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THE IRISH GOVERNMENT has donated the recently-decommissioned LÉ AOIFE to Malta to help the Mediterranean country deal with the ongoing refugee crisis in the region.
The vessel was decommissioned from the Naval Service in Waterford in at the end of last month, after 36 years in service.
The Department of Defence had initially planned to sell the ship, as it did with the decommissioned LÉ Emer in 2013 (it reached €320,000 at an auction in Cork).
However, Minister Simon Coveney confirmed earlier this week that another course of action was being considered, after an approach from Malta.
“Following discussions with my Maltese counterpart, I understand that the Maltese authorities require this ship for their armed forces to patrol the Mediterranean Sea to endeavour to deal with the ongoing difficult refugee crisis in the region,” Coveney said.
“Recent tragic events in that part of the Mediterranean have underlined the significant challenges which need to be addressed by the international community.”
In a statement today, Coveney confirmed that the transfer of the ship had been formally agreed at a meeting of EU defence ministers in Latvia.
“While the vessel is no longer viable for use in Irish waters it is ideally suited to address a pressing short-term shortfall in the naval capacity of Malta,” he said.
Coveney said that the refugee crisis represented a significant challenge for the EU and that while Ireland wasn’t at the front line of the crisis, the country was pleased to be in a position to support the response.
The two ministers, according to the statement “instructed their officials to deal with the formal modalities of the transfer of ownership of the ship at the earliest opportunity”.
The UNHCR says that almost 3,500 people died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe last year. In the latest tragedy – last week – at least 300 migrants are feared to have drowned – trying to cross from north Africa.
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What is the world coming to…
the politicians have made it this way
In the name of f*uk!!
It’s always been this way.
there is just more news reporting now
Christy, you an expert on Japanese politics? Please expand. Inform us all.
Christy, you an expert on Japanese politics? Please expand. Inform us all.
Enlighten us all Christy. Fool
Politicians make workers stab disabled people en masse with knives?
What politician has this ideology?
i think that was in FG’s last election manifesto no?
I think what he’s getting at is that this attack is linked to water charges. Right Christy?
the fact christy got 170 reds says a lot looks like people still believe the government loves them enda kenny loves you people
No, it means people aren’t stupid. Politicians aren’t to blame for mass knife attacks on disabled people, that’s just a typical “x goes wrong, politicians must be to blame”.
Politicians are to blame for a lot of things, we can safely excuse them in this case however.
This is kenny’s fault. it’s the water charges what caused it
@Devlin
Logic fail.
This world is going nuts. Sorry for being pessimistic.
The world always was nuts.
With the 24/7 instant reporting it just appears to be more nuts
History informs us that humans have always been stupid, violent and cruel, but relatively speaking this is perhaps the most peaceful in human history. The only difference now is that we have 24 hour news media that thrives on fear and sensationalism.
Two world wars would tell us the world has always being like this.. It wasn’t very long ago Northern Ireland wasn’t on any tourist maps…
I’m getting under the bed and staying there untill mankind sortes it self out……looks like I’ll be there for a while
@Ben. I Agree with you but there is more. Robots and artificial intellect are coming to take away jobs (no kidding) look at self check-out terminal in Tesco (the easiest example), 10 yeas ago there was person working in place of 2 self-check outs. Terrorism is on the rise, psychos attacks are on the rise as they have as you said 24/7 access to any info on Internet. The middle class is getting poorer and degradation than voting for super populists and so on. I think this informational revolution is a bit hard on people’s brains.
driverless cars trucks and busses will lead to mass unemployment. 30% of workers are drivers. on the up fide the luas drivers will be on the dole queue
Why the fu#k would someone want to do that… The fear this mongrel would have caused these people. Hope he dies a slow death
Bobo they could beat him to death with has foam flip flops that would be a slow death.
Japan has the death penalty and it’s one of the more “cruel” ones in so far as your execution date is not set and your only told the morning it’s to take place. Prisoners can spend years on death row not knowing if that day will be their last. Psychological torture at it’s finest…
Wow that’s a great fact, Paddy. A unique twist on the death penalty to say the least!
Ironic thing is that none of us really know if any given day will be our last but stick someone in a cell for a few years and let them dwell on that and it’s guaranteed to mess with them worse than any physical torture really can. Every time the cell door opens… every time you hear a sound of any sort…. it could be the hangman…. Now that’s messed up….
Does it appear to deter Paddy?
Depends how you define that. The murder rate is eleven times lower than the US however they have a 95% solve rate vs 64% in the US… Ireland has a rate of 1.1 per 100,000 Japan is 0.3 per 100,000… I’d say, on paper at least, yes. Not sure that means we want the death penalty though however Japans rates for reoffenders is 43% ours is 68% after 3 years for other crimes* so their harsh prison system might be worth a look at. Let me tell you though it ain’t pretty. *Non fine or traffic related outside of vehicular homicide.
my parish priest told me “you know the day or the hour that God will call you” I said “my uncle in America knew exactly the day and hour. The judge told him”.
Police say they have arrested a man who was a former staff member and that he has confessed to the stabbings.
There should be a news blackout on all attacks to stop mentally ill people from planning copycat attacks !
How would that be possible with the internet? The Germans tried to suppress the NYE sex attacks and were unsuccessful. News blackouts would only increase mistrust of government and media.
No nice way to say it but, some poor people are on the verge in our modern society with mental illness. It only takes a “trigger”. It’s a real medical problem and it might arrive at a place near you !
Stabbing seems to be the method of choice for mass violence in Japan.
Japan has virtually no guns in society so the go to weapons are knives . That and there might be a touch of the historical and spiritual connection to the sword in Japanese culture.
PMSL! Great analysis Padser!
Well..any hipster on trend had the two blades at all times….beards were strictly verboten/haram though….
Paddy what do you recommend to order from a Japanese restaurant?
Not sure “Japs” works – very sad obviously. Horrible for all the victims and families.
Theres no Wahabbis in Tokyo.Or Japan for that matter…Nippon wouldnt tolerate them..they never got duped with the social engineering that is multiculturalism…this must be a native nutter/murderer/savage.
There should be a new god wins for those who wish to turn the discussion to Islam at any slight opportunity
Ah well as long as he’s native then that’s alright
Yeah I don’t mind being murdered so long as the person is the same colour and religion as I am.
Tony…you are probably right!
This would never have happened if they had banned guns.
Death toll probably would have been higher
Ban knives!
No. A good guy with a knife would have stopped the bad guy with a knife.
Knives don’t kill people, people do.
Japan my Love: my heart is saddened at this news. RIP. Condolences and sympathies to all affected.
Shintoists.
But not Kamikaze it seems….or Seppuku…
It is becoming relentless at this stage.
Wrong,it’s never been more peaceful.
It’s Like ZOMBIE invasion month.. SICK and Sad ‘ people ‘ out there.. Love is Stronger.
As Vincent brown says “it’s all the medias fault
WTF is wrong with some people??!!
Just mental
Stop the planet, I want off…
They were looking for people to join the one-way mission to Mars – did you send in your application?
If this is how 2016 is going to keep playing out then I really do fear what’s in store for 2017…
worst mass crime in Japan since WW2
150 poeple residents all living together, i would like to know what the living conditions where like? RIP
What a tragedy for the victims and their families. Someone who would commit such a savage crime is either very evil or, perhaps, very sick with a mental illness that those around him did not notice until it was too late. Unfortunately, our Divine Lord in his Infinite Wisdom created a universe where mental illness and sickness can afflict anyone at any time. Some of those who comment on here and call for cruel punishment for the perpetrator even before the facts of the case have been investigated need to ask themselves whether they can be sure that insanity will never strike them or those close to them.
Firstly please don’t address him as “Our” 3 Devine Lord. He might be yours but he’s certainly not mine nor a lot of others too. I’ve no interest in praying to “a god” who has the power to inflict mental illness on anyone he chooses to! As Paul Daniels use to say “now that’s what I call magic!” :)
Why am I get news alerts for last week’s massacres?
Old news at this stage…..24 hours later ffs journal
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