Irish ambassador in London gets ready for President Micheal D’s Palace visit
Dan Mulhall sees promising future for Anglo-Irish relations as he awaits first State visit by Irish head of State.
Each day in the central lobby of the Palace of Westminster, one that separates the House of Lords and the House of Commons, visitors crane upwards to see four mosaics.
Representing Saints Andrew, George, David and Patrick, the mosaics have browned with age and few will have noticed the name of Banba written above the head of St Patrick.
For Dan Mulhall, Ireland’s ambassador to Britain, however, the presence of Banba a member of the legendary Tuatha Dé Danann – highlights the complex heart of Anglo-Irish relations.
Fifteen years ago, Mulhall was based in Edinburgh, as it made its first steps after the devolution of power to Holyrood from Westminster.
There, he became friends with the late Seamus Heaney, agreeing with the latter’s view that the two countries were “linked and separated in various degrees by history and geography, language and culture”.
“Considering our convoluted connections, it seems strangely appropriate that this ancient Irish goddess should occupy this perch,” Mulhall mused recently.
For months, the Waterford-born diplomat has led preparations, at the Irish Embassy in London, for President Michael D Higgins’ State visit to Britain.
Often, it has been a job of explaining – to a British audience or to those internationals who have become intrigued – why the first State visit by an Irish head of State is only taking place now.
“For a long time relations between an independent Ireland and our nearest neighbour were burdened by a legacy of history,” he told journalists last week.
The four-day programme will reflect the “huge divide” that has been overcome in relations between Ireland and Britain, but one also that offers “a platform for the future”, he said.
During the visit, Mr Higgins will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey and inspect the colours of the Irish regiments disbanded when the Free State was founded.
“In the past we might not have seen that Ireland had any real connection with the first World War,” says Mulhall, noting the series of commemorations involving Irish ministers in recent years.
“It underlines our willingness yet again to see our past in its true colours and embrace our past without any reason to shy away from the fact that the Irish played such an important role,” he went on.
Since he moved to London from Berlin last year, Mulhall has spent time getting to know the Irish community, particularly those involved in a succession of Irish centres throughout Britain.
Last month, 350 Irish people were invited to Buckingham Palace for a reception that acted as the warm-up to President Higgins’ visit– one that is getting royal attention.
“It is a wonderful occasion for the Irish community in Britain; the biggest Irish community anywhere in the world outside Ireland,” said the diplomat on the night.
“They have made a huge contribution to Britain over the years. Many of the people here tonight have been here for 40, 50 or even 60 years,” he said.
The ties that bind are cultural too, says Mulhall, pointing to Mr Higgins’ visit to the Royal Shakespeare Company in Straford-upon-Avon and, later, Shakespeare’s birthplace.
“For the Irish, Shakespeare hardly counts as a foreign author; he has been part of our lives. Equally, here, people regard Irish authors as part of their own literary tradition,” he said.
Prone to quoting Heaney, Mulhall wondered, in a speech in Edinburgh some months ago, if Banba “was the goddess” the Derry poet had encountered “at the edge of centuries”.
“We are indeed at the edge of centuries on these islands, with centuries of contention behind us, significant centenaries upon us and, I think, a very positive vista ahead.
“This edge of centuries is a good place to be, a comfortable plateau rather than a threatening precipice. There are, of course, further uplands ahead of us.
“But we can be optimistic about our prospects. At the edge of centuries lies a friendly, cooperative, respectful partnership,” he said.
Pedestrians make up largest group of road users that die in Dublin from road accident's
Newly released stat's show two out of every five road fatalities in Dublin are pedestrians.
Between 2008 and last year pedestrians accounted for 37 per cent of the 121 road deaths in Dublin, just a slightly higher proportion than drivers who made up 35 per cent of the total.
Almost two out of every five road fatalities in Dublin is a pedestrian according to newly released statistics, making them the single biggest group of road users to die in the capital.
The figures have been released by An Garda Síochána as part of their “Casualty Reduction Campaign” to run for the next two months.
“When we analyse the tragic year end figure(s), we can clearly see that pedestrians still remain the most vulnerable, even more so than drivers who traditionally figure higher in terms of fatal incidents,” said chief superintendent Aidan Reid, head of the city’s traffic corps.
Between 2008 and last year pedestrians accounted for 37 per cent of the 121 road deaths in Dublin, just a slightly higher proportion than drivers who made up 35 per cent of the total.
That represents 45 pedestrian deaths, as against 42 drivers, 18 passengers, 11 cyclists and five motorcyclists.
“This is not solely an enforcement issue. We must get drivers to slow down, particularly in 30 kilometre an hour and 50 kilometre an hour zones, but also appeal to pedestrians to ensure they do everything to remain safe on the roads,” said chief superintendent Reid.
“This is particularly relevant in relation to pedestrians who may have been drinking. Getting home safely is what everyone wants, so when our socialising be responsible.”
Figures also show that those struck by a vehicle travelling at around 60 kilometres an hour stand an 85 per cent chance of death.
Michael Rowland of the Road Safety Authority said: “Drivers need to play their part too by realising that in a collision with a pedestrian, regardless of who is at fault, the pedestrian will come off worse so it’s important to drive with your eyes wide open to possible danger and slow down.”
Eircom to send 30,000 customers backdated error bills
Direct debits not taken from bank accounts due to error in Bank system.
Thousands of Eircom customers will have to pay arrears of between €100 and €500 after an error in the company’s billing system resulted in direct debits not being collected.
Around 30,000 customers did not have some or all of their monthly payments taken from their bank accounts for phone broadband and TV services since January.
They received their bills as usual however, which incorrectly stated the direct debits had been paid.
Eircom’s director of corporate affairs Paul Bradley said around 4 per cent of their customers had been impacted.
He said most of those affected would owe around €100, but this could rise to around €500 for some customers whose payments had not been collected for a longer period of time.
He said two-thirds of affected customers had already been contacted. Their next bill will reflect the full amount owed, including arrears, which will be paid by direct debit.
Chairman of the Consumers’ Association of Ireland Michael Kilcoyne has called on Eircom to write off the outstanding debts.
“The customer arranged for the payment to be made, they gave them the facility to do it, and Eircom botched it up,” he said.
“There are many people living hand to mouth now, who won’t be able to afford this. It is totally unacceptable that Eircom would demand this money from them.”
Mr Bradley said Eircom would arrange a payments plan for customers who are not in a position to pay the outstanding amount with their next bill.
“If they have any difficulties whatsoever in terms of paying, we are asking them please to contact us. We will work with them in order to put a payment plan in place,” he said.
The error is believed to be related to the implementation of the Single Euro Payments Area (Sepa) payment integration initiative.
Customers with queries about the error can call a dedicated phone line on 1800 303 432, Monday to Friday 9am-8pm.
Identity fraud and cybercrime in Ireland cost firms over €600m
An increase in cybercrimes is costing Irish companies over €600m a year, according to a Grant Thornton new report.
Reports of data breaches are mounting in Ireland as both foreign and Irish criminals infiltrate business computer systems, according to a Grant Thornton business report.
Common crimes include identity fraud, online scams, cyber theft and cyber extortion.
Notifications of security breaches rose 36pc in 2012. Incidents are typically under-reported to the Data Protection Commissioner because companies fear a hit to their reputation should they disclose their security systems failed, according to Grant Thornton partner Mike Harris, who launched the company’s cybersecurity service.
SECURITY
Breaches since 2011 include attacks on Loyaltybuild, Eircom StudyHub and Recruit Ireland. Loyaltybuild suffered a breach of customer data and credit card information and had to invest €500,000 on security.
It is estimated that 55pc of cybercrime is by international organised crime gangs – typically operating in countries where regulation is weak.
Mr Harris said: “Our estimate of €630m is likely to be below the actual level given that many companies still do not report security breaches for fear of the reputational damage.”
He said Irish businesses should be focusing… on the ability to detect and react to data security breaches.
“It is not a question of if an Irish business will be subjected to an online attack, but a question of when,” he said.
Europe launches a satellite to monitor our planets natural disasters
The European Space Agency has successfully launched its Sentinel-1A satellite (above left), which is designed to monitor natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes.
Europe on Thursday launched the first satellite of its multi-billion-euro Copernicus Earth observation project that will supply valuable images in the event of natural disasters or even a plane crash.
The Sentinel-1a satellite, which blasted off into Earth’s orbit from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana at 2102 GMT, will be used to monitor sea ice, oil spills and land use and to respond to emergencies such as floods and earthquakes.
The satellite, which carries a 12-metre-long (40-foot-long) radar antenna and has two 10 metre-long solar panels, is now orbiting the planet at 693 km (439 miles) above the earth.
The Copernicus project, for which the European Unionand the European Space Agency (ESA) have committed funding of around 8.4 billion euros ($11.5 billion) until 2020, is described by the ESA as the most ambitious earth observation programme to date.
Copernicus is designed to supply data that can help policymakers develop environmental legislation or react to emergencies such as natural disasters or humanitarian crises.
“The Sentinels will keep a watchful eye on our planet,” Thomas Reiter, ESA director of human spaceflight and operations and head of the ESA’s satellite control centre ESOC, said at the launch event in the German city of Darmstadt near Frankfurt, where ESOC is based.
The launch of the Copernicus project became especially urgent after Europe lost contact with its Earth observation satellite Envisat in 2012 after 10 years.
“The big step forward is that we can now cover every place on Earth every three to six days,” Volker Liebig, director of ESA’s Earth Observation programme, said ahead of the launch.
“This used to take much longer with Envisat. If you want to use images for disaster management support or to find a plane, then you want the images to be as fresh as possible.”
But he cautioned you would first need to know roughly where a plane had crashed, which is not the case with the missing Malaysian Airlines jet.
Chris Reynolds, director of the Irish Coast Guard in Dublin, said authorities needed more satellite images and data delivered as quickly as possible to catch “the bad guys”, such as people who purposely dump oil from their ships into the sea.
“At the moment, it’s very difficult to find out who has the data and to know what level of trust you can place in it,” he said at Thursday’s event.
Copernicus also offers new business opportunities.
Images can be downloaded free of charge, meaning companies can then use them to help deliver data to farmers on soil moisture or pest infestation, help oil companies decide where to drill new wells or make it easier for insurers to assess the risk of costly floods and fires.
Sentinel-1a, which will operate in tandem with a second satellite to be launched next year, Sentinel-1b, has high-tech instruments that will allow it to record radar images of Earth’s surface, even when the skies are cloudy or dark. As part of the Copernicus program, there will be 17 launches over the next decade.
Copernicus is one of the EU’s two flagship space programmes along with satellite-navigation initiative Galileo, which is meant to rival the dominant U.S. Global Positioning System, or GPS, Russia’s GLONASS and China’s new Beidou system.
The main suppliers for the first Sentinel are Italian-French venture Thales Alenia Space for the satellite and Airbus Defence and Space for the radar.
Ocean hidden under the frozen surface of the moon orbiting Saturn
Scientists measure the tiny gravitation pull exerted on satellite to predict what lies beneath the moon’s frozen surface
An ice encrusted moon of Saturn harbour’s a secret – a hidden ocean of liquid water. The Cassini satellite orbiting the giant ringed planet confirmed the huge body of water by studying the moon’s gravitational pull.
The moon Enceladus has proved something of a puzzle and a news maker since Cassini dropped into Saturnian orbit 10 years ago. Effectively Enceladus is a big ice-covered 500 km rock that attracted attention early as scientists wondered whether it might have liquid water underneath. Early pictures showed what have been described as the “tiger stripes” zig-zagging across the moon’s southern hemisphere. They looked very much like joints between giant ice floes.
Then in 2005 the probe detected jets of water vapour and ice emanating from the stripes, convincing scientists that there must be liquid water underneath. The question was how to prove it.
Years passed but observations continued and it was as a result of three Cassini fly-bys in April 2010 and May 2012 that the answer came. Scientists from Italy and the US were able to measure the tiny gravitation tug Enceladus exerted on the satellite and used this to predict what lies beneath the moon’s frozen surface.
The outer shell is ice 30 to 50km thick, but there is a small ocean of liquid water under part of the southern hemisphere, which must be the source of the water vapour jets, the scientists say in the current issue of the journal Science .
This was the first time that a geophysical method was used to understand the internal structure of Enceladus, says Prof David Stevenson, the Marvin L Goldberger Professor of Planetary Science at Caltech. “This is really the only way to learn about internal structure from remote sensing.”
It is assumed that the water stays wet rather than freezing solid because of the massive gravitational pull on the moon exerted by Saturn. The resultant orbital flexing generates heat that keeps the ice melted and probably drives the surface venting.
The Cassini Huygens mission is a joint enterprise involving the US, European and Italian space agencies. It includes the Cassini orbiter and also the Huygens lander that dropped onto the surface of another moon Titan back in 2005.
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