisters). It is understood Ms Heraty was among seven employees who were taken in the incident as well as the young child. Speaking after the call, Mr Harris said: 'I welcome my engagement with Minister Harvel Jean Baptiste after what has been an extremely traumatic few days for the Heraty family, as well as the families of all those who were kidnapped. 'The minister assured me of his support in our work to ensure the safe release of Gena, and all the hostages, who have gone through the most horrendous of ordeals. 'We have agreed to stay in touch about the case, which remains extremely sensitive. 'My officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade are in constant contact with the Heraty family. 'When we have further updates, we will provide them.' Mr Harris said he had been in contact with Ms Heraty's family on Monday. Ms Heraty is a member of Viatores Christi, a lay missionary organisation. In a statement, the group said Ms Heraty was taken by armed individuals from her home at the NPFS (Nos Petits Freres et Soeurs) compound in Kenscoff on Sunday morning. 'Gena has worked in Haiti for over 30 years, dedicating her life to children and adults with disabilities through her leadership of NPFS's Special Needs Programme,' it said. 'Her commitment, compassion and steady presence have made a lasting difference to many families in the region. 'Our organisation has supported NPFS's work for a number of years and has seen first-hand the impact of Gena's efforts. We are in close contact with our partners on the ground and remain hopeful for her safe return. 'We are thinking of Gena, her family and colleagues, and the adults and children in her care. We ask that her privacy — and that of those closest to her — be respected as efforts continue to clarify the situation.' Fr John Kenny, administrator of Westport parish in Co Mayo, said the local community was 'saddened and shocked' by the kidnapping. He told RTE Radio 1 that many people attended the weekly Monday mass to pray for her. Ms Heraty's sister, Mary, spoke at the mass. Fr Kenny added: '(The mass) would have generally a small attendance. But yesterday evening, cars were everywhere. People were gathered and quietly prayed and then met with the family afterwards. 'The evening was a nice evening, a quiet evening, so they had the opportunity to meet with her siblings and her extended family and console them and chat to them and reassure them of our prayers and support. '(Mary) was maybe a little bit nervous to speak, because it really is on tenterhooks that anything said or done or anything that would upset the situation in any way, even at this great distance, on social media and (media) coverage, you would be worried. 'The family are very appreciative of the support and very conscious that people are praying and supporting them as we can.' He described Ms Heraty as 'wonderful, generous and caring'. 'She's not one for the spotlight or to highlight herself. It's always the work she does that she draws attention to and the people she works with,' he added. 'Any fundraising events that we support, the local schools, the local communities, are generous to her cause and the cause she works for. 'Reluctantly, as I said, she has to come forward to do that, but it's never for herself. It's never for her own benefit. It's always for the benefit of others. 'That's just the nature of the person she is, a wonderful, generous, caring, compassionate person, a great human being.' Ms Heraty survived a vicious assault while she worked at a Haitian orphanage in 2011. She was punched and hit a number of times with a hammer when men broke into the building. 'We wouldn't know all the ins and outs of what goes on there, but we are conscious that it's an area where there's a lot of unrest, and then all the storms and various terrible natural events that happen too over the years,' Fr Kenny added. 'We're worried about her physical concerns there, that there will be storm damage and flooding and all kinds of things. But then, yes, the unrest and the unease of the local situation.' The Department of Foreign Affairs said it is aware of the incident and is providing consular assistance.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
Costa Blanca gang war fears as crime boss shot dead in tourist hotspot in broad daylight
Gangster Caner Kocer is said to have made threats online before he was shot by two gunmen in the popular Spanish resort of Torrevieja in front of a terrified mum with her baby British tourists are on alert after a Turkish crime boss was murdered in a popular Spanish resort amid fears the shooting could spark a gang war. The victim, named as Caner Kocer, 30, was gunned down on Sunday evening in the centre of Torrevieja, south of Alicante on the Costa Blanca. Two hitmen fired six shots from close range before fleeing in a getaway car waiting nearby which was driven by a third suspect. Witnesses to the 7pm attack, in the old town area near the seafront which is popular with tourists, included a mother with a baby in a pushchair. Turkish media reported Kocer is one of the leaders of an organised crime gang known as the "Daltons" who have been in dispute with rivals the Caspers group. It comes after a man brutally killed a woman on a first date and left her body parts around town. Three Turkish men have reportedly been arrested. The Daltons gang are said to be part of a new generation of Turkish criminal who target young people through social media platforms like TikTok, ensnaring them into carrying out extortion and robbery. Turkish media has reported that Kocer's gang are now preparing to retaliate raising fears of further bloodshed in Spain. A member of the Daltons gang was extradited from Georgia to Turkey last month suspected of a string of shootings in Istanbul. And the gang are also suspected of carrying out a string of shootings in Greece in recent years including in May when gunmen opened fire at undercover police officers. Bullets were fired at the cops as they followed Daltons members who were suspected of being in the process of planning another hit. Kocer had been making threats on social media before his killing and was pictured pointing a gun at the camera alongside words in Turkish which translate as: "Spain's greatest duck hunter cannot miss the target. He knows the ducks very well. You will swear allegiance." He was shot as he walked by a town centre restaurant. Pictures from the scene showed police and paramedics treating him as lay by the restaurant terrace. Nearby streets were cordoned off until late Sunday as forensic officers carried out a finger-tip search of the scene. Six bullet casings from an automatic firearm are said to have been removed. Three suspects are understood to have been held around 40 minutes after the murder. Turkish media reports said the Daltons Gang are a violent criminal organisation which started out in Istanbul and have been in the news in recent years for assassinations abroad. The Costa Blanca has seen a number of violent incidents involving British and Irish nationals in recent months. The body of Belfast man John George was found hidden in an orchard in Rojales near Torrevieja on January 7. He had been shot. Alleged killer Jonny Smyth, also from Northern Ireland, was extradited to Spain in April after being arrested in Braga in northern Portugal on March 25 and remains on remand in prison. On May 13 an Irishman was left critically injured after being shot in the head near a shopping centre in Orihuela Costa just north of Torrevieja. Belfast man Dan McMeekin was stabbed nearby in June. He was knifed in the neck and rushed to Torrevieja Hospital for a life-saving emergency operation.
