Two NYPD officers shot in possible revenge attack

A gunman shot dead two New York City police officers and then killed himself, according to police, after a social media post indicated he may have been seeking revenge for the death of an unarmed black man during an arrest attempt.

The two officers, Rafael Ramos, 40, and Wenjian Liu, 32, were ambushed in their patrol car on Saturday afternoon, said NYPD Police Commissioner William Bratton.

"They were quite simply assassinated, targeted for their uniforms," he told a news conference after the attack, the first in which NYPD officers had been killed by gunfire since 2011.

The two men were attacked outside a housing project in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn at a tense time for the NYPD, the largest police force in the country.

Protests over policing tactics have roiled the city since a grand jury declined this month to indict a white NYPD officer in the killing of Eric Garner, a black man who died after being placed in a chokehold during a July arrest on Staten Island.

The shooter fired through the passenger-side window of their marked patrol car, striking both officers in the head before they had a chance to respond, Mr Bratton said. The suspect fled on foot, followed by other police, then took his own life on a subway platform.

US President Barack Obama condemned the killings, saying "two brave men won't be going home to their loved ones tonight." US Attorney General Eric Holder promised the support of the Justice Department throughout the investigation.

Mr Bratton said the gunman, identified as 28-year-old Ismaaiyl Brinsley had made "anti-police" comments online.

Shortly before the double shooting, a message on an Instagram account apparently belonging to Mr Brinsley said "They Take 1 Of Ours ... Let's Take 2of Theirs."

The posting was followed with hashtags referencing Garner and Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager shot and killed by a white officer in Ferguson, Missouri in August.

Mr Bratton said investigators were checking whether Brinsley had attended any of the recent protests.

The killings of Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu also revealed bitter anger among some police toward New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who they see as not being supportive in the face of public anger.

Several officers turned their backs on de Blasio when he arrived at the Brooklyn hospital where the two officers were taken after they were shot, video showed.

It was unclear why the gunman chose Brooklyn.

Authorities said Mr Brinsley, who previously lived in Georgia, had shot and wounded his girlfriend in Baltimore early on Saturday morning before heading north to New York City.

Baltimore County Police said in a news release officers had learned of the Instagram threat and contacted the NYPD by telephone about 30 minutes before the shooting, following that warning with a faxed photo of Mr Brinsley. 

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President Higgins gives Christmas address

In his Christmas and New Year message, President Michael D Higgins has offered wishes to everyone in Ireland as well as all of the Irish abroad, those who assist them, and the communities that have welcomed them.

The president also referenced his recent trip to Africa and his State Visit to the United Kingdom earlier this year, after which he says our two peoples will "no longer look at each other with doubtful eyes".

You can read the full address below and watch it in both English and Irish. 

Christmas and New Year Message from President Michael D. Higgins 2014

Christmas and New Year Message from President Michael D Higgins 2014

As President of Ireland, may I offer my warmest wishes for Christmas and the New Year to everyone in Ireland, and to all of our Irish abroad, those who assist them, and the communities that have welcomed them. 

Christmas is a season of joy and warmth. It is a special time of the year, when so many of us come together with family and friends in a spirit of sharing and celebration. It is an opportunity to revive hope and anticipation, which can encourage us, including those who may be feeling distressed or lonely, to look beyond the long dark nights, to the promise once again, of the dawning light of Spring. 

The story of Bethlehem, of the homeless Joseph and Mary anticipating the birth of their child, is at the heart of this holiday and it invites us to reflect on how we relate to the stranger, the vulnerable in our midst. At Christmas we are reminded, not only of how a man and a woman had to leave their familiar surroundings and have their child in a strange place, of how they were joined by unknown shepherds and visitors from faraway lands, but most importantly, of the empowering ethic of hospitality. 

I completed, last month, a three-week visit to Africa, where I witnessed first-hand the impressive solidarity of countries such as Ethiopia in responding to the predicament of so many men, women and children from neighbouring countries who were forced to leave behind their homes, communities and livelihoods to seek refuge in their neighbour's territory. Such willingness to offer shelter to those fleeing persecution or hunger is an issue that should involve us all, and not just the countries first affected. 

Christmas is a season of peace, a time to recall all that can be achieved through reflection, forgiveness and reconciliation. Earlier this year, I had the great honour of being Ireland's first Head of State to pay a State Visit to our nearest neighbour in every sense, the United Kingdom. It was an immense privilege and pleasure to be thus able to manifest the friendship between our two peoples, who no longer look at each other with doubtful eyes, but, rather, with the trustful eyes of mutual respect and shared commitments. 

As a New Year approaches, and we continue our lives together, may I offer our appreciation to all who make that possible. I know that a commitment to the service of our citizens is shared by all those with a public service mission. May I, on behalf of the Irish people, thank in particular those who are caring for our communities during the holiday season – including the staff in our hospitals and emergency services, An Garda Síochána, and members of our Defence Forces who are supporting peace abroad. 

My wish is that 2015 will bring our people a bounty of opportunities for flourishing and renewal. May the caring spirit that infuses these precious few days spent in the company of those we love extend to all and well beyond the Christmas holiday, into the year ahead. 

Sabina and I wish each and every one of you a very happy Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year. 

Aitheasc na Nollag agus na hAthbhliana ó Uachtarán na hÉireann

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Obama says Sony cyber attack was not act of war

US President Barack Obama has said in a TV interview set for broadcast later today that he did not consider the cyber attack on Sony Corp - which has been blamed on North Korea - to be an act of war, but rather cyber vandalism.

Mr Obama and his advisers are weighing up how to respond in kind to the attack, which prompted Sony to withdraw a comedy movie, 'The Interview' that had been prepared for release to movie theatres over the Christmas period.

"No, I don't think it was an act of war. I think it was an act of cyber vandalism that was very costly, very expensive. We take it very seriously. We will respond proportionately," Mr Obama told CNN's "State of the Union with Candy Crowley" show.

The president also said his government was considering putting North Korea back on a US list of countries that sponsor terrorism.

During the interview Mr Obama also vowed to "do everything I can" to close the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay and stated separately that Russian President Vladimir Putin is presiding over the collapse of the Russian currency, a financial crisis and a huge economic contraction.

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Bord Gáis questioned need for water metering

Bord Gáis questioned the need to proceed with Irish Water's €540m metering programme as a means of billing customers for water use, according to documents seen by RTÉ's This Week programme.

Senior officials at the semi-state company, which was given the task of setting up Irish Water, told the Department of Environment they did not see the need to have more than 1,000,000 meters installed across the country as a pre-requisite to charging users for water.

The revelation about Bord Gáis's questions over the merits of the timeline for the metering programme is contained in a memo, which was recorded at a high-level meeting between officials at Bord Gáis and Environment Department.

The meeting took place on 11 May 2012, just weeks after Bord Gáis had been appointed by the Government to set up Irish Water, and at the start of a critical phase in the establishment of the controversial new utility.

However, despite Bord Gáis's doubts about the need to have water metering in place before billing, the memo shows that officials in then Environment Minister Phil Hogan's department told Bord Gáis that it was the "Government's wishes" that metering had to be in place before billing began.

The memo of the meeting was recorded by a senior official at the Department of Environment.

Bord Gáis told the department it "didn't necessarily see the link between metering and charging initially" for domestic water use.

The company, which is now called Ervia, expressed the view instead that "revenue and billing generation could potentially be seen as a priority before metering is delivered".

The alternative to charging customers based on metered use from the start would have been to apply a flat or assessed charge per household.

However, the record shows that department officials told Bord Gáis at the meeting this was not in line with the approach that Government wanted to take.

The note goes on to say that Bord Gáis wanted to "further consider the metering programme and come to a view on it themselves".

The spokesman for the Department of Environment told RTÉ's This Week the memo from the meeting on 11 May 2012 "reflects the fact that following the appointment of Bord Gáis, departmental officials were bringing Bord Gáis up to speed on the work which had been progressed to date and decisions of Government. It is reasonable that Bord Gáis in this early stage would interrogate all aspects of the reform programme to come to a full understanding" of the overall implementation plan for Irish Water.

The statement added: "While it is a technical point that charging was not dependent on metering - as other forms of charges could be looked at - the department was simply pointing out agreed Government policy was that metering was to be introduced".

The memo of the meeting was obtained by RTÉ's This Week programme under a Freedom of Information request.

Information gaps for meetings between Bord Gáis and department 

However, there are significant information gaps in terms of what was discussed at meetings between the Department of Environment and Bord Gáis in the first six months of the roll-out of Irish Water.

According to a list of meetings obtained by RTÉ, there are no notes or minutes available for more than half of the 23 meetings which took place between Bord Gáis and the department during the first six months of Irish Water's critical set-up phase, in the period from April to September 2012.

The records show that the Department of Environment did not record any notes or minutes for 13 of those 23 meetings. The meetings for which there are no available records include two meetings held between Bord Gáis and the then-minister Phil Hogan.

There were no official notes or minutes recorded in relation to any of the four meetings held between the department and Bord Gáis over the two weeks prior to that meeting on 11 May 2012, when Bord Gáis questioned the need to roll-out the metering programme before billing.

And there were also no notes or minutes recorded at the meeting which took place immediately after that 11 May discussion, less than one week later.

Most of the meetings for which there are no notes or minutes available were described as 'checkpoint meetings' between Bord Gáis and the department.

However, two meetings took place that also involved minister Phil Hogan, on 28 June 2012 and again the following month, on 12 July, from which no notes or minutes of discussions were generated.

The department also failed to produce any notes or minutes relating to a meeting in June of 2012 with the water regulator CER, Bord Gáis and New Era, with whom the department was engaged in discussions at the time about the likely cost of metering, which would have to be paid via customer utility bills.

Of the 10 meetings in which there are notes or minutes available, half of these have just one page of typed text.

Asked whether the absence or brevity of records raised questions over the Department of Environment's governance and accountability in relation to discussions with Bord Gáis, a spokesman for the Department said that there are "strong governance and oversight arrangements in place, which cannot be fully judged from the perspective of single issue meetings".

The spokesman said the development of the Irish Water implementation plan "required the involvement of all key stakeholders, for example workshops with local authority and CER input, and assistance from PWC in defining appropriate programme management structures and governance.

"As part of this process there was a series of meetings with BGE - these 'checkpoint meetings' were exchanges of information and noting of progress - leading to the department's Irish Water implementation plan and the detailed Bord Gáis Project initiation document (PID).

"Implementation plans were supported by a memorandum of understanding, with key stakeholders reflecting their roles and responsibilities, deliverables and interactions with the department".

The spokesman added there was a hierarchy of meetings between different stakeholders, of which the so-called 'checkpoint meetings' were generally reflected in updates of programme monitoring records.

 "If a meeting was simply a briefing on issues, there would simply be a record of it having taken place and may be follow-up emails on exchange of documents".

However, the statement did not address the absence of minutes or notes relating to meetings between the minister and Bord Gáis, or with New Era and CER.

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Varadkar: No attempt to hide waiting list details

In response to reports that tens of thousands of patients are on hidden waiting lists within the health service, Minister for Health Leo Varadkar has said there was no attempt to conceal any information.

Mr Varadkar said it is "important to bear in mind that many people waiting for a scan are also waiting for a hospital appointment or surgical procedure.

"Rather than under-estimating the number of people waiting, it's often the case that the same people are often counted several times."

The minister added: "A row over statistics misses the point, in my view. We all agree that waiting times for public patients are unacceptable. I am working with the HSE on plans for next year for a special focus on very long-waiters."

Fianna Fáil Health spokesperson Billy Kelleher said the Government must explain why delays in diagnostic cases are not being disclosed in published reports.

"The scale of these delays is extremely alarming, but what is worse is the fact that the extent of the problem is being concealed from the public," he said.

Sinn Féin's spokesperson on Health and Children Caoimhghín O'Caoláin has called on the HSE to "come clean" about waiting lists.

He said: "That citizens are being left for more than two years for an MRI scan is inexcusable. That the HSE has been withholding the facts regarding the reality of waiting times for outpatient services that could inform life or death decisions is intolerable. The HSE Director General needs to immediately come clean on these revelations."

In response to today's report in the Sunday Business Post, the HSE issued a statement saying it is currently undertaking a full review of diagnostic waiting times to ensure that "urgent patients are seen as a priority".

It also said: "As part of this process a validation of wait times for diagnostics in all hospitals is required as significant inconsistencies and inaccuracies have been identified.

"It is for that reason that the figures have not been reported on in recent months. From January 2015 there is now a requirement for all hospitals to report on validated diagnostic wait times; this will be done on a monthly basis."

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15-year-old boy dies following Dublin crash

An investigation is under way following a fatal crash in Clondalkin in Dublin last night.

A 15-year-old boy was seriously injured when the car he was travelling in as a passenger mounted a footpath and hit a tree at around 10pm at Station Rd in Clondalkin.

He was taken to Tallaght Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. A post mortem is to be arranged.

The four other occupants of the car, all male aged between 14 and 16, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

One of the boys was taken to Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin in a serious condition, while the other three were taken to Tallaght Hospital.

The scene was closed to facilitate a forensic investigation but has since re-opened.

Gardaí say the car had not been stolen.

Anyone with information in relation to the collision is asked to contact Ronanstown Garda Station on 01-666-7700, The Garda Confidential Line on 1800-666-111 or any garda station.

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Former Aer Lingus employees in pension protest

Former employees of Aer Lingus, Dublin Airport Authority and SR Technics, who say they stand to lose up to 60% of their pensions under the airline's new pension deal, have protested outside Dublin Airport.

The group, made up of workers who deferred their pensions, has said its members were not consulted about the proposals and are not protected by legislation that limits cuts for active pensioners to 20%.

Shareholders at Aer Lingus last week approved a deal to address a €780m deficit in its pension scheme.

The deal will see the current scheme frozen at the end of this year and current employees move to a new defined contribution scheme.

Active retirees and deferred pensioners will now receive combined pensions, whereby the Irish Airlines Superannuation Scheme portion of their pension will be reduced to take into account the State pension.

However, former workers on deferred pensions have said they have no power to limit cuts to their pension because they do not have union representation and can not launch industrial action.

The group is calling on Minister for Transport Paschal Donohoe to change pension legislation to afford those on deferred pensions the same protection as active pensioners. 

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N Korea proposes joint US inquiry into Sony attack

North Korea has proposed a joint investigation with the United States on the cyber attack against Sony Pictures, calling the charge by the FBI that it was behind the attack "slander", state media said today.

An unnamed spokesman of North Korea's foreign ministry said there would be "grave consequences" if Washington refused to agree to the joint inquiry and continued to accuse them, the official KCNA news agency reported.

Meanwhile, the head of Sony Pictures has insisted the studio has "not caved" over the decision to cancel the release of a movie about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

At his end-of-year press conference, US president Barack Obama said Sony had "made a mistake", adding: "I wish they had spoken to me first.

"We cannot have a society in which some dictatorship some place can start imposing censorship."

But Michael Lynton, the company's chief executive, said Mr Obama himself was "mistaken" in his criticism of the decision not to show controversial film The Interview after hackers made terrorist threats against cinemas that chose to screen it.

Mr Lynton told US network CNN that the release was only scrapped after all major cinema chains decided not to show the film.

He said: "The president, the press and the public are mistaken as to what actually happened. We do not own movie theatres. We cannot determine whether or not a movie will be played in movie theatres."

Sony has suggested that it could now release the movie on DVD or through video-on-demand services.

The company said: "The only decision that we have made with respect to release of the film was not to release it on Christmas Day in theatres, after the theatre owners declined to show it.

"After that decision, we immediately began actively surveying alternatives to enable us to release the movie on a different platform."

Hollywood star George Clooney said the entertainment industry should push for immediate release of The Interview online.

He told the trade site Deadline that Sony should "do whatever you can to get this movie out".

"Not because everybody has to see the movie, but because I'm not going to be told we can't see the movie," he added. "That's the most important part".

Meanwhile, the FBI confirmed the cyber attack on Sony that saw thousands of internal files leaked online was carried out by the North Korean government.

Since the attack on Sony's internal network, which was carried out by a group calling itself The Guardians of Peace, thousands of emails, personal details and even films from Sony have been leaked online.

As well as the cancellation of The Interview, a film which North Korea called an "act of war", the cyber attack has seen emails between Sony executives criticising Angelina Jolie and the personal details and social security numbers of thousands of staff appear online.

The Guardians of Peace has since praised Sony's decision to cancel The Interview's release, and told CNN that no more Sony data would be released if the firm continued to comply.

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Senators accused of filibustering on Water Bill

The Seanad debated the Water Services Bill into the early hours of this morning with senators discussing the details for over 16 hours.

The Water Services Bill deals with many of the changes announced by the Government in November in relation to water charges, including a reduction in the bills households will face.

On Thursday the Dáil passed the Bill by 81 votes to 58.

The legislation then moved to the Seanad for debate.

The upper house debated its committee stage until around 3am having completed six of the 16 sections of the Bill. 

The debate was then adjourned until midday on Monday when final stages will be dealt with. The debate is due to finish at 6pm.

Senators yesterday were accused of filibustering as it took over five hours to debate the first tabled amendment before it was withdrawn by Independent Senator Sean Barrett.

Fianna Fáil opposed the guillotine of the bill, however the party was criticised by Sinn Féin for agreeing to the adjournment just after 3am today. 

Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil have accused the Government of breaking its word when it promised not to guillotine the legislation in the Seanad.

Speaking on the first amendment Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly said he would not support it even though it was put down for the right reason.

The minister said he would accept amendments if they improved or enhanced the Bill, but he said he would not do so for the sake of it.

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Breakthrough at Northern Ireland talks

The five political parties at Stormont made a breakthrough yesterday when they agreed positions on finance and welfare reform, according to Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan.

The talks in Belfast adjourned late last night and will resume on Monday.

The talks are being jointly chaired by Mr Flanagan and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Theresa Villiers.

Mr Flanagan said the five political parties at Stormont made a breakthrough yesterday when they agreed positions on finance and welfare reform.

He said he was confident that a deal would be struck early next week.

Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said there had yet to be agreement on issues of identity, parades and the legacy of the past. 

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