Less than half the number of signatures required from Ireland [1] to join in a European Citizens' Initiative on controlling pesticides have been gathered with less than one month left to meet the quota.

The Initiative seeks the goal of a 50% reduction phasing out the use pesticides by 2030. read full story / add a comment

Handbook on Marine Protection Areas published as audiobook
Listen to Marine Protection Areas ‘while doing the dishes’

An extensive Report on the status of Marine Protection Areas [MPAs] in Ireland has been made available on line both as a pdf and an audiobook from the library of the website of Friends of the Irish Environment [FIE]. A new 'MPA' tab on the organisation's Home Page gives direct access to the publication, which is being made available for no charge. read full story / add a comment

This statement was released by the Irish Nurses for Transparency and Openness, INFTO on July 21st but as their website was not ready until recently it was deferred till now. However it turns out even from the initial limited press release INFTO say they have been contacted by more than 200 nurses and healthcare workers since their inception last month.

In context, it ought to be noted that a total of 82 deaths and 13,529 suspected side effects have been reported to the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) up to August 3, according to its latest report here although it is to be noted these figures at best only capture a small fraction of the vaccine deaths and injuries.

The INFTO is a group of concerned nurses and healthcare workers from across Ireland. We would like to raise concerns about a number of issues that have taken place in our healthcare facilities since March 2020.

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The World Trade Organization closed two-day meetings on pandemic response policies that included a proposal to temporarily wave COVID vaccine patents. read full story / add a comment

The International Monetary Fund Executive Board agreed to create $650 billion of emergency currency known as Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) to help countries deal with the fallout from the coronavirus health and economic crises. The IMF’s main governing body, the Board of Governors, will take a final vote in coming weeks to move forward the SDRs creation. In a statement, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva indicated she expects the allocation as soon as August.
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G20 finance ministers begin two-day meetings in Italy on Friday on COVID response, economic recovery, vaccines, debt relief and global tax agreements. More than 265 groups signed a letter organized by Jubilee USA urging the G20 to act on debt relief, aid and COVID healthcare for developing countries. read full story / add a comment

Opponents to Bantry Bay Fish Farm ‘Gutted’

A spokesman for the conservation charity Friends of the Irish Environment, which is based on the Beara peninsula where a proposed 18 cage salmon farm is to be located, said this morning they were ‘gutted’ by the decision. read full story / add a comment

The International Monetary Fund approved a debt relief process for Sudan, according to the country's finance ministry. The Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, a debt relief process created in the early 2000s, will wipe out 85% of Sudan's debt, reducing debt from $50 billion to $8 billion. read full story / add a comment

A Stand in the Park unites people in parks all over the world every Sunday morning, 10-11am local time. We Stand in the Park to celebrate freedom, diversity and fairness for all.

Brady Gunn started A Stand in the Park in Hyde Park, Sydney, Australia. Brady made a Stand, alone at first, for his personal truth. In Brady’s early Facebook videos, he talked about making a Stand for freedom, for our elderly, our children, our jobs and small businesses… Against lockdowns, harmful new laws, the ‘pandemic’ and the people behind ‘The Great Reset’.

“I’m drawing a line in the sand and showing my face for what I believe is right. I’m Standing with the intention to show enough is enough. ” – Brady Gunn, Founder

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The presidents and prime ministers of 7 of the world's wealthiest countries gather in the United Kingdom to meet on the response to the economic and health crises spurred by the coronavirus. read full story / add a comment

The World Trade Organization began a process that could make it easier for poor countries to produce or procure COVID-19 vaccines. Pharmaceutical companies hold vaccine patents and WTO action is necessary to waive the patents. Less than 2% of coronavirus vaccines reached poor countries. read full story / add a comment

Heads of the primary global financial, trade and health institutions urged government leaders to finance a $50 billion vaccine plan to end the pandemic. “A two-track pandemic is developing, with richer countries having access and poorer ones being left behind,” shared IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, World Bank President David Malpass, World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and World Trade Organization Director General Nkozi Okonjo-Iweala in a joint statement. read full story / add a comment

At the Cheshire Elite Marathon running competition, Aoife Cooke won the women’s race in a time of 2 hours, 28 minutes and 36 seconds, qualifying her to compete in the Tokyo Olympic Games. read full story / add a comment

Call on GAA to quantify pesticides use for International Bee Day
Mayo GAA pitch cited to County Council as breaching pesticides guidelines on International Bee Day

The environmental charity Friends of the Irish Environment [FIE] have written to Liam McCarthy, the GAA President, citing the use of pesticides at a Mayo GAA pitch and asking him to quantify the use of pesticides on GAA grounds and to ensure users have been trained to the standard required by the legislation. read full story / add a comment

As worldwide COVID cases peak, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva unveiled a $50 billion proposal to support vaccinations of 60% of the world's population. During a G20 and European Commission summit, Georgieva argued the global vaccine investment would end the pandemic and spur $9 trillion in economic gains by 2025. read full story / add a comment

Ireland's position on bee mortality permitted by pesticides questioned.

Failure to give Ireland’s EU position on pesticides a ‘democratic deficit’.

Six environmental groups have written an ‘Open Letter’ to four Ministers seeking Ireland’s position on the limits of mortalities permitted through the use of pesticides.

The groups are seeking Ireland's position on pesticides in last March’s meeting of the EU’s Standing Committee on Plant, Animal, Food and Feed and what position the State plans to take at the forthcoming meeting in June.

According to the letter to Ministers Ryan, Hackett, Heydon, and McConalogue, a majority of the Member States now favour at least doubling the 5% permitted threshold of mortalities after pesticide treatments (which can be repeated through the growing season) with some member states proposing to allow as much as 25% of a colony to be destroyed under the revised ‘Bee Guidance Document’. read full story / add a comment

On Monday, the International Monetary Fund approved a plan to pay for Sudan's debt owed to the financial institution. Using grants and internal resources, IMF leadership agreed to clear $1.3 billion in missed debt payments or arrears.
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US Plays Major Role in Sudan Relief Effort

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High Court quashes last 8 of Bord na Mona’s ‘ghost’ planning applications
Lack of public consultation leads to quashing of 10 An Bord Pleanala consents

The High Court has quashed decisions of An Bord Pleanala to grant leave to apply for substitute consent, in respect of a number of peat extraction and quarry applications. The two-step, ‘substitute consent’ system, by which developers had to make ‘threshold’ applications to regularise previous unauthorised activities before applying for planning permission, was found not to comply with the EIA Directive by the Supreme Court in July 2020 in cases brought by An Taisce, the National Trust, and Peter Sweetman in relation to a quarry in County Kildare. read full story / add a comment

The United Nations convened on COVID response and development needs for vulnerable, small island and landlocked countries. The President of the Economic and Social Council, Pakistan Ambassador Munir Akram organized the high-level event to focus on countries struggling with specific disadvantages from the crisis. read full story / add a comment