Latest News from RTÉ News
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32 minutes ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
WFP: 'Hordes of hungry people' stormed Gaza warehouse
Thousands of Palestinians have stormed a United Nations warehouse in central Gaza, with the World Food Programme reporting two possible deaths in the disorder as Israel and the UN traded blame over the deepening hunger crisis. The humanitarian situation in Gaza, where aid has finally begun to trickle in after a two-month blockade, is dire following 18 months of devastating war. Food security experts say starvation is looming for one in five people. AFP footage showed crowds of Palestinians breaking into a WFP warehouse in Deir Al-Balah and taking bags of emergency food supplies as gunshots rang out. "Hordes of hungry people broke into WFP's Al-Ghafari warehouse in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza, in search of food supplies that were pre-positioned for distribution," WFP said in a statement on X. "Initial reports indicate two people died and several were injured in the tragic incident," WFP said, adding that it was still confirming details. Israel accused the United Nations yesterday of seeking to block Gaza aid distribution, as the global body said it was doing its utmost to facilitate distribution of the limited assistance greenlit by Israel's authorities. The issue of aid has come sharply into focus amid starvation fears and intense criticism of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private US-backed aid group that has bypassed the longstanding UN-led system in the territory. Israel's UN ambassador Danny Danon told the Security Council that aid was entering the enclave by truck - under limited authorisation by Israel at the Kerem Shalom crossing - and via a "new distribution mechanism developed in coordination with the US and key international partners". Mr Danon was referring to the GHF operation, which he accused the UN of "trying to block", saying it was "using threats, intimidation and retaliation against NGOs that choose to participate in the new humanitarian mechanism". . A Palestinian medical source reported at least one death. Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, reiterated the world body's opposition to coordinating with GHF. "We will not participate in operations that do not meet our humanitarian principles," Mr Dujarric told AFP. He said the UN was doing all it could to send aid, adding that since last week 800 truckloads were approved by Israel but fewer than 500 made it into Gaza. As the war entered its 600th day Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the offensive had "changed the face of the Middle East". He said it had killed tens of thousands of militants including Mohammed Sinwar, Hamas's presumed Gaza leader and the brother of Yahya Sinwar - mastermind of the October 2023 attacks that sparked the Gaza war. Israeli media said Mr Sinwar was targeted by strikes in southern Gaza earlier this month. His brother was killed in October 2024. In Washington, US envoy Steve Witkoff expressed optimism about a possible ceasefire, saying he expected to propose a plan soon. "I have some very good feelings about getting to a ... temporary ceasefire, and a long term resolution, a peaceful resolution of that conflict," he said. But Gazans remained pessimistic. "600 days have passed and nothing has changed. Death continues, and Israeli bombing does not stop," said Bassam Daloul, 40. "Even hoping for a ceasefire feels like a dream and a nightmare." Israel stepped up its military offensive earlier this month, while mediators push for a still elusive ceasefire. In Tel Aviv, hundreds of people called for a ceasefire, lining roads at 6:29am - the exact time the 7 October attack began. Relatives of hostages held since that attack also gathered in Tel Aviv. "I want you to know that when Israel blows up deals, it does so on the heads of the hostages," said Arbel Yehud, who was freed from Gaza captivity in January. "Their conditions immediately worsen, food diminishes, pressure increases, and bombings and military actions do not save them, they endanger their lives," she said. Out of 251 hostages abducted during the 7 October attack, 57 remain in Gaza including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. Some 1,218 people were killed in Hamas's 7 October 2023, attack, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
Musk leaving Trump administration
Billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk is leaving the Trump administration after leading the so-called Department of Government Efficiency in a controversial effort to slash federal spending. A White House official also told Reuters that it was accurate that Mr Musk is leaving the administration and his "off-boarding will begin tonight". Mr Musk also said he was leaving his position within the US government in a post on his social media platform X yesterday. "As my scheduled time as a special government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President Donald Trump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending," he said in a post on X. His departure was quick and unceremonious. He did not have a formal conversation with Mr Trump before announcing his departure, according to a source with knowledge of the matter, who added that his exit was decided "at a senior staff level". While the precise circumstances around his exit are not immediately clear, he leaves a day after criticising Mr Trump's marquee tax bill, calling it too expensive and a measure that would undermine his work with the US DOGE service. Over the last several weeks, he had clashed in private with some cabinet level officials. Mr Musk publicly attacked White House trade adviser Peter Navarro as a "moron" for dismissing his push for "zero tariffs" between the US and Europe. Mr Musk's 130-day mandate as a special government employee in the Trump administration was set to expire around 30 May. The administration has said DOGE's efforts to restructure and shrink the federal government will continue. "The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government," the Tesla CEO said. Mr Trump and DOGE have managed to cut nearly 12%, or 260,000, of the 2.3 million federal civilian workforce largely through threats of firings, buyouts and early retirement offers, a Reuters review of agency departures found. Mr Musk on Tuesday criticised the cost of Republicans' tax and budget legislation making its way through Congress. "I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing," he told CBS News. His political activities have drawn protests and some investors have called for him to leave his work as Mr Trump's adviser and more closely manage Tesla, which has seen falls in sales and its stock price. Mr Musk, the world's richest person, has defended his role as an unelected official who was granted unprecedented authority by Mr Trump to dismantle parts of the US government. Having spent nearly $300 million (€266m) to back Mr Trump's presidential campaign and other Republicans last year, he said earlier this month he would substantially cut his political spending. "I think I've done enough," he said at an economic forum in Qatar.
RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
US court blocks Trump's tariffs from going into effect
A US trade court has blocked President Donald Trump's tariffs from going into effect in a sweeping ruling that the president overstepped his authority by imposing across the board duties on imports from nations that sell more to the United States than they buy. The Court of International Trade said the US Constitution gives Congress exclusive authority to regulate commerce with other countries that is not overridden by the president's emergency powers to safeguard the US economy. "The court does not pass upon the wisdom or likely effectiveness of the president's use of tariffs as leverage. That use is impermissible not because it is unwise or ineffective, but because [federal law] does not allow it," a three-judge panel said in the decision. The Trump administration minutes later filed a notice of appeal and questioned the authority of the court. The decisions of the Manhattan-based Court of International Trade, which hears disputes involving international trade and customs laws, can be appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington DC and ultimately the US Supreme Court. Mr Trump has made charging US importers tariffs on goods from foreign countries the central policy of his ongoing trade wars, which have severely disrupted global trade flows and roiled financial markets. Companies of all sizes have been impacted by Mr Trump's swift imposition of tariffs and sudden reversals as they seek to manage supply chains, production, staffing and prices. A White House spokesperson said US trade deficits with other countries constituted "a national emergency that has decimated American communities, left our workers behind, and weakened our defence industrial base - facts that the court did not dispute". "It is not for unelected judges to decide how to properly address a national emergency," Kush Desai, the spokesperson, said in a statement. Financial markets welcomed the ruling. The US dollar rallied following the court's order, surging against currencies such as the euro, yen and the Swiss franc in particular. Wall Street futures rose and equities across Asia also rose. The ruling, if it stands, weakens Mr Trump's strategy to use steep tariffs to wring concessions from trading partners, draw manufacturing jobs back to US shores and shrink a $1.2 trillion US goods trade deficit, which were among his key campaign promises. Without the instant leverage provided by the tariffs of 10% to 54% that the president declared under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) - which is meant to address "unusual and extraordinary" threats during a national emergency - the Trump administration would have to take a slower approach of lengthier trade investigations under other trade laws to back its tariff threats. The ruling came in a pair of lawsuits, one filed by the nonpartisan Liberty Justice Center on behalf of five small US businesses that import goods from countries targeted by the duties and the other by 13 US states. The companies, which range from a New York wine and spirits importer to a Virginia-based maker of educational kits and musical instruments, have said the tariffs will hurt their ability to do business. "There is no question here of narrowly tailored relief; if the challenged tariff orders are unlawful as to plaintiffs they are unlawful as to all," the trade court wrote in its decision. At least five other legal challenges to the tariffs are pending. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, a Democrat whose office is leading the states' lawsuit, called Mr Trump's tariffs unlawful, reckless and economically devastating. "This ruling reaffirms that our laws matter and that trade decisions can't be made on the president's whim," Mr Rayfield said in a statement. Mr Trump has claimed broad authority to set tariffs under IEEPA. The law has historically been used to impose sanctions on enemies of the US or freeze their assets. Mr Trump is the first US president to use it to impose tariffs. The Justice Department has said the lawsuits should be dismissed because the plaintiffs have not been harmed by tariffs that they have not yet paid and because only Congress, not private businesses, can challenge a national emergency declared by the president under IEEPA. In imposing the tariffs in early April, Mr Trump called the trade deficit a national emergency that justified his 10% across the board tariff on all imports, with higher rates for countries with which the United States has the largest trade deficits, particularly China. Many of those country-specific tariffs were paused a week later. while working on a longer term trade deal.
RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Highest rate of contacts to rape crisis centre in 2024
Disclosures of sexual violence to the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre last year reached the highest rate in the organisation's 46-year history, according to its latest annual report. For the first time, there were over 20,000 contacts to the charity's 24-hour helpline. High profile legal cases resulted in spikes in contacts when survivors of sexual violence spoke out, according to the report. In total, 22,700 people contacted the charity's 24-hour helpline, which is a 22% increase on the number of calls in 2023. While most of the callers made contact with the charity for the first time, repeat callers accounted for around one in three contacts. Calls to counsellors staffing the helpline accounted for 19,653 of contacts while the remainder of people got in touch with the organisation through email, webchat, text messages and social media. Therapy appointments increased by over 57% on the previous year and there were almost 6,000 counselling sessions with survivors. More than half of new therapy clients, or 55%, had suffered other forms of violence in addition to sexual violence, including physical and psychological abuse, coercive control, spiking, trafficking, stalking and threats to kill. In the report, the DRCC's Chief Executive Rachael Morrogh described staff as being "troubled and upset" to hear anecdotally of a growing number of clients who reference physical restraints being used by perpetrators as part of a sexual assault. Therapy clients remained mostly female and although women are more likely to experience sexual violence than men, the DRCC said they "are overrepresented" among client numbers at 87%. When it comes to the types of abuse disclosed, adult rape accounted for 37% followed by child sexual abuse at 28.7%. Adult sexual assault accounted for 16%, unspecified abuse 16% and sexual harassment 2%. Almost six in 10, or 57%, of those who contacted the helpline last year were in Dublin. However, over four in 10, or 42%, said they were calling from outside the capital. The highest number of contacts were made by people aged between 30 and 39 years old – accounting for 19.3%. This cohort is followed by those aged between 40 and 49 at 19%, and those aged 50 - 59 years old at 18.7%. Those aged between 24 and 29 years accounted for 16% of contacts, 15.8% were aged between 18 and 23 years and people aged between 60 and 69 years equated to 7.2%. Some contacts sought or needed further information or support beyond Dublin Rape Crisis Centre services. Most were referred to general practitioners, with that figure standing at 29%, followed by another counselling service at 14%, another rape crisis centre at 13% or An Garda Síochána or a specialised garda service, which accounted for 12%. The report said 98 victims and survivors received support and information from the DRCC around courts, trials and other hearing processes last year, down from 100 the previous year. Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan, who will launch the report this morning, has noted that historically, the crime of sexual violence has been underreported. This, he said, is something that he is "committed to addressing". He added that "something has been changing as complainants become more confident in our justice system".
RTÉ News
6 hours ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
Food Village to provide 200 new jobs in Longford
Secondary school meal provider Food Village has announced the creation of 200 jobs with the opening of a state-of-the-art food service site in Longford. The announcement is part of the company's investment of more than €3 million into its Longford facilities, as well as a €1 million investment in its technology system and dedicated software team. Hiring is under way for a number of roles, with positions spanning culinary production and kitchen staff, business development, logistics and distribution, mechanics, customer services, IT, HR and more. The expansive facility will serve as a nationwide distribution hub for Food Village's hot school meals and convenience solutions, specifically for secondary schools. "The quality of this site perfectly represents our joint commitment to providing the highest quality, fresh, nutritious, and locally sourced meals to secondary school students nationwide," said Food Village's Founder and CEO, Richie Nagle. "Although this is a huge milestone for Food Village, we look forward to doubling our team and building a healthy future for our young people, while creating much-needed employment opportunities in a community we are proud to be a part of," Mr Nagle said. Minister of State at the Department of Finance and TD for Longford-Westmeath, Robert Troy will officially open the new facility today. "The provision of hot school meals is of fundamental importance for the wellbeing of pupils and contributes to better mental and physical health," Mr Troy said. "I commend the whole team at Food Village for what they are developing here in Longford, and the national impact they are having on issues like food insecurity," he added. Food Village said its services are accessible by students and parents through a mobile and web app. The company uses AI-driven insights and predictive models that learn from individual and wider user trends to enable chefs to steer production and predict students' choices, further reducing food waste in the supply chain.
