Iran blasts Canada for depriving half a million Iranians of voting

ByIFP Editorial Staff

June 29, 2024

Canada was the only country that barred Iranian expatriates from voting in the snap presidential elections held on Friday, an Iranian diplomat complained.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary, and Expatriates Affairs, Alireza Bikdeli, said the Canadian government ignored several official requests by Iran to allow the Iranians in the country to cast their ballots in the presidential election.

Iran and Canada severed their diplomatic ties in 2012 over Iran’s support for Syria in its fight against foreign-backed militants. Italy and Switzerland act as the protecting powers in the absence of diplomatic representation.

Bikdeli said, “We express our protest against the Canadian government for violating Iranians’ right to participate (in the election),” cutting off the Iranian citizens’ connection with their motherland.

“Over 500,000 Iranians in Canada were denied the ballot box. It will be a disgrace for a country that claims to be democratic and an advocate of human rights,” he stated.

Iranian voters in Canada had to head to polling stations along the US border.

Over 344 polling stations were set up for Iranians around the world to take part in the election on Friday, held to fill the top executive post left vacant after former president Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage died in a helicopter crash last month.

Africa key to global efforts in preserving nature: IUCN



Held every four years, the IUCN regional forums connect key biodiversity stakeholders in a bid to encourage knowledge sharing across sectors and regions. WAM


Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), delivered a keynote speech at the Africa Conservation Forum in Nairobi, Kenya.

Organised by the National Committee of IUCN Members in Kenya and the Government of Kenya, the event which commenced on Wednesday (26 June), is designed to shape Africa public policy towards nature conservation in the lead up to the World Conservation Congress 2025, set to take place in Abu Dhabi.

Al Mubarak addressed an audience which included more than 500 representatives of IUCN constituents.

“As one of nine regional conservation forums, this event sets the stage for the World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi in 2025,” said Al Mubarak.

“Africa is crucial to global efforts to preserve nature, adapt to climate change, and create a just world that values nature.”

According to Al Mubarak, the efforts to halt biodiversity loss by 2030 and reach net-zero levels of greenhouse emissions should be inclusive, incorporating the knowledge of local communities and indigenous knowledge.

Africa is already demonstrating leadership in the effort to implement just and equitable solutions that address both the climate and nature challenges, with people’s well-being and progress as a prerequisite for success,” she said.

“In Africa, we see how indigenous practices and local stewardship lead to sustainable results,” said Al Mubarak. “IUCN promotes these inclusive and transformative approaches, recognising that true sustainability comes from respecting and utilising the wisdom of those closest to the land.”

Held every four years, the IUCN regional forums connect key biodiversity stakeholders – public bodies, scientists, activists, and international and regional organisations – in a bid to encourage knowledge sharing across sectors and regions.

“IUCN is often seen as a large global organisation; however, our aim is to empower action on the local level and support the implementation of conservation solutions on the ground,” said Al Mubarak. “Regional Conservation Forums gather our union together at a regional level: members, commissions, national and regional committees, regional councillors and secretariat staff. All these constituents have the opportunity to interact and build connections, to better understand the Union they are part of, and shape its future.”

For the first time, the Africa Conservation Forum combines all three IUCN subregions in Africa. The event is one of nine regional fora which the IUCN is holding over the coming seven months in preparation for the world’s largest conservation event, the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025, held in Abu Dhabi in October next year. IUCN constituents will receive information on how to submit motions which ultimately can become IUCN resolutions. Participants can also provide input to the forthcoming IUCN Programme for the next four-year period and the IUCN 20-year strategy.

“The 20-year strategy is designed to help the organisation tackle the challenges of the next two decades, challenges which are essential to the well-being of humanity,” said Al Mubarak. “Our strategic aim is to help the IUCN take its place on the global stage as a leading authority on the conservation of nature and the intersection between conservation efforts and climate action.”

Recently, Al Mubarak, joined the Taskforce on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) as Co-Chair.

Al Mubarak will be working alongside David Craig, founder and CEO of Refinitiv, one of the largest data and technology platform providers to financial markets operating in over 160 countries.

Al Mubarak is replacing Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment).

In her new capacity as Co-Chair, Al Mubarak will help lead the Taskforce’s efforts to embed the TNFD recommendations in the global corporate reporting architecture aligned with the commitment of over 190 governments around the world to Target 15 of the Global Biodiversity Framework.

WAM

Australia PM says arrogant Meta should pay outlets for news

CANADA SAYS DITTO

Meta said early this year it would not renew its commercial deals. 

PHOTO: REUTERS

JUN 29, 2024

MELBOURNE - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called social media companies arrogant and irresponsible, as the government’s battle to have Meta Platforms Inc. continue to pay local media organisations for content escalated.

Meta’s regional policy director Mia Garlick told a parliamentary committee on June 28 that “all options were on the table,” when asked whether the company would ban news on its platforms if the government determined it fell under the news media bargaining code, the Australian Financial Review reported.

Under the code, introduced in 2021, Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones could “designate” Meta, pushing the company into discussions for payment with news organisations, or risk fines of 10 per cent of its Australian revenue.

“They have a responsibility to keep news on their platforms,” Mr Albanese said at a media conference in Melbourne on June 29.

“The arrogance that’s been shown by these international social media companies is not aligned with the social responsibility that they have.”

Alphabet Inc. and Meta in 2021 struck deals to pay several Australian news organisations for content, however Meta said early this year it would not renew its commercial deals.


Media companies Seven West Media Ltd. and Nine Entertainment Co. this week pointed to the expiry of the deal among the reasons they will cut jobs.

Yes, I would also like to receive SPH Media Group's
SPH Media Limited, its related corporations and affiliates as well as their agents and authorised service providers. marketing and promotions.

“They should fulfil the commitments that they had previously given,” Mr Albanese said. BLOOMBERG

 

Spanish economy needs to diversify sources of growth, says leading economist

By

 Xinhua News Agency

Since the end of the COVID pandemic, Spain’s economy has been expanding thanks largely to the recovery of its tourism sector. However, the country should now focus on diversifying its sources of growth by, for example, investing more in renewable energies, artificial intelligence (AI) and education, a leading Spanish economist told Xinhua in an interview on Friday.

In 2022 and 2023, the economy grew a lot driven by a post-COVID tourism boom. But now this type of growth is reaching a plateau and “we see stagnation, which means (we must) find other sources of growth,” said Sergi Basco, associate professor of economics at Barcelona University.

“Unlike countries such as Germany, Spain has a high number of sunny hours, so it would make sense to invest more in solar power and the production of renewable energy for export. There are industries and sectors other than tourism that could be promoted,” he added.

Although Spain’s economy grew by 0.8 percent in the first three months of this year, almost tripling the Eurozone average of 0.3 percent, Basco warns it grew “for the wrong reasons,” including tourism and investments by the government, “which is still spending the European recovery funds.”

GDP growth for 2025 and 2026 is projected to shrink to 1.8 percent because the tourism dividend and the special European funds are running out, Basco noted.

This, he said, is very low, but the decline could be reversed by shifting focus to such areas as renewable energy and AI and investing more in education.

Panama court acquits 28 in Panama Papers trial

The 28 defendants were accused of money laundering in cases linked to the Panama Papers and "Operation Car Wash" scandals. Their names were not provided in the court statement.

In 2016, a trove of financial documents were leaked which revealed how many of the world's wealthy stashed their assets into offshore companies

A Panama court on Friday acquitted 28 people charged with money laundering in cases at the center of the Panama Papers and Operation Car Wash scandals.

The names of those acquitted were not provided in the statement.

Precautionary measures were lifted against all 28 defendants by Judge Baloisa Marquinez. She also said one criminal process was canceled due to the death of one of the defendants.

She fined 10 witnesses with 100 balboas (€93 or $100) who had not complied with summons.

Among those acquitted were co-founders of the now defunct law firm Mossack Fonseca, German national Jurgen Mossack and Ramon Fonseca. Prosecutors had been seeking 12 years in prison for both of them, which is the maximum sentence for money laundering.

Fonseca, a Panamanian, died in May this year.

Evidence 'not sufficient and conclusive'

Marquinez said evidence collected from Mossack Fonseca's servers did not comply with the chain of custody, raising doubts about its "authenticity and integrity."

"The rest of the evidence was not sufficient and conclusive to determine the criminal responsibility of the defendants," said the court statement.

In 2016, leaked documents from Mossack Fonseca showed offshore accounts where wealth had been stashed, causing scandal and prompting worldwide investigations.

Accounts in tax havens were linked to people like former Argentinian President Mauricio Macri, football star Lionel Messi, Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and many more.
Operation Car Wash

"Operation Car Wash" was an anti-corruption probe that began in Brazil in 2014. The investigation exposed corruption across Latin America, with many politicians and business leaders being convicted. This included former Brazilian presidents Fernando Collor de Mello and Michel Temer, as well as current president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

In her judgment, Marquinez said it could not be determined that money from illicit sources had entered Panama from Brazil with the purpose of helping conceal crimes.

tg/kb (AFP, Reuters)

No slowdown in US aid for Israel, thousands of 2,000-pound bombs sent: Report

Since October 7, the US transferred at least 14,000 of the MK-84 2,000-pound bombs, 6,500 500-pound bombs, 3,000 Hellfire missiles, 1,000 bunker-buster bombs, 2,600 air-dropped small-diameter bombs, and other munitions, according to officials.


Reuters
Washington,UPDATED: Jun 29, 2024 
Posted By: Devika Bhattacharya

In Short

US sent Israel large munitions since Gaza war

14,000 MK-84 bombs, 3,000 Hellfire missiles sent

No significant drop-off in US military support


The Biden administration has sent to Israel large numbers of munitions, including more than 10,000 highly destructive 2,000-pound bombs and thousands of Hellfire missiles, since the start of the war in Gaza, said two US officials briefed on an updated list of weapons shipments.

Between the war's start last October and recent days, the United States has transferred at least 14,000 of the MK-84 2,000-pound bombs, 6,500 500-pound bombs, 3,000 Hellfire precision-guided air-to-ground missiles, 1,000 bunker-buster bombs, 2,600 air-dropped small-diameter bombs, and other munitions, according to the officials, who were not authorised to speak publicly.

While the officials didn't give a timeline for the shipments, the totals suggest there has been no significant drop-off in US military support for its ally, despite international calls to limit weapons supplies and a recent administration decision to pause a shipment of powerful bombs.

The Biden administration has paused one shipment of the 2,000-pound bomb. (Reuters/File)

Experts said the contents of the shipments appear consistent with what Israel would need to replenish supplies used in this eight-month intense military campaign in Gaza, which it launched after the Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian Hamas militants who killed 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

"While these numbers could be expended relatively quickly in a major conflict, this list clearly reflects a substantial level of support from the United States for our Israeli allies," said Tom Karako, a weapons expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, adding that the listed munitions were the type Israel would use in its fight against Hamas or in a potential conflict with Hezbollah.

The delivery numbers, which have not been previously reported, provide the most up-to-date and extensive tally of munitions shipped to Israel since the Gaza war began.

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since the start of the Gaza war, and concern is rising that an all-out war could break out between the two sides.

The White House declined to comment. Israel's Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The shipments are part of a bigger list of weapons sent to Israel since the Gaza conflict began, one of the US officials said. A senior Biden administration official on Wednesday told reporters that Washington has since Oct. 7 sent $6.5 billion worth of security assistance to Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent weeks claimed that Washington was withholding weapons, a suggestion US officials have repeatedly denied even though they acknowledged some "bottlenecks".

The Biden administration has paused one shipment of the 2,000-pound bomb, citing concern over the impact it could have in densely populated areas in Gaza, but US officials insist that all other arms deliveries continue as normal. One 2,000-pound bomb can rip through thick concrete and metal, creating a wide blast radius.

Reuters reported on Thursday that the United States is discussing with Israel the release of a shipment of large bombs that was suspended in May over worries about the military operation in Rafah.

International scrutiny of Israel's military operation in Gaza has intensified as the Palestinian death toll from the war has exceeded 37,000, according to the Gaza health ministry, and has left the coastal enclave in ruins.

Washington gives $3.8 billion in annual military assistance to its longtime ally. While Biden has warned that he would place conditions on military aid if Israel fails to protect civilians and allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, he has not done so beyond delaying the May shipment.

Biden's support for Israel in its war against Hamas has emerged as a political liability, particularly among young Democrats, as he runs for re-election this year. It fuelled a wave of "uncommitted" protest votes in primaries and has driven pro-Palestinian protests at US universities.

While the United States provides detailed descriptions and quantities of military aid sent to Ukraine as it fights a full-scale invasion of Russia, the administration has revealed few details about the full extent of US weapons and munitions sent to Israel.

The shipments are also hard to track because some of the weapons are shipped as part of arms sales approved by Congress years ago but only now being fulfilled.

One of the US officials said the Pentagon has sufficient quantities of weapons in its own stocks and had been liaising with US industry partners who make the weapons, such as Boeing Co and General Dynamics, as the companies work to manufacture more.

Only 17% of targets to improve global life likely to be reached by 2030: UN

AP |
Jun 29, 2024 

According to the report, nearly half the targets show minimal or moderate progress and over one-third are stalled or regressing


The United Nations warned Friday that only 17% of its 169 targets to improve life for the world’s more than 7 billion people are on track to be reached by the 2030 deadline.

A man walks past the headquarters of the United Nations building in Midtown Manhattan in New York, (AFP)

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres launched the annual report saying, “It shows the world is getting a failing grade.”

World leaders adopted the 17 wide-ranging development goals from ending global poverty to achieving gender equality in 2015, and set 169 specific targets to be reached by the end of the decade.

According to the report, nearly half the targets show minimal or moderate progress and over one-third are stalled or regressing — with just 17% are on track to be achieved.

“The takeaway is simple,” Guterres said. “Our failure to secure peace, to confront climate change, and to boost international finance is undermining development.”

The report also cited the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and said an additional 23 million people were pushed into extreme poverty and over 100 million more were suffering from hunger in 2022 compared to 2019.

“In a world of unprecedented wealth, knowledge and technologies, the denial of basic needs for so many is outrageous and unacceptable,” Guterres said.

On the downside, the U.N. reported that for the first time this century, per-capita GDP growth in half of the world’s most vulnerable nations is slower than that of advanced economies, threatening improvements in equality. And in 2022, it said, nearly 60% of countries faced moderate to abnormally high food prices.

The goal of quality education is far offtrack. Only 58% of students worldwide achieved minimum proficiency in reading by the end of primary school, and “recent assessments reveal a significant decline in math and reading scores in many countries,” the report said.

As for gender equality, it said the world continues to lag: One in five girls still marry before age 18, violence against women persists, far too many women don’t have the right to decide on their sexual and reproductive health — and at current rates it will take 176 years for women to reach parity with men in management positions.

Guterres said the report also has “some glimmers of hope.”

Mobile broadband is accessible to 95% of the world’s population, up from 78% in 2015. Global capacity to generate electricity from renewable has been expanding at an unprecedented 8.1% annually for past five years, the report said.

Increased access to treatment has averted 20.8 million AIDS-related deaths in the past three decades. New malaria vaccines being rolled out could save millions of lives. Girls in most regions are now achieving parity with boys in education. And many women are breaking glass ceilings, it said.

“But the speed and scale of the change needed for sustainable development is still far too slow,” Guterres said.

He called for action to end wars from Gaza to Ukraine, Sudan and beyond, “and to pivot from spending on destruction and war to investing in people and peace.”

The secretary-general also called for greater action to combat climate change and on “the green and digital transitions.”

According to the report, there is a $4 trillion annual gap in the investments needed to help developing countries reach the sustainable development goals.

Guterres called for stepped-up efforts to deliver the resources and also to reduce debt pressures and debt servicing costs, to expand access to contingency financing for countries at risk of a cash flow crisis, and to multiply the lending capacity of the World Bank and other development banks.

“We must not let up on our promises — to end poverty, protect the planet and leave no one behind,” the secretary-general said.

Bolivia's leader: General accused of leading failed coup wanted to be president
share

June 29, 2024 
By Associated Press

Bolivia's President Luis Arce speaks during an interview at the government palace, in La Paz, Bolivia, June 28, 2024, two days after army troops stormed the palace in what Arce called a coup attempt.

LA PAZ, BOLIVIA —

Bolivian President Luis Arce said Friday a former general planned to "take over" the government and become president in a failed coup, and he denied that the Andean nation was in an economic crisis.

In an interview with The Associated Press, the embattled leader denied once again that Wednesday's attack on the government palace was a "self-coup" designed to garner him political points.

"I didn't escape. I stayed to defend democracy," Arce said.

Arce washed his hands of claims by relatives of the 21 people detained by the government that they were innocent of attempting a coup and had been tricked by ex-Gen. Juan Jose Zúñiga.

"It's a problem of those who were involved, it's not the government's problem," Arce told AP.

Arce said also his government has been "politically attacked" by his one-time ally turned rival, former President Evo Morales, saying the infighting has snarled legislative activities and hamstrung his government confronting economic problems.

Despite that, he said, Bolivia's economy is growing and his administration is working to "diversify" means of producing, investing in things like lithium and industrializing. Bolivia has the largest reserves of lithium — a metal known as "white gold" and considered essential in the green transition — in the world that has gone largely untapped, in part due to government policy.

Arce said the government "has taken action" to address intermittent gasoline and dollar shortages and other hurdles ailing the South American nation's economy.

"Bolivia has an economy that's growing. An economy in crisis doesn't grow," he said.

He said it was "completely normal" for Bolivians to run to stockpile food in supermarkets and make a run on ATMs upon seeing an emerging coup in the capital, instead of following his call to take to the streets in support of the government.

He said Bolivians were traumatized by the political turmoil in 2019 that led Morales to resign as president and flee and also caused 37 deaths.

"Where there is a political situation, this rupture, a coup d'état, of course people will be scared that there won't be food … so they'll go get money to go stock up," Arce said.

He added that the government was investigating if the attack was organized by the country's political opposition. That same day, Arce's governmental minister, Eduardo del Castillo, said the government claimed that there were "snipers who did not arrive in time to the Murillo square" where the coup was staged.

UK
Unite against police repression of Just Stop Oil

'We refuse to die for fossil fuels and we refuse to stand by while millions are murdered," said JSO

Raids, raids, raids of Just Stop Oil backers (Picture: Just Stop Oil)

In an outrageous attack on protest rights—and using recent repressive laws—cops have seized Just Stop Oil (JSO) supporters before they have carried out any actions.

Police arrested 27 Just Stop Oil (JSO) protesters on suspicion of planning to cause widespread disruption at airports during the summer holidays.

Police chiefs said a number of “key organisers” were detained in co-ordinated raids in ten counties including Greater London, Oxford, Surrey, Norfolk, Manchester and West Yorkshire.

JSO said, “Over the last 12 hours the British state has acted unlawfully in detaining a total of at least 27 ordinary people sharing food at a community event and at their homes. Their only crime? They are Just Stop Oil supporters.

“Being a Just Stop Oil supporter is now enough to make you a suspect. Believing that no government has the right to tyrannise the entire world by encouraging the extraction and burning of fossil fuels, marks you out as a dangerous radical.”

All the suspects were arrested under a new offence under the Public Order Act 2023 which makes it illegal to conspire to disrupt national infrastructure.

During all such raids the police seize valuable equipment, searching out those who will be regarded as “suspect” and imposing financial costs on the campaign.

“Every time they raid us we lose phones and laptops. They must have a mountain by now,” said

The arrests began on Tuesday, when cops held four people after “being identified at Gatwick Airport”, police said. They have since been released on bail.

The Met said all those released on bail are subject to a condition that prohibits them from travelling within 1 kilometre of any British airport unless passing through by vehicle or public transport.

JSO is right to say, “We refuse to die for fossil fuels and we refuse to stand by while millions are murdered.

“We demand that our government stops the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030 and that they support and finance other countries to make a fast, fair and just transition.”

JSO needs support and everyone who wants to defend the right to protest has to speak out against these seizures.

Aer Lingus pilots stage eight-hour work stoppage

PA Media
Pilots held banners as they marched at Dublin Airport on Saturday morning

BBC

Hundreds of striking Aer Lingus pilots have marched at Dublin Airport as part of an ongoing dispute with the airline over pay.

The eight-hour strike began at 05:00 local time and ended at 13:00.

The pilots, in full uniform, passed the airline’s head office before setting up a picket line at the entrance to the airport.

Aer Lingus has cancelled 120 flights on Saturday with up to 17,000 passengers affected.

The Irish Airline Pilots' Association (Ialpa) previously called for a 24% pay rise for members, and pilots began a work-to-rule on Wednesday.

Ialpa president Captain Mark Tighe said the strike action demonstrated "that they mean business".

"Our passengers are extremely important to us and unlike managers we meet them every day.

"This is not what we want, but we are left in a situation created by management whereby we are just exercising the same rights as everybody else in this country has," he told Irish broadcaster RTÉ.

Hundreds of Aer Lingus pilots march at Dublin Airport amid eight-hour strike
Union and company are due to return to Labour Court on Monday with almost 400 flights already canceled

Barry O'Halloran
Sat Jun 29 2024 - 

Some 500 Aer Lingus pilots marched in the rain around Dublin Airport on Saturday as their trade union president warned the company to accept that their pay demands were reasonable ahead of Labour Court hearings on their dispute.

Most members of the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) at the company gathered in full uniform at the Aer Lingus head office shortly after beginning an eight-hour strike at 5am to march around both Dublin Airport’s terminals to a picket line.

Pilots halted work on Saturday morning, stepping an ongoing industrial action that began this week in pursuit of a long-running pay claim. Aer Lingus has cancelled hundreds of flights in response “to protect as many services as possible”.

Saturday’s turnout hit 500 from around the Republic, out of a full pilot crew of 766, according to union estimates. Those who were not there were out of the State or unable to show up for reasons including rules requiring pilots to rest between flying.

Aer Lingus cancelled flights: Full list of 270 services disrupted due to industrial action

Hundreds of Aer Lingus pilots march at Dublin Airport amid eight-hour strike



Ryanair rejects claims of price hikes as Aer Lingus customers scramble for flights


Union overseeing pilots’ group tells other Aer Lingus staff to work as normal



Speaking on the picket line, Ialpa president Capt Mark Tighe declared the number “pitching up on a soft Irish summer’s morning like this” spoke volumes for pilots’ confidence in their pay claim.

[ Aer Lingus pilots are unlikely revolution leaders but wages will have to rise for social peace ]

Ialpa, part of trade union Fórsa, is seeking an increase of more than 20 per cent. Capt Tighe noted the union had moderated its stance significantly through 22 months of talks with Aer Lingus, including at negotiations that broke down on Thursday.

Pilots say their demand will cost the company less than €5 million extra a year, but Aer Lingus argues the figure is closer to €40 million.

The union and company are due at the Labour Court on Monday in a fresh bid to resolve the row, which has prompted the airline to cancel almost 400 flights, including 120 as a result of Saturday’s strike.

“We now look to the company and the Labour Court to acknowledge the reasonableness of our claim,” Capt Tighe said.

He added that the union hoped next week’s move to the court would resolve the dispute.

The striking pilots gathered before 6am for the action. Photograph: Fintan Clarke

The Labour Court invited both sides on Friday as the dispute neared a critical stage, with Ialpa preparing to step up its industrial action following the failure of Thursday’s talks.

A Fórsa dispute committee, whose approval was needed before the pilots escalated their industrial action, met on Friday but adjourned after the organisation received the Labour Court’s invitation.


Union members have been on a strict work to rule since Wednesday, severely curtailing flexibility and limiting Aer Lingus’s ability to fly its full holiday schedule.

That measure and Saturday’s stoppage forced the airline to cancel 392 flights up to Sunday, July 7th, hitting an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 passengers.

Monday will be the third time the dispute has gone to the Labour Court. Most recently, Aer Lingus and Ialpa met the court separately on Tuesday, but that intervention failed to resolve the row.

Aer Lingus accused Ialpa of damaging the airline’s finances and reputation and apologised to passengers hit by Saturday’s strike.

The company welcomed the Labour Court’s intervention, adding it hoped that “Monday’s engagement in the court can result in an outcome that will bring normality back to the travelling public”.

Airline pilots are really silage contractors of the sky

In the olden days, the pilot was worshipped - just like the farmer. One was a hero of the sky, the other a god on the ground, writes Farming columnist Denis Lehane in this week's Lighten Up

.

SAT, 29 JUN, 2024 - 
DENIS LEHANE

IRISH EXAMINER


Flying a plane is no joke. Granted it isn't as hard as catching a ram, flipping him over and tending to his feet for foot rot. But it's tough enough too.

A good friend of mine, a pilot for many years, recently gave up the job to take up a role with the AI world.

He told me over a pint that he is much happier now when he's serving a cow than flying a jet plane to Timbuctoo.

"With the cow and AI straw, you know where you stand. With a plane load of anxious people, it's really all up in the air," he said.

My friend had flown planes all over the world, over a long and illustrious career.

Rarely did he crash, and more seldom was he late for work.

To my mind, he was one of the best.

He is known to one and all as Murty.

"But surely Murty, you miss the rumble of the engine and the screeching of the brakes?" I asked.

"Not a bit of it!" he roared back.

"They should never have gotten rid of the hot air balloon. The hot air balloon got everyone everywhere without half the fuss. The plane was a step in the wrong direction if you ask me," he said.

"The problem with flying nowadays is that everyone expects to get to their destination in one piece.

"Safety has become a priority," he moaned. "It's P.C. gone mad."

He was talking sense, of course. It's a pity there aren't more like him.

But safety aside, I wondered if flying was a handy number.

Murty wouldn't hear of it. Murty maintains that pilots nowadays are no better off than teenagers working for a silage contractor over the summer months.

"At least the teenager can take his girlfriend along for a spin, a pilot can do no such thing.

"Romance at high altitude is frowned upon.

"'Tis no wonder pilots go on strike and 'tis no wonder I'm still single," he spluttered.

Murty believes there is too much red tape in flying nowadays.

"Piloting a plane is almost as bad as farming, with the height of cross-checks needed," he said.

"However, at least a pilot won't get shot down suddenly with a letter from the department stating that the Single Farm Payment will be delayed."

And fair play to Murty; he got that one right.

"With silage contacting," he went on, "Even at peak season, once the dew comes down, the stopper is pulled, and everyone can go for a pint.

"When piloting a plane, the dew fall has little bearing on proceedings. Indeed, sometimes it can only add to the confusion."

And as for going for a pint? Well, Murty had to laugh. "It's usually a case of being too late to get a jar after you land and too early to go for one before you depart again.

"It's a catch-22," he stated. "You are damned if you do, and damned if you don't."

But it wasn't always this bad, as Murty recalls.

"I remember a time when flying a plane was like steering a cattle truck into an empty mart yard. "You could back in wherever you damn well pleased and offload to your heart's content.

"Out would come the cigarettes," he recalled, "and nobody would chastise you for smoking too near the fuselage.

"Nowadays,'" he said. "Flying a plane into a busy airport is like dropping a sheep into a dipping tank. Your time is limited. You know the next one is up your behind.

"I remember," says he, "In the olden days, the pilot was worshipped - just like the farmer. One was a hero of the sky, the other a god on the ground.

"Both were respected for the tremendous work they did and admired for the courage they displayed.

"Nowadays, the world is full of cynics, with everyone believing they know more about the job than the professional themselves.