Latest news with #reducing
Extra.ie
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Extra.ie
Family of Denis Donaldson say Gerry Adams 'retraumatised' them with libel action
The family of murdered informant Denis Donaldson have called for a public inquiry into his death, as they accused Gerry Adams of 'retraumatising' them with his libel action against the BBC. The former Sinn Féin president yesterday said he has 'put manners' on the BBC, after winning €100,000 in damages over an allegation that he sanctioned the murder of the British spy. Mr Adams had sued the BBC in the High Court in Dublin, claiming it wrongly alleged that he had the 'final say' in the death of Sinn Féin official and informant Denis Donaldson. Gerry Adams. Pic: Brian Lawless/PA Wire Mr Donaldson was shot dead in Donegal in April 2006, four months after confessing that he had been an agent for the British security forces for 20 years. The murder remains unsolved. Mr Adams, who has been both a TD and an MP, said the 2016 Spotlight documentary, Spy In The IRA, had damaged his reputation as a peacemaker. He said the programme was a 'grievous smear' and a 'hatchet job' – and the jury agreed. Gerry Adams. Pic: Brian Lawless/PA Wire Following the verdict, Mr Donaldson's daughter Jane called for an urgent public inquiry into her father's violent death. Speaking on behalf of her immediate family, she said: 'By reducing events which damaged our lives to a debate about damage to his reputation, the plaintiff has trivialised our family tragedy. 'Daddy's murder and surrounding circumstances devastated our family. The plaintiff prioritised his own financial and reputational interests over any regard for retraumatising my family.' She continued: 'We are still no closer to the truth. No one spoke for my family in court. We supported neither side in this case.' Gerry Adams. Pic: Collins Courts She said her family had been 'stonewalled' in their pursuit of the truth, while 'limitless' legal resources and vast expense were invested in the High Court case. She noted that an inquest into Mr Donaldson's death had been postponed 27 times, and said the family had been refused a judgeled commission of investigation. She said the public interest could Plaintiff: only be Gerry served by Adams some form of public inquiry, with a crossborder dimension, 'empowered to investigate the whole truth about the conspiracy to expose and murder my daddy'. Adam Smyth, director of the BBC in the North, said the broadcast and online article 'were of the highest public interest'. 'We didn't want to come to court, but it was important that we defend our journalism and we stand by that decision,' he said after the verdict yesterday. Mr Smyth added that the implications of this case will be 'profound'. 'If the BBC's case cannot be won under existing Irish defamation law, it's hard to see how anyone's could,' he explained. The head of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Ireland, Séamus Dooley, said the case 'underlined' the need for reform of the defamation legislation. 'As an official representing BBC journalists I was disappointed at the comments made by Mr Adams regarding the organisation' he said, referring to his claim to have 'put manners' on the broadcaster. 'Spotlight has a proud history of investigative journalism and the outcome of this case does not take from that history.' He said the scale of damages gave rise to serious concern for media organisations. 'The NUJ has long sought reform of defamation law and Twitter,' he said. The BBC had argued that the documentary, and a follow-up online article, were fair and reasonable publications on a matter of public interest. Facing potential legal costs of over €1.5million for the four-week case, it said yesterday that the implications of the verdict for investigative journalism in the future 'will be profound'. Mr Adams's reputation was at the core of the case, with the BBC maintaining that the public believed him to have been a senior member of the IRA for many years. The broadcaster's barrister, Eoin McCullough, had said: 'If a person has the reputation of having been in the IRA or on the army council, or having presided over a campaign in which many people were killed, they should not be awarded damages on account of the allegation that the final order for one more murder lay with him.' However, the jury found that the words used in the documentary, and a follow-up online news article, were defamatory, and awarded €100,000 to restore Mr Adams's reputation. Speaking outside court, Mr Adams – who has said the money will be given to charity – told the waiting media that he had flaws in his character, but that he had 'always been satisfied with my reputation'. He continued: 'From my perspective, taking this case was about putting manners on the British Broadcasting Corporation. I know many, many journalists. I like to think that I get on well with most of them… 'But the British Broadcasting Corporation upholds the ethos of the British state in Ireland and in my view, it's out of sync in many, many fronts with the Good Friday Agreement.' Mr Adams said he was mindful that Mr Donaldson's family had to 'watch all of this'. He called on Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan to meet with the Donaldson family 'as quickly as possible'. Mr Adams's legal team had said the programme was reckless journalism, based on an unverified allegation from a single anonymous source. The BBC had countered that the claim was presented as an allegation and not a fact, and that it was corroborated by five other sources including the security services.
DW
9 hours ago
- Climate
- DW
Swiss glacier collapse: Situation stabilizes overnight – DW – 05/31/2025
Water that had accumulated behind the collapsed glacier has began to flow downstream, alleviating some fears. Forecast rain means that residents will likely have to remain alert. with dpa along with Austrian and Swiss media Following the dramatic rock fall and glacier collapse on Wednesday in the Swiss Lötschental valley, officials said on Saturday that the situation had eased. One fear had been that the Lonza River, which had been backed up behind the ice, rock and debris, could result in a flood wave. However, officials said the river had found new paths down the valley in the southern Swiss canton of Valais. Construction machinery has been deployed to control the run-off of accumulated water. The municipalities of Gampel and Steg informed residents of the work, saying: "The aim is to ensure the smooth flow of debris and alluvial debris through the bed of the Lonza stream within the villages." Authorities expressed relief that the Lonza River has begun to flow down the valley, reducing the risk of a flood swell Image: Jean-Christophe Bott/KEYSTONE/picture alliance What did authorities say about the Swiss glacier on Saturday? Stephane Ganzer, from the Valais state council, said that there had been no major problems overnight. The situation on Saturday was "currently satisfactory" and the night had been "quite quiet," Austrian public broadcaster ORF reported. The council decided on Friday evening to open a nearby dam, warning residents downstream to make way for the water. Residents were already on alert and ready to evacuate in the case of a dangerous swell of water behind the debris cone. The heat has sped up the melting of the glacier ice and rain has been forecast for the next days. Both could lead to a buildup of accumulated water and increase the risk of further landslides. Further evacuations after Swiss glacier collapse To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Blatten: Buried village to be rebuilt The glacier collapse was caused by rockfalls from 3,000 meters (9842.5 feet) that crashed into the Birsch Glacier, triggering the landslide on Wednesday afternoon. Millions of cubic meters of ice and rock were sent crashing through the Lötschental valley and burying the village of Blatten, which had already been evacuated. Water from the Lonza was then blocked behind the almost 2-kilometre-long debris cone. Blatten's municipal president Matthias Bellwald said the village would be rebuilt. "Blatten is under a debris cone. Together we will do what is humanly possible to rebuild the village for the village to have a future. Together we are strong," Swiss newspaper the Neue Zürchner Zeitung quoted him as saying at a press conference. Work has begun to remove large objects blocking the flow of water Image: Cyril Zingaro/KEYSTONE/dpa Edited by: Wesley Dockery
Yomiuri Shimbun
13 hours ago
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
U.S. Tariffs, Rice Prices Discussed in Basic Economic Policy Draft; Disaster Prevention Agency Also Discussed
Yomiuri Shimbun file photo Prime Minister's Office The government will aim to maintain the free trade system by taking the lead in expanding the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, as part of its efforts to respond to U.S. tariff measures, according to the draft of its basic economy policy for the next fiscal year. The draft of the 'Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform' also states that the government will 'review rice farming policies to address soaring rice prices.' U.S. tariff measures 'could shake the free trade system built by the post-war international community,' the draft says. It goes on to state that the government will 'grapple with maintaining and strengthening international economic order based on free and fair rules' through international cooperation, such as expanding the TPP and building a more resilient supply chain. Regarding the domestic economy, the draft states it is necessary to take caution against possible impacts of the tariff measures and the economic risks of surging prices.' It stresses the need to mobilize all possible policy measures, including passing costs onto prices as appropriate, to increase people's income and the country's productivity. Touching on the soaring rice prices, the draft states the government will ensure the stable supply of rice through the smooth distribution of its stockpiled rice. It also states that the government will take concrete steps to review its rice farming policies. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has expressed his willingness to review the policy of adjusting rice production, which is effectively a policy of reducing rice acreage, and instead expand sales channels by increasing rice exportation. These stances are reflected in the draft. The draft makes reference to a disaster prevention agency, which the government aims to establish in fiscal 2026. The envisaged organization will be positioned as the central command for the entire government on the coordination of policy measures for disaster prevention. The draft states that the agency will have the authority to issue recommendations to other government bodies, and that the government will secure sufficient funding and personnel for the agency as well as appoint a dedicated cabinet member to head it. According to the draft, the government will also consider setting up regional bases for disaster prevention, an idea which Ishiba has touted. Following adjustments by the ruling parties, the basic policy is expected to be approved by the Cabinet as early as on June 13.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
ImageSource and Honolulu Government Leaders Unite to Advance AI Strategy and Innovation at NEXUS Honolulu
OLYMPIA, Wash., May 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- ImageSource, Inc., the enterprise automation company behind the ILINX® platform, hosted NEXUS Honolulu on May 2, brought together City and County of Honolulu technology leaders to explore the practical application of AI and intelligent automation across government services. This invite-only event in downtown Honolulu provided a collaborative forum where government executives, department heads, and IT stakeholders worked alongside ImageSource experts to align AI capabilities with local priorities. The session focused on developing secure, achievable AI roadmaps that addressed both long-term strategy and near-term project execution. "Government leaders in Hawaii are deeply committed to improving public services while protecting citizen data," said Terry Sutherland, CEO of ImageSource. "NEXUS Honolulu helped surface ways AI can strengthen that mission by reducing manual burden, accelerating turnaround times, and delivering more impactful citizen services." NEXUS attendees participated in interactive workshops and strategic discussions on: AI Education, including how to leverage Domain Specific Language Models Prioritizing projects for measurable impact and compliance alignment How to leverage the ILINX® platform to implement AI anywhere in a workflow The event is part of the larger ImageSource NEXUS series, designed to empower organizations with frameworks for operational intelligence and AI adoption. Following similar successful engagements across Alaska, Washington, and Nevada, NEXUS Honolulu marked the first dedicated session in the Pacific region. "Our goal with these events is to meet leaders where they are," said Rob Latham, Chief Solutions Officer at ImageSource. "Every agency has unique needs, and our job is to make the path to AI transformation practical, secure, and impactful." About ImageSource ImageSource, Inc. makes process innovation easy with solutions built on ILINX®, the world's most flexible process-improvement platform, delivered by a team of experts committed to customer-partner success. Leveraging proven technology and deep implementation expertise, ImageSource empowers leading enterprises and government organizations to modernize operations, unlock revenue, and transform the customer experience. For more information, visit or call (360) 943-9273 View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE ImageSource, Inc.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Malaysia champions regional digital trade under 2025 Asean Chairmanship
KLANG: Malaysia is leading efforts to boost digital trade as the 2025 Asean chair and support the region's economic recovery. Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said under Malaysia's leadership, Asean is poised to address critical challenges such as supply chain disruptions, digital transformation, and climate change. He stated that the country is collaborating closely with regional partners to implement the Asean Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF), which aims to ensure a robust and sustainable recovery from the economic impacts of recent global crises. 'One of Malaysia's key priorities is to enhance the Asean Single Window, a digital platform that streamlines trade processes across member states. 'By reducing bureaucracy and improving trade efficiency, the ASW will play a pivotal role in strengthening regional supply chains and boosting intra-Asean trade, which currently accounts for nearly 25% of total Asean trade,' he said at the groundbreaking ceremony of YCH Group's RM500 million supply chain city Malaysia (SCC MY). Additionally, he said Malaysia is championing the development of the Asean Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA), which seeks to harmonise digital trade regulations and promote cross-border e-commerce. 'This initiative will not only enhance digital connectivity but also create new opportunities for businesses and consumers across the region,' he said. The Asean Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF) is a strategic initiative adopted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during the 37th Asean Summit on November 12, 2020. It serves as the region's consolidated exit strategy from the Covid-19 crisis, aiming to guide Asean's recovery efforts across various sectors and stages of recovery. The framework emphasises that digitalisation will be crucial to ensuring continuity in trade and services, particularly during crises. It calls for wider acceptance of digital documents, simplified customs procedures, and increased use of local currencies to reduce transaction costs and enhance financial integration. To support this, several Asean member states have begun relaxing documentation requirements and adopting digital platforms such as the Asean Single Window for customs declarations and certificates of origin, although inconsistencies remain between countries and agencies. Efforts are also underway to address gaps in infrastructure, data governance, cybersecurity, and legal frameworks—critical enablers for a seamless, secure regional digital economy under DEFA.
