Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG update

I told Enda Kenny that Ireland has no chance of a bank debt deal

  

An alley of German chancellor Angela Merkel has said he told Taoiseach Enda Kenny that Ireland cannot use the new eurozone bailout fund to retrospectively recapitalise its banks.

Dr Joachim Pfeiffer, economic policy spokesperson for Merkel’s party the Christian Democrats, has said that the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) can only be used for future banking debt issues and not legacy ones.

He told TheJournal.ie today that he communicated this to Enda Kenny in a meeting yesterday but said the Taoiseach did not share his view.

“He said the instrument was put in situ – that it can be used. But from my point of view it’s an instrument for the future,” Pfeiffer said of Kenny’s response.

For over two years the Irish government has been pushing for the use of the ESM to retrospectively recapitalise its pillar banks, AIB and Bank of Ireland, which received some €25 billion in State funding at the height of the financial crisis.

The government and Finance Minister Michael Noonan have repeatedly maintained that they will seek relief on legacy bank debt when the ESM is fully established later this year but these latest comments will do little to bolster the government’s case.

Pfeiffer has been in Dublin this week attending events and meetings with the German-Irish Chamber of Industry and Commerce. He has repeatedly said in interviews that Ireland has no chance of using the ESM for legacy debt.

“The ESM is an emergency instrument for the handling of the future problems that hopefully we are going to prevent,” he said this morning, adding “definitely not” when asked if it could be used for legacy debt.

He said that every country has to deal with its own debt burden, saying it is not the responsibility of other eurozone nations to provide relief.

He said: “Every country has to carry it’s own burden. We [Germany] took about €500 billion in our account with guarantees and we are not asking [for] Ireland to repay our problems.”

Pfeiffer repeatedly said that the ESM is “an instrument for the future and not for legacy”.

He added that his view was shared unanimously by other German parliamentarians and that he believes Chancellor Merkel also shares his view.

Miriam O’Callaghan gets behind epic children’s charity push

 

RTE’s  broadcaster Miriam O’Callaghan has put her shoulder to the wheel to help push the Bumbleance all the way from Dingle to Dublin.

Adventurer Mike O’Shea has trekked across Polar icecaps and some of the world’s most unforgiving terrain, but this will be his toughest challenge yet.

The Kerryman will be joined by Tony Heffernan, who founded the national children’s ambulance service, along with his wife Mary of the Saoirse Foundation and a team of volunteers to help them complete the 355km challenge.

The Bumbleance Mega Push, which aims to raise €250,000 and put two more child-friendly interactive ambulances on the road, was launched by charity patron Miriam.

The group will set off from Dingle, Co Kerry, on September 10 and hope reach St Stephen’s Green 10 days later. They will push the ambulance over the Conor Pass before going through towns and villages including Castleisland, Adare and Kill before reaching Dublin.

OVERWHELMING

Mike got behind the charity when he heard about the Bumbleance’s ‘Angel Trips’ – the last journey a terminally-ill child will take to or from hospital.

“This was the project for me. All funds raised will go towards the purchase of a new ambulance, and two if we can make it happen,” he said.

Mary and Tony’s son Liam (5) made his own trip aboard the Bumbleance shortly before he died in May from the extremely rare and fatal Batten’s Disease which also claimed the life of his older sister Saoirse (5).

“The positive effect that Bumbleance has had on the sickest of Irish children has been overwhelming, so much so that it is now a priority to get two more Bumbleances,” Tony said.

Members of the public can get behind Bumbleance by texting BUZZ to 50300 to donate €4. Volunteers are welcome to join the team along the route and can get involved by calling 083 0044444.

Cancer map of Ireland reveals wide variance in both incidence and mortality rate

  

A map developed as part of the Irish Examiner’s county by county report on the state of Ireland’s health has revealed wide variations in both the incidence and mortality rates for all the main cancer types.

Based on statistics from the National Cancer registry the map reveals Waterford as the county with the highest death rate from breast cancer in the country.

Cork has the highest incidence rates of non-melanoma skin cancer, while Tipperary has the highest death rate from non-melanoma skin cancer.

The map also shows how Kerry has the second highest incidence of breast cancer, while Carlow has the highest number of lung cancer deaths.

An Post plans 80,000 digital era letter boxes

  

The postal service has started on plans for the manufacture of up to 80,000 new delivery boxes

IT IS a persistent problem for the online shopper – ordering a package but not being home when the postman calls.

But semi-state An Post believes it has found the solution.

The postal service has started on plans for the manufacture of up to 80,000 new delivery boxes.

The company has begun searching for a manufacturer to enter a three-year contract to manufacture new specialised boxes that will be placed at people’s homes.

According to tender documents seen by the Herald, the agreement will consist of an initial supply of 10,000 boxes.

ONLINE

However, it said that the figure for requirements may be extended by 70,000 additional boxes in tranches of 10,000 units.

An Post said that the plan was a response to a steady growth in customers’ online and catalogue shopping preferences and in anticipation of future growth.

Parcel delivery volume increased at the company by 22pc last year.

A trial scheme for prototype boxes in areas including Dublin was “very positive”, according to An Post.

A spokeswoman said the new boxes should be available to households by the first quarter of next year.

“It will be available to anyone who wants one,” she said.

The pricing structure for the boxes has yet to be determined, but the company has promised to keep the prices “as low as possible”.

An Post has also specified that the boxes should be self-
installable.

“We are now looking for expressions of interest from suppliers interested in working with us to perfect the design and produce top quality die-cast metal, secure delivery boxes,” the spokeswoman said.

According to the tender, the boxes will allow for delivery of a range of different-sized mail items directly to a point that sits outside, but in close proximity to, a person’s home.

Specifications have also been laid out for the size of the boxes.

The internal dimensions should allow for the storage of a package 37cm long, 25cm high and 16.5cm wide.

The winning design should also be able to withstand temperatures of between -5C and 35C and be secure against water.

SHOPPING

The boxes will be designed in such a way that only the owner and An Post will be able to gain access.

It has been estimated that the value of Ireland’s internet economy will grow from its current level of €8.4bn a year to €21.1bn by 2020, with consumer spending making up 60pc of this figure.

More than half of online spending by Irish consumers, goes to sites abroad.

Gulls eating rabbit is just ‘normal’, says Birdwatch

 

Concerns raised about impact of filming Star Wars during breeding season on the world heritage site

A young rabbit defends itself against a herring gull on Skellig Michael, Co Kerry.

As Skellig Michael braces itself for an encounter with Star Wars film crews, life and death continues on the Unescoworld heritage site off the Kerry coast. Birdwatch Irelandhas said that a baby rabbit’s terrifying encounter with a herring gull, as captured by photographer Michael Kelly, is “ a natural enough” event.

Birdwatch Ireland’s senior conservation officer for seabirds, Stephen Newton, said the rabbit population on Dublin’s Dalkey Island was controlled by predatory gulls, and the same could be said for any coastal location. Black-backed gulls were particularly voracious, and he had witnessed one such gull swallowing a mallard duck whole.

Ornithologists say there is no such species as a “seagull”, but gulls have been in the public consciousness sinceFianna Fáil Senator Ned O’Sullivan told the Seanad in mid-July that the birds were attacking children and taking lollipops.

“Rogue gulls tend to be after food, not people,” Mr Newton said.

Skellig Michael’s extensive bird population, including puffins, Manx shearwaters, guillemots and petrels, is in the middle of a breeding season, and there is serious concern among ornithologists about the impact of the proposed filming on the island’s wildlife.

Approval

It is understood that an environmental impact assessment to support approval by the National Parks and Wildlife Service was only sought several weeks ago. Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys has responsibility for both the NPWS and the Irish Film Board – a potential conflict of interest, according to environmental sources.

Irish Film Board chief executive James Hickey said “all requisite consents including the NPWS approval are in place with the production company for a limited amount of film-related work on the island”.

The board said the filming programme “has been designed specifically to avoid disturbance of breeding birds” and the NPWS “has approved the proposal on that basis”.

Only 8.2% of Human DNA Is ‘Functional & useful’ The Rest Is Just useless and pure Junk’

  

ABOUT 90% OF HUMAN DNA COULD JUST BE “JUNK.”

Only about 8.2 percent of human DNA is believed to have an important role.

Past studies have suggested 80 percent of human DNA has a biochemical function, but this new research disputes that idea, University of Oxford reported. The study, published recently in Plos Genetics, suggests past definitions of “functional” have been too broad.

“This isn’t just an academic argument about the nebulous word ‘function’. These definitions matter. When sequencing the genomes of patients, if our DNA was largely functional, we’d need to pay attention to every mutation. In contrast, with only [eight percent] being functional, we have to work out the [eight percent] of the mutations detected that might be important. From a medical point of view, this is essential to interpreting the role of human genetic variation in disease,” said joint senior author Professor Chris Ponting of the MRC Functional Genomics Unit at Oxford University.

To make their findings the researchers looked at how much of the human genome has avoided accumulating changes over the past 100 million years; this indicates the DNA has an important function that must be preserved. The rest of the DNA that has undergone numerous losses or gains is considered to be leftover evolutionary material, or “junk DNA.  The team took a computational approach to comparing completed DNA sequences in humans as well as other mammals such as guinea pigs and horses.

“We tend to have the expectation that all of our DNA must be doing something. In reality, only a small part of it is,” said Doctor Chris Rands, first author of the study and a former DPhil student in the MRC Functional Genomics Unit at Oxford University.

Only about one percent of human DNA is believed to account for the proteins that carry out most biological processes; the other seven percent is responsible for switching on and off genes that encode proteins.

“There appears to be a lot of redundancy in how our biological processes are controlled and kept in check. It’s like having lots of different switches in a room to turn the lights on. Perhaps you could do without some switches on one wall or another, but it’s still the same electrical circuit,” Ponting said.

Is this Britain’s biggest ever jellyfish? Watch giant sea beast stun divers off Cornish coast

  

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water and then this GIANT jellyfish appears off the coast of Cornwall .

The enormous barrel jellyfish is thought to be one of the biggest of its kind ever recorded in British waters.

Diver Robert Lenfert, 42, was dwarfed by the magnificent creature as he and wife Natasha, 39, swam beside it off Pendennis Point in Falmouth.

The rhizostoma pulmo, also known as a dustbin-lid jellyfish, can measure up to four feet from tip to tail and up to three feet in diameter.

But despite its imposing presence, it has only a mild sting, which is sometimes compared to a nettle sting.

Whopper: Diver Robert Lenfern with the gigantic jellyfish

Experts say record numbers of barrel jellyfish are swimming in our seas this summer, particularly off the coasts of Cornwall, Devon and south Wales.

The boom has been put down to the mild winter, which allowed more adults to survive and resurface in spring.

Other commonly-sighted species include the compass, lion’s mane and blue jellyfish.   

Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG Update

The Irish Government ought to make water charges fair, equitable and affordable for Irish people

 

DECISIONS ENSURE SECURITY OF QUALITY WATER SUPPLY FOR THE DECADES AHEAD?

The debate on water charges has filled airwaves and newspaper columns in recent weeks and rightly so. It is good the public is debating issues around water as a precious national resource. But there has been a lot of misinformation about the Government’s water reforms.

It’s important to remember why domestic consumers will soon pay for water. Water just like other utilities such as gas and electricity, is costly to deliver, so the “user-pays” principle must apply. And we also need to radically reform the way we deliver water services.

The public water and waste water systems are not fit for purpose and need fixing. We are dealing with the consequences of years of under investment: 40 per cent of water is lost through leakage; almost one million people have drinking water supplies at risk; 23,500 people are on “boil water” notices; and our waste water infrastructure – vital to keeping coasts, rivers and lakes free from pollution – is inadequate.

Water services can no longer be primarily funded by the exchequer with no link between usage and funding. If we want to protect public health, our environment and provide for sustainable economic growth, we need a secure, long-term funding model to provide investment in water infrastructure into the future.

Water funds ring-fenced: Domestic water charges are a necessary component of our reforms. Charging will commence in October, with households receiving their first water bills from January 2015. Water charges will be ring-fenced for water services and will contribute significantly towards increasing infrastructural investment to the levels needed. Last week, Irish Water published its proposed 2014-2016 capital investment plan.

The establishment of Irish Water means services are now delivered through one national utility rather than 34 separate local authorities, resulting in greater efficiencies and economies. Critically, the transition will be seamless, as the partnership with local authorities allows local operations’ experience to be combined with Irish Water’s strategic network and asset management expertise.

There will be independent, economic regulation of the new utility. Protecting consumer interests is the primary responsibility of the Commission for Energy Regulation. The CER will critically examine Irish Water’s operational costs and capital plans, take decisions on a “water charges plan” and exercise its powers regarding Irish Water codes of practice on customer engagement.

The Government has sought to make water charges fair, equitable and affordable and to protect the most vulnerable. Charging will be based on metering, which the OECD says is the fairest form of charging. The assessed charge for those households which won’t have a meter right away, will be based on occupancy and will be a strong proxy for usage.

Fair prices: To increase affordability, the Government is providing a free allowance for every household. It is also providing further supports for groups highlighted as potentially vulnerable: the absence of a standing charge will benefit those living alone; the additional free allowance for children under 18 effectively means children’s consumption will be free; people with high water usage due to medical conditions will have their bills capped; and pensioners, people with disabilities and carers who receive the households benefits package will receive €100 a year to assist with bill payment.

The policy decisions taken by Government mean the average charge should be €240; a person living alone will have approximately 40 per cent of their water needs provided and will pay about €138 per annum; and a family of two adults and two children will have over half their water needs provided, and pay about €248 per annum. Irish Water will have flexible payment options.

I have also secured Government agreement to fund a free first fix on leaks identified on the customer side as a major water conservation measure.

Politicians are often accused of short-termism. The objective of the Government’s water reforms is to deliver sustainable investment and long-term improvements to our water and waste water systems.

The difficult decisions we have taken will ensure security of quality water supply for communities and businesses and the protection of our environment in the decades ahead.

We are confident that security of good quality supply will attract more inward investment to Ireland from water-intensive industries such as in the pharmachem, ICT and agrifood sectors.

Ireland needs more than MEPs in the European Union

  

Irish politicians have played a staunch role at the heart of Europe, but their influence is waning and work is needed to address an impending fall-off in top jobs, 

Between May 22 and 25, European citizens from 28 member states will democratically choose 751 MEPs to take their seats in the European Parliament. We should not underestimate the task we face as voters in choosing who will represent and communicate our best interests at the heart of the EU. But nor should we be blinded to the fact that in Europe’s heartland, Ireland needs more than its MEPs.

We are all familiar with the presence of high-profile Irish political figures in Brussels. Most Irish European commissioners have been drawn from the ranks of the Irish cabinet. It is likely Ireland’s next nominee for the commission will share that background.

Many of us are also at least cursorily acquainted with the names and profiles of incumbents and candidates for seats in the parliament. However, the Irish presence in Brussels (the headquarters of the EU) is more substantial and more numerous than this.

For a small state like Ireland’s record in securing high-profile and powerful positions within the administrative ranks of the EU institutions is singularly impressive. Former ombudsman Emily O’Reilly currently occupies the position of European ombudsman. Catherine Day, from Dublin is secretary general of the European Commission and the highest-ranked EU official in Brussels.

She succeeded another Irish person, David O’Sullivan, who has since had a distinguished career as chief operations officer of the European External Action Service and was recently appointed EU ambassador to the US. This highest of EU ambassadorial roles was previously held by John Bruton, a former taoiseach.

It is clear that throughout 40-plus years of membership of the EU, Ireland has been disproportionately represented at senior administrative levels in the EU’s major institutions. This pattern is less pronounced at lower administrative levels, but here, again, Irish officials are present. All of these officials, and many more since 1973, have dedicated their professional careers to serving the EU.

Their nationality is important, but not overwhelmingly so. What is important are the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values they bring to their roles. However, as the retirement of senior Irish Brussels-based officials looms, the prospect of a lesser Irish presence is becoming very real.

There are fewer younger Irish available to replace their more senior colleagues, and furthermore, today’s Irish graduates are not qualifying in sufficient numbers for EU positions or internships.

This trend is likely being affected by the diminishing range and choice of European studies programmes and modules in Irish universities, and by low fluency levels in a second language. It may also reflect a broader public disinterest in the EU and the limited (or maybe discredited) appeal of public service. Collectively, these developments mitigate against a strong Irish presence within the various EU administrations.

The absence of Irish officials is troublesome. It is not political figures alone who influence the EU landscape. We need knowledgeable and skilled administrators, too. We need leaders and innovators, problem-solvers and pioneers, thinkers and trailblazers.

We need a new generation of Irish men and women who are interested in the EU and who are qualified and equipped to work there. In serving the EU, these officials serve Ireland, too, by positively influencing the European environment within which we all live and work.

The factors which disallow a strong Irish presence in Brussels can be overcome but it will require some reorientation in how we protect and project the interests of the State. Knowledge and understanding is key, and so, rolling out an enhanced civic education to all Irish schoolchildren is imperative. In addition, there is value in embedding the study of the EU across a diverse range of university programmes, and in determinedly encouraging the study of international languages.

Elevating the quality of political and public debate on the EU and placing worth on public service are similarly vital. Then can we hope to produce a new and strong generation of skilled and competent Irish-EU officials. Amid the hype of the European election campaigns, we would do well to remember that in serving Ireland, we need more than MEPs at the heart of the EU. And therein lie some important challenges and choices for this and future Irish generations.

Irish State pays out millions to treat mental health patients abroad

“FIGURES REVEALED BY SENATOR RONAN MULLEN MEP CANDIDATE FOR EUROPE” WHO DEMANDS ACTION FROM HEALTH MINISTER REILLY

  

Irish psychiatric patients are being sent abroad for treatment, at a time when the health service locally closed a mental health unit in Ballinasloe, 

The cost to the Health Service Executive (HSE) of sending patients abroad for treatment for mental health problems could be as much as €3.1 million annually, as it costs an average of €13,000 per month per patient.

Payments of hundreds of thousands of Euros to private foreign hospitals comes despite the HSE West having spent a whopping €2.9 million refurbishing the 22-bed mental health unit in St Brigid’s Hospital in Ballinasloe, which is now controversially closed. Independent Senator Rónán Mullen, who obtained the figures, says it is an outrageous waste of taxpayers’ money.

The European election candidate in the new Midlands-North-West constituency, from Ahascragh, has demanded action from Health Minister Dr James Reilly. He said it was a matter of grave concern relating to the human dignity of the patient but also to their family and loved ones who are forced to travel abroad also.

“It is scandalous that we are closing top facilities in Ireland, and in particular admissions units situated in therapeutic locations like St Brigid’s in Ballinasloe while at the same time sending people out of the country for treatment.

We are training doctors and nurses who are much sought after around the world for their skills and expertise, and it is a nonsense for the HSE to suggest that Irish people cannot be treated by skilled Irish clinicians on Irish soil, ” Senator Mullen said.

The HSE has confirmed that twelve children with mental health problems are currently being treated abroad, and eight adults are being treated in private hospitals in Europe. It is understood that some of the patients have received mental health treatment abroad for several years.

Ronan Mullen takes Miriam O’Callaghan and RTE to task on selection bias of MEP’s debate panel of speakers

  

Senator Ronan Mullen with his fellow candidates Ben Gilroy, of Direct Democracy Ireland; Thomas Byrne, of Fianna Fáil; Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, Independent; Mark Dearey, of the Green Party and TJ Fay and Mark Fitzsmons, both Independents, on RTE Prime Time’s debate of Midlands-North-West MEP candidates last night. 

You may have seen Senator Ronan Mullen on Prime Time’s second panel debate of the Midlands-North-West MEP candidates on Monday night last.

During Senator Mullen’s appearance, he took host Miriam O’Callaghan to task, accusing RTE of bias, censorship and of being too cosy with Government parties – an outburst that earned vocal approval and agreement from Mr Flanagan.

Senator Mullen’s claims came on foot of Senator Mullen and Mr Flanagan’s annoyance over their exclusion from the first panel debate.

This morning, the RTE Player had the debates from last night posted but it stopped short in the second panel’s debate, just before Ms O’Callaghan turns to speak to Mr Mullen and when Mr Flanagan is in mid-sentence – therefore those looking back this morning cannot see  Senator Mullen’s outburst.

In total, of the 44-minute video posted, 37.15 minutes consisted of the first panel’s debate, with the remaining seven or so minutes consisting of the second panel’s debate – with the seven or so minutes consisting only of contributions from Thomas Byrne, Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan and Mark Deary.

The two debates in total were actually approximately an hour and 15 minutes.

Now, in the last few minutes, it appears the Prime Time debate has been removed from the RTE Player entirely.

Prior to the the second panel’s debate, an earlier panel consisted of Senator Lorraine Higgins, from Labour; Cllr Matt Carthy, of Sinn Féin; Mairead McGuinness, Fine Gael MEP; Jim Higgins, Fine Gael MEP; Marian Harkin, Independent MEP; and Pat ‘The Cope’ Gallagher, Fianna Fail MEP.

The first panel consisted of sitting MEPs and those candidates whose parties, or Independents, who won 10% support or more at the last election – a set-up which prompted complaints from both Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan and Senator Mullen.

Online medical card campaign kicked off by nine-year-old girl receives over 25,000 signatures in just one day

 

The ‘Our Childrens Health’ online petition has received over 25,000 signatures in less than one day.

The campaign was launched this afternoon in Dublin by nine-year-old Louise Shortall who was just recently granted a one year medical card, despite the fact that she was diagnosed with cancer two years ago.

A spokesperson for the campaign, which was initiated by little Louise’s family, said this evening that the volume of support was so great that the site has temporarily crashed.

However, they are asking people to remain patient and supportive as they hope it will be repaired soon.

“There were over 25,000 during the day but as soon as the evening news bulletins carried the story of the campaign launch the site couldn’t cope with the volume of traffic,” Kevin Shortall said.

“We were taken by surprise by the huge numbers wanting to sign the petition, but we’re working to fix the problem and design the site to be able to carry a much larger number of people at any time,” he added.

The ‘Our Children’s Health’ campaign is calling upon the government to amend the 1970 Health Act so that all children who are seriously ill or suffer from a congenital condition receive a medical card for the duration of their treatment.

Peter Fitzpatrick, cofounder of the campaign, said today that it has been received positively and that they will remain in action for as long as they need to.

He was inspired to start the campaign after he seen his family become embroiled in the medical card fiasco with the HSE, as his brave niece was consistently being issued with temporary medical cards, despite the fact that she is due to undergo treatment until next year.

Scientists track great white shark Katharin off the coast of the US

 

An enormous great 4.3-metre white shark that is being tracked during her swimming along the US coast has eager scientists and fans following her every move.

The 4.3-metre shark, named Katharine, surfaced near Key Largo, Florida on Monday night, announcing her presence with a ping from a tracking device placed on her dorsal fin last year.

Weighing one tonne, Katharine is being followed by the website Ocearch, which is run by a group that tracks a number of sharks to learn more about their habits.

Researchers follow Katharine’s migratory movements with the help of the tracking device Ocearch attached to her in August 2013, which “pings” the researchers whenever it comes to the surface.

In the past month, Katharine has appeared off the coast of Georgia before swimming south to Florida, coming within a few kilometres of Miami Beach on Saturday, according to the website.

Although the website is updated every half hour, Katharine doesn’t surface nearly so often.

With almost 4000 Twitter followers, the great white’s @Shark. Katharine account, managed by Ocearch, is dedicated to answering questions about the life of sharks and debunking myths.

Tagging their posts #GoKatGo, followers have cheered on the great white as “Katharine” weighs in on subjects like eating humans.

“What makes anyone think we’d really want to eat them #notmyflavor”, she “tweeted” on Tuesday.

Through Katharine’s movements, scientists hope to gain much more information about sharks than just her whereabouts.                

Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG

Miriam O’Callaghan has no problem with European candidate Ronan Mullen’s using photo’s

 

The election poster with Miriam O’Callaghan and Ronan Mullen (on the left).

The popular RTE star Miriam denies backing Ronan’s campaign as her picture is used in his voting drive for Europe.

European candidate Senator Ronan Mullen is using a picture of RTE star Miriam O’Callaghan in his election leaflet.

Leaflets sent to voters in the Midlands/North West constituency feature a snap of the Senator and the top presenter at an Irish Hospice Foundation event.

The picture could pose a problem for Miriam, 54, as broadcasters are strictly banned from endorsing candidates.

But a spokeswoman for M/s O’Callaghan said she had no issue with the pictures appearing in the leaflet. She said: “Miriam first became aware of it last Tuesday.

Miriam carries out three charity events a week and it is perfectly clear in the leaflet the picture was taken at a charity event.

“It is clear that she is not endorsing his campaign and does not intend to make any complaint.”

The European elections kicked off on Tuesday night with posters being erected across the country.

Candidates are also sending letters to hundreds of thousands of homes.

Senator Mullen’s leaflet includes four pictures under the headline: “A record of representation.”

Snaps of Ronan speaking in the Seanad and at the Council of Europe sit alongside the image of him with Miriam at the charity event.

The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland rules state: “Endorsements by broadcasters of election candidates, participating political parties or election interests are not permitted.

“Similarly, endorsements by staff who are employed, contracted or who volunteer with a broadcaster are also not permitted.

“Broadcasters should ensure that those with responsibility for overseeing election coverage are fully familiar with the content of these guidelines and the provisions of the Code Of Fairness, objectivity and impartiality in news and current affairs.”

Senator Mullen was unavailable yesterday but his spokeswoman said the picture was used to illustrate “public activity”.

She added: “Ronan hasn’t sought endorsement. This was cleared personally with Miriam O’Callaghan as a courtesy.

“He contacted her in advance, advised her that he wasn’t in any way seeking an endorsement of presenting it as same.

“He realised her position as a journalist. He mentioned it as a courtesy and there was none. Miriam was very courteous.”

FG Brian Hayes stares defeat in the face in European elections,

A RECENT POLL SHOWS

   

Fine Gael Junior Minister Brian Hayes is facing defeat in next month’s European elections as Sinn Fein and Independents look set to capitalise on a wave of anti-Government public sentiment.

According to a new Sunday Independent/MillwardBrown opinion poll of the make or break Dublin constituency, the first comprehensive poll of its kind in this election, a decisive backlash against both Fine Gael and Labour is crystallising, with less than five weeks to polling day.

Today’s poll shows Fine Gael junior finance minister Brian Hayes, the perceived early favourite to take the first seat, is lagging behind Sinn Fein’s Lynn Boylan (20%) and Independent MEP Nessa Childers (19%).

Based on the figures published today, Mr Hayes, on 15%, is in a dogfight for the last seat with Fianna Fail’s Mary Fitzpatrick (13%), Labour’s Emer Costello (12%) and Green Party leader and former Minister Eamon Ryan (11%).

Our poll also asked for people’s second preference in terms of candidate and of greater concern for Mr Hayes, is the fact he is not as transfer friendly as Ms Costello, Mr Ryan or even Ms Fitzpatrick.

On this basis, Mr Hayes is facing an uphill battle to take one of the three Dublin seats.  Any failure by Fine Gael to win a seat in Dublin would have serious internal ramifications for Mr Kenny within a party who are furious about the mishandling of the Shatter crisis.

Nationally, taking both yesterday’s Irish Independent poll and today’s poll together, Sinn Fein look set to take three seats in the European Parliament, one in each constituency, which would represent a remarkable surge in their fortunes. Fine Gael and Fianna Fail look set to take two seats each, while Labour are only in contention for one seat.

According to today’s Dublin poll, which was taken last Tuesday and Wednesday, Ms Childers is the most transfer friendly of all of the candidates, with18 per cent saying they would give her their number two preference.

Sitting unelected Socialist MEP Paul Murphy, who replaced Joe Higgins after he was elected to the Dail in 2011, is polling at just 4pc and at this stage looks unlikely to retain his seat.

Mr Murphy is sitting one point behind the People Before Profit candidate, Brid Smith, while Direct Democracy Ireland’s Tom Darcy is at 1pc.

For full Coverage of the Sunday Independent/MillwardBrown opinion poll, see tomorrow’s Sunday Independent or Independent.ie

Irish broadband connection’s to be improved with Fibre powered service for everybody

 

RURAL IRELAND’S DODGY BROADBAND IS GOING TO GET MUCH BETTER?

Almost one million rural households and businesses in Ireland are to see a boost in their broadband service following an announcement that fibre powered broadband is spreading all over the country.

Fibre Powered broadband

The Minister for Communications, Pat Rabbitte, announced that the Government has committed to a “major telecommunications network build-out to rural Ireland” which will see reliable high speed broadband for all.

In today’s poll up to 2am the poll results below show that Irish people rate their internet connection as pretty poor at 30%. 

The Poll Results:

Ireland’s Government to invest €512m on Internet to ensure entire country is covered with fibre cable

  

IRELAND’S GOVERNMENT TO INVEST €512M TO ENSURE ENTIRE COUNTRY COVERED IN FIBRE

Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte has said his department has Cabinet sign-off on a €512m plan to ensure 1,100 villages in areas commercial operators don’t consider viable will be connected to future-proofed fibre networks.

Rabbitte said in urban areas in Ireland, broadband is already comparable with any city in Europe or the US and that industry investment since 2012 has been €2bn.

Currently, Eircom is rolling out a €400m Next Generation Access fibre network that will provide 1.4m homes with 100Mbps by 2016 – 800,000 homes can now access this network.

As well as this, UPC has invested €500m in connecting more than 700,000 homes with 200Mbps broadband and businesses with up to 500Mbps broadband.

The ESB is entering into a joint venture with Vodafone to bring fibre to towns and villages across Ireland in a plan that will address 450,000 homes.

And three out of four of Ireland’s mobile operators have begun rolling out their 4G networks.

Wooden poles

However, Rabbitte pointed out that the private-sector companies’ plans do not address 1,100 villages and districts in rural Ireland, amounting to around 900,000 homes and businesses.

He said the Government is deliberately stepping away from metrics, such as having a minimum of 30Mbps to every home by 2015, and will instead look further down the line and aim to have future-proofed fibre as readily available as possible.

The new plan envisages spending between €355m at the lower end and €512m at the upper end to connect between 1,000 and 1,200 villages.

“Large tracts of Ireland have a basic service that is not acceptable. People are entitled as citizens to the same quality and there’s a huge argument in terms of regional development and facilitating businesses in provincial Ireland.”

He pointed out Ireland spent €17.5bn on its roads between 2002 and 2012 and virtually nothing on telecoms infrastructure, which is vital to the future.

“Fibre is the Rolls-Royce of connectivity and this investment will provide the opportunity for parts of rural Ireland to anticipate they will have this access.”

He said it is intended to connect rural areas with fibre via ESB poles whereby a third, slightly lower-hanging cable containing the fibre would be added and which would be contained in a protected sleeve.

Rabbitte said the plan is ultimately to address areas simply not served by existing operators and that a commercial operator selected by the State would sell the fibre services to homes and business.

Delivery of the fibre network is dependent on the Government also qualifying for funding from the European Investment Bank, as well as getting funds from the Strategic Investment Fund (National Pension Reserve).

Rollout of the new infrastructure will only happen once a detailed mapping exercise is carried out for the European Union.

While Rabbitte acknowledged the rollout won’t be complete “during the life time of this Government” he said the aim is to have the process complete in the next four years.

“Data is exploding. What we know for certain is the pace of change of technology requires future-proofing, not solutions that would be inadequate in a few years. It’s important to get the solution right.”

Economic impact

Rabbitte said he is hopeful the arrival of the ESB/Vodafone joint venture will help drive competition and ensure services are affordable.

“Eircom sees the new joint venture as competition for them, but competition is good.”

In talking with the Irish Farmers Association, he said the use of ESB poles to distribute the new fibre will not require any changes to existing relations with landowners.

Ultimately, Rabbitte said, the people of Ireland, especially rural Ireland, right now want the proper broadband quality that people are enjoying in towns and cities across the world.

“People of rural Ireland are more concerned about getting a quality service than whether the State owns the network.”

The real reward, he said, will be the economic impact fibre will have on local economies.

“The exciting thing is it will provide young people in rural Ireland with the opportunity to employ themselves and stay employed and stay in their own region.

“This is an opportunity that the entire west coast of Ireland never had before when faced with emigration.

“This technology offers the opportunity for people to make a living in their domestic environment.”

He cited the example of an architect in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim, who works with customers in London, who would be otherwise unemployed if not for an 80Mbps broadband connection. Another company, Western Print & Packaging in Loughrea, Co Galway, has seen its business prospects transformed because of the ability to transact online.

“I believe this kind of transformation can have the same impact in Clonakilty or anywhere else in the country,” Rabbitte said.

Our generation will be the last to worry about dying from cancer

SAYS TOP GB SCIENTIST

 

A leading research scientist in Cambridge GB Prof. Evan (above left) is confident the next generation will not have to “worry” so much about dying from cancer.

World-renowned cancer research expert Professor Gerard Evan believes that remarkable developments in technology and knowledge of gene mutation has revolutionised the treatment of cancer.

“We are going to see dramatic shifts in our abilities to treat and contain human cancers in the next 10, 15, 20 years,” said the Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge in Britain.

  “I can pretty confidently say that my children will never have to worry about dying from cancer in their lifetimes.”

Prof Evan was speaking ahead of joining 40 researchers from throughout Ireland who will gather next week to help explain the latest developments in the science behind battling cancer – as the Irish Cancer Society (ICS) announces the ‘Researcher of the Year’ award for pioneering work.

“I can’t tell you how exciting it is at the moment for someone who has spent their life in cancer research,” Professor Evan told the Irish Independent.

The researcher explained that his own offspring were now aged 24 and 32 but in 30 years’ time, he strongly believes, cancer will be treatable.

“I’m more worried about global warming than my children dying of cancer,” he said.

“I started my life as a graduate student in 1977 and for the first 25 years of that, most of us thought if breakthroughs would come it would be 100 years from now – it was almost banging your head against a brick wall.”

Over the past 15 years a combination of technological developments and increased understanding of gene mutation has driven research forwards. Now laboratories can strip cells down and identify the ‘drivers’ behind the cancer which has allowed pharmacists to make drugs to inhibit them.

“The combination has done amazing things – for decades there were no really new cancer drugs working in new ways,” he said.

Now, some drugs can put patients into remission in 60pc of cases for five or 10 years.

“The way things are going, if the person relapses there will be lots of new drugs in five or 10 years,” he said.

“We will be able to knock them back again and again.”

He highlighted multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood cells, once considered “pretty much a death sentence”, yet a combination of three drugs has now “transformed the lives” of a large number suffering from the disease.

Prof Evan is just one of a number of experts who will be addressing the ICS’s free public event on research aiming to eliminate cancer on Wednesday, April 30 at the Hilton Hotel, at Charlemont Place, in Dublin 2.

The event, taking place from 5pm to 7pm, is free.

Warning’s on side effects of drugs for Irish people suffering from mental illness

   

Failure to monitor the side-effects of drugs to treat long-term mental illness is shaving up to 20 years off the lives of thousands of patients, according to a leading consultant psychiatrist.

Siobhán Barry said up to 100,000 people, “enough to fill Croke Park on any given Sunday”, are on psychotropic medications — which have been shown to cause conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

This was mainly because of the significant weight gain associated with these drugs, said Dr Barry. In addition, many suffering mental ill health also smoked, and this compounded their physical health problems.

Yet the reality was psychiatric outpatients were not regularly monitored for the adverse health effects of long-term medication.

Ideally, their metabolic and cardiac health should be monitored from the time they started on medication and then checked every six months, Dr Barry said.

Potential problems could be picked up that way and addressed early. Failure to carry out these health checks was “reckless”, she said.

Instead, she said, they “die 20 years younger than their peers” who do not have enduring mental illness and are not on long-term medication.

The drugs in question included powerful tranquillisers such as Olanzapine, used to treat schizophrenia, rather than common antidepressants.

Addressing doctors at the Irish Medical Organisation’s AGM in Co Kildare, Dr Barry proposed a motion calling on Health Minister James Reilly to request that the Mental Health Commission audit the adequacy of facilities available for the physical monitoring of outpatients prescribed long-term psychotropic medication.

The motion was passed unanimously.

A separate motion calling on Dr Reilly to “urgently publish guidelines” in respect of the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act was also passed.

Outgoing IMO president, consultant psychiatrist Matt Sadlier, said failure to supply guidelines to doctors was akin to giving someone sitting a driving test a copy of a Road Traffic Act instead of the rules of the road.

However, the Department of Health said yesterday that a final draft of the guidance document to assist health professionals in the implementation of the Act has been signed off by a committee tasked with drawing up the guidelines.

“It is expected that this document will be ready for publication and dissemination shortly,” a department spokesman said.

How sloths breathe upside down as explained by Zoology scientists

  

Zoology researcher Rebecca Cliffe studied how sloths were able to breathe normally hanging upside down

A Swansea University team has found out how sloths are able to spend up to 90% of their lives hanging upside down yet continue breathing normally.

The research found the mammals, which live in the rainforests of south and central America, have a way of fixing their internal organs to the rib cage.

These adhesions prevent the stomach, liver, kidneys and even the bowels and bladder from pressing on the diaphragm.

The research carried out in Costa Rica is published by the Royal Society.

The scientists say much is still to be learned about these elusive and endangered creatures – the world’s slowest mammals – as even basic information such as their natural diet and habitat preference remains a mystery.

PhD zoology researcher Rebecca Cliffe, 24, is one of the authors of the paper, based on work at the Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica.

The research was carried out a sloth sanctuary in Costa Rica

She said: “With an extremely slow metabolic rate and low energy diet, sloths are experts at saving energy.

“They have a very slow rate of digestion and can store up to a third of their body weight in urine and faeces. For a mammal that spends a significant amount of time hanging upside down, this large abdominal weight pressing down on the lungs would make breathing very costly in terms of energy, if not impossible.

“Sloths have solved this problem by anchoring their organs against the rib cage.

The facts about Sloth’s.

•           The sloth is the world’s slowest mammal, so sedentary that green algae grows on its coat, which helps camouflage it

•           They sleep for 15-20 hours a day and even when awake will remain motionless

•           Sloths carry up to a third of their bodyweight in urine and faeces and will only defecate once a week

•           Sloths are endangered.

“They have multiple internal adhesions that bear the weight of the stomach and bowels when the sloth hangs inverted. We estimate that these adhesions could reduce a sloths energy expenditure by 7% – 13% when hanging upside down.

To a sloth, an energy saving of 7% – 13% is a big deal. They generate just about enough energy from their diet to move when and where required, but there is not much left in the tank afterwards.

“It would be energetically very expensive, if not completely impossible, for a sloth to lift this extra weight with each breath were it not for the adhesions. The presence of these simple adhesions therefore really is vital.”

Prof Rory Wilson, of the College of Science at Swansea University, a joint author of the paper, said: “Nothing that sloths do is normal.

“They are quite the most extraordinary and “off-the-wall” mammals I have ever come across and yet we know so very little about them.

“How foolish we would be to watch these creatures become victims of deforestation and habitat fragmentation and the like without having the slightest idea how to help.”