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Updated 8.01pm
THE FOREIGN MINISTER of Ecuador has confirmed that the country received a formal request for asylum from US citizen Edward Snowden.
The South American country has been sheltering WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at its London embassy for the past year.
In a statement issued this evening, the group said Snowden is bound for the Republic of Ecuador “via a safe route”. He is in the company of diplomatic escorts and legal advisors, it claims.
According to Wikileaks, the former intelligence operative requested that the organisation use its legal expertise and experience to secure his safety.
Former Spanish Judge Mr Baltasar Garzon, legal director of Wikileaks and lawyer for Julian Assange has made the following statement:
The WikiLeaks legal team and I are interested in preserving Mr Snowden’s rights and protecting him as a person. What is being done to Mr Snowden and to Mr Julian Assange – for making or facilitating disclosures in the public interest – is an assault against the people.
A tweet from Ecuador’s foreign minister.
Earlier today, the ex-NSA computer technician arrived in Moscow, hours after leaving Hong Kong.
The US Justice Department has sought cooperation of the countries Snowden intends to go.
“The chase is on…And we’ll have to see what happens,” California Senator Dianne Feinstein said as the Snowden affair grew vastly more complicated for President Barack Obama, potentially testing US relations with Russia and other nations.
Snowden leaked secret details of vast US telephone and web surveillance programs to media outlets earlier this month and espionage charges were filed against him last week.
It is now a guessing game as to where the 30-year-old will land. Initial reports suggested Venezuela, via Cuba, but the tweet from Ricardo Patino has thrown up another option.
-Additional reporting by AFP
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Confidence in front line staff (personal experience). No confidence in management or resources.
Both paramedics and drivers do a fantastic job. When we rang for an ambulance for the aul lad last year (who later had a heart attack) we were told that it was not high priority and one would be coming from Wexford. We are living on the Tipp/Limerick border!
Based on recent experience, I have a lot of confidence in the ambulance service. The delay in A&E was unacceptable, though.
(I have no confidence in people from certain political parties who received text messages instructing them to vote “No” in this poll for political purposes. But, of course, that would never happen.)
The problems all stem from resources and the hand over at hospital. It is the norm to see three or four parked up at the mater trying to get patients handed over.
I have absolute confidence in the paramedics, ambulance crews and firefighters providing this service but they are not receiving the backing from management in the form of resources and equipment. Lack of Government funding is entirely responsible for this of course.
We need to establish a stand alone National Fire and Ambulance Service and cut out this ridiculous situation where we have duplication across the country and no continuity of service.
James just so you know both people in the ambulance are either paramedics or advanced paramedics with advanced driving. They rotate driving and treating from patient to patient
I’ve had reason to thank the ambulance service recently, after a serious heart attack I was whisked to the Mater Hospital and had stents fitted within two hours, thus saving my life. They got me there with a doctor, nurse and a paramedic hoping I wouldn’t have another MI on the way. It’s not the first time they’ve saved my life and taken me to hospital but it was the most recent and the most serious, and I am certainly thankful to them.
A few weeks later I was being transferred back to my local hospital from the Mater Hospital, this ended up taking place at 12.00 midnight and there was torrential rain that night. The ambulance and paramedics assigned to transfer me were from a contract company, I can’t remember the name. I was cold but was given a light sheet to keep me warm. Once in the ambulance it quickly became obvious that it leaked, like a sieve. Thankfully the rain coming into the ambulance didn’t land on me but mainly on the paramedics – and the equipment. I wondered if I needed the defibrillator who would be in more danger, me or the paramedic.
I believe these contract companies are used for patient transfers, but to be honest I can’t say I felt safe or comfortable, the difference between this ambulance and the HSE one couldn’t be greater, and that was while I was having a heart attack.
I pretty much was going to say what John McKenna just said. Absolute confidence in front line staff (personal experience lately) and utterly no confidence in management or resources.
Didn’t know that Rob, good to know were in such capable hands, thanks for sharing!
The paramedics are fantastic, the work they do is brilliant and they’re a credit to the HSE but they’re forced to work with old equipment and poor funding. The skill it takes to do their job is unimaginable yet they’re treated so poorly, another HSE f**ckup
Confidence in the staff as they are fantastic. I ended up in an ambulance last year with chest pain when out for a family picnic with my husband, 1 year old and 5 year old but it took 45 minutes to arrive. It arrived with a Garda escort and the paramedics were great at calming me down and getting me stable for transfer to hospital and the Garda entertained my 5 year old with his lights and sirens and let her be quiet while he spoke to his friends on the radio while I was in the ambulance. The staff are fantastic – staff don’t make the response time 45 minutes, the lack of resources do. My daughter was there and she doesn’t remember it as a scary experience due to the actions of the emergency services staff. I ended up with 10 nights in hospital and follow up surgery but all is now well.
Front line staff are doing the heavy lifting. HSE “Managers” with no management skills & training making an absolute mess of this and other services. Not entirely their fault, systems failure in promoting these people to positions that exceed competence levels.
Despite the report and their equipment, the ambulance service front line staff are 110% dedicated.
I had the pleasure of experiencing the service recently, the ambulance crew were excellent but they had to que with me and several other crews for a long time, they couldn’t leave me until I was seen by a doctor and checked in,Mathis took about an hour, the poor guys were obviously frustrated with this gross mismanagement of the service, cronyism has left this country with so many square pegs in round holes
I have confidence but I live in dublin, if I was outside dublin I’m not so sure
I do but I do know the pressure they are under as I have a couple of friends who are paramedics and the HSE has decimated the service to protect upper management
P*ss poor article – the real story here is the admission by ambulance managers that they are not technically qualified and seemed to be promoted without looking for the job ….
these facts first and then ask us if we have confidence in the Ambulance service – which I do – I just have no faith in the H.S.E. or that guy who is on a massive salary with his English accent ….
Dermot, would you mind withdrawing and apologising for your ‘English accent’ comment ?
That is a pure racist smear.
Which is a shame because I’ve no doubt the rest of what you said has great validity, and indeed symptomatic of much that is wrong with this land of Austerity for the little people, whilst Ireland’s home grown Landlords’ Agents in Leinster House sel them out to the new unelected over lords of the EU and ECB (and their Banker & other Capital owning elites..).
Mike, this is the type of racist remarks that is typical of Shinners and the gang of clowns that follow them. This is the type of attitude that people would expect and receive if they were foolish enough to vote for SF.
Well, Tap, I was rather hoping it wasn’t….
Ordinary English people, or those of any other nation imo are much the same mix as anywhere else.
It is the elites (or wold be elites) of any country that seek to create division on whatever spurious or superficial basis they can find….. divide and rule… the oldest game in the book…
With the advent of the Information age we now live in, there no excuse whatever for ordinary citizens to accept such racist or otherwise spurious divisions. Or indeed for such sloppy generalised language as imputing some meaning to simply those with a certain accent.
As I’ve written here many times, there is just one Primary Division in society that has importance for our lives and the principle of democracy way above any secondary considerations.
That is whether one spends ones life earning a living by ones own labour, the vast majority, as it cannot mathematically be any other way. Or by living off others’ labour due to ones ownership of sufficient Capital or Assets to do so.
The interests of these two groups are & will always be directly opposed… Capital wants to hire Labour at the lowest possble price.
Because Labour are always the majority, it follows that any democratically elected Government should operate primarily in their interests, whilst recognising that an optimal balance & participation of Capital owners is important in that goal.
The problem we have, and have had probably ever since the masses won the right to vote, is that both elected & unelected decision makers either are, or expect to become at an early age, wealthy enough to be members of the Capital owning classes.
This is the root and most fundamental corruption (small & large ‘c’) that renders our ‘democracy’ (and near all others) a meaningless fraud.
One would hope as 2016 approaches, that ordinary citizens would take note & finally demand what was supposedly promised 100 yrs ago, and remains the joke of our Constitution…. I refer, of course, to the laughable supposed primacy of ‘The People’. I think the correct interpretation of that is intended to be the majority, not merely the top few percent Capital owning classes.
@Mike. Where exactly do you find the “racism” in the comment?? Why dont you take your PCism and shove it. Stop looking for offence where none was, or is, intended.
Are you just thick Dave Doyle or a racist yourself?
In Dermot’s comment, please explain what the relevance of having an “.. English accent…” has to do with anything?
@Mike Dermot is well able to answer for himself, he doesn’t need me to do it for him. Tsk tsk tsk, trying to smear me by calling me thick and racist because i called you on waving the racist card. You really should practice what you preach if you want to be taken seriously. As for your racist card, take it and shove it, without the benefit of PC lube.
I answered your question by pointing out the “.. English accent… ” jibe in his comment.
Your failure answer to explain the use of that phrase in that irelevant context demonstrates fully your own racism.
If Dermot’s view is that of many in SF, as Tap suggests (you as well Dave Doyle?), then that doesn’t say much for the kind of unity that ordinary working citizen’s will need to overcome the neo liberal jackboot being imposed in near all countries and particularly the Eurozone, which is inextricably linked to Ireland’s own fortunes.
I think we deserve some clarity in this, given that SF like to portray themselves as champions of the working classes. If, as Tap suggests that only extends (if at all?) to only people with the ‘right’ accent, then that is something people might want to consider at the ballot box. The last time ‘Nationalism’ and supposed ‘Socialism’ was linked in this way was back in the 1930s… it didn’t fair very well for Europe.
So, are you an SF member or supporter then Dave? Or are you too ashamed of yourself to tell us what your affiliations actually are?
@ Mike. I detest and hate with a passion anything to do with PC and its isms. I detest anyone using the racist card on any flimsy excuse they can find. As i said before, Dermot, if he feels like it, can explain his use of the term you find so offensive. As for Tap’s opinion, i consider it to be no more than the usual anti SF rhetoric that gets spewed out by the usual suspects. My political affiliations are none of anyone’s business but my own, just to say i dont have much faith in many politicians from whatever party. The only hope i have is that people have truly woken up to the reality of how they are seen by the political classes of this country, and will demand that the next government, whatever its make up, puts their interests first and foremost.
I have read and agreed with many of your comments here on various topics from time to time. I would tend to agree with how you see things. I have no time for hate driven genuine racism. I also have no time for the racist card used flippantly, or any form of PCism.
The other day I was given a gastroscopy and two biopsies, by an woman with a Cork accent, a nurse with a Keralan accent, assisted by another nurse with a Dublin accent. Me, with me Aul’ Sassenach accent, just went “nngggh! nnngh! Puke, retch gag!” nnngh” until the procedure was over, while my wife, with a North Tipperary Nurse Whose Hospital is Being Closed Down Piece by Piece in the name of Austerity accent waited outside. Then I was seen by a consultant with a Pakistani accent. He told me what was wrong with me, how to manage the problem, and faxed a prescription to my GP. I got tea and biscuits. They were all lovely. I had to undergo the procedure without sedation, because there was a huge queue of people waiting to undergo the same horror, so it was quicker. That’s because a whole big bunch of people with “I’m a BIG SWINGING DICK” accents spent all the Celtic Tiger money on mansions, big bonuses for themselves and their mates, kickbacks, and tax avoidance scams instead of investing in the health service. We’re all paying now, whatever our accents.
The ambulance service is under ridiculous amounts of pressure and so many of the call outs are unwarranted. The last time I was in the Coombe having a baby, I saw so many women arriving in by ambulance. Because they arrived by ambulance, they skipped the queue (which was massive) and then strolled out, not a bother on them. When I was in labour, another woman arrived in by ambulance with her husband and she actually said that they called the ambulance because the car park was too expensive. The paramedics do fantastic work but there aren’t enough ambulances available nationwide.
I work in ED. Your right- some people arrive by ambulance just because they can’t be bothered to find their own way in. But let me reassure you if someone arrives via an ambulance that didn’t warrant it, they most certainly do NOT get seen quicker!
I don’t doubt you but if the pregnant women are howling and wailing about “the pain”, they are always going to be seen before those of us sitting quietly and waiting our turn. It only bugged me when they managed to stroll out afterwards completely fine. I understand that in maternity hospitals it would be vital to ensure the baby is fine but it became obvious over time that some people used that to their advantage. And it’s not right when we know that the service is under such pressure.
I don’t know if it’s the same thing but I have confidence in the paramedics and support staff. I believe its incredibly important that these men and women have all the equipment procedures and resources they need in order to be able to do their job properly . The peopke are incredibly well trained titally hard working and professional iften under difficult circumstances. What ever they need they should get. They are on the frontline and the government should listen to them . They know what’s needed
The front line staff are amazing and thankfully only ever needed one once and they were great! It’s the managers and higher up the line that have the problem
interestingly the lady from HSE/whatever on RTE last night said they planned to buy 47 new ambulances this year, and bought 35 last year.
Er, no they didn’t: they re-bodied 35. That is, took the bodies off the old ones, and put them on to new chassis. The only new part is the Ford chassis & cab. The actual ‘medical/technical’ body of the vehicle has been ‘relifed’ (official parlance), and they are now heading towards a decade in service.
It’s like that joke about the brush in the garage, handed down from father to son. It’s 100 yrs old, and has had 3 new brush heads and 5 new handles. Er…………….
That’s interesting, I wondered why I’d seen a few ex ambulance service Merc sprinter chassis and cabs for sale recently.
Was in ITSligo one day, (across the road from sligo general hospital ) rang for an ambulance, the nearest one they said was in Carrick On Shannon!! 45mins away???theres my confidence in the ambulance service
Working in the National Ambulance Service for 16 years, in its current state of mismanagement I can safely say I have no confidence in our ambulance service.
The ambulance service is over stretched and over worked. Tallaght ambulance station closes on Mondays every week to save money, I recently seen an elderly patient left in pain for several hours because his local ambulance station in Maynooth closes on Thursdays to save money.
In Dublin and surrounding areas there is very little hope of the right patient receiving an appropriate pre-hospital response in a timely manner.
>80% of the emergency calls that are passed to responding crews have the incorrect details. Responding crews do not have access sat-navs or maps.
For people working in the ambulance service the HIQA report reveals nothing new, we already know that we are poorly managed, the fleet is ageing and the control/call centre is a farce !
I too work in the NAS, I have over 30 years service to date, from the old EHB to the HSE.
I have seen the service limp from report to report with little or no action on them.
We were always know as the Cinderella Service within the wider health service and sadly remain so.
The numbers in management have increased year on year with fancy titles and company cars, all struggling to cope in their positions. They are unqualified to work in Burger King, no disrespect to the staff in Burger King. When I receive a call I have no confidence in the details given, type of call, location of call and distance to the call. Most calls are now outside of out traditional area, we just don’t know where we are going to end up. I have no confidence in our management, and the service suffers because they have lost all respect and goodwill from the ambulance crews.
If you need an ambulance, always ask: “how long it is going to take and where the vehicle is coming from” you might be better in a car and meet the ambulance on the road. Disillusioned Paramedic.
yes to having confidence in the ambulance service, however a big No to A&E
I think my story will sum it up.
A few years back my grandfather required the services of the NAS. We called them and to be fair a quick response paramedic arrived within 10 mins. He was great. Professional and caring.
The ambulance arrived 45 mins later. With a crew from Kerry. We live in Cork. I had to sit up front and direct them to the hospital. I kid you not. They were transferring a patient from Kerry to Cork and were redirected to us.
The issue is not with the frontline crews but with the support and funding they receive from govt & hse.
Laziness again, at least get a photo of an NAS, ambulance
Hi Oliver, the report referred to both NAS and DFB.
The report was about Ambulance Services in Ireland, not just HSE/NAS. In fact DFB featured prominently in the report and were heavily criticised for various reasons.
This poll is misleading tbh, paramedics and drivers do a great job but are let down by those in charge.
I much confidence i anything going on in our country at this moment. Everything just seems to be crumbling. It’s time for change!
That is I DON’T HAVE
Overall yes. The twice an ambulance had to be called into town after taking a bad asthma attack my friend came with me. I was giving oxygen then we stopped my friend asked why she was told that they had to pick up 2 people that were drugged up to the eyeball’s in the meantime I was going blue on the trolley. I woke up 5 day’s later in the ICU on a ventilator. I know have what they call Brittle asthma type 2. Meaning I need to get to the hospital asap.
I would if they had any kind of chance of finding my address, and I live in the city.
No. It’s Irish water and the governments fault.
Yes. I do.
Welcome to the jungle young troll !
Hardly trolling to sarcastically point out what many say at every given opportunity!
I have confidence in the staff. They just don’t have the equipment needed to do the job right. Give them the proper funding and leave them to do what they are paid for. Every cent is well deserved.
Like every other aspect of our Health Service, they are unionised to the hilt and therefore grossly inefficient and stuck in the past.
Ive seen the good work they do first hand. Completely under staffed, paid, and resourced. The wrong people are getting the big wages in this country.
I was lying injured in a car for over an hour before the ambulance arrived – they were rang two minutes after the accident happened and an hour later I was still trapped in there waiting for them to come!
I voted “I don’t know”. I have full confidence in the people in the ambulances. I am 70% confident that the ambulance won’t break down. I am not confident that if enough problems happen at once, there will be enough ambulances to get to them all in time. I am not confident that if my neighbour has a heart attack, an ambulance that is available, 30 miles away, will be able to reach her in time to save her life. I am not confident, that for all their valiant efforts, the crew that arrives to my other neighbour, who’s had a stroke, will be able to get him to the hospital, admitted and into emergency treatment in time to save him from being trapped in a fleshy cell. They may well arrive in time, but be “in a queue”. In which time, my neighbour essentially becomes a vegetable.
have your say