IRELAND EDITION Printed in Ireland wednesday january 17 2018 | thetimes.ie | no 72434 Introductory offer ¤1 Meet the young My top 10 fashion labels doctors debunking myths about women Anna Murphy on what she wants now Pages 42-43 Pages 40-41 O’Riordan was ‘full of life’ in voicemail hours before she died

Jennifer O’Brien spoke enthusiastically about a record- vocals. She sounded full of life, was suffered from chronic back pain in Andy Rourke, formerly the bass player ing session she had planned on Monday joking and excited to see me and my recent years. for the Smiths. Dolores O’Riordan sounded excited with the band Bad Wolves. Her body wife this week. The news of her passing She had been in a relationship with O’Riordan’s body is expected to be and “full of life” the night before her was found by workers at the Hilton on is devastating.” the New-York based musician and repatriated to Ireland in the coming body was found in a hotel room in Park Lane at 9.05am that day. The Metropolitan Police said that producer Olé Koretsky for more than a days, and her funeral will take place in London, a close friend has said. “Dolores left me a voice message just O’Riordan’s death was not suspicious year and had spent New Year’s Eve with Limerick. A book of condolence was The lead singer of the Cranberries after midnight stating how much she and that a report would be given to the him in the city before returning to Lim- opened in her home city, where people was in good spirits in a voicemail she loved Bad Wolves’ version of Zombie,” coroner’s office for further investi- erick to see her family this month. The queued at the council’s headquarters. left on Sunday night, Dan Waite, a Waite said. “She was looking forward to gation. The singer, 46, had bipolar couple were both members of D.A.R.K, Stars mourn, page 3 music producer, said yesterday. She seeing me in the studio and recording disorder diagnosed in 2016 and had O’Riordan’s latest band, alongside Obituary, page 46 SASKO LAZAROV/PHOTOCALL IRELAND Varadkar will urge Trump not to create trade barriers

Jennifer Bray Leo Varadkar will tell Donald Trump that there should be “no walls or barri- ers” between America and Ireland and remind the US president that trade and investment “go both ways”. Mr Varadkar is due to meet Mr Trump in the Oval Office during the taoiseach’s annual St Patrick’s Day trip. Speaking to The Times, he said that the bond between the two countries was “in our blood” and that he planned to speak to Mr Trump about migration. When asked what his main message to the president would be, Mr Varadkar said he would tell Mr Trump that the friendship between Ireland and Amer- ica was “deep and meaningful”. “It’s economic, it’s historic, it’s cultur- al and it’s in our blood,” he said. “I’ll be making the point that trade and invest- They’re big fans Young Dubliners welcome the Chinese year of the dog, which starts next month. Celebrations are being held across the capital until March 4 ment, migration and tourism travel in both directions and that we should not put up any walls or barriers between us. “I believe in freedom. I’ll be telling him, in particular, about the 80,000 Americans employed by Irish compa- nies in the US and the 40,000 Ameri- Anti-abortion group hires cans living happily in Ireland.” The visit will be the first time the two leaders have met. Enda Kenny, the former taoiseach, was praised interna- tionally last year after he used a speech during his visit to talk about migration. Mr Kenny spoke in Washington agency that pushed Brexit about the contribution of the Irish community in the US; The New York Times later called it a “lecture” for Mr London-based consultancy to run digital operation Trump on immigration. Mr Varadkar will be keenly watched Ellen Coyne Senior Ireland Reporter minster, said last night that it had been company owned by Robert Mercer, a Kanto will “out-organise, out-plan, out- by colleagues to see if he can strike a Patrick Maguire, Aaron Rogan contracted by anti-abortion campaign- reclusive right-wing billionaire who leaflet, out-Twitter, out-work and out- balance between communicating Irish ers in Ireland, but said the group had bankrolled the Trump campaign and vote all of its opponents”. The company concerns and maintaining the strong An Irish anti-abortion campaign group asked not to be identified to The Times. several “alt-right” operations including says on its website that it is “skilled in relationship with the US. Sources have has hired a political consultancy linked Mr Borwick, 30, was technology chief Breitbart News. empowering activists both online and said that he and Mr Trump are also to controversial aspects of the Brexit for the official Vote Leave campaign in Steve Bannon, President Trump’s on the doorsteps”. likely to discuss Irish and American Leave campaign to support its drive in the EU referendum of 2016. Prominent former chief strategist, was previously Kanto will run the Irish anti-abortion corporate tax arrangements, a source this year’s referendum on the Eighth Brexiteers have cited the campaign’s vice-president of Cambridge Analytica, group’s campaign website and help with of contention in the EU and the US. Amendment. use of data and online activity as being which is being investigated in the canvassing. It is not known if the agen- On a trade mission to the west coast Kanto, which was founded by decisive in securing victory. Some of its United States in connection with cy’s other services, such as a specialist of America last year, Mr Varadkar Thomas Borwick, has been taken on to tactics in a separate Brexit campaign alleged Russian interference in the team that counters “fake news” online, repeatedly emphasised to business help to run a digital campaign to keep were heavily criticised. presidential election. The company will be used. leaders that while tax rates could the constitutional ban on abortion. Mr Borwick has also worked with denies any involvement. Three Irish campaigners linked to change in the US, Ireland’s corporate The agency, which is based in West- Cambridge Analytica, a data-mining Mr Borwick’s Twitter biography says Continued on page 2, col 3 Continued on page 2, col 5 2 1R M Wednesday January 17 2018 | the times Ireland news TODAY’S EDITION Most tracker victims have now Widower settles Crowd ‘hostile’ Apology over damages case after shooting baby allegations been identified, says Donohoe Alan Thawley, whose A crowd at the The gardaí have wife died during a Regency Hotel after a apologised to a routine procedure at fatal shooting was woman who was Peter O’Dwyer may change but I am anticipating that Donohoe said. He had “no doubt”, he the National Maternity “extremely hostile” wrongly accused of Senior Ireland Business Reporter that change is around an increment, as said, that the Central Bank would ap- Hospital, has been paid and offered no being the mother of a opposed to the very substantial change propriately sanction any bankers who damages after settling information to a garda, baby found stabbed to The number of customers caught up in that we saw last year.” were found to have failed in their role. a case in the High the Special Criminal death on a beach in the tracker mortgage scandal is likely to Ulster Bank has admitted that it over Mr Donohoe said that the state Court. Page 4 Court was told. Page 5 Kerry in 1984. Page 7 rise but will not surge again as it did last charged or denied tracker mortgages to would advertise through the public year, the finance minister has said. 3,500 customers. It is believed that appointments service for directors to Paschal Donohoe said it was possible number could almost double when the sit on the boards of banks. There are at COMMENT that Irish banks would uncover further bank updates its estimate. present no state-appointed directors at cases in which customers had been de- The numbers of affected customers any of the Irish banks. A pre-emptive nuclear attack on North nied a tracker mortgage or overcharged at the big lenders — AIB, Bank of The state will no longer appoint by their lender. Almost 35,000 custom- Ireland, Permanent TSB and KBC — public interest directors as it did after Korea would destroy the US as a global leader ers are known to have been affected. are likely to increase only marginally. the financial crash, but will instead JASON O’MAHONY, PAGE 20 Ireland’s largest lenders admitted at Mr Donohoe said he would provide choose “normal” directors, Mr Dono- the end of last year, in response to in- the Central Bank with any enforcement hoe said. There had been an “inherent tense public and political pressure and powers necessary to deal with rogue tension” between the public interest Children found GKN trustees Stoke talk ‘may a firmer approach adopted by the Cen- banks in the wake of the scandal, pro- directors’ responsibility to the com- tral Bank, that they had mishandled vided that it could demonstrate a need. pany and the “wider expectations” of chained to beds toughen stance damage O’Neill’ thousands more customers. The regulator told him that it was their role in serving the interest of the Twelve children of a The trustees overseeing Martin O’Neill’s The Central Bank said that lenders satisfied with its powers, he said, but state, he said. couple living near Los a £1 billion deficit in flirtation with Stoke had acknowledged that other custom- acknowledged that it had subsequently He expressed regret over how long Angeles were found the pension scheme of City could damage his ers had been affected only after being called for greater capacity to punish the scandal had dragged on, and de- malnourished and GKN have said that standing within the “pushed” by the regulator as the num- bankers and financial institutions in a scribed the suffering of affected cus- dirty when police any takeover deal for Ireland dressing room, ber of cases surged from 13,600 in submission to the Law Reform Com- tomers as “unconscionable”. raided the family home. the engineering giant the ex-international October to 33,700 at the end of the year. mission that was published last week. The Central Bank is due to provide an Some were shackled to will need to go through Keith Andrews has “In terms of my confidence on the “Once they have completed their update on the issue in March, when it their beds. Pages 26-27 them first. Page 33 said. Page 64 figure now, I think it is possible that the submission to the Law Reform Com- will decide whether the banks have figure will go up but I do not believe that mission, and I’ve engaged with them on made sufficient progress towards mak- it will go up with the degree of scale that that matter, I will legislate to deliver ing redress and compensation. Mr Do- COMMENT 20 WORLD 26 REGISTER 46 it went up between March and Decem- additional powers as the Central Bank nohoe said that if they have not he will LETTERS 24 BUSINESS 33 TV & RADIO 49 ber last year,” Mr Donohoe said. “So it show me that they are needed,” Mr consider further action against them. LEADING ARTICLES 25 FEATURES 40 CROSSWORD 64

FOLLOW US continued from page 1 thetimesIE thetimesIE Gardaí bug more suspects Trump meeting DINNER cook for 10 minutes tax level would not change. In October, TONIGHT until carrot is tender. Mr Trump had said: “You look at other Add the tomatoes, in crackdown on gangs countries and what they’ve done, and Lamb’s kidneys with cover and cook for a we’re competing with other countries. devilled tomato sauce further 10 minutes Seán McCárthaigh the act which has either prevented “China is at 15 per cent and I hear that Devilled is a word until the tomatoes are serious crime or assisted in bringing Ireland is going to be reducing their often associated with slopping but holding The number of garda applications to successful prosecutions against the corporate rates down to 8 per cent from kidneys, here referring 2 garlic cloves; 25g their shape. Leave track or bug suspects is rising. perpetrators of crime,” Mr Justice 12 per cent.” The Department of Fi- to dried chilli flakes flat-leaf parsley. covered while you Gardaí were authorised to use McGovern said. nance denied the claim and Mr Varad- perking up a luscious Finely chop the onion. cook the kidneys. Slice technology to put 156 suspects under “I am also satisfied that without the kar accused Mr Trump of “fake news”. cherry tomato and red Add to half the oil, them in 4 or 5 pieces, surveillance in the year to July 2017, up powers given under the act that a signif- Simon Coveney, the tanaiste and pepper sauce. The heated in a lidded discarding the white from 124 the previous year. icant amount of criminal activity could foreign affairs minister, brought a kidneys are cooked frying pan. Stir in the core. Peel, finely chop Mr Justice Brian McGovern, who not be detected.” memo to cabinet yesterday detailing separately with garlic onion with a generous then crush the garlic. conducted the review of the Criminal The judge said gardaí had applied to plans for ministers’ travel for St Pat- and parsley. This goes pinch of salt. Cook, Chop the parsley. Heat Justice (Surveillance) Act 2009, said a number of district court judges for rick’s Day. Mr Coveney will go to China well with pasta but try stirring occasionally, remaining oil in a that the jump was largely down to authorisations last year as an added and Hong Kong as part of a large trade it with boiled sprouts over a medium heat frying pan over a actions taken against organised gangs. safeguard against “rubber-stamping”. mission. Charlie Flanagan, the justice for a healthier meal. while you finely dice medium heat, stir in The legislation allows authorities Gardaí had exercised caution, he minister, will go to Australia and Eo- Serves 2 Prep 20 min the seeded pepper and the garlic, when including gardaí, Revenue and the said, in the use of such surveillance and ghan Murphy, the housing minister, Cook 30 min scraped carrot. Halve aromatic add the defence forces to plant recording equip- frequently did not use the maximum will visit Korea and Japan. Ingredients: 1 onion; the tomatoes round kidneys, tossing for ment and tracking devices as part of time limits. Paschal Donohoe, the finance minis- 3 tbsp olive oil; their middles. Stir the 3-4 minutes until just security operations. Surveillance in an emergency situa- ter, will go to Argentina and Simon 1 pointed red pepper; pepper into the onion, cooked. Fold in the Usually state bodies must apply to a tion was approved once last year. Harris, the health minister, will go to 1 carrot; 350g cherry cover and cook for parsley and tip the pan district court judge for permission to Five applications for use of tracking the Netherlands and Belgium. tomatoes; ¼ tsp chilli 5 minutes. Stir in the contents into sauce. use surveillance equipment. Approval devices were refused by judges and Michael Ring, the rural affairs minis- flakes; 200ml chicken chilli and carrot. Add Serve immediately. can be granted for a maximum of three senior gardaí turned down three ter, and David Stanton, junior justice stock; 8 lamb’s kidneys; the stock, cover and Lindsey Bareham months before requests for extensions requests from their own officers to minister, will go to the US as will Mich- can be considered. The time limit is four apply for authorisations. Mr Justice ael D’Arcy, junior finance minister, and months for tracking devices. McGovern said he was satisfied that Séamus Woulfe, the attorney-general. The judge said that the legislation there were “very good reasons” why the Joe McHugh, the government chief COMMENT was used to detect and combat serious requests were refused. whip, will go to Brazil. Brendan Griffin, criminal activity including the work of In one case, a tracking device fitted the junior tourism minister, will go to We should reinvigorate old towns organised gangs as well as serious by Revenue officials was discovered by Mexico and the USA. Only Shane Ross, Revenue offences and terrorism. the suspect. However, it was disabled the transport minister, will remain in before we build new ones “I am satisfied that significant intelli- and did not have any identifying marks Ireland, for the second year in a row. ALICE THOMSON, PAGE 23 gence has been gathered by means of that could link it to the tax authorities. Jason O’Mahony, page 20

THE WEATHER Please note, some sections of The Times are continued from page 1 volunteers knocking on doors. It will be supporters online using innovative new available only in the United Kingdom and Ireland Referendum campaign © TIMES NEWSPAPERS LIMITED, 2018. Published and licensed for the first time that the consultancy will ways to gain voter data”. distribution in electronic and all other derivative forms by Times Newspapers have worked on an Irish campaign. The tactics of another pro-Brexit Ltd, 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF, telephone 020-7782 5000. 1 Printed by Newsprinters (Broxbourne) Limited, Great Cambridge Road, different anti-abortion groups did not “We can confirm we are in conversa- campaign linked to Mr Borwick have Waltham Cross, EN8 8DY and also at Newsprinters (Knowsley) Limited, respond to a request for comment last tion with an entity that is involved in been criticised and will raise fears about Kitling Road, Prescot, Merseyside, L34 9HN; Newsprinters (Eurocentral) Limited, Byramsmuir Road, Holytown, Motherwell, ML1 1NP; Johnston Press, night. It is understood that the cam- the possible referendum campaign and the Eighth Amendment referendum. 37 Carn Web, Morton 3 Esly Drive, Carn Industriate Estate, Portadown, BT63 paign website will go live shortly after we are going to be working with them to In November, Facebook adverts paid 1 36 5YY; Smurfit Kappa News Press Ltd, Kells Industrial Estate, Virginia Road, Kells, County Meath, Ireland; KP Services, La Rue Martel, La Rue des Pres the government reveals the exact create their website,” a Kanto spokes- for by Voter Consultancy, a company of Trading Estate, St Saviour, Jersey, JE27QR; Europrinter, Av J. Mermoz, Zone Aeropole, 6041 Gosselies, Belgium; Bermont S.A, Av./Portugal, 4 (Centro de question that will be put to the public in man told The Times. which he is the sole director, accused 4 Transportes de Coslada), 28820 Coslada, Madrid; MOP, Zone Industrielle, a referendum in May or June. Kanto’s website boasts that Mr Bor- several MPs of “trying to sabotage Avenue De L’Europe, 13127 Vitrolles, Marseilles; ESTETIK YAYINCILIK AS, 4 3 Kuscuburnu mevkii bati beton yolu no: 4 yazibasi torbali, Izmir, Turkey; and Kanto has been hired as part of the wick’s involvement in the Brexit Leave Brexit” and urged voters to contact Miller Newsprint Ltd, Miller House, Tarxien Road, Malta Airport, LQA 05 4 Luqa, Malta; Hellenic Miller Newsprint Ltd, Ioanni Kranidioti Avenue 206, group’s preparations to fight to keep campaign “digitally galvanized and them directly to complain. 2235 Latsia, PO Box 24508, 1300 Lefkosia, Cyprus; Milkro Hellas Publisher abortion banned in Ireland in almost all engaged the nation on a scale never Anna Soubry, a pro-EU Conserva- 5 Services Ltd, 2nd Kilometer Peanias – Markopoullo Ave, Position Nisiza circumstances. The taoiseach and the before seen”. tive MP, said that the claims were 34 19400 Koropi, Greece; Omniprint SA, Poligono Industrial, Nave Omniprint, Santa Maria Dell Cami, 7320 Mallorca; Atlas Media Communication, FZ LLC, government are preparing to legislate The founder is the son of Lady Victo- “offensive and untrue”. She later said of PO Box 14833, International Media Production Zone, Dubai; Centro Stampa Quotidiani Spa (CSQ) Via Dell’Industria 52 25030 Erbusco Italy. to allow abortion for all women up to 12 ria Borwick, a former Tory MP. He has Mr Borwick in a newspaper interview: For permission to copy articles or headlines for internal information purposes weeks’ gestation if the public votes to said his ambition is to “bring UK cam- “He hasn’t issued death threats, but by contact Newspaper Licensing Agency at PO Box 101, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 Wintry showers and sunny spells 1WX, tel 01892 525274, e-mail [email protected]. For all other reproduction and repeal the Eighth Amendment. paigning into the 21st century”. After calling us anti-democratic, he is stoking licensing inquiries contact Syndication Department, 1 London Bridge Street, across Ireland, turning cloudier in London, SE1 9GF, telephone 020-7782 5400, e-mail It is also understood that Kanto will the Brexit campaign, he said that Vote and fuelling the fire.” the afternoon. Full forecast, page 20 [email protected] be assisting the group to canvass with Leave had “ruthlessly target[ed] likely Leading article, page 25 ireland edition

monday march 19 2018 thetimes.ie | no 72486 €1.50 IRELAND AND THE WORLD Beware the ‘joke’ Best for football sexist joke Motherwell maddened but ten men hold Celtic Plus Chelsea edge through the game Kevin Maher, Times2 DAN SHERIDAN/INPHO Thanks for election help, Putin aide tells Britain

Tom Parfitt Moscow Vladimir Putin secured a decisive victory in the Russian presidential election last night, with his campaign claiming that turnout was bolstered by the confrontation with Britain over the poisoning of Sergei Skripal. Mr Putin, 65, took more than 75 per cent of the vote according to early results, although the polls were marred by reports of rigging. Turnout reached almost 60 per cent two hours before polls closed in Moscow. Anger over Britain’s response to the attack on Mr Skripal in Salisbury galvanised voters, Andrei Kondrashov, a spokesman for the Putin campaign, said. “Ten days ago sociologists had believed it [turnout] would be about 50 to 60 per cent,” he said. “Now we can see that the number is higher than we expected. Much higher. This is largely thanks to the UK.” Unfounded accusations “make the Heroes return Jack McGrath, Fergus McFadden and Johnny Sexton on the flight home after Ireland’s win at Twickenham clinched the grand slam Pages 4-5, Sport 47-52 Russian people more unified and bring us together around the centre of power, which today, of course, is Putin,” Mr Kondrashov said. “So I would like to thank the UK for helping us with this high turnout, which we ourselves could not have TDs’ alarm over role of dreamt of.” Hours earlier Boris Johnson, the for- eign secretary, had accused Mr Putin of a secret chemical weapon programme. International inspectors are heading to Britain today to collect samples of the Facebook in referendum nerve agent used in Salisbury. Mr Johnson’s accusation that the Kremlin has been assembling an illicit No way to stop lies spreading online, campaigners say armoury of banned chemicals casts doubt on a claim by the Organisation Aaron Rogan, Ellen Coyne registered with the election watchdog referendum could be subject to shock would regulate online campaigning. for the Prohibition of Chemical Weap- so they cannot be held accountable for tactics from international groups. Political ads would explain who had ons that it had verified the destruction Opposition politicians have called for their campaign content or the source of Ms Murphy said that social media published and paid for them and who of Russia’s chemical weapons stock- more transparency in online political their funding. companies should accept responsibility the target market was. It would create a piles six months ago. campaigns over fears that Irish voters Groups on both sides of the debate for how their commercial platforms new offence of co-ordinating multiple The foreign secretary also said there are being targeted with disinformation have raised concern that social media were used: “Advertising with respect to fake social media accounts. was evidence that Russia had been ahead of the abortion referendum. campaigns funded from abroad cannot selling a product is one thing, interfer- The use of Facebook data to influ- looking into the use of nerve agents to The Times has found Facebook pages be regulated by the Standards in Public ing in a democratic process like a refer- ence voters is under scrutiny after a carry out assassinations. purportedly unrelated to the referen- Office Commission. endum is quite another. Because online whistleblower claimed that Cambridge After his victory Mr Putin said that it dum that have targeted voters with ad- Catherine Murphy, co-leader of the advertising on platforms like Facebook Analytica, a London-based company was “rubbish, drivel, nonsense” to verts containing anti-abortion claims. Social Democrats, and James Lawless, is targeted, it is not possible to get sight that worked for the Trump campaign, suggest that Russia had carried out the Some ads were presented as being the Fianna Fáil technology spokesman, of the extent, type or who is placing ad- received personal data from social attack on the eve of elections and the impartial but contained claims and have called for monitoring of social vertising in the same way as newspaper media accounts without permission. hosting of the World Cup. “It’s just phrases used by anti-abortion activists. media content during the referendum. or broadcasting advertising. That infor- Facebook discovered the data breach unthinkable,” he said. Other pages have been set up by groups Pat Rabbitte, the former communi- mation is available to the platforms.” in 2015 but did not suspect Cambridge Spy poisoning, pages 20-21 that are avowedly political but not cations minister, has said the abortion Fianna Fáil has introduced a bill that Continued on page 2, col 5 Putin’s coronation, pages 24-25

IN THE NEWS SCU in the balance Girl, 12, has abortion ‘No Stormont cut-off’ Trump blasts inquiry Fears for horseracing Ireland’s win ‘lifeline’ Fianna Fáil is to discuss A charity has given dozens of The Northern Ireland President Trump has lashed The minister for agriculture Andrew Balbirnie says Ireland backing a motion to scrap Irish girls aged under 16, secretary said she would not out against the special counsel is trying to make the have “a lifeline and a little bit Leo Varadkar’s controversial including a 12-year-old child, impose a framework deal or a investigation into his horseracing industry exempt of hope” after beating strategic communications money to travel to the UK to timetable to resume campaign’s links to Russia in a from workplace laws that put Scotland by 25 runs in the unit, which the taoiseach set have abortions in the past negotiations on Stormont’s furious attack on its alleged a limit on working hours for Cricket World Cup qualifier up last year. Page 2 year. Page 6 deadlocked parties. Page 11 political bias. Page 25 stable staff. Page 31 in Harare. Page 41 2 1R M Monday March 19 2018 | the times News TODAY’S EDITION Fianna Fáil considers support MAIN SECTION TIMES2 for motion to scrap the SCU

Ellen Coyne Senior Ireland Reporter tion calling for the SCU to be scrapped. promotional campaigns for the HSE It is understood that senior party mem- and for the Department of Education’s Fianna Fáil will discuss tomorrow bers are sympathetic to the motion. action plan. support for a motion to scrap Leo Var- Mr Varadkar has already cowed to In February the SCU ran an €8,600 adkar’s strategic communications unit. criticism and called for a review, to be supplement in the Irish Independent It comes amid fresh accusations that completed by Easter, into the SCU, promoting the government’s action the taoiseach is “obsessed” with spin as which could include its dismantling. plan and was marked “in partnership” it emerged he planned a positive PR The unit has already spent almost a with the government. campaign on gardaí statistics. third of its €5 million budget on the me- Mr Varadkar has now instructed his The SCU, which the taoiseach set up dia campaign for Ireland 2040. It had department to ensure that any future to streamline government communi- also identified dozens of communica- state funded advertising campaigns are cations last year, has been plagued by tions projects as a “priority” for 2018. clearly marked as advertorials. SON OF THE BEAST SIMPLY THE BEST controversy in recent weeks after it Yesterday it emerged that the tao- Niamh Smyth, Fianna Fáil arts Emergency measures for Meet the woman playing emerged an advertising campaign it iseach had sought to run a PR cam- spokeswoman, has called for officials commissioned instructed newspapers paign on falling crime rates and the from Creative Ireland to appear before rough sleepers as temperatures Tina Turner as her turbulent to make advertorials look like news. “good work” of gardaí. Freedom of in- the public accounts committee. fall as low as -3C life story comes to the stage The Times revealed last month that formation documents released to RTÉ Almost a third of the €4.9 million NEWS PAGE 7 ARTS PAGE 8-9 the unit funded a €1.5 million promo- Radio 1’s This Week programme showed spent on the arts programme has gone tional campaign for the Ireland 2040 that it failed to go ahead after concerns on marketing. More than €936,542 was plan which included a local media cam- were raised about the reliability of spent on media marketing for Creative COMMENT 13 LEADING ARTICLES 17 SPORT 40 paign where newspapers were told not crime data. Ireland, which included a €244,518 CARTOON 15 WORLD 24 CROSSWORD 52 to mark promotional materials as ad- The idea was proposed in July 2017. local media campaign. The Creative LETTERS 16 BUSINESS 31 TV & RADIO TIMES2 vertorials. Catherine Murphy, the Social Demo- Ireland programme was headed by It followed a similar separate cam- crats TD, said the revelations were “jaw John Concannon, director of the SCU. FOLLOW US paign for Creative Ireland, from the dropping”. “That a taoiseach who was thetimesIE thetimesIE government arts programme, where only a month in office would try and in- newspapers were issued with similar stigate a good news PR campaign about join the debate COMMENT demands. In both cases the instructions how gardaí were tackling crime once Letters for the Irish edition were given by Media Force, a third again shows the extent of Leo Varad- After the events in Salisbury, Ireland party. The Fianna Fáil front bench will kar’s obsession with spin,” she said. of The Times should be cannot ignore its neighbour’s plight consider its support for a Sinn Féin mo- Over the past year the SCU has also run sent to [email protected] JASON O’MAHONY, PAGE 13 continued from page 1 Watchdog concerned over Facebook referendum warning DINNER name for wild garlic), Analytica until this weekend. TONIGHT rinse, shake dry and Garda College management John McGuirk, spokesman for Save chop, finely at root end The 8th, an anti-abortion group, said Wild garlic and and roughly as you there was no way of stopping foreign saffron potato soup work up the soft Seán McCárthaigh lation, while governance structures ad-buying on social media. “It is func- I haven’t discovered leaves. Senior News Reporter were weak and the use of multiple bank tionally impossible to regulate so the any wild garlic Stir stalk end into accounts failed to distinguish between most that can be done is to regulate the growing in hedgerows softened onion, stir for A garda watchdog has expressed con- public funds and other incomes. activities of campaign groups,” he said. yet but it is early this a minute or two then cern about a lack of clarity over new It found there was also confusion A spokeswoman for Together for Yes, year. The long, dark Ingredients: 1 onion; sift flour over top, managerial roles at the Garda College over the ownership of property and an umbrella group campaigning for the green leaves with their 25g butter; pinch stirring until it has in Templemore. who controlled unexpended funds. repeal of the Eighth Amendment, said pale stalks are what saffron threads; 1 tsp disappeared. Add The Policing Authority called on The auditors said it appeared that both sides should act: “People are en- you need for subtle flour; handful wild remaining ramsons, Joseph Nugent, the force’s chief admin- there had been a knowledge of such titled to facts they can trust, not ex- soups and sauces. So garlic leaves, approx mash and mug of istration officer, to keep under review issues over many years among senior treme propaganda on social media.” the first of the season 50g; 200g mashed stock. Stir vigorously whether there was sufficient clarity gardaí, who had failed to raise them Liz Carolan, a founder of the Trans- from my farmers’ potato; 400ml chicken, until smooth then add about managerial roles at the college in with either the force’s own internal au- parent Referendum Initiative, estab- market went into this game or vegetable remaining stock, Co Tipperary. It follows the appoint- dit section, the garda audit committee lished to scrutinise social media adver- quick and easy creamy stock; ½ lemon. stirring as it comes to ment of a civilian principal administra- or the Comptroller & Auditor General. tising during the campaign, said that soup, made — zut Halve, peel and finely simmer. Cook, stirring, tor with the same status as the director Olaf, the EU’s anti-fraud agency, is Irish laws were not capable of dealing alors! — with chop onion. Soften in for 5 minutes. of training, a ranked officer. also examining how thousands of euro with the issue. “They don’t ensure Irish supermarket mashed butter with pinch of Liquidise then The watchdog said there was a need of EU grants paid to the college since voters have access to balanced, factual potato. A hint of salt, cooking gently season to taste with to clarify the respective roles, responsi- 1998 may have been misused. information; they don’t protect political saffron isn’t essential until soft, sloppy and salt and lemon. This is bilities and reporting lines of the “vari- In its quarterly update to the Depart- processes from being purchased; and but adds to the hardly coloured. Stir in very good with a ous managers”. In March last year the ment of Justice, the Policing Authority they don’t prevent outside influence,” beguiling flavours. saffron. Meanwhile, separately cooked soft- authority was asked by Frances Fitz- found that eight of the 19 recommenda- she said. Facebook’s lack of transparen- Serves 2 Prep 15 min form bunch with poached egg added. gerald, the tánaiste and minister for jus- tions were still not completed. These in- cy was hiding “the identity, location Cook 20 min ramsons (another Lindsey Bareham tice at the time, to oversee implementa- clude the transfer of lands from Sports- and intent of persons spending money tion of the recommendations of An field, a company established by gardaí to influence Irish voters”, she added. Garda Síochána’s interim audit report for sports facilities at Templemore, to A Facebook spokeswoman acknowl- into financial procedures at the college. the Office of Public Works and the edged that political advertising on the COMMENT It had identified potentially serious regularisation of the status of employ- platform lacked transparency. She shortcomings in financial controls in- ees working in the college restaurant. added that the firm had met the May is flying high, but the Russian saga cluding possible fraud at the college. Others relate to the closure of certain Transparent Referendum Initiative in The audit could only provide limited bank accounts and applying correct Dublin and would consider informa- must not eclipse domestic reform assurances that the college was compli- procurement processes for all purchas- tion from the group. CLARE FOGES, PAGE 18 ant with public procurement legis- es by the college. Facebook told to come clean, page 11

Please note, some sections of The Times are THE WEATHER available only in the United Kingdom and Ireland © TIMES NEWSPAPERS LIMITED, 2018. Published and licensed for New York mayor’s Adams honour condemned distribution in electronic and all other derivative forms by Times Newspapers Ltd, 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF, telephone 020-7782 5000. 5 Printed by Newsprinters (Broxbourne) Limited, Great Cambridge Road, Ellen Coyne Troubles. We are all pleased that killing Adams was to be presented this award? Waltham Cross, EN8 8DY and also at Newsprinters (Knowsley) Limited, was brought to an end and while Mr He certainly should have been in- Kitling Road, Prescot, Merseyside, L34 9HN; Newsprinters (Eurocentral) Limited, Byramsmuir Road, Holytown, Motherwell, ML1 1NP; Johnston Press, The mayor of New York has been ac- Adams is entitled to his share of the formed by the mayor’s office that he 10 Carn Web, Morton 3 Esky Drive, Carn Industrial Estate, Portadown, BT63 2 19 5YY; Smurfit Kappa News Press Ltd, Kells Industrial Estate, Virginia Road, cused of disrespecting IRA victims credit for that, it does not wipe out his was intent on making this announce- Kells, County Meath, Ireland; KP Services, La Rue Martel, La Rue des Pres after he declared St Patrick’s Day “Ger- culpability for the IRA’s murderous ment. If not, it is a breach of protocol. If Trading Estate, St Saviour, Jersey, JE27QR; Europrinter, Av J. Mermoz, Zone Aeropole, 6041 Gosselies, Belgium; Bermont S.A, Av./Portugal, 4 (Centro de ry Adams day”. The former Sinn Féin campaign. Nor is the mayor of New Mr Varadkar remained knowing what 6 Transportes de Coslada), 28820 Coslada, Madrid; Newsprint Italia srl, Via leader was commended for his work on York or anybody else entitled to rewrite was taking place, it is the latest in a se- 6 Campania 12, 20098 San Giuliano Milanese, Italy; MOP, Zone Industrielle, 6 Avenue De L’Europe, 13127 Vitrolles, Marseilles; ESTETIK YAYINCILIK AS, the peace process during a breakfast our history,” Mr Howlin said. ries of errors of judgment.” 4 Kuscuburnu mevkii bati beton yolu no: 4 yazibasi torbali, Izmir, Turkey; Miller Newsprint Ltd, Miller House, Tarxien Road, Malta Airport, LQA 05 Luqa, hosted by Bill de Blasio on Saturday. “If we are to have a serious conversa- Speaking after the event, Mr Varad- Malta; Milkro Digital Cyprus Ltd, Ioanni Kranidioti Avenue 206, 2235 Latsia, 5 Mr Adams was presented with a tion about a united Ireland with Union- kar did not entertain suggestions of the PO Box 24508, 1300 Lefkosia, Cyprus; Milkro Digital Hellas Ltd, 2nd 26 Kilometer Peanias – Markopoullo Ave, Position Nisiza 19400 Koropi, Greece; framed proclamation at the event, ism it will be all the stronger if we have Irish government declaring any day Omniprint SA, Poligono Industrial, Nave Omniprint, Santa Maria Dell Cami, which was attended by Leo Varadkar. ceased glorifying this murderous cam- “Gerry Adams day” and said it was not 7320 Mallorca; Atlas Media Communication, FZ LLC, PO Box 14833, International Media Production Zone, Dubai; Centro Stampa Quotidiani Spa The mayor’s gesture to Mr Adams paign and those that conducted it.” the tradition in Ireland to name days (CSQ) Via Dell’Industria 52 25030 Erbusco Italy. was criticised by Brendan Howlin, the He said that if Mr Varadkar knew after individuals. “Obviously I send my For permission to copy articles or headlines for internal information purposes Wintry showers in the east and contact Newspaper Licensing Agency at PO Box 101, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 Labour leader. “Mr Adams was directly about the award, he should not have at- congratulations to Gerry on that 1WX, tel 01892 525274, e-mail [email protected]. For all other reproduction and south of Ireland will clear to leave a licensing inquiries contact Syndication Department, 1 London Bridge Street, involved in an organisation responsible tended. “The taoiseach has questions to honour being bestowed on him by the dry, bright day. Full forecast, page 18 London, SE1 9GF, telephone 020-7782 5400, e-mail [email protected] for almost 1,700 deaths during the answer,” he said. “Did he know that Mr city of New York,” Mr Varadkar said. 4 1R M Wednesday January 24 2018 | the times Ireland news JEFF J MITCHELL/GETTY

The Cranberries song When You’re Gone was played as Dolores O’Riordan’s coffin was taken from St Ailbe’s Church in Ballybricken

in 1989 when she was singing and playing the keyboard in the church. “She possessed a very special singing voice — a talent worth its weight in gold,” he said. “She knew well that she should develop and use that talent. She also knew that talents were given by almighty God Cranberries singer to be used generously for the benefit of others.” ‘was excellent star He said O’Riordan had been reunited with in the gig of life’ loved ones in heaven, including her late father, Terry. “If tears are shed ranberries Ballybricken as her duet in heaven, by necessity singer Dolores of Ave Maria with they are tears of joy,” he O’Riordan had Luciano Pavarotti was said. “Yes, tears of joy, a loving heart, played. O’Riordan, 46, following an excellent a voice of gold was found dead in a performance by Dolores, Cand starred in the gig of London hotel room last in the most important life itself, mourners at week. and vital gig of all — the her funeral in Co In his homily, Canon gig of life itself.” Limerick heard (Ed Liam McNamara, a During communion, Carty and David family friend, said O’Riordan’s haunting Young write). O’Riordan’s voice was version of the Panis The worth its weight in Angelicus was hundreds gold. “Her kind played. who personality and Kieran packed beautiful singing O’Reilly, the the voice earned for archbishop of church her numerous good she has been over stepson Donny attended Limerick’s Live 95FM Cashel and were told admirers,” he the years.” along with Don Burton, broadcast yesterday’s Emly, hailed she was now said. O’Riordan, who was her ex-husband. service. At the outset of her voice as one singing in a “It must be also a member of the The artist’s mother, the Mass, symbols of a kind and heavenly added that the rock group Dark, had Eileen, sister Angela and associated with said “many hearts choir. numbers she been working with the brothers Terence, O’Riordan’s life were in Ireland and O’Riordan’s rescued from the Cranberries on an Brendan, Donal, Joseph brought to the altar. A around the world are voice, darkness of album in the months and PJ comforted each friend and a niece heavy with sadness”. described depression are before she died. Her other. Canon brought in a guitar and a Angela, read a At the close of the during the impossible to boyfriend and fellow McNamara extended platinum disc. A picture passage of scripture. service, the Cranberries Mass as unique, count. No words are Dark band member, Ole sympathies to the family of Our Lady of Dolours, Canon McNamara song When You’re Gone far-reaching and adequate to Koretsky, was at the and her Cranberries after whom Dolores was said the singer had rang out as the singer’s distinctly Irish, describe Dolores or service. Her three bandmates, Noel Hogan, named, was placed at reached out and put Co remains were brought to filled Saint Ailbe’s to accurately state children, Taylor, Molly Mike Hogan and Fergal the altar, as was a book Limerick on the map. a nearby graveyard for a Church in the influence for and Dakota and her Lawler. of poetry. Her sister, He recalled meeting her private burial service.

Legal advice on Anti-abortion group hires firm Eighth’s repeal behind Trump’s online campaign will be private Jennifer Bray, Ellen Coyne

Ellen Coyne Senior Ireland Reporter dent’s “America First” strategy as well Ms Nic Mhathúna, whose daughter, Pro Life Campaign is buying up website The government is not planning to as for the unsuccessful campaign Niamh, founded Youth Defence, was names that sound like a campaign publish advice from the attorney-gen- Ireland’s main anti-abortion group has against same-sex marriage in Australia, responding to anti-abortionists as they group set up to repeal the Eighth eral on whether the Eighth Amend- hired a company that has worked with the UK Conservative Party, the Vote discussed The Times story, which re- Amendment. ment should be repealed or replaced, Donald Trump and the US pro-gun Leave Brexit campaign, the US vealed that an anti-abortion group was Katie Murray, a spokeswoman for The Times understands. lobby to help implement its referendum National Rifle Association, for Ted using Kanto to run its digital public the Pro Life Campaign, registered the Leo Varadkar had said he was seek- strategy. Cruz and Rand Paul, the Republican relations to keep the constitutional ban domain name “repeal8th.ie” and ing legal advice on whether deleting the The Pro Life Campaign is using a politicians, and for American anti- on abortion. claimed it was a website for the “Eighth constitutional ban on abortion and not digital group that works with right- abortion groups. Some volunteers said that the anti- Amendment Coalition”. The site redi- replacing it would leave a new abortion wing organisations ahead of this sum- The Love Both app gives members abortion campaign being seen to be rects browsers to an anti-abortion in- law open to legal challenges. An Oire- mer’s vote on the Eighth Amendment. “action points” for sharing anti-abort- linked with the negative aspects of the formation site. achtas committee had recommended Pro Life has been posing online as the ion material on social media or inviting The Coalition for the Repeal of the the so-called repeal simpliciter. “Eighth Amendment Coalition” and friends to take part. Eighth Amendment pointed out that The taoiseach said he was open to re- registering pro-choice domain names Similar versions of the app, such as join the debate the website name and description was placing the amendment with a wording that redirect viewers to anti-abortion for Australia’s anti-marriage equality Letters for the Irish edition similar to its own. that would give parliament the exclu- websites. lobby, have published the addresses of Ailbhe Smyth, the spokeswoman for sive power to set a law that could not be It comes after The Times last week re- “undecided voters”. of The Times should be the coalition, said: “It is very disap- challenged by the courts. The advice, vealed that an unnamed anti-abortion Anti-abortion campaigners had sent to [email protected] pointing and disheartening that some expected to be given to the cabinet next group had hired a political consultancy accepted that it would be “only a matter players in the debate around the Eighth week, will not be made public. linked to controversial aspects of the of time” before details of the Pro Life Leave campaign for Brexit could alien- Amendment are attempting to mislead In 1983 the Fine Gael government Brexit Leave campaign. The Pro Life Campaign’s use of uCampaign would be ate some Irish voters. Ms Nic Mhathú- the public. published the counsel of Peter Suther- Campaign has refused to confirm if it “all over the papers”. na conceded that it was difficult for “From the outset of our foundation, land, the attorney-general at the time, has hired Kanto, which was founded by Úna Nic Mhathúna, who also lobbied anti-abortion groups to find either ad- the Coalition to Repeal the Eighth who was against the amendment. Thomas Borwick, despite repeated re- against divorce in 1995, suggested in vertisers or political consultants who Amendment has called for respectful Simon Harris is expected to bring a quests for comment. Facebook group messages seen by The were sympathetic to their views. and calm debate around the issue, al- bill to repeal the amendment on Pro Life has now hired uCampaign to Times that she expected that the media “There are not that many competent lowing for divergent opinions.” Monday. The health minister is also ex- set up its “Love Both” app. UCampaign would cover the link between Love agencies for a variety of things, period, The Pro Life Campaign and Cora pected to outline a bill, which would fol- was founded by Thomas Peters, a Both and the Trump campaign. “Not who are on side,” she said. Sherlock, its deputy chairwoman, did low a vote to repeal the amendment, to conservative Catholic US blogger. He that I think we should get worked up Meanwhile, a pro-choice group has not respond to our requests for com- allow access to abortion up to 12 weeks. has created apps to promote the presi- about it,” she said. said it is “very disappointed” that the ment. Stephen O’Brien, page 22 ireland edition

wednesday april 18 2018 thetimes.ie | no 72512 €1.50 IRELAND AND THE WORLD Turn it off! INSIDE How to stop Summer fashion TIMES2 screen addicts Hot dresses | Bare shoulders | Cool bags Sarah Carey, page 13 Quarter of Irish economic growth due to iPhone, IMF claims

Peter O’Dwyer (IMF) said that Ireland’s growth rate finance spokesman, described the healthy dependence on a small number been shown to have had little effect on Senior Ireland Business Reporter was boosted significantly as a result of IMF’s analysis as “truly remarkable”. of multinationals for corporation tax domestic employment. Peter Vale, a tax Apple holding its intellectual property “The fact that the sale of one iconic receipts. Policy decisions need to be partner at Grant Thornton, said he was Concern over Ireland’s dependence on in the country. product such as the iPhone could ac- made based on more reliable data in- not overly surprised by the report’s a small number of foreign multination- The research said the sale of iPhones, count for a quarter of the whole coun- cluding domestic demand, which is a findings given the amount of IP assets als has been raised after a report which are not manufactured in or try’s economic growth exposes how far better measure of the real economy that came into Ireland in recent years. claimed that the sale of Apple iPhones exported from Ireland, accounted for vulnerable our economic statistics are we all live in,” Mr McGrath said. Michael Noonan, the former finance accounted for a quarter of Ireland’s close to 2 per cent of growth. The eco- to decisions that are made in a single The acquisition of foreign-owned minister, raised the capital allowances economic growth last year. nomy expanded by 7.8 per cent last year. company and the multinational sector. intellectual property (IP), which has on IP assets from 80 per cent to 100 per The International Monetary Fund Michael McGrath, the Fianna Fáil “This assessment reinforces our un- flooded into Ireland since 2015, has Continued on page 2, col 5 Facebook: ANDRES POVEDA we’ll tackle dark ads in referendum Company fast-tracks tool after global criticism

Aaron Rogan Senior Ireland Reporter in the pilot programme,” Mr Kaplan said yesterday. Facebook will have a referendum task The new feature will be unable to force and introduce measures to tackle prevent foreign actors and groups not “dark ads” being aimed at Irish voters registered under election laws from before next month’s vote on the Eighth buying ads so they would still be able to Amendment. influence the referendum through the The company has been under global tech and publishing company. It will al- scrutiny about the use of its site to push so not limit buying adverts to author- propaganda and target users with ised groups that would be required to highly specialised adverts based on the confirm their identity and location. harvesting of personal data. Mr Kaplan apologised for the com- It has also been criticised for enabling pany’s role in the Cambridge Analytica Big tributes Tom McBride, who died yesterday aged 81, has been described as the “king of Irish country music”. Page 3 so-called dark advertising in political scandal and outlined some of the steps campaigns, which is visible only to the taken to prevent further abuses during advert’s publisher and the intended tar- elections. Facebook has faced ques- get group. tions from the Irish data protection Politicians and transparency cam- commissioner over the past month Migraine injection can cut attacks by half paigners have expressed fears that Irish after it was found that Cambridge voters are being exposed to disinforma- Analytica may have harvested the data Kat Lay Health Correspondent think there may be no further therapy global market is estimated to be worth tion through dark ads in the lead-up to of 87 million people through an app on options”. £6.5 billion a year. Experts said it could the abortion referendum on May 25. the social network. An injection for migraine sufferers that In the trial 246 such patients received be approved by next year. An artificial intelligence system Mr Kaplan said that the transparen- can reduce attacks by half is likely to monthly injections of 140mg of erenu- Scientists first discovered the role of a along with a new company-wide spe- cy tool would be in place on April 25, become available next year. mab or a placebo for 12 weeks. At the protein called calcitonin gene-related cialist team will be introduced by Face- making Ireland the second country People with chronic conditions will end, 30.3 per cent of patients taking the peptide (CGRP) in migraine in the mid- book to root out foreign influence on after Canada to be included before it benefit from the drug, which would be drug saw at least a 50 per cent reduction 1980s. CGRP causes blood vessels in- the referendum. is launched globally in June. “This the first specifically to target the in the number of days they suffered tertwined with nerve endings in the Joel Kaplan, its vice-president of feature will give people greater trans- debilitating illness in 20 years. migraines, compared with 13.7 per cent head to swell. Erenumab was designed global public policy, made the surprise parency on the ads that they see on A trial showed that a monthly dose of taking the placebo. to block that process. Several other announcement at the Oireachtas com- Facebook, which is particularly impor- erenumab halved the number of days The patients taking erenumab also pharmaceutical companies have drugs munications committee. A new tool tant in the context of the forthcoming each month affected by migraines in reported improved physical function in development that work the same will allow people to see all the ads that referendum on the Eighth Amend- almost a third of patients taking part. and ability to complete everyday way, although erenumab is the closest have been bought by any page or group. ment,” he added. Participants had already unsuccessful- activities. Users inject the drug into to approval. This will increase transparency around Responding to criticism from some ly tried between two and four drugs to their thigh or stomach using a special Sufferers have no licensed treatment the use of microtargeting of voters and committee members about the delay in control their severe headaches. injector pen every four weeks. Novartis, options specifically designed to prevent the extent of foreign organisations installing these measures, the Face- Brendan Davies, a consultant neu- the company behind the trials, is migraines at present, although some seeking to influence the referendum. book executive said: “We are working rologist at University Hospitals of seeking approval from the European use beta-blockers, serotonin antago- “We made the decision only in recent hard to build out these transparency North Midlands, said that erenumab Medicines Agency to market erenu- nists or anti-convulsants otherwise days to accelerate and include Ireland Continued on page 2, col 3 could offer new hope to those “who mab under the name Aimovig. The prescribed for epilepsy. 2 1R M Wednesday April 18 2018 | the times News TODAY’S EDITION Varadkar will consider law to Wage rise did Russian envoy Minister: Fianna not cost jobs on the attack Fáil has no idea protect journalists’ sources An increase in the Missile strikes on Syria Fianna Fáil is resorting minimum wage in were an “act of to personal attacks 2016 did not lead to aggression” that risked because it lacks ideas, Ellen Coyne, Michael Cogley he would meet Denis Naughten, the He called for the government to consid- greater unemployment causing the outbreak Eoghan Murphy has communications minister, to discuss er protecting journalists from targeted among the low-paid of a wider conflict, said. He accused it of Journalistic sources may be protected the issue. “Journalists must be free to surveillance through legislation. despite warnings from Yury Filatov, the trying to undermine under the law owing to the “significant pursue stories that they want to pur- Mary Lou McDonald, the Sinn Féin employers, a study has Russian ambassador to the confidence and threat” to the freedom of the press sue,” Mr Varadkar said. “Their sources leader, said the emerging details were found. Page 4 Ireland, has said. Page 5 supply pact. Page 7 highlighted in the alleged data breach should be protected and free from any alarming. “Companies should fear the at Independent News and Media, the unjust interference, external or inter- ODCE and the consequences of data taoiseach has said. nal. We need a plurality of voices in the breaches or any other unethical COMMENT Leo Varadkar said that the state’s media. We need to ensure these voices action,” she said. corporate watchdog will be protected are not drowned out or silenced. We “This office should be properly re- We’re OK with recycling bottles, but won’t against any threat made by Denis also need diversity in ownership.” sourced and empowered to ensure O’Brien. INM’s single largest share- He commended journalists working white-collar crime is not only prosecut- change our life to help the environment holder threatened to hold Ian Drennan, at INM who, he said, had covered the ed but deterred. This jurisdiction has SHANE COLEMAN, PAGE 18 the director of corporate enforcement, story in the paper’s own titles. “The re- gained a reputation as the Wild West “fully and personally responsible” after ported data breach represents a very when it comes to tax avoidance and the accusing his office of leaking allega- significant threat to the freedom of our prevalence of white-collar crime.” Israel sends a Staffing crisis Ulster fans may tions against INM. Mr Drennan, press but the way in which the media The Social Democrats called for the through his lawyer, has denied that the have responded to this threat to date urgent establishment of a commission warning to Iran at watchdog hold protest Office of the Director of Corporate En- should reassure us that our press will on the future of media ownership. Israel has released The Office of the The Ulster Rugby forcement (ODCE) has leaked any in- not be silenced,” Mr Varadkar said. Catherine Murphy, the party’s co-lead- satellite images Director of Corporate Supporters’ Club is formation about Mr O’Brien. He ruled out the possibility of Mr er, told reporters yesterday that action showing Iranian Enforcement is facing considering whether to The threat from the billionaire media Drennan being held personally respon- on media independence and plurality military bases in Syria, challenges in hiring hold a protest on owner emerged during a High Court sible for damage to Mr O’Brien’s repu- among media owners was needed. in a clear warning to senior staff as it awaits Saturday over the hearing on Monday over the ODCE’s tation through leaks from the watch- “The recent allegations of a data its old enemy that it a report over the dismissal of Paddy plans to appoint inspectors to INM. It dog’s affidavit against INM, as was breach at INM are deeply concerning stands ready to strike botched trial of Seán Jackson and Stuart came after the revelation that the alleged in a letter sent by Mr O’Brien. and unsettling,” she said. “The protec- its forces. Pages 24-25 FitzPatrick. Page 31 Olding. Page 56 company’s email archive was allegedly The High Court was told on Monday tion of journalists’ sources is sacrosanct searched for mentions of 19 “persons of that Mr O’Brien said he “could only and there can be no legal or ethical jus- interest”, including lawyers and the conclude the office facilitated or did not tifications for compromising them.” Ms COMMENT 13 UK NEWS 19 SPORT 42 company’s executives and journalists. take adequate steps to prevent leaking”. Murphy said she had proposed a com- LETTERS 16 WORLD 24 CROSSWORD 56 “Given recent revelations we will Micheál Martin, the Fianna Fáil mission to examine the future of the en- LEADING ARTICLES 17 BUSINESS 31 TV & RADIO TIMES2 have to consider legislation in this area leader, said that the alleged data breach tire media landscape in terms of owner- to protect sources,” Mr Varadkar told was a “wake-up call” for politicians to ship, funding and the public interest. FOLLOW US the Dáil yesterday. The taoiseach said legislate to protect journalistic sources. Political sketch, page 7 thetimesIE thetimesIE DINNER reassemble INM evidence linked to O’Brien libel case TONIGHT and slice across in 3 Conchiglie with or 4 places, Michael Cogley Ireland Reporter ted by the Office of the Director of Cor- former head of the INM board and lemon butter, don’t bother to porate Enforcement (ODCE) in its pe- chairman of the PR firm, and Mandy wild garlic and remove stalks. Documents filed as part of the corpo- tition to appoint two inspectors to INM. Scott, another Red Flag employee. soft goat’s cheese When the pasta is rate watchdog’s attempt to appoint The ODCE is investigating an During the first hearing of the The gift of a huge done, drain and return inspectors to Independent News and alleged data breach at INM and the ODCE’s application to appoint inspec- bunch of wild garlic to the pan, stirring in Media (INM) may be relevant to a sepa- “interrogation” of the data by a third tors on Monday, Red Flag asked for from Wiltshire garlic leaves. Add half rate defamation case launched by Den- party company. It is also examining the access to the affidavit. Mr Justice Peter prompted heightened conchiglie/pasta shells; the pecorino, stirring. is O’Brien, the High Court has heard. scrapped sale of Newstalk to INM. Kelly is to address the question of ac- activity in the kitchen. generous bunch of Quickly melt the butter The billionaire is suing Red Flag, a It is understood that the ODCE cess next Tuesday. Other parties also This simple pasta dish wild garlic leaves in a small pan over a PR consultancy company, for alleged claims that Leslie Buckley, a former sought access to the document includ- was a hit, all at once (ramsons); 50g low heat. Using a small conspiracy and defamation of his chairman of INM, was instrumental in ing a representative for Robert Pitt, a lemony, creamy and unsalted butter; 2 tbsp whisk, beat in the character. He alleges that Red Flag the transfer of the emails of past and former chief executive of INM. buttery; the subtle fresh lemon juice; lemon juice so it melds damaged his reputation by briefing present staff, among others, to six com- The affidavit heavily references sec- flavour of wilted garlic 4 tbsp finely grated with the butter to politicians and journalists against him. panies. Mr Buckley has pledged to de- tions of a protected disclosure made by leaves in contrast to pecorino romano; make a thick cream; Lawyers for Red Flag yesterday won fend himself against “each and every al- Mr Pitt before his departure from the the salty tang of 4 tbsp soft goat’s take care not to permission from Ms Justice Miriam legation”. company in October. He was involved parmesan-like cheese such as overheat so the butter O’Regan for extra time for legal docu- The affidavit also alleges that the in a year-long dispute with Mr Buckley pecorino romano and Chavroux. does not burn or split. ments to be exchanged, which includes data of Red Flag staff was breached. It is over the value of a potential acquisition creamy goat’s cheese Cook the pasta al Stir the lemony butter the PR company’s defence. The exten- understood it refers to Karl Brophy, of Newstalk that led to him using trapped around the dente in salted boiling into the pasta. Add sion was granted to allow Red Flag time chief executive of Red Flag, who was an whistleblowing legislation to launch a pasta shells. Yum. water according to scoops of soft goat’s to access a 240-page affidavit submit- executive of INM, Gavin O’Reilly, the complaint against the INM chairman. Serves 2 Prep 15 min packet instructions. cheese and serve with Cook 15 min Carefully rinse the remaining pecorino. Ingredients: 200g bundle of ramsons, Lindsey Bareham continued from page 1 funding. Alice Mary Higgins, a senator continued from page 1 Facebook on the committee, said it was unaccept- Irish growth able that Facebook would still sell ad- tools and to roll them out globally, but it verts to effectively anonymous groups cent the previous year. The move, COMMENT takes time to do that and, most impor- in the run-up to the referendum. which was reversed by Paschal Dono- tantly, to get them right.” Over a hundred adverts have already hoe last year, enabled companies to re- Your car may be the first to know you He said that in each of the main votes been bought relating to the referendum duce their tax bills. since the US presidential race, includ- according to a database created by the Irish corporation tax receipts un- have early stage Alzheimer’s disease ing the French and German general Transparent Referendum Initiative, expectedly grew by €2.2 billion in 2015 MARTIN MULLINS AND FINBARR MURPHY, PAGE 14 elections, the company had deployed established to scrutinise social media after the country’s growth in GDP was measures to lessen foreign interfer- advertising during the campaign. revised up from 6.7 per cent to 26.3 per ence. “We put together an internal task At least two foreign anti-abortion cent. The huge increase was caused by Please note, some sections of The Times are force with representatives from across groups have targeted Irish voters. Ex- a small number of multinationals THE WEATHER available only in the United Kingdom and Ireland © TIMES NEWSPAPERS LIMITED, 2018. Published and licensed for the company that was dedicated to pectant Mother Care, a New York relocating about €350 billion of intan- distribution in electronic and all other derivative forms by Times Newspapers doing everything we could in pursuing group that has claimed a link between gible assets such as intellectual proper- Ltd, 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF, telephone 020-7782 5000. 13 Printed by Newsprinters (Broxbourne) Limited, Great Cambridge Road, foreign interference, and we had good abortion and breast cancer, and the ty to Ireland the year before. Waltham Cross, EN8 8DY and also at Newsprinters (Knowsley) Limited, results,” he said, highlighting the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation, a French The 26.3 per cent growth figure was Kitling Road, Prescot, Merseyside, L34 9HN; Newsprinters (Eurocentral) Limited, Byramsmuir Road, Holytown, Motherwell, ML1 1NP; Johnston Press, removal of tens of thousands of fake Down’s syndrome charity, have bought branded “leprechaun economics” by 26 Carn Web, Morton 3 Esky Drive, Carn Industrial Estate, Portadown, BT63 5YY; Smurfit Kappa News Press Ltd, Kells Industrial Estate, Virginia Road, Kells, accounts created in an effort to influ- adverts on Facebook calling on Irish Paul Krugman, the Nobel prizewinning 15 20 County Meath, Ireland; KP Services, La Rue Martel, La Rue des Pres Trading ence those elections. voters to keep the ban on abortion. economist, and was roundly dismissed Estate, St Saviour, Jersey, JE27QR; Europrinter, Av J. Mermoz, Zone Aeropole, 6041 Gosselies, Belgium; Bermont S.A, Av./Portugal, 4 (Centro de The Times has found a number of Liz Carolan, a co-founder of the as being unrepresentative of the health 16 Transportes de Coslada), 28820 Coslada, Madrid; Newsprint Italia srl, Via pages purportedly unrelated to the Transparent Referendum Initiative, of the Irish economy. Campania 12, 20098 San Giuliano Milanese, Italy; MOP, Zone Industrielle, 20 18 Avenue De L’Europe, 13127 Vitrolles, Marseilles; ESTETIK YAYINCILIK AS, referendum that have targeted voters welcomed Facebook’s announcement Joe Tynan, head of tax at PWC Ire- Kuscuburnu mevkii bati beton yolu no: 4 yazibasi torbali, Izmir, Turkey; Miller 20 Newsprint Ltd, Miller House, Tarxien Road, Malta Airport, LQA 05 Luqa, with adverts containing anti-abortion but said that it would not be enough to land, said companies moving their in- Malta; Milkro Digital Cyprus Ltd, Ioanni Kranidioti Avenue 206, 2235 Latsia, claims. Some were presented as being ensure transparency. “I do think it will tellectual property to Ireland had “very 21 PO Box 24508, 1300 Lefkosia, Cyprus; Milkro Digital Hellas Ltd, 2nd Kilometer Peanias – Markopoullo Ave, Position Nisiza 19400 Koropi, Greece; Omniprint impartial but contained claims and allow for more scrutiny of ad buying significant benefits” for the economy 29 SA, Poligono Industrial, Nave Omniprint, Santa Maria Dell Cami, 7320 phrases used by anti-abortion activists. but it falls short of what we need to given that firms were far more likely to Mallorca; Atlas Media Communication, FZ LLC, PO Box 14833, International Media Production Zone, Dubai; Centro Stampa Quotidiani Spa (CSQ) Via Other pages have been set up by determine who is paying for the ads on remain in the country after doing so. Dell’Industria 52 25030 Erbusco Italy. groups that are political but not regis- pages which may not be clearly linked “One of the real benefits to Ireland is For permission to copy articles or headlines for internal information purposes Rain will move northwestwards contact Newspaper Licensing Agency at PO Box 101, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 tered with the election watchdog and so to campaign groups,” she said. She that when you bring it onshore you 1WX, tel 01892 525274, e-mail [email protected]. For all other reproduction and across Ireland, leaving brighter spells licensing inquiries contact Syndication Department, 1 London Bridge Street, cannot be held accountable for their hoped Google, YouTube and other generally can’t bring it offshore again.” in the south. Full forecast, page 18 London, SE1 9GF, telephone 020-7782 5400, e-mail [email protected] campaign content or the source of their platforms would follow suit. Growth forecast boost, page 31 8 1R M Tuesday May 1 2018 | the times News Catholic network’s FRANK MALONE ‘Unbiased’ US site linked to fake Facebook ads church group

Aaron Rogan, Ellen Coyne claimed that abortion is “linked to Aaron Rogan Senior Ireland Reporter breast cancer since 1958”. Another ad A Catholic crisis pregnancy agency on the page yesterday promoted a film A website claiming to provide unbiased which deliberately gives misinforma- screening being held by the group this information for voters before the abor- tion to women is running a Facebook weekend. It said the director of the film tion referendum appears to have been advertising campaign that claims abor- had found a link between “abortion and hosted on an account belonging to an tion causes breast cancer and makes breast cancer covered up since 2003” by American religious group. women suicidal. the US National Cancer Institute. Catholic Mutual Group provides The Good Counsel Network Ireland The Good Counsel Network runs the church insurance to dioceses across the and pages linked to some of its volun- crisis pregnancy clinic Women’s Coun- United States. Its website is hosted on teers have been placing ads with mis- selling Network, formerly called the an account that was also used for the leading claims ahead of this month’s Women’s Centre, in Dublin. It was pre- Undecided on the 8th website. referendum on the Eighth Amend- viously exposed by The Times for claim- “Unsure about the facts of the up- ment. One ad on an Adoration Stops ing abortion causes breast cancer and coming referendum? Not sure how you Abortion page, run by a volunteer, turns women into child abusers. “Ado- will vote? Here are unbiased facts,” the features a fake RTÉ News report ration stops abortion” is one of the website said. It had a similar colour lay- purporting to show an abortion being Catholic group’s beliefs and the quote out as that of the Referendum Commis- conducted in an Irish hospital in 2013. features on the Good Counsel Net- sion, which was launched the day The state broadcaster yesterday criti- work’s main page. The group did not re- before Undecided on the 8th was regis- cised Facebook for not taking action spond to a request for comment. tered. The website said that abortion on against the person behind the page Now Women’s Right to Know, demand would be introduced if the after it was brought to their attention. another page linked to Good Counsel Eighth Amendment was repealed and A spokeswoman said: “RTÉ News is ex- Network volunteers, was deleted at the also said that abortions would be avail- tremely disappointed that substantive weekend after it bought an ad which ap- able up until full-term in some cases. action has not been taken by Facebook peared to feature a foetus in a lavatory. An Undecided on the 8th Facebook against this account given the serious The ads were targeted at women aged account was also set up, which promot- nature of the issue raised.” between 18 and 45 and people recorded ed the website across social media by She also said that RTÉ had contacted in Facebook’s database as having an in- buying ads telling people to visit the site YouTube when it became aware of the terest in online shopping. if they wanted to know more about the “fake news video” being distributed on A spokeswoman for Facebook said all referendum. Protect the 8th, an Irish social media and that the video and ads are reviewed to ensure they comply campaign group, bought YouTube ads video channel “were taken down with- with its advertising policy before they to promote the website at the weekend. out delay”. are allowed to feature. “In some cases, The website and Facebook page were Facebook has also sold ads to the ads that are in violation of polices get deleted on Sunday after questions from Good Counsel Network Ireland’s main through the review process and so we The Times. Protect the 8th and Family page. One of these claimed that women also provide a reporting mechanism for and Life, which runs the campaign, did are “abused by abortion profiteers lying people to report ads they think should not respond to a request for comment, to them and denying them facts” and not be on Facebook,” she said. Animal magnetism Deer in Dublin’s Phoenix Park are friendly if food is involved nor did the Catholic Mutual Group. the times | Saturday April 28 2018 1R M 7 News Harris: six-month claim is a big lie

LEAH FARRELL/ROLLING NEWS Ellen Coyne, Catherine Sanz Simon Harris has rejected suggestions US group’s that a Yes vote would legalise abortion up to six months as “disgraceful” and “entirely misleading”. anti-abortion In his strongest intervention yet against No campaigners, the health minister said claims that repealing the ads may have Eighth Amendment would legalise abortion up to 26 weeks were a “big lie” from anti-abortion supporters. broken rules The Save the 8th campaign has been using posters and billboards featuring a Ellen Coyne, Aaron Rogan baby beside a quote “‘I had NO idea . . .’ They want to legalise abortion up to 6 Facebook has filed a complaint with the months.” It is accompanied by posters state election watchdog after a US anti- stating “6 months is horrific. Vote No.” abortion group paid to target Irish Mr Harris said: “That is absolutely voters with posts campaigning against not true, it is disgraceful and entirely the repeal of the Eighth Amendment. misleading. The proposed legislation Facebook feared that the American- would allow Irish women access care financed promotion was a breach of on consultation with their doctor up to electoral rules, which forbid using 12 weeks only. In this case a three-day international funding for a campaign. pause would be in place for women to It is understood that the case access all information and counselling Facebook referred to the Standards in and make a considered decision. Public Office (Sipo) commission “Terminations after 12 weeks would related to Expectant Mother Care only be in exceptional, strictly con- (EMC) Frontline, a New York-based trolled circumstances including where group that has claimed there is a link there is a risk to the life, or of serious between abortion and breast cancer. harm to the health of the pregnant EMC paid to boost a post from Pro- woman and also in circumstances of Life Heroes, an Irish anti-abortion fatal foetal conditions. In these cases group, promoting the Rally to Save the two doctors would have to certify and 8th held in Dublin last month. The pro- one of those doctors must be an obste- moted post was targeted at Irish voters. trician.” It is understood that Facebook re- Mr Harris has set out the legislation ferred the case to Sipo after becoming the government intends to pass if the concerned that the advertisement vote is in favour of repealing the Eighth could be classed as a foreign donation. Amendment on May 25. Beyond 12 The company has already responded to weeks, termination would only be The anti-abortion campaign group Save the 8th claims that a “Yes” vote would open the door to terminations at 26 weeks concerns about misleading political ads available if the life or health of the before next month’s vote by rolling out woman is at risk. In such cases, if the means there is a ban on late-term abor- challenged by Louise Kenny, a consult- so argued that women in crisis preg- a tool that lets users see all the ads a foetus is at a stage where it would be vi- tions,” Mr Harris said. ant obstetrician, who said the reason nancies will use mental health grounds page has bought. Facebook confirmed able outside the womb, an abortion Existing law only allows for access to that six months was set as a threshold as reasons to have late-term abortions. it had referred a case to Sipo relating to would not be legal. The birth would be abortion where the woman’s life is at was due to medical evidence on a foe- Professor Kenny said there was no an “international page boosting an induced and the baby delivered early. risk, including from suicide. There is no tus’s viability. After then, a baby would evidence from other countries to sug- Irish one, relating to the referendum”. “Nowhere in the proposed legislation gestational limit under the Protection be delivered and abortion would not be gest this. “I have never seen a woman in Last week, Facebook alerted Denis does it say anything about six months. of Life During Pregnancy Act. permitted regardless of a health risk. Ireland seek a termination of pregnan- Naughten, the communications That is their big lie. The truth is the pro- A spokesman for the Save the 8th She added that even if the mother cy on spurious grounds after viability,” minister, and he briefed his cabinet posed legislation includes an additional campaign said he believed the state- was critically ill “we would deliver the she added. “It is offensive that women colleagues about Sipo’s investigation. restriction, that assessing viability is ments made on their poster were legiti- baby and do our best for both because will suddenly start waiting until their Facebook is considering reporting one of the requirements for certifica- mate and had started a debate about after 24 weeks the baby is viable. So it’s pregnancies are far along to seek termi- any posts flagged by users that could be tion and that it will not be lawful to ter- what legislation would follow any re- just nonsense to suggest otherwise.” nations for social reasons.” at risk of breaking the law before the minate if the pregnancy is viable. That peal of the Eighth. The claims were Anti-abortion campaigners have al- Lise Hand, page 24 referendum. It is not actively policing all of the content boosted by pro-choice and anti-abortion groups. The example referred to Sipo is Leo tests the waters on a rain-soaked walkabout understood to be the only one of an American group paying to promote politicians glued to Leo’s two men looked compared “My whole family are anti-abortion content to Irish voters. Lise Hand side for fear of missing out. to on TV. chomping at the bit to EMC Frontline’s activities relating to Political Sketch It was a sort of dry run, so “He was up at 6am to vote Yes,” she said. the referendum were referred to to speak. The taoiseach and do his hair,” Kate said After a short Facebook after The Times reported on he rain was minister were en route to as she pointed at walkabout, the two it raising money from Irish users hopping off the officially open a new Simon. Then she men headed for the through the social network’s pavement as the palliative care centre pointed to Leo, exit. Harris had a fundraising feature. A glitch had meant taoiseach nearby, so it was a chance to “And he has full day ahead of Irish pro-choice users appeared to have sauntered up under brush up on rusty someone to do his him dealing with donated to the anti-abortion group. Ta sturdy-looking umbrella. canvassing skills and to hair,” she added. the growing Chris Slattery, the founder of EMC “It’s a great day for a gauge the mood on the The taoiseach scandal over the Frontline, had claimed that the “fake canvass,” a jolly Leo told ground. was very polite. cervical cancer news media” was trying to “make a Kate O’Connell, a Fine Gael Politicians are discovering “Do you have any service. mountain out of a molehill” of its TD for Dublin Bay South, that it’s nigh-impossible to questions for us?” Leo spotted an support of the pro-life campaign. who was sheltering in the predict who is voting which he asked Pat. elderly lady sitting in Transparent Referendum Initiative, doorway of the Swan way in this referendum; Yes “People usually have a café eating a snack. which is lobbying for groups to be clear- shopping centre in and No supporters are questions.” He walked over and sat er about their online campaigning, had Rathmines. spread right across the age The man mulled for a down beside her. “Hello, also flagged the group as being one that A minute later, Simon spectrum, the economic bit. “If I knew ye were Leo is my name,” he said, had paid to promote anti-abortion con- Harris, the health minister, range and the urban-rural coming, I’d have prepared handing her a leaflet. She tent. Liz Carolan, of the Transparent appeared. After a short divide. some,” he declared. looked at it and, as they had Referendum Initiative, which monitor- discussion it was decided And it seemed that the “That’s why we don’t give Leo Varadkar and a little chat, she asked him ing the use of social media ads, said the that the only outcome of an local constabulary were any notice we’re on the Kate O’Connell took shelter for two more leaflets. As he file being sent to Sipo showed why a outdoors canvass in the taking no chances. When way,” joked Leo. from pouring rain as they left, he looked impressed. “comprehensive system” was needed. bucketing rain would be alerted that the taoiseach The taoiseach, who met voters in Rathmines “Remarkable,” he muttered. “It is so easy to buy ads that can armfuls of soggy leaflets, was on their turf, three appears to be devoid of his The woman was a nun and increase the attendance at a rally or and the wisest course was a gardaí were dispatched to predecessor’s uncanny epicentre of a had wanted the extra affect the outcome of a referendum,” quick tour inside. the Swan, just in case. ability to simultaneously discombobulating scrum, leaflets to pin up on the she said. “We need to treat social media Anyhow, it wasn’t a proper Inside the door, the trio high-five a small chid, kiss a and most people he noticeboard in the convent. in the same way as we do other foreign canvass for a Yes vote in stopped to chat to Pat baby, take a selfie with a encountered assured him She was having a long think donations, there has to be regulation of next month’s abortion Sheehy, a local man who bride, hand out a leaflet and they were voting Yes. about how she would vote, how it is done.” She added that if there referendum. There was no had been doing a bit of discuss the family tree of the Inside a jewellery shop, and she might well vote Yes. was full transparency on ads for hoopla (almost), no media shopping on his mobility person in front of him, was Elaine Kerr from Darndale “Who am I to judge?” she political campaigns then voters would (bar myself), no TV cameras scooter. He appeared to be nonetheless enjoying was actively looking forward said, as she finished the last be able to see why they were targeted and no anxious local struck by how different the himself. He wasn’t in the to polling day on May 25. of her cake. and who paid for the promotions. the times | Thursday April 26 2018 1R M 7 NewsNews HANY MARZOUK Alt-right groups buying Facebook ads ‘to hijack vote’

Aaron Rogan Senior Ireland Reporter buying Facebook adverts, making claims about the medical safety of abortion An alt-right British vlogger and a group procedures. The group, which claims linked to a rogue crisis pregnancy “there’s a war on babies in the womb”, agency are part of a new Facebook is run by Tim Jackson, who works for an campaign by anti-abortion activists unregulated crisis pregnancy agency before next month’s referendum. with offices in Dublin and Cork. The revelation came as a minister Some of the adverts show videos by warned voters not to trust information the US Pro-Life Action League, with put out through social media in the speeches by an anti-abortion doctor. run-up to the vote on May 25. “Thousands of medical experts have “One thing to be particularly careful confirmed that abortion is never neces- of, because social media will play a sary to save the life of the mother,” one dominant role in this campaign for of the White Flag Movement posts younger people, is to check the facts,” claims. This contradicts the conclu- Eoghan Murphy, the housing minister, sions of Irish medical groups in favour said. “Just because a friend you trust has of repealing the Eighth Amendment. posted something or reposted some- Mr Jackson has worked with Gianna thing does not mean it is fact. You have Care, a crisis pregnancy centre exposed a responsibility to get informed.” by The Times as giving inaccurate Facebook’s crackdown on “dark ads” being aimed at Irish voters began last join the debate night with a new transparency tool. The move has been welcomed, but as some Letters for the Irish edition adverts are from pages not connected to of The Times should be the main campaigns there is little re- course if they publish false information. sent to [email protected] Flipside Ireland, an anonymous page set up in recent months, has bought advice. An undercover reporter was told adverts to promote a video by a British in an appointment in Dublin that all vlogger who has aligned himself with women having an abortion regretted it. figures such as Tommy Robinson, who Facebook has been criticised for founded the English Defence League, enabling so-called dark advertising, and Milo Yiannopoulos, the former visible only to the advert’s publisher Breitbart News editor. and the intended target group. Face- Caolan Robertson visited Ireland last book will now allow Irish users to see all year for Rebel Media, a Canadian far- adverts bought by any page or group, in right website, speaking to people taking order to increase transparency in rela- part in the Strike for Repeal march. The tion to the use of micro-targeting of video is edited to display unflattering voters and the extent of foreign groups and fringe opinions of protesters. Mr seeking to influence the referendum. Robertson said that he was approached Liz Carolan, of the Transparent by “some Irish Christian Facebook group” Referendum Initiative, which monitors Savita Halappanavar was 31 when she died after being denied an emergency termination. Her death in 2012, ruled a medical misadventure, shocked Ireland who asked whether could they use the social media adverts, said that Face- video, but said he had no idea who they book’s move was a baby step towards were. The Flipside post of the video has trans-parency. “There is no easy way to been viewed more than a million times. know who is behind the spend, and who Ban was responsible for deaths of “I’m doing behind-the-scenes work is pushing the information,” she said. “We right now for the referendum that will need urgent action by our TDs to definitely sway results but I can’t say make sure Irish voters know where what it is,” he said yesterday. the information that they are being three women, says senior doctor The White Flag Movement is also repeatedly exposed to is coming from.”

Aaron Rogan one in ten and that pregnancies which Call to change law in North ended in miscarriage were not included. At least three Irish women have died John McGuirk, from the anti-abortion Twitter inquiry after actress as a direct result of the Eighth Amend- The law in Northern Ireland should Save the 8th group, accused the chair- ment’s effect on doctors, a leading be changed to allow terminations in man of the Institute of Obstetricians obstetrician has said. instances of fatal foetal abnormality, and Gynaecologists of being shame- warns over bogus accounts Peter Boylan, the former master of a long-awaited report recommends lessly misleading. He said Ms Hodgers, the National Maternity Hospital, (Aine Fox writes). who was denied cancer treatment Aaron Rogan bots are worrying: They are purchased named the dead women in an interview At present, the law stops doctors because she was pregnant, died six en masse in order to influence with Hot Press magazine. and healthcare staff from meeting months before the Eighth Amendment The star of Derry Girls has forced elections/referendums, they spread “Savita Halappanavar died as a result their duty of care towards women in was adopted in September 1983. It was Twitter to investigate allegations that sinister things and they work,” of the Eighth Amendment. Michelle such circumstances and is reported during the referendum anti-abortion campaigners are creating Coughlan tweeted with a link to a New Harte, who was looked after by “professionally untenable”, a campaign that she had been refused the bot accounts before the referendum. York Times article about the role of Professor Louise Kenny, died as a con- working group from the health and treatment because of the hospital’s Nicola Coughlan, below, who played Russian bots in the US presidential sequence of the Eighth Amendment. justice departments found. Catholic ethos. Clare in the Channel 4 comedy, election. Sheila Hodgers died as a consequence Unlike other parts of the UK, the Professor Kenny treated Ms Harte complained after a large number of fake Twitter confirmed that it was investi- of the Eighth Amendment,” he said. 1967 Abortion Act does not extend who became pregnant in 2010 while she accounts followed her this week. gating Coughlan’s claims. “We are look- He also referred to the case of Miss P, to Northern Ireland, where abortions was ill with cancer. Doctors had told Ms “Hi @TwitterSupport I’ve had about ing into this and will take action against who died from a catastrophic brain are illegal except when the life or Harte, 40, that the pregnancy should be 200 of these accounts follow me in the any account found to be in violation trauma in 2014. She was kept artificially mental health of the mother is in terminated because her health was in last 24 hours, they’re all bots and of the rules,” a spokeswoman said. alive, against the wishes of her father danger. Women from the North in danger. However, Cork University seems likely purchased by Anti Researchers have linked auto- and partner, to protect an 18-week whom a fatal foetal abnormality is Hospital refused a termination because Choice campaigners in Ireland, mated accounts, so-called Twitter pregnancy. found during pregnancy must travel her life was not at “immediate risk”. please look at shutting them down,” bots, to Russian attempts to dis- Dr Boylan said that he was opposed to access a termination. Ms Harte had to travel to Britain for the Galway actress wrote. rupt democracy in Europe and to abortion when younger until he saw The report, chaired by Michael the termination. She later sued the Coughlan, 31, who supports America. They were used the difficulties women faced with issues McBride, the region’s chief medical government for violation of her human repealing the Eighth Amend- during the campaigns for such as the diagnosis of a fatal foetal officer, was commissioned in 2016 rights. She was awarded compensation ment, said that she had Scottish independence abnormality or threats to their health. but then delayed by the absence of in 2011 but died that November. noticed a pattern among and Brexit. He also said that doctors had difficul- an executive and assembly at Mr McGuirk claimed Ms Halappa- the accounts following her. James Lawless, the ties working under the Ireland’s near- Stormont. A proposal to relax the navar’s cause of death was mismanaged They had no followers of Fianna Fáil techno- ban on abortion; they can face up to 14 law was rejected in the same year. sepsis but Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, their own, followed up to logy spokesman, has years in prison for carrying out a Sarah Ewart, who went to England who led the HSE inquiry into her death 200 accounts belonging to tabled a social media termination. Dr Boylan criticised the for a termination in 2013, made in 2012, has said it was clear to him that celebrities, had never tweeted transparency bill which anti-abortion posters displayed by cam- headlines when she spoke about legal issues affected her treatment and and the usernames included would make it an offence to paigners, which said the abortion rate in having to travel for the procedure. that different decisions could have random numbers. use multiple fake accounts England was one in five. He said it was saved her life. “Also people wondering why for political purposes. 6 1R M Monday April 30 2018 | the times News US anti-abortion ‘Foetus in a toilet’ advert group ‘will knock taken down on Irish doors’ Aaron Rogan Facebook has removed an anti-abort- Aaron Rogan, Ellen Coyne, are matters for the immigration ion advert that appeared to feature a Catherine Sanz authorities,” he said. picture of a foetus in a lavatory. Ms Faulkner told The Times that she The advert was bought by Now A group of US student activists are trav- had no connection to the Irish group. Women’s Right to Know, an ano- elling to Ireland to try to influence the “We used the #SaveThe8th because we nymous page that has since been delet- vote on the Eighth Amendment. thought it was a great hashtag,” she ed and does not appear to be associated The Let Them Live group plan to said. She added that the group were not with an official campaign group. The raise $10,000 from groups including the campaigners and would instead be post was captioned “When we confuse Knights of Columbus to campaign travelling to Ireland as journalists to the order of our rights and put our pur- ahead of the referendum next month. document the trip for a Facebook page. suit of happiness before the right to life” Emily Faulkner, who founded the Let She said the reason for the trip changed above an image of what seemed to be a Them Live group, told The Conservative after it was decided that this would have foetus at the bottom of a toilet. VU, a right-wing college podcast, that more impact on the referendum. Facebook said it deleted the advert the group planned to work on a social “With that said, we still intend to after it received complaints from users. media and text message campaign as have conversations with people while The same page also bought ads falsely part of the trip. She said she was work- we are in Ireland and document those claiming that women who had abor- ing “very closely with existing pro-life conversations. As of tions were six times more likely to kill organisations” in Ireland and would now, we are not part- themselves, and promoted posts of a knock on doors and attend marches. nered with any Irish graphic abortion video from the 1980s. Ms Faulkner wrote on the GoFund- pro-life groups. How- Emily Faulkner, Let Them Live founder, claims the group are journalists, The ads were targeted at women Me page that the purpose of the trip was ever, if an invitation is but they will aim to “sway the vote” against those supporting repeal aged between 18 and 45 and people re- to “get around the entire country so we extended to myself corded in Facebook’s database as can talk to voters and sway them to vote or to one of our team image of Ronald Reagan with voters has resulted in Facebook filing a having an interest in online shopping. to keep abortion illegal”. members to speak at his quote: “I’ve noticed that complaint with the Standards in Public Politicians and transparency cam- The page refers to the initiative as a rally, we will consider everyone who is for abortion Office Commission over fears it paigners have expressed fears that Irish #SaveThe8th, the same name as the doing so,” she said. The has already been born.” Presi- breached electoral rules that forbid voters are being exposed to disinforma- Life Institute’s campaign. group has raised about dent Reagan was not op- using international funding. tion through “dark ads” in the lead-up John McGuirk, a spokesman for Save $7,000 so far, which will posed to abortion in Brendan Howlin, the Labour Party to the abortion referendum on May 25. the 8th group in Ireland, said he had no go on accommodation. cases of rape or incest leader, yesterday welcomed Facebook’s This month Facebook introduced knowledge of the US group. “They are Let Them Live uses Face- and when the mother’s decision and said it was important that measures to tackle the ads, which had not affiliated to us, they have not con- book adverts to target Irish life is at risk. voters were alert to any attempts at in- been visible only to the advert publisher tacted us and we have more to do than voters who have expressed an Another US anti- terference from foreign groups: “This is and target group. A new tool now lets to be standing at airports telling people interest in the Pro Life Cam- abortion group that a debate for the Irish people to come to, Irish users see all the ads a page runs they can or cannot come here. These paign group. One features an was paid to target Irish consider and make their own decision.” even if they are not the target group. the times | Monday May 14 2018 1R M RM 5 Abortion voteNewsNews ASWPHOTO/ALAMY LIVE NEWS; NIALL CARSON/PA Keep to the facts and they tell you vote ‘yes’

“yes” is the right thing medical professional to Simon to do. I have found the enter into an honest Coveney canvass in this and caring process referendum one of the with a woman who is deepest experiences of requesting an abortion my career. The in which alternatives conversations are and optional genuine, human and counselling supports show a great are discussed. A 72- ext week commitment to our hour pause period for a Ireland will society. women who opts for a make a As a member of termination will insure pivotal cabinet and as tánaiste, that she is certain of decision as I want to be clear that her decision. Na society. It will come the attorney-general Look at the facts, not after years of debates and other legal experts the posters. There will and campaigning, after have advised that be no abortion clinics unforeseen tragedies without doubt we in Ireland and late- and after people cannot legislate for term abortion will be examine their fatal foetal banned. A viable baby sincerely-held beliefs. abnormalities or will not be aborted in We will decide if we abortions in the case of Ireland and there will keep the Eighth rape under the Eighth not be an option of Amendment of the Amendment. abortion in the case of Constitution and the It is also an disabilities. status quo when it undeniable fact that I believe anyone who comes to how women thousands of Irish enters into this system are treated, or if we women have abortions and opts to terminate vote for change. in the UK each year at the end would have I am voting “yes”, I and thousands of other done so in the UK am voting for change women undergo anyway. Crucially, because I abortions unsupervised however, it gives the fundamentally believe with abortion pills. We state an intervention in Irish women and have trusted UK which to help couples deserve better politicians to regulate vulnerable women, to than our state has been for abortion on Irish impartially lay out the providing. My support women or allowed alternatives to for a “yes” and my unregulated abortion abortion, to ensure support for the law through the advances that nobody dies using that will follow if the of the internet. pills bought online, to people vote yes, were The Oireachtas all- end the exportation of not foregone party recommendation women to the UK as conclusions. of termination, with no problems, to protect I have examined the restriction as to women’s health and to evidence and reason, dominated end once and for all confronted myself with coverage and comment the inhumane journeys the reality facing Irish at the start of this year of those suffering fatal women and I decided I but much more serious foetal abnormalities. could not stay silent or detail has been added In the last week of vote “no”. My route to since then. It is this campaign we need this decision was not extremely unfortunate to speak to those who straightforward but my that this has not are undecided. The conviction that voting received the same most important thing “yes” is the right thing amount of coverage though is to not speak to do is without doubt. and comment. at them but to listen. However, many The law the When I confronted people in Ireland are government is myself with the facts, I still undecided and proposing if you vote realised I could only have genuinely-held “yes” does not give vote “yes” on May 25. I doubts. On the one unrestricted access to hope you reach the hand they know the abortion. The system same conclusion. status quo is not we propose is built on protecting women but the principle of Simon Coveney is the they are still not “informed consent” tánaiste and minister certain that voting and would require a for foreign affairs

Anti-abortion protesters rallied in Dublin on Fake news warns of cancer Saturday but Yes canvassers in Aaron Rogan rejected by mainstream medicine Swords believe because of overwhelming evidence in they have found A Catholic anti-abortion group that peer-reviewed medical studies. a small margin in compared the procedure to terrorism Mr Murphy was also behind a page favour of has started a Facebook campaign, tar- that promoted a fake RTÉ News report repealing the geting Irish voters, which falsely claims purporting to show an abortion being Eighth terminations cause breast cancer. performed at an Irish hospital in 2013. Amendment Eamonn Murphy, who works for the RTÉ contacted YouTube last weekend Good Counsel Network, told The Times when it became aware of the video cir- that he was behind a campaign that said culating on social media. It and the terminations made women 800 per channel were taken down. cent more likely to develop breast The advert showing a foetus in a lava- cancer, as well as an earlier one that tory was bought by an anonymous page showed a foetus in a lavatory. that has since been deleted. One of Mr He bought the adverts, he said, Murphy’s other ads said that women because the media would not cover the were “abused by abortion profiteers ly- research that makes the claims. He has ing to them and denying them facts”. set up a page named “Women’s Health Another ad on the page promoted a Interests”, which promotes the abor- film screening and said the director had tion-breast cancer (ABC) link, and he found a link between “abortion and plans to buy more ads. breast cancer covered up since 2003”. Joel Brind, an American scientist, Mr Murphy belongs to the Divine gave a talk on Friday about the alleged Will Centre, which is devoted to Luisa link at a Knights of Saint Columbanus Piccarreta, a woman who is claimed to event in Dublin. The ABC link is have lived on communion wafers alone. the times | Thursday May 10 2018 1R M 17 Leading articles

Daily Universal Register

UK: The Bank of England’s monetary policy committee makes its interest rate decision. US: President Trump holds a midterms campaign rally in Elkhart, Indiana. Nature notes

Wild arum is poking up its Fair, Not Fake curious, cowled inflorescences at the base of Attempts to control the influence of new media cannot be left to the hedgerows and along woodland private sector. The government must get a grip before the referendum edges. The spadix and spathe arrangement looks like a purple or greenish-yellow The decision by Google to stop carrying advertise- result of any vote in a different country hardly of the same transparency or disclosure require- baseball bat nestling inside a pale green ments relating to the referendum on the Eighth needs to be spelt out. In the Republic of Ireland, ments.” hood. Arum maculatum has so many Amendment is a positive and welcome develop- the people — and the people alone — are sover- The government had some reservations about common names that they would spill out of ment. It follows Facebook’s move to stop accepting eign. A situation where the strings are being pulled his Online Advertising and Social Media (Trans- this small space. The writer and naturalist adverts from organisations outside Ireland relat- in a different jurisdiction, in a manner that com- parency) Bill, including concerns that it could in- Geoffrey Grigson recorded 90. Among them ing to the vote and Google’s announcement last promises sovereignty and independence, cannot advertently prevent TDs from advertising their are lords and ladies, Adam and Eve, bulls week that it would introduce a verification process be tolerated. own constituency clinics. There were also ques- and cows and cuckoo pint — all of which for election advertisements in the US. Google and Facebook will be criticised for not tions about how the regulations would be policed. pay tribute to the phallic spadix embraced by Regardless of one’s views on abortion, it is moving more quickly, but they deserve credit for However legitimate these concerns may have the female-seeming spathe. In Irish it is essential that the referendum be conducted in a taking the steps they have taken. There are more been, the government has been far too slow to act. cluas chaoin or cluas an ghabhair, meaning fair and impartial manner. It is a cornerstone of pressing questions over the government’s failure It has dithered and, in the meantime, Ireland’s narrow ear or goat’s ear. Tiny flies are democracy that both sides are able to put their ar- to act in this area. Moves to tackle fake news can- democratic process has suffered. Mr Lawless was attracted by the faintly rank odour and guments to voters. The government must ensure not be left entirely to the private sector. correct when he said yesterday that the govern- become trapped in the chamber below the that those voters are being given accurate infor- There are rules in place to regulate political ad- ment needed “to wake up and tackle this issue with spadix, where the minute flowers are hidden. mation, in a transparent manner, so that they can vertising in print and broadcast media. Given the a sense of urgency”. After unwittingly pollinating the plant, they make informed decisions. power of new media, it is essential that there be Inevitably, there will be problems introducing find their way out, only to tumble into This has become a lot more difficult given the similar controls in this area too. legislation of this nature given the complexity another arum abyss. jane powers growing influence of social media. Many people It is regrettable that the government has been of social media and its international dimension. now get their news exclusively via these platforms, slow to introduce measures to promote transpar- Laws are needed, however, otherwise the threat to and the vastly increased potential for fake news is ency on social media by regulating political adver- democracy will only increase in the years ahead. Birthdays today obvious. We need only look at the Brexit referen- tising and tackling fake news. James Lawless, There is an opportunity for Ireland to show dum and the US presidential election to see how Fianna Fáil’s technology spokesman, brought for- leadership in this area. Facebook and Google are Bono, pictured, singer, U2, those results were influenced — many would say ward a bill late last year that attempts to oblige headquartered in Ireland, so Irish legislation The Joshua Tree (1987), 58; manipulated — by activities on social media. online political adverts to show who had paid for could become the template for the EU. No further Dennis Bergkamp, There has been ample evidence in recent weeks them. As he wrote in this newspaper last month: “A impetus is needed to move on this. The evidence footballer, Holland of Ireland being targeted. The problem with million dollars spent on Facebook buys far more is there. Legislation is needed. It is time for the (1990-2000) and Arsenal bodies based overseas attempting to influence the reach than a few leaflet drops yet is subject to none government to act. (1995-2006), 49; Donovan, singer, Mellow Yellow (1966), 72; Sly Dunbar, musician, Right Time (1976), and producer, 66; Jonathan Edwards, Against All Odds commentator, triple jump world record holder, Olympic gold medallist (2000), 52; Linda Evangelista, supermodel, 53; John Fixed-odds betting terminals should have a maximum stake of no more than £2 Fredriksen, shipping tycoon, 74; Diarmuid Gavin, garden designer, Chelsea Flower Gambling can be compulsively tempting. It is, as the £30 recommended by the Gambling Commis- estimates that gambling addiction could cost Show gold medal (2011), 54; Sir Christopher Fyodor Dostoevsky once wrote, an attempt at sion. Theresa May should make it clear that she Britain £1.5 billion a year. There are too many Gent, chairman, ConvaTec, 70; Graham challenging fate. Yet the very existence of highly has no intention of doing so. There are more than streets in which gambling is too great a part of the Gouldman, singer-songwriter, 10cc, profitable gambling companies shows how the bet 430,000 problem gamblers in Britain and the ease retail presence. The clustering of betting shops in Dreadlock Holiday (1978), 72; Oliver Jeffers, is likely to go. The odds are stacked and not in of access and high stakes of FOBTs are part of the poor areas is placing a temptation in the way of the writer and illustrator, How to Catch a Star favour of the punter. That is why there is a role for problem. A gathering of MPs and peers from all vulnerable that does not exist elsewhere. (2004), 41; Alex Jennings, actor, The Lady in the state in regulating addictive behaviour. parties, led by Iain Duncan Smith and Caroline Then there are the individual costs that are the Van (2015), 61; Ken Kennedy, rugby The Department for Digital, Culture, Media Spelman, urges on the prime minister the obvious harder to quantify. Addictive gambling is a factor union player, Ireland (1965-75), 77; Lucinda and Sport had planned to announce a reduction in course, which is to make the announcement on a in financial penury, mental health decline and Lambton, writer, Palaces for Pigs (2011), the maximum stake on fixed odds betting £2 maximum stake as planned. As the parliament- family breakdown. It is well attested, too, that photographer and broadcaster, 75; Maureen terminals (FOBTs) to £2. At the moment, bets of arians say, there were more than 230,000 sessions FOBTs are culprits. The Gambling Commission Lipman, actress, Educating Rita (1983), 72; up to £100 are permitted on, for example, electronic last year in which a user lost more than £1,000. has found that 43 per cent of people who use them Al Murray, comedian, 50; Ellen Ochoa, roulette. The terminals are fast and hard to leave. That is the equivalent of a month’s salary for are either problem gamblers already or at risk of astronaut, director of the Johnson Space A new bet arises every 20 seconds on roulette or someone on the minimum wage. falling into that category. Center, 60; John O’Dowd, Sinn Féin MLA blackjack. The temptation to rectify a losing streak The gambling industry, which made £1.8 billion Individuals do have to take responsibility for for Upper Bann, 51; Prof Edward Peck, can be overwhelming and punters can lose from FOBTs last year, is understandably keen for their own behaviour. However, we know that vice-chancellor, Nottingham Trent thousands of pounds in a matter of minutes. a higher limit or, at the very least, to have an gambling is a form of addiction and that the addict University, 59; Sally Phillips, actress, The government conducted a review and it extended implementation period of up to a year. is no longer a wholly rational agent. At this point Miranda (2009-15), 48; Miuccia Prada, seemed that a limit of £2 was set to be imposed. Lobbyists for the industry claim that 20,000 jobs it is quite justified for the state to step in, to help fashion designer, 69; Roberto Quarta, However, after an intervention from the secretary might be lost and at least some of the £400 million those who are no longer helping themselves. It chairman, WPP Group, 69; Jon Ronson, of state for work and pensions, Esther McVey, the that FOBTs contribute to the public purse in would be good governance and would help journalist and author, The Men Who Stare at announcement has been delayed. The industry taxation will be forgone. Against that has to be set thousands of people if the prime minister stuck to Goats (2004), 51; Manuel Santana, had given up lobbying; now it is possible that the the cost that problem gambling imposes. The the plans for a maximum stake of £2 and Wimbledon singles champion (1966), 80; prime minister might grant a higher limit, such as Centre for Economics and Business Research announced it at once. Jon Schofield, kayaker, Olympic silver medallist (2016), 33; Barbara Taylor Bradford, author, A Woman of Substance (1979), 85; Venetia Williams, racehorse trainer, 58; Debbie Wiseman, composer and Good Move conductor, Wolf Hall (2015), 55. Nigel Short’s bid to run world chess deserves support from all who love the game On this day Chess has always been deeply political, both on wider ideological disputes are not over yet. Out- as a result. He has even claimed to have been In 1857 the Indian Mutiny began; in 1941 and off the board. In 1972, when the American spoken, caustic, even occasionally downright abducted by aliens. Rudolf Hess, the Nazi party deputy leader, Bobby Fischer played the Russian Boris Spassky rude, Short is not a universally popular choice to Like Sepp Blatter, Ilyumzhinov specialises in parachuted into Scotland and was jailed; in for the world title in Reykjavik, the match was run world chess. He is, however, a far preferable courting poor third-world national federations to 1994 Nelson Mandela became the first black viewed as an extension of the Cold War. The epic candidate than the incumbent. guarantee their support when election time president of South Africa. battles in the 1980s between Garry Kasparov, a Ilyumzhinov has been in charge for some comes. Both Kasparov and Karpov have reform-minded liberal, and Anatoly Karpov, a 23 years. For much of that period, he was also pres- previously tried to unseat him and they have been The last word loyal party man, were fought against a backdrop of ident of the republic of Kalmykia in Russia. He is trounced. The Russians were both, in their prime, the slow death of Soviet communism. close to President Putin, just as he was to Saddam stronger players than Short. The Englishman now British grandmaster Nigel Short’s attempt to Hussein of Iraq and Muammar Gaddafi of Libya. has the chance to prove he is their superior in the “The greater the wealth, the thicker will be replace Kirsan Ilyumzhinov as president of the His ties to President Assad of Syria led to his being murky business of chess machinations and the dirt.” JK Galbraith, economist, in The World Chess Federation (FIDE) shows that the sanctioned by the United States Treasury Depart- manoeuvrings. He will need all his guile to defeat Affluent Society (1958). days of chess serving as a proxy battleground for ment in 2015. FIDE bank accounts are still frozen Ilyumzhinov. the times | Monday May 7 2018 1R M 7 News Bishops urge My baby lies in a shallow grave parishioners to oppose — she’s why I’ll be voting ‘yes’ repeal of 8th GARETH CHANEY COLLINS Irish men have a duty to vote in this month’s Aaron Rogan Catholic bishops have called for a No referendum — we’re not vote in the abortion referendum in letters to their dioceses yesterday. little children any more, The bishops of Kerry, Clonfert and Waterford and Lismore each told writes Connor Upton parishioners yesterday that they should vote against a repeal of the Eighth am the father of two children, a Amendment to preserve the right to life little boy who runs around our of the unborn. garden and a baby girl who lies “Either every life counts or no life in her shallow grave. Nico lies counts. To deliberately take one life is to there because she does not undermine respect for every human Iofficially exist, because she had a fatal life,” the Most Rev Alphonsus Cullinan, foetal condition, and because we, her bishop of Waterford and Lismore, parents, decided she deserved a wrote. He said that maternity care in compassionate death. Ireland was among the best in the world When we carried her home in a and better than the UK or US, “where small cardboard box, we discovered abortion is available on demand”. that there was no support and no “I believe there is a silent majority, guidance for a family like ours in including many young people, who Ireland. Today my daughter lies in instinctively know this. We all need to her secret place because she was speak up for the truth,” he added. rejected by our country’s rules and we The Most Rev John Kirby, bishop of were forced to make our own. Clonfert, said that in cases where there A year ago I could not have was a prenatal diagnosis of a life-limit- imagined myself writing this. I did not ing condition, it was wrong to have an have strong views on abortion. My abortion. He also addressed the issue of position was probably similar to many women becoming pregnant after being men across Ireland right now. raped. “While such a pregnancy is Without first-hand experience it was unwilled and unexpected, the growing all theoretical, a philosophical baby ought not, however, to become discussion. I listened to people the victim,” he said. debating when life begins and the The Most Rev Raymond Browne, moral issues around individual bishop of Kerry, said he believed that human rights. If I’m honest, a part of Irish law would follow British law if the me felt that this was a women’s issue, amendment were repealed. “Many of and who was I to have an opinion? our smaller political parties and many The pain of our past year has made individual TDs and senators have me realise I was thinking like a child, repeatedly insisted that they will not not a man. Avoiding complexity, rest until this is the case,” he said. empathy and responsibility is childish. On Saturday the Association of On May 25 we will be asked to repeal Catholic Priests asked parishes to stop the Eighth Amendment. Men need to allowing campaigners to speak from vote. Here is why I’m voting “yes”. the pulpit. The association fully en- As a man, I’m voting “yes” because Connor Upton and Amy Callahan had a termination because their daughter, Nico, had a fatal foetal abnormality diagnosed dorsed Catholic teaching that all life is our world is not a simple place. Part sacred, but added that as “men who are of my job as a dad is to teach this to I cannot experience being someone traumatic labour, birth and death. To remains in the freezer when we got unmarried and without children of our my son as he grows up. As a young else. As a father, I’ve been lucky protect ourselves from real physical home. I looked into burial and own, we are not best placed to be in any adult he will need to know that rape, enough to stand on the sidelines of and mental health risks. To shorten cremation but nothing seemed to fit way dogmatic on this issue”. It said that abuse and illness occur every day in pregnancy and childbirth, but I can’t the grief that our little boy our circumstances. Then we realised there was a variety of opinions among this country. He will need to accept be pregnant. I cannot feel what it’s experienced, even if he didn’t fully that our situation, our grief, our child Catholics and that the use of the pulpit that the world is complicated, that like to have a fatal anomaly and to understand it. was not recognised by this country, so for campaigning “is inappropriate and there are victims out there and that have to go to work with a pregnant There are many things I couldn’t we no longer cared about the insensitive and will be regarded by sometimes their pregnancy makes belly. To have your colleagues protect our family from. I couldn’t appropriate or correct or proper thing some as an abuse of the Eucharist”. their terrible situations unbearable. wishing you luck while you’re already protect my wife from being forced to to do. As a family we went down to Peter Boylan, chairman of the Insti- Our laws reject this reality and hurt grieving. I can’t experience being get medical treatment abroad and the woods and found a beautiful, tute of Obstetricians and Gynaecolo- those who are already suffering. I do pregnant with a drug addition or in from suffering the gaps in care that peaceful place. We dug a hole, we gists, described the amendment as a not see this referendum as being an abusive relationship or as a result comes with this. I couldn’t spare her hugged each other, we cried a bit and failed experiment. “Abortion is here about whether abortion is good or of rape. the indignity of having to pass the then we said goodbye. already,” he said, referring to women bad. That is an oversimplistic As a man, I’m voting “yes” because small box with our baby’s remains who buy pills online to end their preg- perspective. This referendum is about I feel a responsibility to protect the through the x-ray at airport security, Connor Upton is a member of nancies. He said that the pills were safe recognising that abortion, however people I love. We took the difficult nor the terror of what we would say if Termination for Medical Reasons, a when taken under medical supervision uncomfortable it might make you feel, decision to terminate our wanted they asked us to open it. We are a support and advocacy group for but if taken incorrectly could cause life- is sometimes necessary. pregnancy to protect our family. To normal family, we’re not unique, we families who receive a diagnosis of threatening problems such as uterine As a man, I’m voting “yes” because spare our unborn baby from a were just unlucky. We kept our baby’s fatal foetal abnormality rupture and haemorrhage. Abortion campaign ‘dark ads’ prompt new social media law

Aaron Rogan Senior Ireland Reporter proposed legislation will be completed. Denis Naughten, the referendum. He described much of information campaigns. Amnesty said: Mr Lawless’s bill would regulate online communications the information on social media as “un- “We saw what happened with online The government has conceded that campaigning. Political adverts would minister, has now true, dishonest, angry and ugly”. Face- ads during the US elections and Brexit, political campaigns on social media explain who had published and paid for agreed legislation book had refused to provide any clear and we know there are groups allied to should be regulated amid growing con- them and indicate the target market. It is necessary means of making a complaint other the No campaign using similar tactics. cerns that “dark ads” could influence would also create an offence of than a generic email address, he said. “It “We know that one of the lead No the abortion referendum. co-ordinating multiple fake social needs to have a sense of responsibility. campaigns has hired an agency with Denis Naughten, the communica- media accounts. It needs to be regulated in the same way. links to Cambridge Analytica, the com- tions minister, warned last year that a The Times has reported on the activi- The economic motive of Facebook is to pany behind the scandals in the US and Fianna Fáil bill on social media trans- ty of anonymous Facebook pages and advertising publishers. He said that grow, grow, grow but growth can be at UK. We expect much more to come.” parency could have “unintended con- linked to Catholic groups that have social media was outside his office’s the expense of responsibility. Social Facebook, responding to concern sequences” for democracy. He has now bought adverts aimed at influencing code of practice relating to truth and media need to be forced to take a sense about disinformation in the referen- agreed to work with James Lawless, the Irish voters. Dark advertising in polit- accuracy so there was little recourse for of responsibility,” he added. dum, has announced a new tool to opposition party’s technology spokes- ical campaigns is visible only to the ad- those seeking to have false information Amnesty International and Termi- allow people to see all the ads that have man, to amend the bill. vert’s publisher and the target group. removed. nation for Medical Reasons, which are been bought by any page or group. The Department of Communica- Peter Feeney, the press ombudsman, “There is a considerable degree of both campaigning for a “yes” vote, Jason O’Mahony, page 13 tions confirmed the move yesterday, joined calls for Facebook to be regulat- misleading information being put out began efforts this weekend to raise Leading article, page 17 but there is no timeframe for when the ed in the same way as traditional media there about this,” he said in reference to funds for online adverts to counter mis- Lucinda Creighton, page 18 ireland edition

wednesday may 9 2018 thetimes.ie | no 72530 €1.50 IRELAND AND THE WORLD The hottest INSIDE Mad Met! TIMES2 trophy jackets At the world’s weirdest fashion gala for summer Three women die before cervical smear test failure cases settled

Jennifer Bray ill woman who unearthed the contro- way. Three of the ten women in ques- found a higher rate of abnormalities a senior public health doctor and advis- Ireland Deputy Political Editor versy, was not told about an audit into tion have died, he confirmed. than a US laboratory used by the HSE. er to the UK Department of Health, to her smear test. Ms Phelan settled her In answer to Richard Boyd Barrett, a In 2008 cervical smear tests were carry out a scoping inquiry. All ten legal cases brought on behalf of High Court action against a US labora- Solidarity-People Before Profit TD, Mr outsourced to US-owned commercial It will investigate why 209 women women affected by the cervical smear tory for €2.5m last month. Breen confirmed that in all ten legal laboratories. Figures released by the with cervical cancer were not told that test controversy involve US laborato- He told the Oireachtas finance com- cases, the labs which tested the smears HSE last weekend showed that changes their smear tests had been audited and ries, it has emerged. mittee that the agency tried to stop her were American and not Irish. that can warn of cancer were reported that those smears should have warrant- Ciarán Breen, director of the State case coming to court and would “do It comes after The Times revealed at a much higher rate in Irish labs. ed further action. Claims Agency, said he “deplored” the everything it can” to ensure pending that the two laboratories in Ireland that Simon Harris, the health minister, Dr Scally has promised to be “frank fact that Vicky Phelan, the terminally legal claims are resolved in a different screen cervical smear tests consistently yesterday appointed Dr Gabriel Scally, Continued on page 9, col 5 Pressure on MICHAEL REYNOLDS/EPA Google over referendum adverts ban Internet giant will not follow Facebook position

Ellen Coyne, Aaron Rogan election adverts in the US so that it would only be available for those who Google will continue to sell adverts to were permanent residents. foreign groups attempting to influence Twitter does not accept any advertis- Irish voters despite Facebook yesterday ing about abortion as part of its policy ending the practice and warning that it on health products and services. The is a threat to the integrity of this company said that this extended to the month’s abortion referendum. Irish referendum campaign. American organisations have paid Last month The Times revealed that a Google in order to target Irish voters quiz advertised to Irish voters through with a quiz that collects data on their Google was collecting information on political views, including on the issue of their political opinions, including on abortion. The internet giant has also the issue of abortion. The “How Liberal sold adverts on YouTube linked to a Are You?” quiz is run by a US-based page run by a Catholic group which website called I Side With. The site said President Trump signed a White House order pulling the US out of the deal and calling Iran a leading sponsor of terrorism claims to give unbiased information on it was not hired by any groups connect- the upcoming referendum. ed to the anti-abortion campaign. Yesterday Facebook announced a “We require all political ads to com- change to its advertising regulations ply with local election laws as well as Trump ditches ‘rotten’ Iran nuclear deal after concerns were raised about for- our own policies on political content,” a eign groups targeting Irish voters. The Google spokesman said. “If we discover Rhys Blakely Washington ian forces in Syria. Hours later explo- that are linked to the agreement.” Boris social network said it would no longer any ads that break these policies, we sions rocked a Syrian army base south Johnson, the British foreign secretary, accept adverts relating to the vote on quickly take appropriate action. As President Trump withdrew from the of Damascus. A pro-Assad commander tweeted: “Deeply regret US decision to the Eighth Amendment if the group be- with all our policies, we continue to re- Iran nuclear deal last night and vowed said the base had been hit by Israeli jets. withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.” hind them was not based in Ireland. view to ensure they remain effective.” to impose “the highest level of eco- Mr Trump’s decision fulfilled one of Mr Johnson was in Washington on Sun- Reports by The Times had previously Facebook said yesterday that it was nomic sanctions” against Tehran in a his central campaign pledges but is set day and Monday in an attempt to per- prompted Facebook to make a com- aware of concerns about individuals high-stakes move that broke from his to worsen tensions with Britain, France suade US officials to save the deal. plaint to the Standards in Public Office outside Ireland trying to influence the European allies. and Germany, which had urged him to Yet Mr Trump maintained the man- Commission after a US anti-abortion result of this month’s referendum. The US president said that the inter- stick with the deal. In a joint statement tra that he has deployed since declaring group paid to target Irish voters with “This is an issue we have been think- national pact had only made the re- last night Theresa May, the British his intention to run for the White posts campaigning against the repeal of ing about for some time,” it said.“As part gime’s “bloody ambitions more brazen” prime minister, Angela Merkel, the Ger- House. “The Iran deal is defective at its the Eighth Amendment. of our efforts to help protect the integri- and that all sanctions which had been man chancellor, and President Macron core,” he said. “If we do nothing we Google said last night that it had no ty of elections and referendums from lifted through it would be reimposed. expressed “regret and concern”. The know exactly what will happen. In a plans for similar regulations to improve undue influence, we will begin rejecting “It’s clear to me that we cannot prevent three countries said: “Our governments short period of time the world’s largest transparency around political adverts ads related to the referendum if they an Iranian nuclear bomb under the remain committed to ensuring the state sponsor of terrorism will be on the in Ireland, despite evidence that groups are being run by advertisers based out- decaying and rotten structure of the agreement is upheld and will work with cusp of acquiring a nuclear weapon. were promoting content that collected side of Ireland.” current agreement,” he said. all the remaining parties to the deal to The US no longer makes empty threats. data on voters’ attitudes. It follows another move to increase The Israeli military went on high ensure this remains the case including When I make promises, I keep them.” This week Google announced that it transparency which will allow users in alert and mobilised reservists after through ensuring the continuing eco- US officials said sanctions on Iran’s was changing its rules for those buying Continued on page 7, col 4 observing “irregular activity” by Iran- nomic benefits to the Iranian people Continued on page 2, col 5 the times | Wednesday May 9 2018 1R M 7 NewsNews GETTY Lazy government risks allowing lies to dominate again

invite defeat on May 25. Speaking on Lise Hand RTÉ’s News at One yesterday, Peter Analysis Feeney, the press ombudsman, warned of “forces manipulating the democratic process”, which he n route to work yesterday, called “an issue of grave concern”. Simon Harris, the health He added that the government had a minister, spotted “no” role to play in encouraging social posters affixed to poles in media to face up to its his Wicklow constituency. responsibilities. EThey were Fine Gael-like election It was reports by and The Times posters with a picture of him, and an other newspapers, for example, that image of what appeared to be an preceded Facebook’s decision to no aborted foetus. longer accept foreign adverts He described the posters as relating to the forthcoming “disgusting” and “a really low blow” referendum. The ban will apply to that had upset his family and local those that have been paid for by residents. While Mr Harris was organisations outside the country. shocked, he should not be surprised It is only one victory, though, in a that he is the prime target. He has battle against a swirl of untruths and been the most visible, vocal and the lacklustre members of Leinster effective member of government in House seem reluctant to arm campaigning for the repeal of the themselves with the facts, climb off Eighth Amendment. the fences to which their backsides He cannot win the referendum on are firmly glued and engage with the his own — particularly as the anti- crucial percentage of undecided repeal campaign seems to be voters. extraordinarily well resourced. Yet, Some ministers and TDs on the he appears to be one of the few “yes” side are actively out on the politicians exuding urgency about doors, but many are not. The same the looming vote and who goes for the “no” politicians. To trenchantly pushes back against the date, much of the factual discussion misinformation that is prevalent in on what is proposed has been this campaign. carried out online, on television and Granted, the government has radio by qualified members of other pressing matters to deal with society, with lawyers and doctors but it cannot afford to put the “yes” appearing most often. campaign on any back burner. Where are the ding-dong political There simply is not enough time and debates? Where are the rest of the tightening polls should be causing elected public representatives who more alarm in government circles are for repeal — and not just the than they appear to be at present. same set of stalwarts, who have been There seems to be an attitude in campaigning vigorously? Facebook is blocking foreign spending on advertising relating to the abortion vote. Google will keep selling adverts to such groups trying to influence Irish voters the government that voters will The complacency in the climb up to join it on the moral high government is staggering. Voters ground and take heed of the want to know what happens if the government message. The voters referendum is passed. They want Save the 8th adviser unaware of case will do no such thing and all the answers to the questions raised by while, the falsehoods are the proposed legislation that would Ellen Coyne not have access to state-funded coun- Edwards’ syndrome, as in the case of undermining solid facts. regulate abortion if the Eighth selling in Ireland. In 2016 the UN Ms Mellet, the baby had survived. “Not Asked at a “yes” campaign event Amendment is repealed. The medical adviser for an anti-abort- human rights committee ruled that Ms many, but some,” he said. last week about the “no” posters All too often they hear claims ion group has said that he is not familiar Mellet had been subjected to cruel, in- “I don’t think the person was treated that contain not only graphic images such as that abortions will be with the Amanda Mellet case, a key humane and degrading treatment. inhumanely. If she had attended me, I but also falsehoods, Josepha carried out in the cases of non-fatal international human rights ruling The landmark judgment, the first would have looked after her compas- Madigan, the Fine Gael campaign foetal abnormalities — they will not against Irish law. time the body had ruled that Ireland’s sionately. I would have taken her co-ordinator, said: “We’re not about — or that any Irish law will be more Eamon McGuinness, who advises anti-abortion laws violated the rights of through her pregnancy, as I have done scaremongering or trying to alienate liberal than taht in the UK — it will the Save the 8th campaign and is the a woman, was followed by a judgment for over 40 years. I would have advised people.” not. former head of the Institute of Obste- in favour of Siobhán Whelan, another her not to travel.” However, it was unchallenged If the referendum does not pass, tricians and Gynaecologists, said yes- Irish woman who took a similar case. Dr McGuinness said that he could scaremongering in the Brexit the government will rightly face terday that he would have told Ms Mel- The UN called on Ireland to repeal not state if it would be possible to legis- referendum two years ago that criticism for not addressing any let not to travel for an abortion. the Eighth Amendment and compen- late for access to abortion in cases of swayed many voters, while a swathe untruths and for failing to properly Ms Mellet went to Liverpool in 2011 sate both women with €30,000. rape, incest and fatal foetal abnormali- of lies and disinformation across explain to the public what its to terminate a pregnancy after learning “I don’t know the circumstances of ty as he was “not a lawyer”. social media helped to propel proposals are. that the foetus had a fatal abnormality. this case,” Dr McGuinness said, when He said that he had never seen a Donald Trump into the White “When they go low, we go high.” She returned to Ireland while she was asked about Ms Mellet on RTÉ Radio 1’s pregnant patient who had been a victim House. Remember who uttered that noble still bleeding because she could not af- News at One programme yesterday. of incest. He suggested that in such To ignore the fact that the same soundbite? Yep, Michelle Obama, ford to stay in Britain. The ashes of her He said that in some pregnancies cases, the victim could be “traumatised malign manoeuvres are at play in while campaigning for Hillary foetus were posted to her and she did where the foetus was diagnosed with again” by terminating the pregnancy. the abortion referendum is simply to Clinton. Hitler would support repeal, says councillor Pressure grows on Google

Katie O’Neill wrote. He said the referendum was an said: “While Mr Guckian is very en- Continued from page 1 and it has been quite murky. We don’t attempt to divert attention from “poor titled to his opinion, I thought his lan- Ireland to see all of the adverts any know who’s paying for it, we don’t know An anti-abortion councillor has said health services, lack of proper invest- guage was sensationalist. It was scare- advertiser is running on Facebook. who is sponsoring it.” that “sex slavery” will be normalised if ment in education, bad roads and dwin- mongering and not factual in any way. There were calls for all social net- The government agreed this week to the Eighth Amendment is repealed in dling services”. He added: “Hitler would The idea that a councillor who repre- works to follow Facebook’s lead. The work with James Lawless, the Fianna an unsolicited email to constituents. be very happy with the proposal to sents the people of Leitrim at county press ombudsman said that social me- Fáil technology spokesman, on his bill In the email entitled “Defend the 8th, abolish the 8th.” Mr Guckian said those level would suggest what repealers are dia companies had hidden behind the on social media transparency. Mr Law- vote no,” Des Guckian, an independent in favour of legalising abortion in Ire- looking for is the normalisation of sex fig leaf of “hosting” content rather than less said Facebook’s move demonstrat- councillor for the Carrick-on-Shannon land “have no hope, nor God. They are slavery, followed by euthanasia, fol- being direct publishers for too long. ed the need for regulation. municipal district, Leitrim, also creating a culture of death.” He sug- lowed by the murder of political oppo- “I think it is an acknowledgment by “This action was forced upon Face- claimed Hitler would have supported gested that if abortion were legalised, nents and the rise of a new Hitler, I find Facebook that they have a responsibili- book by growing public and political the repeal of the Eighth Amendment. euthanasia and “the killing of political it odd of somebody dealing with county ty for their role in the public discourse pressure. People are beginning to re- “If the repealers win, girls will be ex- opponents” might not be far behind. business as a public representative.” which is taking place,” Peter Feeney cognise that murky political activity on pected to have sex on demand. Sex slav- Bernie Linnane from Leitrim To- Mr Guckian did not respond to told RTÉ. “Too much of it up to now has social media is having a corrosive effect ery will be normalised,” Mr Guckian gether for Yes, the pro-repeal group, several requests for comment. been international. It’s been offshore on our democratic process,” he said. ireland edition

thursday may 10 2018 thetimes.ie | no 72531 €1.50 IRELAND AND THE WORLD Eoghan Rice Music to help you revise Why our summer will 40 best tunes for the exam season Times2 reduce me to tears Page 18 Europe hits back at Trump over threat of Iranian sanctions

Catherine Philp, Bel Trew clear deal. The foreign secretary urged on-off negotiations, has precipitated the European Union was ready to take tion” of the kind used in 1996 to deny Mr Trump not to block other nations the most serious crisis in transatlantic the US to the World Trade Organisa- legal status to US sanctions on Euro- Britain was drawing up measures with from making the agreement work. relations since he won the presidency. tion, which can be asked to settle dis- pean companies doing business with European allies last night to counter The US president warned on Tues- In a tweet hours after taking up putes among members. “The inter- Libya, Cuba and Iran. The proposals the impact of US sanctions on com- day night that he would seek to punish his post as US ambassador to Germany, national reach of US sanctions makes will be discussed at a meeting in panies doing business with Iran. European companies that continued to Richard Grenell said that German the US the economic policeman of the London on Monday between the Brit- Boris Johnson said that the British trade with Iran in an attempt to isolate companies doing business in Iran planet, and that is not acceptable,” Bru- ish, French and German foreign minis- government would do what it could to the country and force it back to the ne- “should wind down operations no Le Maire, the French finance ters and their Iranian counterpart. protect businesses after President gotiating table. His decision to pull out immediately” before sanctions were minister, said. Another proposal being Fear grips Iran, page 24 Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nu- of the deal, the product of a decade of reinstated in 90 days. France said that considered is an EU “blocking regula- Oil price rise, page 32 ANADOLU AGENCY/GETTY Amnesty for Google ban British troops ‘breaks peace triggers row agreements’

Ellen Coyne Senior Ireland Reporter The Irish government has reiterated its opposition to plans to protect British as No camp troops from prosecution for killings during the Troubles after Theresa May said the current situation was “unfair”. A spokesman for the tánaiste said that any kind of amnesty for former British soldiers would be a breach of claims bias legacy peace agreements between Ire- land and the UK. Mrs May’s govern- ment had considered a statute of limita- tions, meaning that members of the Yes side backs move to block unregulated adverts security forces responsible for killing civilians would not be brought to court. Aaron Rogan, Ellen Coyne paign group calling for repeal, wel- The UK government had said that it comed the move. “This creates a level would include the measure in a consul- Google’s decision to block all adverts playing field between all sides, specific- tation document. A draft circulated on relating to the abortion referendum has ally in relation to YouTube and Google Tuesday did not feature a statute of lim- been welcomed by the Yes campaign searches, who can now seek to con- itations but yesterday the British prime but drew criticism from the No side. vince the Irish electorate by the minister indicated her support for some The internet giant announced that strength of their argument and power kind of protection for soldiers. She said from today it would not publish any of personal testimony, not by the depth that the “only people being investigated more adverts relating to the vote on of their pockets,” Ailbhe Smyth, the for these issues . . . are those in our May 25 on its search engine or on You- organisation’s co-director said. “We be- armed forces or those who served in Tube. The announcement came after lieve this referendum will be won on law enforcement in Northern Ireland”. Facebook said on Tuesday that it would facts, and now when undecided voters Last night a spokesman for Simon no longer take foreign adverts and are searching online, they’ll see the Coveney said: “There are no amnesties warned that doing so was a threat to the most relevant answers to their ques- from prosecution provided for in the referendum’s integrity. Yesterday tions, not the ones that are paid to be Good Friday agreement or any subse- Google said that its decision followed put in front of them.” quent agreements . . . The government’s concerns raised about adverts placed John McGuirk, a spokesman for Save position is and will remain that the rule by US groups on YouTube and other the 8th, accused Google of “shutting of law, including the requirement under platforms. down a free and fair debate”. He held a Article 2 of the European Convention “Following our update around elect- joint press conference with the Iona on Human Rights, for effective investi- ion integrity efforts globally, we have Institute and Pro Life Campaign to gations of unlawful killings, must be up- decided to pause all ads related to the complain about the decision. held by all responsible authorities.” Irish referendum on the Eighth Save the 8th has employed the ser- Tory MPs at Westminster have been Amendment,” a spokesman said. vices of Kanto, a British political con- lobbying for a statute of limitations Leo Varadkar told the Dáil that the sultancy that specialises in social media amid claims that the attempts to prose- changes should be welcomed because campaigning and online organising. cute British veterans for such alleged they would help prevent foreign influ- They had planned to use Google’s crimes constituted a “witch hunt”. ence in the referendum but said that the advertising features heavily in the cam- Prosecutors and police in Northern Ire- move “could have come sooner”. paign’s final two weeks. land insist that this does not stand up to “I think Facebook’s decision not to A statement from the groups said: “It scrutiny, with a breakdown of figures accept adverts that are paid for by out- is scandalous, and it is an attempt to rig showing no disproportionate focus on side bodies from other countries, they the referendum. Online was the only former members of the security forces. have made the right decision in that platform available to the No campaign Data sourced by the BBC has shown regard. And whether that’s a Yes ad or a to speak to voters directly. That plat- that the Police Service of Northern No ad, we all hold by the principle that form is now being undermined in order Ireland is examining 1,188 deaths not foreign money shouldn’t be used to to prevent the public from hearing the reviewed or completed by the former influence elections and referendums in message of one side. This is completely Historical Enquiries Team. Of those this country,” the taoiseach said. unacceptable, and it brings the conduct Star turn Penélope Cruz at the screening of Everybody Knows, in which she killings, 530 have been attributed to Together for Yes, an umbrella cam- Continued on page 7, col 4 appears with her husband Javier Bardem, at the Cannes Film Festival. Page 12 Continued on page 2, col 5 8 1R M Saturday May 12 2018 | the times NewsNews Abortion vote Anti-abortion group ducks Facebook ban on adverts

Facebook has failed to stop foreign- 2012 after being discharged from a Ma- abortion awfully echoes the case of bought adverts about abortion being rie Stopes clinic in Ealing, west London, Aisha Chithira at Marie Stopes in referendum shown in Ireland despite saying this after the termination at 22 weeks. Ealing. Both mother and baby lost their on the eighth week it would use tools to prevent them. Life, an anti-abortion group, bought lives. This is not what care for women amendment The social network carried adverts the advert, which featured a Fox News looks like,” the advert said. from an English charity on Thursday story about a woman who was six A spokeswoman for Facebook said Aaron Rogan Senior Ireland Reporter about a woman who died after months pregnant who bled to death that the advert had evaded its ban and travelling to the UK from Ireland for an during an abortion in New York. “The it has since been removed. abortion. Aisha Chithira, 32, died in death of this poor woman from a legal The government agreed yesterday to establish an interdepartmental group to examine the threat that social media interventions from overseas could pose to Irish democracy. The Department of the Taoiseach is chairing the group that will include relevant departments, gar- daí, Defence Forces and the Standards in Public Office Commission. Lynn Boylan, the Sinn Féin MEP, said that the group must consider “robust legislation” to deal with social media campaigning. “We must take our democratic process out of the hands of global internet giants. Misinformation campaigns, fake online profiles and other pages purporting to be neutral which have come to the fore in this referendum will likely be a feature in future campaigns,” she said. Facebook banned foreign adverts relating to the referendum on Tuesday and warned that outside influence on the network was a threat to the integri- ty of this month’s vote on the Eighth Amendment. Google then announced that it would not take any adverts relating to the referendum, disrupting the plans of campaign groups that had planned to target voters through its platforms before the vote. Save the 8th had planned to spend €40,000 over the next fortnight on Google’s platforms and said the decision to ban the adverts amounted to rigging the referendum in favour of the Yes campaigners. Leo Varadkar said that Google and Facebook’s intervention should be wel- comed but “could have come sooner”. The press ombudsman has called for regulation and said social media com- panies had hidden behind the fig leaf of “hosting” content rather than being direct publishers. “It’s been offshore and it has been quite murky. We don’t know who’s paying for it, we don’t know who is sponsoring it,” Peter Feeney said. With only two weeks before the vote Bishop ‘out of touch’ over termination in rape cases

Jennifer O’Brien was not the pregnancies often cited in the debate about the referendum on the A Catholic bishop who claimed that the Eighth Amendment, but whether trama of abortion in cases of rape could voters wanted to “strip the unborn child be worse than the attack itself has been forever of the right to life”. branded “extraordinarily out of touch”. “The law and the teaching of the Dermot Farrell, the Bishop of Osso- church have always found a way, with ry, said that a termination could have compassion, to deal with the hard enduring consequences for the woman cases,” he said. involved, specifically in the case of rape. He also suggested that in many cases “First of all, rape is a violent act and a regarding abortion, men were respon- violent crime against a woman; a terri- sible for women’s actions. “In abandon- ble crime,” he said yesterday on The Pat ing the mother during pregnancy he in- Kenny Show on Newstalk. “And some- directly encourages the woman to seek times, what I understand from women an abortion,” he said. “Abortion knows who have been raped is that the abor- no gender bias. In this regard abortion tion that followed sometimes after rape visits harm not only on women, but also was far worse than the rape itself.” on men and the surviving children.” Responding to the Bishop’s remarks, In a pastoral letter to nearly 85,000 Clíona Saidléar, executive director of parishioners earlier this month, Bishop the Rape Crisis Network, said: “It al- Farrell wrote that the church was con- most feel likes this doesn’t require a tributing to the referendum debate comment from us — it’s so extraordina- “conscious of its own wrongs and short- rily out of touch. I think we can leave it comings”. to the Irish public to make up their own He also said that repeal of the Eighth minds on it.” Bishop Farrell, who was Amendment could mean that abortion ordained in March, said the real issue laws would become more permissive. 6 1R M Thursday May 10 2018 | the times NewsNews Abortion vote Pro-repeal ministers hit the streets in bid to sway undecided

he said. “They know that women need to be helped, but they also want to know referendum Online giants that if the referendum passes the legis- on the eighth lation won’t go too far. I spent a lot of amendment time with Simon Harris on the legis- have already lation and I can reassure them it will be Lise Hand balanced.” Further signs were evident that the The justice minister was looking a little left their mark political focus is settling on the vote on befuddled as he stood outside Connolly May 25. For the first time in almost two Station in Dublin. Analysis weeks, the issue was raised in leaders’ “I’ve had two people ask me which is questions. Mattie McGrath, the inde- the right Luas for Heuston Station, and t was clear from the outset pendent TD and staunch anti-repeal which Luas goes to Stephen’s Green,” that this referendum would supporter, was armed with the heads of he said. “But I’m from the country, so be a playground for the the proposed bill, and was unhappy there was no use in asking me.” much-maligned tactics used with its contents. “All of the claims you Maybe it was the official-looking in the Trump and Brexit and your ministers are making about navy mac that he was wearing against Icampaigns (Aaron Rogan writes). protecting the child once it reaches the chill of an Irish summer morning? Yesterday, in an unprecedented viability are an absolute nonsense and Charlie Flanagan studied his outfit. move, Google opted out of taking are not worth the “That must be it,” he said. any more advertisements relating paper they are writ- He could have asked one of his pals to to the vote after criticism of ten on,” he told the explain that he didn’t work for Irish foreign funds and anonymous taoiseach. Rail. A group of them, possibly known accounts. On Tuesday Facebook Leo Varadkar de- collectively as a muttering of ministers, had announced that it would root murred. “A pregnancy was arrayed along the platforms on out and prevent any foreign ads can only be terminat- Amiens Street to canvass early morn- concerning the May 25 vote from ed after 12 weeks if two ing commuters pouring into the city running in Ireland. Both doctors, both of whom centre. Alongside him were Simon decisions show how seriously the are on the specialist Coveney, Eoghan Murphy, Mary internet giants are taking register, determine Mitchell O’Connor and Josepha Madi- complaints but highlight how that there is a serious gan, all busily dispensing Yes leaflets. unprepared they are. risk to the life or health Ms Mitchell O’Connor offered a leaf- The case also illustrates the of the mother and that let to one woman. “Are you voting inadequacy of Ireland’s electoral the pregnancy is not ‘yes’?” she asked. “I am,” replied the laws. Neither the Referendum viable,” Leo Varadkar woman. She was given a leaflet anyway. Commission nor the Standards in replied. “If it has “Talk to your friends about it,” the min- Public Office Commission have reached the point of via- ister urged. any role in overseeing social bility, a compassionate With just over two weeks until the media campaigning. Accounts early delivery occurs referendum, the political campaigning have been allowed to abuse the and every effort is made is starting to ramp up. The government advertising platforms with no to save the life of the ba- has been immersed in the cervical recourse until Facebook and by at that point as well as cancer scandal for almost a fortnight Google decided enough was the life of the mother.” and, in that time, momentum has been enough. In Google’s case this Mr McGrath subsided The Yes campaign was out in force in Dublin and appeared to gain support, although anti-repeal supporters also had their say ceded to the “no” side. Moreover, the means that a key arm of online for the moment, but it’s government has copped that Ireland’s campaigning has been cut off in short odds that the pair will tangle referendum has ignited a boiling caul- the middle of the race, leaving again before polling day. dron of fake news bubbling over social legitimate groups unable to carry And finally, the sleeping Kraken that Martin: abortion is already media, and the battle to quell it has out an online pushas planned. is the Fianna Fáil party’s pro-Repeal attracted international attention. Even Facebook’s effort to group came to life yesterday. Stung by a Another woman stopped and took a comply with Ireland’s ban on photo opportunity organised by the everyday reality in Ireland leaflet from Mr Flanagan. She ex- foreign donations stated that it hefty slice of the parliamentary party’s plained that she couldn’t vote as she was would no longer accept “ads we “no” posse last week, the “yes” gang Jennifer Bray, Katie O’Neill advocating for that. I would anticipate, from Germany. “I’m pregnant,” she determine to come from foreign held their own photo session on St it may be tight, but my sense is the refer- said, “But I would vote ‘yes’.” entities”. That leaves it up to Stephen’s Green. A good gaggle of There is no way of preventing abortion endum will pass. I am not anticipating Many commuters stopped to take Facebook’s algorithm to uphold councillors and a few senators were on from taking place in Ireland, the leader beyond that.” leaflets and those who declined shook the integrity of the referendum. show but the TDs who turned up were of Fianna Fáil has said. He said he would “respect the will of their heads and hurried on. “It’s defi- John McGuirk, the spokesman the familiar faces of the party’s repeal Micheál Martin, who is supporting a the people” and dismissed claims that a nitely more civilised than ever before,” for Save The Eighth, said campaign — among them Billy Kelle- repeal of the Eighth Amendment, said “yes” vote would result in abortions Ms Mitchell O’Connor said. “Even yesterday that Google had been her, Timmy Dooley, Lisa Chambers and that a “no” vote would result in a “long being made available without limits. three years ago we would’ve been eaten scared that it would be blamed Stephen Donnelly. “It will be tight, but stream of cases” taken by women facing Mr Martin said that he believed alive for standing here.” for a “no” vote. He is right. Social we find a lot of people who have moved extreme situations and identified only many people knew that abortion was No sooner had she spoken than an media companies are at a loss to from an absolute ‘no’ to a reluctant ‘yes’ by a “letter of the alphabet”. an “everyday reality in Ireland”. angry man snapped “no” as she held out establish how they can transfer because they really want to do some- Deirdre Conroy, a pro-choice cam- “There is no option available to make a leaflet. “It’s barbaric,” he snarled as he their advertising platforms into thing to help distressed women,” Mr paigner, questioned Mr Martin at a Ireland abortion-free,” he said. “What passed by, his American accent clear. political tools when those tools Dooley, the Clare TD, said. They posed Lawyers for Yes event yesterday about we are being asked to do is to remove a “ ‘Yes’ is a harder message to sell, with are used on divisive issues. for the photographers and began to what his party would do if elected. Ms 35-year-old provision in the constitu- its complexities, but the undecideds are Together For Yes, Amnesty drift towards Grafton Street for a can- Conroy took a case to the European tion which has not only failed to make listening on the doors,” Ms Madigan International, and the taoiseach vass. Then a tall figure hove into view. Court of Human Rights in 2005 and Ireland abortion-free, it has inflicted said. Beside her, Mr Murphy had a brisk welcomed the news. The “Jim’s here!” exclaimed some happy argued that her rights had been violat- considerable harm. There have been approach. “A ‘no’ vote means that noth- campaign groups said that the colleagues. So they all re-grouped for ed when she was denied an abortion many attempts to change the tone and ing will change, and women will still be ad-buying power of the No side another photo with the latecomer Jim after the diagnosis of a fatal foetal ab- outreach of support services. There forced to travel under tragic circum- had created an uneven playing O’Callaghan, who had hot-footed it normality. It was known as the D case have been many court cases and at- stances. And a lot of people are field and would have corrupted from another pro-repeal event attend- but she later revealed her identity. tempts to slightly alter the impact of the uncomfortable with that,” he said. the outcome. That may be the ed by Micheál Martin, his party leader. “It concerns me if there is a ‘no’ vote, amendment. What has become clearer The tánaiste left his spot to get more case but as it is not known how Back on Mr Flanagan’s platform, a and if the Fianna Fáil party should be and clearer is that the amendment leaflets. “I think it’ll be passed, but much has been spent and who twentysomething Dublin woman looks elected, will there be another referen- hasn’t worked because it cannot work.” there’s much work to do,” he said. Mr spent it, both sides can claim to curiously at the leaflet. “What’s going dum? How will situations such as fatal 6 Gardaí are investigating reports that Coveney has been canvassing in his have been unfairly treated by the on?” she asked. He explained it was in- foetal abnormality be treated?” someone slashed a graphic poster of an Cork South Central constituency, but fact that the structure of the formation on the abortion referendum. Ms Conroy asked. aborted foetus with a knife in Dublin said that it was slow going. “As I’m campaign has been left up to the The woman looked blank. “Never Mr Martin said: “The only way that yesterday. The poster was put up out- someone who came from a pro-life marketing departments of heard of it,” she said cheerfully. You we can address fatal foetal abnormali- side the headquarters of The Irish Times position to supporting repeal, people private companies. could’ve driven a Saggart-bound Luas ties is to repeal the Eighth Amendment by the Irish Centre for Bio-Ethical Re- are interested in how that happened,” through the minister’s swinging jaw. and that is one of the reasons why I am form, an anti-abortion group. the times | Friday May 25 2018 1R M 7 NewsNews Activists take heart from bus trip behind enemy lines Just put yourself JAMES CONNOLLY in the shoes of a woman in crisis

the parents-to-be are told their baby Leo Varadkar won’t survive outside the womb or Comment when the life or health of the woman is at serious risk. Viable pregnancies will not be t’s 35 years since the Eighth aborted. Instead the baby will be Amendment was inserted into delivered early and given the best our constitution. Its aim was to neonatal and paediatric care stop Irish women having available. Those posters claiming abortions. It hasn’t done so. It otherwise are designed to cause Ihas just swept the issue under the shock and upset. They don’t reflect carpet. Today you are being asked a the government’s proposals. Our once-in-a-generation question: system will be much more should we remove the Eighth restrictive than in Britain and very Amendment from the constitution much in line with continental and allow legal abortion in limited Europe. circumstances in Ireland, yes or no? In the last few days of the Today, like every other day, nine campaign I’ve heard those opposing Irish women will travel abroad to end change suggesting that there’s some their pregnancies and three more alternative. That we could amend will take abortion pills at home and the Eighth Amendment or somehow in secret, without the medical advice legislate for the so-called “hard and support they need. cases”. We can’t. In more than three If we don’t remove the amendment decades no one has come up with an from the constitution our doctors alternative. Even if this fictional and lawmakers can’t do anything for alternative did exist, those on the No women. They can’t do anything for side would still find a way to oppose women who have been raped, who it. It’s a red herring, a tactic, are children themselves or who have designed to sway undecided voters been given the heartbreaking news of based on a false promise of a second a fatal foetal abnormality. If the referendum on a new amendment. I referendum doesn’t pass these believe the Irish people will see women will continue to have to travel through it. abroad in their thousands. If you are still deciding which way If the referendum is passed the to vote, I would ask you to put government will be able to yourself in the shoes of a woman in introduce a safe, regulated, doctor- a crisis pregnancy. Perhaps she has led system for the termination of been raped or is a child herself or pregnancies. It won’t be on demand perhaps her serious illness means and there will be restrictions. First her pregnancy is putting her life at of all there will be a waiting period risk. Her crisis shouldn’t be up for of 72 hours from when the woman debate in the courts or our goes to her doctor to allow her to parliament. Her private and consider all other options and access personal medical condition should counselling if she wishes. A medical be a matter for her, her family and professional will have to certify that her doctor. Voting “yes” doesn’t the pregnancy has not exceeded 12 mean you agree with abortion. It weeks — that’s ten weeks after just means you are willing to allow conception — and will make sure the pregnant woman in crisis to that it is safe for her to take the pill. make her own decision. Please vote Terminations beyond 12 weeks “yes” today so we can treat women will remain illegal except in very in crisis with compassion and care. specific circumstances; such as in helped Leah Doherty, left, to canvass in Carrick-On-Shannon, Co Leitrim, after she fell into a pothole and broke her ankle the heartbreaking situation where Leo Varadkar is the taoiseach Facebook flooded with scare stories Doctors backing ‘no’ in

Aaron Rogan Senior Ireland Reporter Another ad on the page claimed that push Facebook and Google to make the only 5 per cent of doctors in Ireland information they have on referendum final plea for status quo Anonymous anti-abortion campaign- supported repeal. advertising public. ers flooded Facebook with advertise- The ads appeared at about the time The Transparent Referendum Initia- David Young the letter. “In circumstances where the ments showing graphic images and the broadcast moratorium began at tive, which has monitored social media draft abortion law specifies that the role making misleading claims yesterday 2pm. The ban on reporting about the campaigning, found that almost two GPs supporting a “no” vote fear of the GP will be ‘carrying out the ter- afternoon when the broadcast morato- referendum applies to television and thirds of the 280 groups that advertised repealing the Eighth Amendment will mination of pregnancy’ at the request rium kicked in. radio but does not cover newspapers or during the campaign were not regis- open the door to abortions on demand. of the patient, without the need for any Just The Facts About the 8th Amend- social media. Official accounts on both tered with the Standards in Public They say that asking doctors to carry reason to be given by the patient, there ment promoted pictures of what ap- sides were promoting posts yesterday Office Commission. The group has out terminations without a reason is no way such a proposal could be de- peared to be a foetus after a late-term in a final attempt to convince voters. called for the government to prioritise being given up to 12 weeks, as set out in scribed as ‘healthcare’.” abortion with the message “Remember The lack of transparency of ad-buy- new laws to deal with the role of social government proposals, cannot be re- He described the grounds for a termi- what abortion involves, please. It’s ers online has been raised throughout media in future campaigns. garded as “healthcare”. nation up to 24 weeks in the proposals simple brutality. The Pro Choice move- the campaign and Facebook and “Tech firms have the ethos of ‘move More than 120 GPs put their names as “vague and ill-defined”. ment wants to hide the facts of what’s Google took the unprecedented action fast and break things’, which is the an- to an open letter yesterday expressing Dr Crowley added: “Given that re- involved in the process, and the media of restricting their platforms two weeks tithesis of the deliberative and slow- “serious concerns” about legislation peal of the Eighth Amendment would have helped.” The page also promoted a ago, citing concerns that they could be moving institutions we entrust to make put forward by Simon Harris, the strip unborn babies of all legal protec- post that said that Simon Harris, the used to unduly influence the vote. our elections and referendums fair,” Liz health minister. tions and given what we regard as the health minister, could have legislated Google announced an outright ban on Carolan, co-founder of the group, said. The proposals would allow abortions inappropriateness of expecting GPs to for terminations in some cases without referendum ads but Facebook opted “On the flip side, technology is evolv- up until 12 weeks’ gestation, albeit sub- oversee the provision of abortion ser- removing the Eighth Amendment. This only to block ads from foreign pages. ing so fast and following such opaque ject to medical advice and a cooling-off vices, without any prior consultation claim has been dismissed by the gov- The decisions heightened calls for new algorithms that those with responsibili- period, and in defined exceptional cir- from government, we believe a ‘no’ vote ernment and legal experts. electoral laws to take account of tech- ty to make rules about the things that cumstances between 12 and 24 weeks. on May 25 is the correct course of Women’s Health Interests ran an ad nological advances and highlighted the affect us deeply are not able to keep Brendan Crowley, one of the GPs, action.” falsely claiming that women who have limits of election watchdogs. pace and adapt. We are playing regula- said the doctors were “not expressing a The issue has divided the medical terminations are 44 per cent more at James Lawless, Fianna Fáil techno- tory whack-a-mole, and we are doing it position”. “However, we are united in profession in Ireland. The Institute of risk of developing breast cancer. Vote logy spokesman, is working with the with blindfolds on.” the view that the government’s pro- Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has No Save The 8th ran more than a dozen government to pass a bill he has drafted An analysis of all 1,281 ads captured posals would open the door to abortion backed repeal and 1,517 medics have ads, some of which showed scare stories that would regulate political campaigns by the group before yesterday found on demand in a similar manner to that added their names to the Doctors for of botched abortions in other countries. on social media. He said that he would that 749 were for Yes and 532 for No. prevailing in Britain,” he said, quoting Yes list. the times | Saturday July 21 2018 1R M RM 9 News ‘Aladdin’s cave’ thieves ordered to leave the country Man gets life

Sonya McLean worth of sex toys and their six-night New York, costing €3,592, and Dublin dial sentence but noted that the couple, stay in the Fitzwilliam Hotel on St Ste- to Kuala Lumpur, costing €8,798. He who lived in Malaysia with their young for strangling A couple who were caught with “an phen’s Green, Dublin, costing €2,781. agreed with Ronan Kennedy, for the children before coming to Ireland, had Aladdin’s cave” of stolen items at a hotel Searching Kashif’s laptop led to the prosecution, that when officers raided been separated from them for a pro- have been convicted of theft and fraud. discovery of an online chat involving the hotel room it was “an Aladdin’s longed period of time. She suspended young mother Muhammed Kashif, 42, and his wife four people disclosing the details of cave” with more than 140 items seized. the final three years of their four-year Deepa Vaswani, 39, had used stolen thousands of credit cards. Garda Cathal Yesterday at Dublin circuit criminal sentence and ordered that they leave Olivia Kelleher credit card details to pay for €1,452 Feely said that the couple had also used court Judge Melanie Greally said that Ireland within seven days of release worth of toys from Smyths Toys, €161 details to buy flights from Dublin to the case merited a considerable custo- and not return for 20 years. A young mother would have “pined” for her family as she lay dying in a derelict

SAM BOAL/ROLLINGNEWS building in Cork city, a court was told yesterday as the father of her child was jailed for her murder. Amy McCarthy, 22, from Green- 2,500 have mount, Cork, had more than 90 injuries when her body was found in a former their flight office building on April 30 last year. Her partner, Adam O’Keeffe, 27, of St cancelled Vincent’s Hostel in Cork, was given the mandatory life sentence after he was convicted at the Central Criminal by Ryanair Court sitting in Cork. He had admitted manslaughter but denied murder. O’Keeffe told gardaí after his arrest bout 2,500 that he had experienced a blackout and Ryanair could not remember assaulting Ms passengers have McCarthy, but accepted that he must had flights have done so. A post-mortem examina- booked for next tion revealed that she died of blunt ATuesday cancelled because force trauma to the head, strangulation of a dispute involving the and alcohol intoxication. She lay in a airline’s Irish pilots coma for several hours before she died. (Michael Cogley writes). O’Keeffe called the attack his “big- Ryanair cancelled 24 gest regret” and said he would swap flights between the UK and places with Ms McCarthy, whom he Ireland yesterday on the called his soulmate, if he could. second of three one-day In a victim impact statement, Jessie stoppages by members of McCarthy said that the thought of her the Irish Air Line Pilots’ sister on the ground slowly dying with- Association (Ialpa). The out any assistance broke her family’s pilots want better hearts and that her death had left a void conditions on in their lives. “The one thought in our seniority, leave and minds that will remain for ever is of transfers between Amy lying on the floor with no one to bases. pick her up and get the help she needed. The opposing sides We have no doubt that she was pining met at Terminal 1 in Ryanair pilots and their families picket the airline’s head office in Swords, Dublin, yesterday for us that night,” she said. Dublin on She added that Ms McCarthy and Wednesday to try again failed to answer our will receive a refund or be with some picketing the O’Keeffe’s son, also called Adam, two, to avert another call to cancel the third rebooked on other Ryanair company’s head office in was the person who missed her most. day of strike strike by a small minority flights over the next week. Swords, Co Fingal. Ms Justice Eileen Creedon said it was action. Ryanair of our Irish pilots, we In a letter to Angela Kirk, Ryanair has cancelled an extremely sad case and offered her said it was regrettably have national secretary of Fórsa, 300 of its 2,400 daily flights condolences to the McCarthy family. “disgraceful” cancelled just 16 of Eddie Wilson, Ryanair’s in Belgium, Portugal and that Fórsa, the over 290 Irish flights chief people officer, Spain because of planned union that next Tuesday,” accused Fórsa of “wasting stoppages by cabin crew in includes Ialpa, had Ryanair said. our time and disrupting our Europe on Wednesday and not responded to It said that all Irish customers and their Thursday during a separate Couple stole its proposals over 2,500 affected families”. About 100 of dispute over conditions. As the past two days. Irish customers Ialpa’s Ryanair members many as 100,000 customers “Since Fórsa has had been notified and went on strike yesterday will be affected. €72,000 in welfare scam

Aoife Nic Ardghail, Jessica Magee Facebook set to publish campaign Two grandparents admitted yesterday that they fraudulently claimed more than €72,000 in social welfare pay- ments over 11 years. expenses for abortion referendum Annette McCluskey, 57, worked as a cleaner under an assumed name while her husband Edward, 61, falsely Aaron Rogan, Ellen Coyne that they would follow suit but had not public policy in Ireland, wrote to Mr advertising relating to the referendum claimed adult dependant allowances. made a commitment. Ryan this week and confirmed that the was that there had been a sharp rise in Mrs McCluskey received a three- Facebook has opened the door for full After concerns that foreign money company would share certain informa- the purchase of adverts by accounts year suspended sentence while her hus- disclosure of the amount spent by cam- was being used to target voters, Face- tion. She said that the figures would not outside Ireland. Google was aware of band was given a two-year suspended paigners in all elections, according to book banned adverts from overseas. be exact because the company did not the sensitivity of the vote. sentence at Dublin circuit criminal Eamon Ryan, the Green Party leader. Google, which owns YouTube, blocked have systems to store and retrieve in- Data from the Transparent Referen- court. The couple, of Dublin city, have The social media network has bowed all ads relating to the abortion referen- formation on ad buying. dum Initiative disclosed after the vote arranged to pay €28 a week to the to political pressure and agreed to dum. Both cited unspecified threats to She said that the company was re- that 57 per cent of the 224 web pages Department of Social and Family reveal the amount of money spent by the integrity of the vote. leasing whatever data it could because that included paid-for adverts about Affairs to offset the debt. They have so groups during the referendum on the “A really interesting and important it understood the desire for transparen- the vote were not registered or affiliat- far repaid more than €3,000. Eighth Amendment. question is why those decisions were cy around the level of spending. ed to a group registered with the Stan- Judge Karen O’Connor said: “This The details will be given to research- made,” Mr Ryan said. “This will allow us Facebook will work with the univers- dards in Public Office Commission. was not a victimless crime. Funds ers at University College Dublin after a to get a better insight into it.” ity and the Transparent Referendum James Lawless, the Fianna Fáil tech- which might have helped our health request from Mr Ryan. The decision The impact of social media on public Initiative, a volunteer group that moni- nology spokesman, has tabled a bill on services or education services have will lead to similar calls across Europe, debate was identified as a threat to Irish tored social media during the cam- social media transparency, which been lost.” She accepted that Mr including in Britain, where there is con- society in a government risk report this paign, to select the relevant pages for would make disclosure of spending McCluskey’s alcohol addiction had af- troversy about how Facebook was used week. It recommended the establish- which spending details will be released. mandatory for any group that cam- fected his wife’s financial means. during the Brexit referendum. ment of an electoral commission to The information will be anonymous paigns in an election or referendum. Mrs McCluskey admitted three sam- Mr Ryan said that the disclosure of combat the threat. Mr Ryan agreed that and in compliance with data protection Denis Naughten, the communications ple charges of stealing adult dependant the information was a “good news this was necessary and said that the rules. It will also include data on ads minister, will work on the bill. allowance between July 2004 and story” for Ireland because it would commission should be able to secure that were rejected after the ban on for- Mr Lawless is also calling for disclo- March 2013, and using a PPS number in open the door for similar information commitments of disclosure from social eign input came into force. sure statements on political adverts to another person’s name. Mr McCluskey being shared in future votes. He said media companies about the level of Google told the Oireachtas commu- show who published and paid for them. also admitted stealing adult dependant that he had met Google executives spending on campaigns. nications committee last month that He wants it to be illegal to co-ordinate allowance. He has 13 previous convic- twice this week and he was confident Niamh Sweeney, Facebook’s head of the only factor in its decision to pull all fake social media accounts. tions, while his wife had none.