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THE UNITED STATES and EU are soon expected to announce tough new sanctions on Russia.
The sanctions come after an outcry over the discovery of dozens of bodies in civilian clothing in areas from which Russian troops have withdrawn around Ukraine’s capital, including the town of Bucha.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy likened Russia’s actions to Nazi atrocities in an impassioned speech by videolink to the 15-member UN Security Council yesterday.
Ireland is a member of this council. Zelenskyy will address the Dáil and the Seanad today as he continues his tour of world parliaments.
“They cut off limbs, slashed their throats, women were raped and killed in front of their children,” Zelenskyy said to the UN council.
He demanded stronger action from Western powers and called for Russia’s exclusion from the council, where it holds veto power.
Later in his nightly address, a frustrated Zelenskyy said Russia was blocking the UN from carrying out “the functions for which it was created”.
“The UN Security Council exists, and security in the world doesn’t,” he said.
In an interview with the BBC, the US ambassador to the UN admitted that “no one can question [Zelenskyy's] frustration with the Council and how the Council operates”.
But she insisted that the Council was holding Russia to account, and that Moscow was isolated within it.
Ireland’s permanent representative to the UN Geraldine Byrne Nason said that any attempts to deny Russian responsibility for the civilian deaths in Bucha “are appalling in their cynicism”.
We here cannot suspend our humanity. The Russian authorities are responsible for these authorities committed while they were in control of the region.
“We call on the Russian Federation to stop this war. To stop destabilising the democratic foundations of the Ukrainian state. It gets harder and harder to say this, but it is not to late to do the right thing.”
Push to isolate Moscow
A new sanctions package being prepared by Europe is set to include oil and coal, France’s foreign minister said at EU talks in Luxembourg.
The UK said it has so far frozen some $350 billion (€321 billion) in assets from President Vladimir Putin’s “war chest”.
As part of the push to isolate Moscow, Spain, Italy, Denmark and Slovenia expelled dozens of Russian diplomats suspected of being intelligence operatives on Tuesday, following similar moves in Ireland, France and Germany – a total of some 180 expulsions in 48 hours.
The Kremlin called it a “short-sighted move” that would complicate efforts to negotiate an end to the hostilities.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said Ireland would expel four “senior officials” from the Russian Embassy after the government said their actions were against diplomatic standards.
Speaking in Dublin yesterday, Foreign Affairs Minister Coveney said the government would keep an “open mind” and would keep further expulsions under consideration.
He added: “I have made it clear that I think it makes sense to have diplomatic channels open and to have a Russian embassy here despite the fact that I understand fully that Irish people are incredibly angry with what is happening at the moment and they rightly point the finger at Russia in terms of being the cause of all of this.
We made a decision to ask four senior members of the Russian embassy to leave Ireland, we may go beyond that but I am not in a position to announce anything further on that today
Putin also warned of “reprisals” for recent European measures targeting Russian gas giant Gazprom – and said Moscow would “monitor” its food exports to “hostile” nations, raising the spectre of shortages and price spikes.
The killings in Bucha and elsewhere have galvanised support for Ukraine, with Washington announcing another $100 million (€92 million) in military aid, and produced new momentum for additional sanctions on Moscow.
“We had already concluded that Russia committed war crimes in Ukraine, and the information from Bucha appears to show further evidence of war crimes,” a US source familiar with the planned measures said.
Today, Washington, in coordination with the G7 and the European Union, is expected to announce measures including a ban on all new investments in Russia.
“You can expect… that they will target Russian government officials, their family members, Russian-owned financial institutions, also state-owned enterprises,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told a briefing yesterday.
Kremlin denials
The Kremlin has denied any civilian killings, claiming the images emerging from Bucha and other sites are fakes produced by Ukrainian forces, or that the deaths occurred after Russian soldiers pulled out.
At the Security Council meeting, Moscow’s ambassador rejected Zelenskyy’s claims, saying the “ungrounded accusations… are not confirmed by any eyewitnesses”.
But satellite photos taken while Bucha was still under Moscow’s control show what appear to be bodies lying in streets where the dead were later found by Ukrainian forces and seen by journalists.
Multiple Bucha residents told AFP they had seen Russian soldiers killing civilians.
Western nations have given short shrift to Russia’s denials.
“What we’ve seen in Bucha is not the random act of a rogue unit. It’s a deliberate campaign to kill, to torture, to rape, to commit atrocities,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who will visit Kyiv this week, has offered the bloc’s assistance in documenting proof of war crimes.
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Unions… the bane of Ireland and our public sectors
@john Appleseed: Sure and we should replace them with bankers and bondholders and all of our problems would be solved overnight.
@Charles Williams: so bankers are a bunch of crooks so therefore we should accept our unions are a bunch of crooks too? Whataboutery at its finest
@john Appleseed: You’re thinking of governments
7.4%….and they even have to think twice about taking it? Most people would bite your hand offf for that sort of rise.
The real problem in the Health Service is the Union mentality. Old fashioned Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 mentality with not a finger lifted unless explicity written down on some contract. The Unions are the reason the health service is in such a state.
@Fred Jensen: nurses only work 9-5 Mon to Fri!!! Who is running the A&E Depts outside of those hours?
@MaryLoonyMcDonald:
A skeleton crew. It’s not just nurses, its all the other staff.
@Fred Jensen: There is a reason for “not lifting a finger before it is written in a contract”. It’s called reneging on a deal. Something the Government are quite good at.
@Fred Jensen: but but but you said they are 9-5 Mon to Fri…no you say different…did you lie?
@Fred Jensen: The HSE management is the reason the health service is in such a state.
@MaryLoonyMcDonald:
Where did Fred say nurses only work 9 to 5? Try reading the post correctly before getting your knickers in a twist
@Fred Jensen: I Think Your Mixing Up Porter’s With Nurses
@Fred Jensen: Up to 7.4%. Most won’t get that. We can’t keep nurses in this country because we expect superhuman efforts for crap pay. It’s time nurses were respected and paid accordingly.
@Nick Allen: you read the post again…fool
@MaryLoonyMcDonald:
Those knickers are getting even more twisted. Take a deep breath and read it slowly and it may sink in.
@Piarais Mac Maoláin:
Yes Fred changed the topic slightly but it is still somewhat related. However, that doesn’t change the fact that he refereed to the HEalth Service and not nurses. Furthermore, he didn’t even say they anyone worked 9 to 5, he said it was the 9 to 5 attitude.
Mary Lou completely misread the post and jumped in accusing him of tell lies. She saw and opportunity to have a pop at someone and got her knickers in a twist and got it all wrong. She should either take in on the chin and say sorry or run and hide. Instead the silly girl comes back and suggests I am the fool and that I should read it again. Some people just never learn
@Nick Allen: you have some weird dyslexic fetish.
@Piarais Mac Maolàin: It’s the same for carers in nursing homes & they get crap pay even though they do the bulk of looking after residents. I don’t hear anyone up in arms over it.
@Caroline Reddy: Why should nurses be respected?
@MaryLoonyMcDonald:
Another stupid comment. Do you really find it amusing to make a joke of people with dyslexia? Face the facts, you screwed up and are now making a mess of trying to get out of it. Read Fred’s comment again and tell me where is said nurses work 9 to 5. Maybe you are not getting your knickers in a twist, maybe you’re just a bit dim and don’t have the ability to understand the comment.
@Piarais Mac Maoláin: my shift is 07:30 Am to 08:30pm… don’t forget those Haddington Road Hours we don’t get paid for! Many would give up that pay rise than have to come in an extra day a month for no pay!!! Great way to get work out of us
Time for nurses to stand firm and not be sold out by INMO again.What a disaster of a union
@John Mcloughlin:
I agree the union are a disaster but what are you suggesting the nurses should do? Stand firm for a greater increase?
Scurrilous when newly qualified nurses have to work for minimum wages in their first year when they can go to the likes of Canada, are appreciated and earn $45000
Union leaders who get full pay and more, recommend that workers settle for far less then normal wage. Nice.
@Patabake Kennedy: Union leaders don’t want members going on strike as they will have to give back some of their subscriptions.
Nevermind restoration. Give them an overall increase. Not all heroes wear capes but plenty wear scrubs. No one in favour of reducing their pay has spent time in their care. Invest in them, attract the best and reap the rewards in improved care and confidence.
Was the patient safety issue discussed, patients on trollys, overcrowding.
@@mdmak33: All the above are not the fault of the nurses. They don’t make policy. They can only make the best of what they are given.
Again the union turning its back on the nurses every time there is a chance of extra money for the nurses and the nurses need a good increase as they have been run over by the union time after time..Plenty of money for other front line workers but very little for the front line nurses
“Union recommends nurses don’t recieve back pay”. Bit of a obvious headline.
Liam is looking to feather his own retirement nest. More the fools if the members listen to him.
An absolute disaster of a union, only has members as they run the income protection insurance scheme. Liams wages have skyrocketed over the last 10 years, his members wages have fallen behind all front line professionals, bigger fools them, if they wont pay what your worth, walk out.
have your say