prism-logo-61013Snowden

The European Union and the United States are to meet in Dublin today and tomorrow to discuss issues in the field of justice and home affairs.

EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding will represent the European Commission, while Justice Minister Alan Shatter will attend on behalf of the EU Presidency.

The US will be represented by Attorney General Eric Holder.

On the agenda is data protection.

From the EC press release:

“The EU and U.S. will assess progress made in the negotiations and further outstanding issues. Vice-President Reding is also seeking clarifications as to whether and how United States authorities are accessing and processing the data of European Union citizens using major U.S. online service providers.”

“The European Commission remains concerned by the question of EU citizens’ personal data being accessed and processed by United States authorities using major U.S. online service providers. The European Commission seeks clarifications on this issue. The Commission maintains that if U.S. law enforcement authorities want to access data of EU citizens on servers of U.S. companies, this should happen though formal channels, notably through the Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement which is in force since 2010. Access through other means should be excluded unless in clearly defined, exceptional and judicially reviewable situations.”

FIGHT!

EU-U.S. Justice Ministerial meeting: 13 -14 June in Dublin

00139957

(Last month’s pro-choice rally outside Dublin Castle)

To the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill.

“The inclusion of the maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment for having or assisting in an unlawful abortion is ineffective, disproportionate and inconsistent with the State’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, and international human rights law generally.

“In the A, B and C v Ireland case the European Court of Human Rights criticised the inclusion of harsh criminal sanctions in Irish law as a significant ‘chilling factor’ for both women and their doctors. It is the IFPA’s view that the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill not only maintains, but substantially reinforces this chilling effect.”

Niall Behan, Irish Family Planning Association.

“It’s immediately apparent from this bill that it ignores the needs of the majority of women in Ireland who seek abortions; it continues to tie the hands of the many families each year faced with a diagnosis of fatal foetal abnormality, women whose health is endangered by pregnancy, as well as women made pregnant by rape or incest. This Bill will criminalise the thousands of women in Ireland every year who self-administer the abortion pill and discourage them from seeking necessary medical assistance if needed.”

Sinéad Redmond, Abortion Rights Campaign.

“We are deeply concerned that the Bill ignores the advice of the expert group report on abortion and the expert perinatal psychiatrists consulted, by differentiating between mental and physical health. This Bill requires that an obstetrician is involved in assessing a woman’s suicide risk even though this was directly challenged in the Oireachtas Health Committee hearings by perinatal psychiatrists in May 2013.

Cathie Doherty, Abortion Rights Campaign

Women’s Hands Tied By Abortion Bill ((Abortion Rights Campaign)

Women’s Hands Tied by Abortion Bill

Earlier: Transfer of Care

(Laura Hutton/Photocall ireland)

In-A-World-516x340

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL3Y6mqqdeY

What you may need to know:

1. Big deal at Sundance this year. I know, right?

2. Written by, directed by and starring Lake Bell. We do love Lake Bell.

3. Hip comedy cast: Demetri Martin, Rob Corddry, Ken Marino, Fred ‘A Serious Man’ Melamed and Nick ‘Parks & Rec’ Offerman

4. Inspired in part by the legendary Don ‘The Voice’ Fontaine.

5. Prognosis: We love a quirky lil’ indie comedy.

Release Date: TBC

Thanks Ruairi Carroll

4a465e226d0311e19e4a12313813ffc0_7Google’s Ireland HQ

What are they building in there?

Invoices, mainly.

The company had told [MP Margaret] Hodge’s committee that its advertising sales take place in Ireland, rather than the UK, an argument which she described as “deeply unconvincing and has been undermined by information from whistleblowers, including ex-employees of Google, who told us that UK-based staff are engaged in selling”.

Concluding that Google’s Irish employees simply processed the bills, Hodge said that Google adopted a “highly contrived tax arrangement that has no purpose other than to enable the company to avoid UK corporation tax”.

Google generated around £11.5bn in revenue from the UK between 2006 and 2011, but paid just £10m in corporation tax, found the PAC report.

 

*sinks into beanbag*

 

MPs recommend comprehensive inquiry into Google’s ‘unconvincing’ tax affairs (Guardian)

Yesterday: Google Office Envy Latest

Pic Steven Cooper

bray logoCandy floss, ice-creams and cops on mountain bikes emptying tins of Special Brew into the sand in front of disgruntled half-cut teens.

Yes, the Bray Summer Festival 2013 in Bray, Co Wicklow, [home to several Broadsheet contributors] running from July 6– August 5.

FOUR weeks of music, chips AND an airshow spectacular.

And it’s all free.

Bray Blueshirt mayor Festival Director Mick Glynn sez:

“Bray Summerfest has grown significantly over the last number of years and is North Wicklow’s largest tourism driver with over 120,000 visiting the town during the 2012 festival and brings an economic benefit to the area of €8m.”

 

Launching tonight in the Porterhouse, Strand Road (“down at the beach”), Bray, Co Wicklow.

Bray Summer Festival 2013 (Facebook)

Broadsheet.ie