US support for Israel won't stop Kerry town's Fourth of July fireworks
Killarney's annual celebration faces ethical concerns as United States continue to stand by Israel in Gaza
Kerryman
Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce confirmed that its annual Fourth of July celebration parade will go ahead despite moral opposition from some quarters over ongoing US support for Israel in Gaza and the loss of thousands of lives.
The annual US celebratory parade through Killarney has come under pressure since 2023, compounded by a recent US decision to veto a United Nations security council resolution calling for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
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RTÉ News
11 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Israel-Iran air war enters second week as Europe pushes diplomacy
Israel and Iran's air war entered a second week and European officials sought to draw Tehran back to the negotiating table after President Donald Trump said any decision on potential US involvement would be made within two weeks. Israel began attacking Iran last Friday, saying it aimed to prevent its longtime enemy from developing nuclear weapons. Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel. It says its nuclear programme is peaceful. Israeli air attacks have killed 639 people in Iran, said the Human Rights Activists News Agency. Those killed include the military's top echelon and nuclear scientists. Israel has said at least two dozen Israeli civilians have died in Iranian missile attacks. Reuters could not independently verify the death toll from either side. Israel has targeted nuclear sites and missile capabilities but also has sought to shatter the government of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to Western and Regional officials. "Are we targeting the downfall of the regime? That may be a result, but it's up to the Iranian people to rise for their freedom," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. Iran has said it is targeting military and defense-related sites in Israel, but it has also hit a hospital and other civilian sites. Israel accused Iran of deliberately targeting civilians through the use of cluster munitions, which disperse small bombs over a wide area. Iran's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment. With neither country backing down, the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany along with the European Union foreign policy chief were due to meet in Geneva with Iran's foreign minister to try to de-escalate the conflict. "Now is the time to put a stop to the grave scenes in the Middle East and prevent a regional escalation that would benefit no one," said British Foreign Minister David Lammy ahead of their joint meeting with Abbas Araqchi, Iran's foreign minister. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping both condemned Israel and agreed that de-escalation is needed, the Kremlin said. The role of the United States, meanwhile, remained uncertain. In Washington, Mr Lammy met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Mr Trump's special envoy to the region, Steve Witkoff, and said they discussed a possible deal. Mr Witkoff has spoken with Mr Araqchi several times since last week, sources say. Mr Trump, meanwhile, has alternated between threatening Tehran and urging it to resume nuclear talks that were suspended over the conflict. Mr Trump has mused about striking Iran, possibly with a "bunker buster" bomb that could destroy nuclear sites built deep underground. The White House said Mr Trump would decide in the next two weeks whether to get involved in the war. That may not be a firm deadline. Mr Trump has commonly used "two weeks" as a time frame for making decisions and has allowed other economic and diplomatic deadlines to slide. With the Islamic Republic facing one of its greatest external threats since the 1979 revolution, any direct challenge to its 46-year-long rule would likely require some form of popular uprising. But activists involved in previous bouts of protest say they're unwilling to unleash mass unrest, even against a system they hate, with their nation under attack. "How are people supposed to pour into the streets? In such horrifying circumstances, people are solely focused on saving themselves, their families, their compatriots, and even their pets," said Atena Daemi, a prominent activist who spent six years in prison before leaving Iran.
RTÉ News
13 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Violence against children hit 'unprecedented levels' in 2024
From Gaza to the Democratic Republic of Congo, violence against children in conflict zones reached "unprecedented levels" in 2024, a United Nations annual report said Thursday. "In 2024, violence against children in armed conflict reached unprecedented levels, with a staggering 25 percent surge in the number of grave violations in comparison with 2023," according to the report from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The report verified 41,370 grave violations against children in 2024 - including 36,221 committed in 2024 and 5,149 committed previously but confirmed in 2024 - the highest number since the monitoring tool was established nearly 30 years ago. The new high beats 2023, another record year, which represented a 21% increase over the preceding year. With more than 4,500 killed and 7,000 injured, children continue to bear "the brunt of relentless hostilities and indiscriminate attacks," the report said. There was also a marked increase in the number of child victims of multiple violations to 22,495. "The cries of 22,495 innocent children who should be learning to read or play ball - but instead have been forced to learn how to survive gunfire and bombings - should keep all of us awake at night," said Virginia Gamba, special representative of the UN secretary-general for children and armed conflict. "This must serve as a wake-up call. We are at the point of no return." In its annual report, the UN compiles violations of the rights of children, those aged under 18, in some 20 conflict zones around the world. In its appendix, a "list of shame" calls out those responsible for these violations - a powerful coalition of Haitian gangs was added this year - which include child killings and mutilations, recruitment to violence, kidnappings, denial of humanitarian aid and sexual violence. The Israeli armed forces, which were named last year along with Palestinian militant group Hamas, remain on the list. Conflict casualties The Palestinian territories occupy the top spot in the dismal rankings, with more than 8,500 serious violations, the vast majority attributed to Israeli forces, including more than 4,800 in Gaza. This figure includes confirmation of 1,259 Palestinian children killed in Gaza, and the UN notes it is currently verifying information on an additional 4,470 children killed in 2024 in the war-torn territory. The report also calls out Israel's military operations in Lebanon, where more than 500 children were killed or injured last year. Following the Palestinian territories, the countries where the UN recorded the most violence against children in 2024 are: the Democratic Republic of the Congo (more than 4,000 grave violations), Somalia (more than 2,500), Nigeria (nearly 2,500), and Haiti (more than 2,200). "List of shame" inductees include Haitian gang coalition "Viv Ansanm," blamed for a 490 percent increase in violations, including child recruitment, murders and gang rapes. Another addition to the list is Colombian drug cartel Clan del Golfo, which is accused of child recruitment. Colombia in general recorded a significant increase in cases of forced recruitment, with 450 children in 2024 compared to 262 the previous year. Remaining on the list are the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which have been fighting in Sudan for more than two years. Also listed again is the Russian army for its actions in Ukraine, where the report records a 105 percent increase in serious violations between 2023 and 2024.
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Trump will not say whether he will move forward with US strikes on Iran
President Donald Trumpwould not say whether he has decided to order a US strike on Iran, a move that Tehran warned anew would be greeted with stiff retaliation if it happens. 'I may do it, I may not do it,' Mr Trump said in an exchange with reporters at the White House. 'I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.' Mr Trump added that it is not 'too late' for Iran to give up its nuclear programme as he continues to weigh direct US involvement in Israel's military operations aimed at crushing Tehran's options. 'Nothing's too late,' Mr Trump said. 'I can tell you this. Iran's got a lot of trouble.' 'Nothing is finished until it is finished,' Mr Trump added. But 'the next week is going to be very big — maybe less than a week'. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP) Mr Trump also offered a terse response to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's refusal to heed his call for Iran to submit to an unconditional surrender. 'I say good luck,' Mr Trump said. Mr Khamenei earlier warned that any United States strikes targeting the Islamic Republic will 'result in irreparable damage for them' and that his country would not bow to Mr Trump's call for surrender. Mr Trump said on Tuesday the US knows where Iran's Mr Khamenei is hiding as the Israel-Iran conflict escalates, but does not want him killed — 'for now'. 'He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,' Mr Trump said. Mr Trump's increasingly muscular comments toward the Iranian government come after he urged Tehran's 9.5 million residents to flee for their lives as he cut short his participation in an international summit earlier this week to return to Washington for urgent talks with his national security team. Mr Trump said that the Iranian officials continue to reach out to the White House as they are 'getting the hell beaten out of them' by Israel. But he added there is a 'big difference between now and a week ago' in Tehran's negotiating position. 'They've suggested that they come to the White House — that's, you know, courageous,' Mr Trump said. Iran's mission to the United Nations refuted Mr Trump's claim in a statement on social media. 'No Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House. The only thing more despicable than his lies is his cowardly threat to 'take out' Iran's Supreme Leader.' The US president said earlier this week that Russian president Vladimir Putin offered to serve as a mediator. But Mr Trump said he told Mr Putin to keep focused on finding an endgame to his own conflict with Ukraine. 'I said, 'Do me a favour, mediate your own',' Mr Trump said he told Mr Putin. 'I said, 'Vladimir, let's mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later.' The Russia-Iran relationship has deepened since Mr Putin launched a war on Ukraine in February 2022, with Tehran providing Moscow with drones, ballistic missiles, and other support, according to US intelligence findings.
