President Trump and the peace prize
I wondered which comedian had come up with this line, but to my amazement, this was the news. I would have laughed, except that I was crying. – Yours, etc,
DR TERESA GRAHAM,
Tramore,
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Co Waterford.
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Irish Times
27 minutes ago
- Irish Times
State's ‘shameful' treatment of thalidomide survivors criticised
A Government backbencher has accused the State of behaving 'appallingly' towards the victims of thalidomide and criticised the 'glacial pace' with which the issue is being dealt. Fine Gael TD Barry Ward said the Government has 'dragged its heels' in apologising to the affected mothers and their children, now in their mid to late 60s. The treatment of the survivors 'is fundamentally wrong and shameful and is a stain on the recent history of this State', he said. He believed a 'basic justice' has 'never been met', more than 60 years after pregnant women were prescribed the drug, originally developed in Germany in the 1950s as a sedative and later promoted to treat morning sickness. It was withdrawn from most markets in 1961 following evidence of its link to birth defects. However, it was still sold in Ireland until 1964. READ MORE Many children were born without limbs or with shortened limbs, with hearing and vision impairment and injuries to internal organs. Mr Ward said since then there has been 'no apology, acknowledgment, full suite of treatment and no compensation'. The Dún Laoghaire TD said he was highlighting the issue because this week marks a year since the three former coalition leaders wrote a letter to thalidomide survivors, which was 'not in fact an apology or an acknowledgment, but really a communication in respect of some supports that have been put in place'. At the time the letter angered members of the Irish Thalidomide Association, still waiting for a State apology following a long-running campaign in which they are also seeking compensation and supports. [ Jacqui Browne obituary: Thalidomide survivor and leading advocate for the disabled Opens in new window ] There are fewer than 40 survivors still alive, and only five of their mothers who were prescribed the drug. In September 2024 the then government appointed retired High Court Judge Mr Justice Paul Gilligan to engage with thalidomide survivors. Mr Ward said he did not want 'in any way to interfere with that process'. But raising the issue of thalidomide in the Dáil this week, he condemned the lack of apology for what had happened to the women. 'These are people who have lived throughout their lives with debilitating issues as a result of the fact that they survived thalidomide while their mothers were pregnant,' he said. 'The glacial pace with which the State is actually addressing this problem is shameful' and 'the treatment of thalidomide survivors by allowing the matter to go on for as long as it has is a very poor reflection on the State'. He said most of the women who took the drug and 'bore that burden throughout their lives', have died. Minister of State for Justice Niall Collins told Mr Ward the Government 'is committed to supporting people affected by thalidomide' as he referred to the 'enhanced package' of health supports and personal social services. Enhanced healthcare, social care and independent living supports are currently available, he said. Mr Collins also pointed to the establishment last year of the national thalidomide advocacy office, set up to liaise with thalidomide survivors and assist them to access health and social service supports. 'The support provided is on a one-to-one basis, tailored to the specific needs of the person and in response to contact received from survivors,' with liaison from relevant HSE and other personnel to ensure the services are provided. He said 'each survivor is also eligible for a medical card on an administrative basis, regardless of means, in addition to aids and appliances, equipment, housing adaptations and access to a full range of primary care, hospital and personal social services'. The Minister also said the German Grünenthal Foundation, established by the drug manufacturer, has 'accepted applications from individuals for compensation for thalidomide-related injury'.
RTÉ News
32 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Gaza truce talks faltering over withdrawal, Palestinian and Israeli sources say
Talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in Gaza are stalling over the extent of Israeli forces' withdrawal from the Palestinian territory, Palestinian and Israeli sources familiar with the negotiations in Doha have said. The indirect talks over a US proposal for a 60-day ceasefire are nonetheless expected to continue, the sources said, despite the latest obstacles in clinching a deal. A Palestinian source said that Hamas has rejected the withdrawal maps which Israel has proposed, as they would leave around 40% of the territory under Israeli control, including all of the southern area of Rafah and further territories in northern and eastern Gaza. Two Israeli sources said Hamas wants Israel to retreat to lines it held in a previous ceasefire before it renewed its offensive in March. The Palestinian source said matters regarding aid and guarantees for ending the war were also presenting a challenge, and added that the crisis may be resolved with more US intervention. The White House said on Monday that Mr Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, who played a major role in crafting the latest ceasefire proposal, will travel to Doha this week to join discussions there. Delegations from Israel and Hamas have been in Qatar since Sunday in a renewed push for an agreement which envisages a phased release of hostages, Israeli troop withdrawals and discussions on ending the war entirely. Hamas has long demanded an end to the war before it would free remaining hostages; Israel has insisted it would end the fighting only when all hostages are released and Hamas is dismantled. The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages into Gaza. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages there are believed to still be alive. Israel's subsequent campaign against Hamas has since killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, displaced almost the entire population of more than 2 million people, sparked a humanitarian crisis and left much of the territory in ruins. Gaza's civil defence agency said at least 14 people were killed in the latest wave of Israeli strikes across the territory today. More than 30 people were killed yesterday, including ten people who were waiting for aid handouts, the agency said. The Israeli military this morning said it had attacked "approximately 250 terrorist targets throughout the Gaza Strip" in the last 48 hours. Targets included "terrorists, booby-trapped structures, weapons storage facilities, anti-tank missile launch posts, sniper posts, tunnels and additional terrorist infrastructure sites", it added. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is under domestic and international pressure to end the war, said this week that neutralising Hamas as a security threat was a prerequisite for any long-term ceasefire talks.
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Gaza truce talks faltering over withdrawal, Palestinian and Israeli sources say
Talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in Gaza are stalling over the extent of Israeli forces' withdrawal from the Palestinian enclave, Palestinian and Israeli sources familiar with the negotiations in Doha said on Saturday. The indirect talks over a US proposal for a 60-day ceasefire are nonetheless expected to continue, the sources said, despite the latest obstacles in clinching a deal. A Palestinian source said that Hamas has rejected the withdrawal maps which Israel has proposed, as they would leave about 40 per cent of the territory under Israeli control, including all of the southern area of Rafah and further territories in northern and eastern Gaza. Two Israeli sources said Hamas wants Israel to retreat to lines it held in a previous ceasefire before it renewed its offensive in March. READ MORE The Palestinian source said matters regarding aid and guarantees for ending the war were also presenting a challenge, and added that the crisis may be resolved with more US intervention. The White House said on Monday that US president Donald Trump 's envoy Steve Witkoff, who played a major role in crafting the latest ceasefire proposal, will travel to Doha this week to join discussions there. Delegations from Israel and Hamas have been in Qatar since Sunday in a renewed push for an agreement which envisages a phased release of hostages, Israeli troop withdrawals and discussions on ending the war entirely. Hamas has long demanded an end to the war before it would free remaining hostages; Israel has insisted it would end the fighting only when all hostages are released and Hamas is dismantled. The war began on October 7th, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages into Gaza. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages there are believed to still be alive. Israel's subsequent campaign against Hamas has since killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, displaced almost the entire population of more than two million people, sparked a humanitarian crisis and left much of the territory in ruins. Meanwhile, a Palestinian American man was beaten to death by settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and a second man was shot dead, the Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement, in a confrontation overnight. US citizen Sayafollah Musallet (20), also known as Saif, was severely beaten in the incident on Friday evening in Sinjil, north of Ramallah, the ministry said. Hussein Al-Shalabi (23) was shot in the chest. Musallet's family, from Tampa Florida, said in a statement that medics tried to reach him for three hours before his brother managed to carry him to an ambulance, but that he died before reaching the hospital. 'This is an unimaginable nightmare and injustice that no family should ever have to face. We demand the US state department lead an immediate investigation and hold the Israeli settlers who killed Saif accountable for their crimes,' the family statement said. A US state department spokesperson said on Friday it was aware of the incident, but that the department had no further comment 'out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones' of the reported victim. The Israeli military said Israel was investigating the incident in the town of Sinjil. It said confrontations between Palestinians and settlers broke out after Palestinians threw rocks at Israelis, lightly injuring them. The military said forces were dispatched to the scene and used non-lethal weapons to disperse the crowds. Settler violence in the West Bank has risen since the start of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, according to rights groups. Dozens of Israelis have also been killed in Palestinian street attacks in recent years and the Israeli military has intensified raids across the West Bank. - Reuters (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025
