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The European Union has said âearly difficultiesâ have emerged in relation to the Northern Ireland protocol, but insisted it would adopt a âcalm but firm approachâ with the United Kingdom to ensure there is no hard border on the island of Ireland.
The protocol has been among the most divisive provisions in the Brexit withdrawal agreement to date, and is staunchly opposed by unionists. It seeks to avoid a hard border on the island via the imposition of a trade border between Britain and Northern Ireland.
EU trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, speaking on Tuesday to the Institute of International & European Affairs, a Dublin-based think-tank, said Ireland had âthe most at stakeâ in the relationship between the EU and the UK.
Europeâs largest aircraft manufacturer Airbus intends to have the first hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft flying by 2035 and believes the fuel will replace kerosene, ultimately leading to zero-emissions aviation.
That was the prediction of Airbus vice-president of zero-emission aircraft, Glenn Llewellyn, an Irishman directing its âZEROeâ project which has three prototype aircraft in development, all using hydrogen.
Renewable energy needs to power future aviation and hydrogen is potentially the best pathway through which to do so, he told a Rethink Energy webinar jointly hosted by the Institute of International & European Affairs and the ESB on Thursday.
Success would depend, however, on widespread use of hydrogen in economies, Mr Llewellyn said, and renewable energy in the form of wind and solar continuing to decline in price; likewise the cost of electricity which would be critical to produce low-cost hydrogen.
‘What other country would do this to its people?’ Cambodian land grab victims seek int’l justice
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) in 2014 estimated that at least 770,000 people had been affected by land grabs that cover some 4 million hectares of land. Sources say Indigenous communities are more adversely affected by land grabs because the land is often central to their animist beliefs and their livelihoods, and they are even less likely to be afforded justice than ethnically Khmer victims.
FIDH, along with Global Witness and Climate Counsel, submitted an open letter dated March 16 to Fatou Bensouda, the current prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC), urging her to open a preliminary examination into land-grabbing in Cambodia.
The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the inequalities in society and highlighted the need for climate change action, the Lord Mayor of Dublin has said.
Hazel Chu said the inequalities need to be addressed and that if any positive can come from the pandemic, hopefully it is that these inequities have been exposed.
The Green Party politician said it was now time for leaders, including Ireland’s coalition Government, to “step up” to the challenges posed.
Ms Chu said: “Covid has highlighted the inequalities in society. It’s something we’re trying to fix.
“(What it) has highlighted is that there are huge issues that we need to build forward for – climate action being embedded in those,” she added.