
€23.86m pledged to support sustainable ocean management
€23.86m was pledged to support actions that promote a healthy, sustainable marine environment.
The pledge came from minister of state Timmy Dooley on the final day of the 10th 'Our Ocean' conference in Busan, Korea.
Speaking at his announcement, minister Dooley said: 'I am pleased to announce such a significant commitment pledge by Ireland. It reflects the Governments continued commitment to working collaboratively through many national and European projects, and initiatives, to ensure the sustainability of our oceans.'
The pledge aims to support a diverse range of activities, such as programmes that will help to support marine research and biodiversity assessment, initiatives to address climate impacts in coastal areas, and support for projects advancing digital ocean technologies.
Minister Dooley also pointed out the pledge was 'reiterating Ireland's commitment to delivering 30% protected area coverage of its maritime area by 2030.'
CLIMATE & SUSTAINABILITY HUB
'Ireland has a strong track record of advocating for sustainable ocean management. The commitments entered into today reiterate that position. I am confident they will support not just the responsible development of our oceans, but also support the continued development of Ireland's coastal communities who are dependent on a sustainably managed seafood sector,' concluded minister Dooley.

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Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Mick Clifford: The USA is adopting a totalitarian attitude to free speech
Donald Trump's toxic orbit is now reaching directly into Ireland. Most recently, there were two specific areas in which this has come to pass. Last week, it emerged that officials in Coimisiún na Meán, the media regulator, could face potential restrictions on entry to the USA if the American administration deems that they are interfering with 'free speech' by regulating social media. This is an unprecedented move. Ordinarily, such visa restrictions might apply to corrupt officials in a dictatorship or rogue state. Now, in Trump's America, officials in a friendly European country could be banned from entry for simply doing their job. 'Free speech' is a movable feast for Trump and his followers. For instance, soon after assuming office in January, Trump declared that the Gulf of Mexico should heretofore be known as the Gulf of America. 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Beyond that, the 'free speech' that Trump believes in extends to far less protection of minors on social media. This leaves boys and girls exposed to material relating to sex and violence with practically no restrictions. The reasoning behind such a free-for-all is that any restrictions depress traffic on the sites, which in turn hits the profits for the social media companies. And right now, all the owners, the tech bros, are happy to play supplicant to Trump in order to ensure they remain in his favour. Now word is being conveyed across the Atlantic that regulators in Europe, and particularly Ireland where so many of these companies have offices, would be well-minded to follow the lead of the Americans or they will, in terms of visa restrictions, be treated like corrupt officials from a foreign rouge state. You could not make it up. This week, it was also reported that 25% of US companies that had previously supported Dublin Pride have now pulled out. 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The programmes had been balanced, which required including voices from a small group opposed to the philosophical position adopted by most in the LGBT community towards gender dysphoria. Such diversity of opinion was unacceptable to the organisers of Dublin Pride, so RTÉ was dropped. Today, the level of intolerance increasingly displayed in the USA towards minority communities is of a far greater order, and is being accepted by elements of society out of nothing more than fear of reprisals from Trump and his acolytes. That such an atmosphere is now washing up on these shores through US companies running away in fear from Dublin Pride should be an issue of concern for everybody. We have problems in this country, mainly concerned with inequality, particularly in relation to housing. Those are nothing like the issues that have pertained in the USA for decades, and which led to an atmosphere where an individual like Trump could actually be elected to office, not once, but twice. Vigilance is required to ensure we don't succumb to the toxic waves from Trump's America that can wash up on these shores in various forms. Read More Donald Trump delays US TikTok ban again

The Journal
6 hours ago
- The Journal
Irish diplomats are to be evacuated from Iran
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RTÉ News
8 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Irish embassy in Iran shut amid 'deteriorating' situation
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