UK Government's £50m pledge for Casement Park an enormous step forward – Michelle O'Neill
First Minister Michelle O'Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little Pengelly comment on Government allocation of £50 million to Casement Park in the Spending Review.
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Irish Independent
5 hours ago
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Think you could be the new Joe Duffy? RTÉ has just advertised his job
The popular broadcaster will step down from his show in two weeks time after 27 years helming the flagship RTÉ Radio 1 lunchtime show and 37 years with the national broadcaster. RTÉ today released details of its 'expressions of interest' process for two new roles. This is on foot of a recommendation by the Government's expert advisory committee and as part of RTÉ's New Direction strategy. The national broadcaster has said it is looking for two key presenters, namely one for Liveline and another for its News & Current Affairs division. 'We would like to hear from presenters interested in areas including news, current affairs, general speech programming, entertainment, sport, music and the arts,' it said. A long list of potential presenters in each of these areas will be created as a result of this process and then refreshed every two years. 'When a presenting role becomes available, this longlist will be used as part of the process to identify suitable candidates. A shortlist will be created using a weighted criteria suitable for the specific role,' it said. Those shortlisted will be required to enter a further selection process for specific roles. The details of this process will be communicated at the appropriate time but may include an interview and or piloting, the statement added. RTÉ said it welcomed people with a 'positive outlook' to Irish, in addition to those with diverse backgrounds. 'Diversity and Inclusion are at the heart of what we do – both on-air and behind the scenes. We are committed to building a more inclusive environment and tackling under-representation while embedding inclusion at every stage of the employee journey,' it said. 'We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds, without regard to gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, social experience, race and ethnicity, disability, civil and family status, religious belief and membership of the Traveler Community.'
Irish Examiner
5 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Russia's embassy in Dublin accuses Tánaiste of spreading 'anti-Russian propaganda'
The Russian embassy in Ireland has accused Tánaiste and the Irish Government of spreading "anti-Russian propaganda" about recent Russian attacks in Ukraine. In a statement on Thursday morning, Simon Harris condemned "ongoing and escalating" Russian attacks on critical infrastructure in Ukraine, noting that Russia had launched more than 2,000 drone and missile attacks throughout Ukraine since the beginning of the month. Mr Harris said that, in these attacks, the Russian military has targeted "medical facilities, including a maternity hospital" as well as "first responders seeking to save lives". He said: These attacks have targeted Ukraine's towns and cities, people's homes and places of work, and Ukraine's critical infrastructure. We should be clear that these are attacks against civilians. "I condemn them completely, as I do Russia's ongoing war of aggression." Mr Harris also stated that Ireland's solidarity with Ukraine "remains steadfast". "Russia started this war. As the aggressor, it is for Russia to demonstrate a genuine commitment towards peace by halting its brutal attacks," he added. "It can do so at any time. It is past time for Russia to agree to a full, unconditional ceasefire as a first step towards arriving at a just and lasting peace." In a lengthy response on Thursday afternoon, the Russian embassy in Dublin called Mr Harris's statement "pathetic", claiming it was "yet another example of anti-Russian propaganda by the Irish government, which distorts reality and misleads the public". The embassy said Mr Harris had neglected to mention what it described as "large-scale terrorist attacks" by Ukrainian special services on "passenger and civilian freight trains in Bryansk and Kursk regions of Russia with large number of killed and wounded". The embassy said that recent "retribution" strikes by Russian armed forces across Ukraine were launched in response to these "heinous crimes". The embassy also stated that these attacks were not against civilians, but against a "large number of military targets" in Ukraine, including "aviation, missile, armor and shipbuilding industry enterprises" in Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine, as well as command posts, military airfields, ammunition and fuel depots, and other "deployment sites" of the Ukrainian army. The embassy said Mr Harris's questioning of Russia's commitment to "peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis" was "misplaced and dishonest" "He should know that Russia had been consistently proposing political and diplomatic ways to avoid conflict in 2014, 2021, and 2022, which have been as well consistently ignored by the Western governments, including Ireland, since their plan has always been not peace in Ukraine but imposition of war on Ukrainian and Russian peoples," the embassy statement added. The Irish Examiner has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs for a response to the Russian embassy's statement.
Irish Examiner
6 hours ago
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Defence Forces taking part in EU missions without triple lock 'could breach neutrality'
Ireland's Defence Forces could become embroiled in peacekeeping missions that could jeopardise Ireland's military neutrality if Government proposals to scrap UN authorisation for such deployments is passed, an Oireachtas committee has heard. Ray Murphy, a professor at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, University of Galway, said if Ireland took part in an EU force without a UN mandate — with the monitoring and controls coming with that — it could end up in situations not originally envisaged that would end up breaching our neutrality. Prof Murphy was one of three academics who took part in a three-hour session at the Oireachtas defence and national security committee, which is holding hearings on the Defence Bill 2025. The draft legislation proposes to remove the requirement for UN approval to send Defence Forces abroad. It also plans to increase from 12 to 50 the number of personnel that can be sent overseas without the Government needing the support of the Dáil. Defence Bill 2025 The bill would authorise Irish troops to take part in an 'international force' for the purposes of peacekeeping, conflict prevention, and international security 'consistent with the principles of the United Nations charter'. Examples of such bodies include the OSCE, the EU, or 'any other body' that operates in manner consistent with UN principles. All three academics at the committee are strongly opposed to the Government proposals to remove the 'triple lock'. It is not clear if the committee is due to hear from academics who are non-committed on the issue or who are in favour of removing the triple lock. Prof Murphy said: 'Any deployment of Defence Forces with an international force will be subject to certain mandatory principles. These are that the particular international force will be mandated to operate for peacekeeping, conflict prevention, and/or strengthening international security, in accordance with international law and consistent with the principles of the UN.' He asked who would determine if a regional body 'operates in a manner consistent' with the UN charter and international law, especially if Security Council or General Assembly approval is not obtained. Situations on the ground 'can change' Prof Murphy said situations on the ground can change and that Irish troops 'could become embroiled in something' that wasn't originally envisaged — and that such a situation could 'certainly jeopardise' military neutrality. He described the proposals as a 'betrayal' to commitments made by governments to its citizens and that they would grant any government 'excessive authority'. Karen Devine, lecturer in European politics at DCU, told the committee that as an academic her job is to 'tell the truth'. She said public support for neutrality has been consistent over the decades, with four in five people in favour of it. She alleged that 'militarists', consisting of the EU, Nato, and the military-industrial complex, 'seek to eradicate' Irish neutrality including the triple lock and want to 'militarise' the EU. She further alleged that these were joined by 'university agents', (professors she effectively identified), think tanks, and the 'mass media', who promoted this agenda.
