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https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025/12/04/complaint-filed-against-microsoft-ireland-alleging-it-facilitated-mass-processing-of-illegal-surveillance-data-on-palestinians/

Irish human rights campaigners have sent internal Microsoft files on dealings with Israel's military to regulators in a complaint alleging the company's Irish business facilitated the mass processing of "illegal" surveillance data on Palestinians.

The complaint by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) was made to the Data Protection Commission (DPC) in Dublin, the body responsible for enforcing EU data protection law on Big Tech groups such as Microsoft which have their European headquarters in Ireland.

In its DPC submissions, the council said it had a mandate to make the complaint on behalf of Palestinian residents of Gaza and the West Bank and EU "citizens/residents" who have frequent communications with people in the Occupied Territories.

"Microsoft's technology has put millions of Palestinians in danger," said ICCL executive director Joe O'Brien, a former Green TD.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/12/04/eurovision-faces-its-waterloo-as-israel-threatened-with-ban/

Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands will boycott next year's Eurovision Song Contest after public broadcasters decided to let Israel compete.

The song contest has now been thrown into chaos, with other countries expected to follow suit.

Iceland had also threatened to pull out of the competition before a crunch meeting in Geneva on Thursday, while there were reports Belgium and Finland were mulling similar moves. Competing broadcasters have until mid-December to confirm their participation.

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Major financier Germany and next year's host Austria had warned that they would withdraw from Eurovision if Israel was expelled, in the same way Russia was after its invasion of Ukraine.

That would have left the organiser European Broadcasting Union (EBU) searching for a new host city before May, plunging the contest into even more chaos than it currently faces.

https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2025/1204/1547300-rte-to-boycott-eurovision-song-contest-over-israel/

Ireland  and three other countries to boycott after Israel  are allowed to compete

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cde6d8wyp79o

Israel will only get worse. Good stance from RTÉ.
Portugal, Belgium and Iceland have yet to decide. This is the first time such a boycott has happened.

Currently £2.20 in my local. Only went up in the summer, was £2.00 for ages

Oh my God!!!!!!

The price of a pint of beer in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK could rise by as much as 20% next year, industry insiders have said.
Spiralling manufacturing costs are being blamed for the anticipated hike.

Stephen Kelly from the Federation of Licensed Vintners said the necessary raw materials have "risen in value enormously in the past year".

"The grains and the metals for kegs have risen so much that it's going to have a knock-on effect," he said.


If it goes up by 20% then it will be £3.10 a pint (rounded down)

How much is a pint now, 18 years later?

Isis/Israeli asset,  Abu Shaba has been killed, couple of different reports on who killed him.

https://www.irishtimes.com/world/middle-east/2025/12/04/israeli-reports-say-anti-hamas-leader-has-been-killed/

The �head of an armed Palestinian faction that opposes Hamas in Gaza has been killed, Israel's public broadcaster ‍reported on Thursday, in what would be a blow to Israeli efforts to support Palestinian clans against the ‍Islamist movement.

Yasser Abu Shabab, a Bedouin tribal leader based in Israeli-held Rafah in southern Gaza, has led the most prominent of several small anti-Hamas groups that have emerged in Gaza during the ‌war that began more than two years ago.

Hamas has branded him a collaborator and has ⁠ordered its fighters to kill or capture him.

There was no immediate word ‌about �Abu ‍Shabab's status on the Facebook page of his group, the Popular Forces.

You could add that Ukraine is just the start. Putin wants to recreate the Soviet Union.

I don't buy that - at all. Where's the evidence?

Meanwhile, EU wants an army so pushes that narrative.

Would it be surprising if he tried for more if he got Ukraine?


/quote]

Well, according to some on here, this war has been a disaster for Russia, and Russia is on the point of collapse. So, just after being nearly brought to its knees by the Ukrainian effort, can it really invade the EU?!! I somehow doubt it!
Besides, Russia has its own demographic problems, too. No longer can it afford to send endless bodies to the front. An invasion of the EU would put in the ha'penny place the losses in Ukraine. Unless the reckoning is that the EU won't fight at all?

What's that got to do with the security of Europe? It's not just about being able to repel an invasion from Russia on members, something which can no longer just be dismissed as pie in the sky. It's also about protection of energy and communication infrastructures whether it be wind farms, solar farms, nuclear facilities, subsea cables etc. We're moving away from oil and gas, well Russian oil and gas anyway. Our aim is to be energy dependent and that's going to hurt many suppliers outside the Union. So we need to be able to offer a serious deterrent to anyone thinking of sabotaging these infrastructures. And I'm not talking about strongly worded letters either.

https://www.ft.com/content/2ee21b5c-24fc-400e-a51d-2c197d09c471

Russia may gradually ramp up its provocations to test these latent divisions within Nato. One long-discussed scenario is the incursion of Russian ground troops into one of the Baltic states — perhaps on the pretext of defending ethnic Russians. The Kremlin's ultimate goal is to demonstrate that Nato's Article Five mutual security guarantee is worthless. If the Russians could do that, then they might try to pick off smaller European states one-by-one — without ever having to take on the combined might of Nato. Uncertainty about Washington's response is the key to Moscow's probing. The US provides about 40 per cent of Nato's military assets in Europe and some of its most advanced capabilities. There are also American troops in the Baltic states. A Himars artillery unit recently conducted training at the Tapa base and a US tank company is expected to arrive soon. But if the Russians ever staged a major incursion into Estonia or another Nato member, there are obvious questions about how Donald Trump would respond. As Gabrielius Landsbergis, a former foreign minister of Lithuania put it to me last week, "If there is an incursion and attack . . . what can Putin expect? The American Sixth Fleet coming into the Baltics or a call to meet in Alaska?"

This woman has been arrested now for Blasphemy. "Defaming" the Chosen people. It is illegal to critique ****** power and influence. The legacy of securing "freedom" in WW2

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy4x78mrxk3o

This will revert back on Jewish people. Anti Israel action is not antisemitic.

Waste goes a lot higher

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/northern-ireland/companies-which-have-made-millions-from-delayed-a5-road-scheme/a7817510.html

The companies which have earned millions of pounds from the long-delayed A5 road scheme can today be revealed.
In one case, an infrastructure firm received more than £60m in consultancy fees.

Another contractor company has collected over £20m.

The total spend to date on the project - which was originally given the go-ahead in 2007, but has yet to start - has topped £150m.

The 58-mile road from Derry to Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone, has been hit by a series of delays.

It was approved again by the Executive in October last year, with the final cost now estimated at £1.7bn.

However, spending on the project has continued to rise, and now stands at £153.7m.

This includes £80.6m on consultants, £56.3m on contractors' fees, £5.8m on geotechnical and archaeology investigations and £5.7m on land costs.


In response to a Freedom of Information request, the department has now revealed the biggest earners from the scheme.

In our request, we asked for a list of those who had received £1m or more.

The biggest recipient is Mouchel Limited, which was later acquired by the WSP Group. Mouchel/WSP has received £63.8m in consultancy fees - more than a third of the total expenditure to date.

Three sets of contractors' fees were paid out to companies which collaborated at various stages of the project.

Around £11m was paid as part of a joint venture between Balfour Beatty, BAM and FP McCann for section one of the scheme, between New Buildings and Sion Mills.

Some simple truths:

Russia's goal in this war is the destruction of Ukraine as a sovereign, independent state.

Russia has not changed their goal despite the  war turning into a disaster for them.

They won't accept any agreement that will make this goal more difficult/impossible in the future.

They will accept an 'agreement' that leaves Ukraine a sitting duck.

Security assurances for Ukraine on paper are worthless.

Whatever is agreed, if anything, will be broken by Russia at some point in the future.

You could add that Ukraine is just the start. Putin wants to recreate the Soviet Union.

January

*The pre-league provincial competitions (McKenna Cup, O'Byrne Cup, FBD League, McGrath Cup, Munster SHL & Walsh Cup) will all start on the weekend of Friday 2nd-Sunday 4th.

Saturday 17th-Sunday 18th: All-Ireland club senior football and hurling finals at Croke Park

Saturday 24th:

NFL Div 1: Dublin v Donegal, Croke Park, 5pm

NFL Div 2: Meath v Derry, Croke Park, 3pm; Tyrone v Kildare, Healy Park, 6pm

NFL Div 3: Down v Clare, Páirc Esler, 6pm; Laois v Limerick, O'Moore Park, 6pm


NFL Div 4: Waterford v Longford, Fraher Field, 4pm

NHL Div 1A: Tipperary v Galway, Semple Stadium, 7pm

NHL Div 1B: Carlow v Down, Dr Cullen Park, 2.30pm; Wexford v Antrim, Wexford Park, 4pm

Sunday 25th

NFL Div 1: Galway v Mayo, Pearse Stadium, 1.45; Kerry v Roscommon, Fitzgerald Stadium, 2pm; Monaghan v Armagh, St Tiernach's Park, 2pm

NFL Div 2: Cork v Cavan, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 1.30pm; Offaly v Louth, O'Connor Park, 2pm

NFL Div 3: Fermanagh v Wexford, Brewster Park, 1pm; Westmeath v Sligo, Cusack Park, 2pm

NFL Div 4: Antrim v Carlow, Cargin, 2pm; London v Tipperary, McGovern Park, 2pm; Wicklow v Leitrim, Aughrim, 2pm

NHL Div 1A: Kilkenny v Offaly, Nowlan Park, 2pm; Cork v Waterford, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 3.45pm

NHL Div 1B: Clare v Dublin, Cusack Park, 2pm

Saturday 31st

NFL Div 1: Armagh v Galway, Athletic Grounds, 5pm

NFL Div 2: Kildare v Offaly, St Conleth's Park, 6pm; Derry v Tyrone, Celtic Park, 6pm

NFL Div 3: Limerick v Down, Rathkeale, 2pm; Wexford v Laois, Wexford Park, 6pm

NFL Div 4: Carlow v Wicklow, Dr Cullen Park, 6pm

NHL DIV 1A: Galway v Cork, Pearse Stadium, 7pm

NHL DIV 1B: Dublin v Kildare, Parnell Park, 7.30pm

FEBRUARY

Sunday 1st

NFL Div 1: Donegal v Kerry, Ballyshannon, 1.30pm; Mayo v Dublin, MacHale Park, 1.30pm; Roscommon v Monaghan, Dr Hyde Park, 2pm

NFL Div 2: Louth v Cork, Ardee, 1.30pm; Cavan v Meath, Breffni Park, 3.45pm

NFL Div 3: Clare v Westmeath, Cusack Park, 2pm; Sligo v Fermanagh, tbc, 2pm

NFL Div 4: Leitrim v Waterford, Páirc Seán MacDiarmada, 1pm; Longford v London, Pearse Park, 1pm; Tipperary v Antrim, Semple Stadium, 2pm

NHL Div 1A: Offaly v Tipperary, O'Connor Park, 2pm; Waterford v Limerick, Walsh Park, 2pm

NHL Div 1B: Antrim v Clare, Dunloy, 1pm; Down v Wexford, Ballycran, 2pm

Saturday 7th

NHL Div 1A: Cork v Tipperary, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 7.30pm

NHL Div 1B: Wexford v Carlow, Wexford Park, 5.15pm

Sunday 8th

NHL DIV 1A: Waterford v Offaly, Walsh Park, 1.45pm; Limerick v Kilkenny, Gaelic Grounds, 3.45pm

NHL DIV 1B: Clare v Down, Cusack Park, 1.30pm; Kildare v Antrim, St Conleth's Park, 2pm

Saturday 14th

NFL Div 1: Kerry v Galway, Austin Stack Park, 5pm; Dublin v Monaghan, Croke Park, 7pm

NFL Div 2: Meath v Louth, Croke Park, 5pm; Kildare v Derry, St Conleth's Park, 6.30pm

NFL Div 3: Down v Westmeath, Páirc Esler, 6pm; Laois v Sligo, O'Moore Park, 6pm

NFL Div 4: Waterford v Wicklow, Fraher Field, 6pm

Sunday 15th

NFL Div 1: Donegal v Mayo, Letterkenny, 1.45pm; Roscommon v Armagh, Dr Hyde Park, 2pm

NFL Div 2: Offaly v Cork, O'Connor Park, 2pm; Tyrone v Cavan, Healy Park, 3.45pm

NFL Div 3: Fermanagh v Clare, Brewster Park, 1pm; Limerick v Wexford, Rathkeale, 2pm

NFL Div 4: London v Leitrim, McGovern Park, 1pm; Antrim v Longford, Cargin, 2pm; Tipperary v Carlow, Semple Stadium, 2pm

Saturday 21st

NFL Div 1: Dublin v Kerry, Croke Park, 7pm; Galway v Roscommon, Pearse Stadium, 7pm

NFL Div 2: Derry v Offaly, Celtic Park, 6pm

NFL Div 4: Carlow v Waterford, Dr Cullen Park, 6pm

NHL Div 1A: Tipperary v Limerick, Semple Stadium, 5.30pm

NHL Div 1B: Dublin v Wexford, Croke Park, 5pm; Kildare v Clare, St Conleth's Park, 6.30pm

Sunday 22nd

NFL Div 1: Monaghan v Mayo, St Tiernach's Park, 1.45pm; Armagh v Donegal, Athletic Grounds, 3.45pm

NFL Div 2: Cork v Meath, Páirc Uí Rinn, 2pm; Louth v Tyrone, Ardee, 2pm; Cavan v Kildare, Breffni Park, 3pm

NFL Div 3: Westmeath v Fermanagh, Cusack Park Mullingar, 1pm; Clare v Laois, Cusack Park Ennis, 2pm; Sligo v Limerick, tbc, 2pm; Wexford v Down, Wexford Park, 2pm

NFL Div 4: Wicklow v London, Aughrim, 1pm; Leitrim v Antrim, Páirc Seán MacDiarmada, 2pm; Longford v Tipperary, Pearse Park, 2pm

NHL Div 1A: Kilkenny v Waterford, Nowlan Park, 1.45pm; Offaly v Galway, Birr, 2pm

NHL Div 1B: Antrim v Carlow, Dunloy, 1pm

Saturday 28th

NFL Div 2: Cavan v Louth, Breffni Park, 5.15pm; Tyrone v Offaly, Healy Park, 6pm; Kildare v Meath, St Conleth's Park, 7pm

NFL Div 3: Down v Fermanagh, Páirc Esler, 6pm; Laois v Westmeath, O'Moore Park, 6pm; Limerick v Clare, Rathkeale, 6pm

NFL Div 4: Antrim v Wicklow, Portglenone, 5pm

NHL Div 1B: Carlow v Clare, Dr Cullen Park, 6pm

MARCH

Sunday 1st

NFL Div 1: Kerry v Monaghan, Fitzgerald Stadium, 1.15pm; Mayo v Armagh, MacHale Park, 1.15pm; Donegal v Galway, Ballyshannon, 1.15pm; Roscommon v Dublin, Dr Hyde Park, 2pm

NFL Div 2: Derry v Cork, Celtic Park, 1pm

NFL Div 3: Wexford v Sligo, Wexford Park, 2pm

NFL Div 4: London v Waterford, McGovern Park, 1pm; Longford v Carlow, Pearse Park, 2pm; Tipperary v Leitrim, Semple Stadium, 2pm

NHL Div 1A: Galway v Waterford, Pearse Stadium, 2pm; Offaly v Limerick, O'Connor Park, 2pm; Kilkenny v Cork, Nowlan Park, 3.15pm

NHL Div 1B: Down v Kildare, Ballycran, 1pm; Antrim v Dublin, Dunloy, 2pm

Saturday 7th

NHL Div 1A: Galway v Kilkenny, Pearse Stadium, 5.15pm; Limerick v Cork, Gaelic Grounds, 7pm

NHL Div 1B: Dublin v Down, Parnell Park, 5pm

Sunday 8th

NHL Div 1A: Waterford v Tipperary, Walsh Park, 3.15pm

NHL Div 1B: Clare v Wexford, Cusack Park, 1.15pm; Kildare v Carlow, St Conleth's Park, 2pm

Saturday 14th

NFL Div 1: Kerry v Mayo, Austin Stack Park, 4pm; Dublin v Armagh, Croke Park, 7pm

NFL Div 2: Cork v Kildare, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 5pm; Meath v Tyrone, Croke Park, 5pm

NFL Div 3: Fermanagh v Laois, Brewster Park, 6pm

NFL Div 4: Carlow v London, Dr Cullen Park, 6pm

Sunday 15th

NFL Div 1: Roscommon v Donegal, Dr Hyde Park, 1.30pm; Monaghan v Galway, Inniskeen, 3.45pm

NFL Div 2: Louth v Derry, Ardee, 1.30pm; Offaly v Cavan, O'Connor Park, 2pm

NFL Div 3: Clare v Wexford, Cusack Park Ennis, 2pm; Sligo v Down, tbc, 2pm; Westmeath v Limerick, Cusack Park Mullingar, 2pm

NFL Div 4: Waterford v Antrim, Fraher Field, 1pm; Leitrim v Longford, Páirc Seán MacDiarmada, 2pm; Wicklow v Tipperary, Aughrim, 2pm

Saturday 21st

NHL Div 1A: Cork v Offaly, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 7pm; Limerick v Galway, Gaelic Grounds, 7pm; Tipperary v Kilkenny, Semple Stadium, 7pm

NHL Div 1B: Carlow v Dublin, Dr Cullen Park, 5pm; Down v Antrim, Páirc Esler, 5pm; Wexford v Kildare, Wexford Park, 5pm

Sunday 22nd

NFL Div 1: Armagh v Kerry, Athletic Grounds, 3.30pm; Galway v Dublin, Pearse Stadium, 3.30pm; Mayo v Roscommon, MacHale Park, 3.30pm; Monaghan v Donegal, St Tiernach's Park, 3.30pm

NFL Div 2: Derry v Cavan, Celtic Park, 1.15pm; Kildare v Louth, St Conleth's Park, 1.15pm; Offaly v Meath, O'Connor Park, 1.15pm; Tyrone v Cork, Healy Park, 1.15pm

NFL Div 3: Down v Laois, Páirc Esler, 2pm; Limerick v Fermanagh, Rathkeale, 2pm; Sligo v Clare, tbc, 2pm; Wexford v Westmeath, Wexford Park, 2pm

NFL Div 4: Antrim v London, Cargin, 1pm; Carlow v Leitrim, Dr Cullen Park, 1pm; Longford v Wicklow, Pearse Park, 1pm; Tipperary v Waterford, Semple Stadium, 1pm

Saturday 28th -Sunday 29th: NFL finals (Divisions 1, 2, 3 & 4); NHL finals (Divisions 2, 3 & 4)

main street, how will the war end?

Russian collapse, you have being posting about this for 3 years, a change of US president? Dems gave up Crimea, not done enough for Ukraine when in power or Europe step up, again not done enough..  and how long more will it take for these to happen and how long more can Ukraine keep fighting without support needed to win a war.

negotiating from a position of strength is about 3 years old now too..

The loan on Russian assets held in Belgium will fund Ukraine for 3 years. Sanctions on oil will hit Russia. Oil has funded the Russian war machine. Countries such as India have joined in. A combination of a strong Ukraine and a weakened Russia should move things on.

https://www.ft.com/content/3c23910f-795c-4151-a47c-db4f0137fb40

Brussels has proposed a legally contentious workaround to raise up to €210bn for Ukraine backed by immobilised Russian state assets, including emergency powers that in effect strip Hungary and other dissenting countries of their veto. The proposal, which would mark a watershed moment for the EU by enabling sanctions to be imposed without unanimity, is a last-ditch attempt to ensure Kyiv's economic survival by bypassing potential opposition from Russia-friendly countries such as Hungary or Slovakia. The "reparations loan" would leverage up to €210bn of Russian assets immobilised by EU sanctions to fund Kyiv, which would not have to repay the loan until Russia pays reparations. EU countries would have to back the loan with national guarantees.


"Europe will remain [Ukraine's] strongest and most steadfast partner . . . we can equip them with the means to defend themselves and lead peace negotiations from a position of strength," said European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. "The message to Russia is that the reparations loan is increasing the cost of war for Russia and invites Russia to the negotiating table to finally find peace," she added. Ursula von der Leyen said: 'Europe will remain [Ukraine's] strongest and most steadfast partner . . . we can equip them with the means to defend themselves' © Simon Wohlfahrt/Bloomberg The commission's proposal would attempt to lock Russian assets in the EU indefinitely through emergency powers. The legal measure aims to override countries such as Hungary potentially using a national veto on the rollover of sanctions, which expire every six months. The commission proposal would "prohibit, on a temporary basis, any direct or indirect transfer to or for the benefit of the Central Bank of Russia". Such restrictions, which mimic sanctions by ensuring Russian central bank assets remain immobilised in the EU, are justified as being "urgently required to limit the damage to the Union's economy". The extraordinary measures aim to overcome the main reservations of Belgium, which has vehemently opposed the plan because it fears being left on the hook as a result of most of the assets being held at Brussels-based central securities depository Euroclear. Belgium is worried it would have to repay the loan if the sanctions were lifted and the assets unfrozen, or in the event of a peace deal without agreement on reparations.

Zelensky's right hand man has got the road over corruption allegations. Russia is totally in the wrong but Ukraine (government) are a shower of crooks.

It's the ordinary civilians in Ukraine and the soldiers Putin is using as cannon fodder who'll bear the brunt as per.   

Do you know of many governments that aren't corrupt?

Where there are people, there will be corruption.But there is a huge difference between Russia and the Nordic countries or Switzerland.

Ukraine has to work on corruption and rule of law in order to join the EU.

When he gets out of prison, what will he have? His name is ruined. Nobody cares about the 5 all Irelands.