TheJournal.ie uses cookies. By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Click here to find out more »
Dublin: 7 °C Tuesday 18 June, 2013

The 9 at 9: Wednesday

The nine stories you need to know about this morning, including: Occupy Galway camp dismantled, a new Mission to Prey court case, and why one company won’t advertise on Facebook anymore…

Image: Tim Green via Flickr/Creative Commons

EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you the nine stories you need to know this morning.

1. #WAR CRIMES: The trial of former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic begins at The Hague today, with Mladic charged with 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide. His defence team had argued for a delay in the trial because of the 70-year-old’s ill health but the request was rejected by the judges. At least 400 witnesses are expected to testify during the trial.

2. #OCCUPY GALWAY: Gardaí in Galway have dismantled the Occupy Galway Camp at Eyre Square which had been in place for 215 days. The operation involving about 40 Gardaí began in the early hours of the morning. Galway City council said it took the action to remove the protesters because the camp had been erected without consent.

3. #SHOOTING: Gardaí are investigating after a 32-year-old man was shot and injured as he sat in his car in Ballyfermot in Dublin late last night. The man was approached by a lone gunman who fired a number of shots, hitting the man at least once in his side. The man was able to drive his car to nearby Cloverhill Prison where he received help before being taken to Tallaght Hospital.

4. #CARETAKER GOVERNMENT: The president of Greece is set to appoint a caretaker government ahead of fresh parliamentary elections which are expected to take place next month. The BBC is reporting that a final round of talks to secure a coalition failed on Tuesday, almost a week and a half after the elections produced a hung parliament. The uncertainty has hit the markets with the euro falling to a four month low against the dollar this morning, the Guardian reports.

5. #MISSION TO PREY: A Kenyan bishop has become the third cleric to take legal action against RTE over its controversial Prime Time Investigates programme Mission to Prey, according to the Irish Independent. Edel Kennedy reports that papers were lodged at the High Court earlier this week by Philip Sulumeti, who is seeking damages as a result of his inclusion and portrayal in the programme. Separately, senior management from RTE and the BAI are to meet with an Oireachtas committee later today to discuss issues arising out of the Fr Kevin Reynolds libel case.

6. #COURTS: A former Fine Gael councillor who is on trial over corruption charges has told the court that the €80,000 he received from a property developer was a loan, the Irish Times reports. Fred Forsey Junior said he intended repaying the money he had received from the property developer and denied lobbying members of Waterford County Council to rezone land owned by the developer.

7. #MENTAL HEALTH: Almost one in three young people have experienced mental health problems according to a major new survey of youth mental health in Ireland. The study of 14,000 people aged between 12 and 25 found that nearly half of all sixth years in secondary school reported drinking behaviour outside the normal range and that depression and anxiety were found to be significantly higher when young people engaged in harmful drinking.

8. #BIPARTISANSHIP: The government has said it will not oppose a Fianna Fáil bill which would regulate firms offering debt management advice and household budgeting services. The proposal would compel operators in the debt advice industry to declare their fees upfront and for the Central Bank to produce a code of practice.

9. #SO LONG: One of the biggest companies in America has said it plans to stop advertising on Facebook – because the ads just don’t work. The Wall Street Journal said that General Motors decided that ads on the social networking site have little impact on consumers’ car purchases. Facebook probably won’t be too worried though – the social networking company is expected to be valued at over $100 billion when it floats on the stock market in the next week…

Read next:

Comments (3 Comments)

  • Story 7 should be seen more as a problem with our societies attitude to drinking than a “mental health” issue. If people learn to drink more sensibly, instead of the goal being to get completely hammered, then there would be less depression like symptoms and anxiety symptoms eg Panic attacks.

    Sometimes when a person is going through emotional distress they turn to alcohol or drugs to numb their feelings. But they may need to address the root cause(s) of the problem.

    The last thing a person needs is to get sucked into the Psychiatric system that will give you more drugs (of the prescription variety) which usually only suppress the person’s problem as opposed to addressing it. For example, “anti-depressants” can increase the risk of suicide, as recently outlined by Professor David Healy in a lecture in Trinity College. Dr Peter Breggin has also written a paper that claims “anti-depressants”/SSRIs can lead to suicide, violence or mania. These are 2 of the few Psychiatrists I listen to. The other being Professor Ivor Browne. Never stop a drug cold turkey or make changes to medication without consulting your doctor (due to withdrawal symptoms).

    Instead of saying a third of all young people have “mental health problems”, lifestyle needs to be addressed eg diet. Omega-3 can help. Reduce sugar and salt. Exercise. Meditation. Yoga. Journalling. Psychotherapy. Having a hobby. Not spending too much time on the internet. Reducing caffeine and alcohol. Learning about Mary Ellen Copeland’s WRAP programme (if a person has difficulties). Keeping a structure and using a diary if out of work. Doing some voluntary work to keep busy. To have a healthy mind you need a healthy body. The brain is not some separate entity.

    Once the DSM-5 (the Psychiatrist’s new bible) comes out in May 2013, they will try their best to label as many human emotions as possible. It will lead to more medication been used on people and over medication. Medication has a role sometimes, short term in a crisis. But there has to be a better way to keep healthy.

    Reply
  • I think lumping mental health issues into being caused by alcohol and drugs is extremely un-informed. It also is unfair to the multitude of people who suffer from mental health issues. It is uneducated comments like yours aine, that makes it difficult for people to admit that they are experiencing mental health difficulties. I do however agree with your points about us becoming an over medicated society and the alternatives you mentioned are paramount to mental well being.

    Reply
    • WELL AINE IT IS PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND YOUR ILL INFORMED INFORMATION CAUSE TEENAGERS ADULT ACTUALLY EVERY AGE GROUP FROM SEEKING HELP BECAUSE OF THE “STIGMA” THAT BY THE WAY IS STILL HUGE IN THIS COUNTRY SO YES MAYBE TEENAGERS ARE AFRAID THEIRS FRIENDS FIND OUT YOU ARE RIGHT DRINK CAN BE A DEPRESSANT BUT MAYBE THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SHOULD MAKE FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR PEOPLE NOT NECESSARILLY PSYCHIATRIST PEOPLE WITH A MENTAL HEALTH ISSSUES AND LET TEENAGERS KNOW THAT ITS OK TO SAY “MY HEAD IS A MESS” AS TO THE OVER MEDICATION ISSUE THAT TOTAL DEPENDS ON WHO YOUR CONSULTANT IS IT HAS BEEN FOUND THAT IN PRIVATE PSYCHIATRIC CARE RATHER THEY COUNT THE MINUTES AND RATHER THAN GO OVER THE TIME AND THEY REACH FOR THE PRESCRIPTION PAD BUT IT MUST BE SAID NOT ALL IN PRIVATE PRACTISE ARE LIKE THAT THERE ARE CONSULTANTS IN THE PUBLIC SYSTEMS WORKING THEIR BACK OF FOR THEIR PATIENTS LISTEN RATHER THAN WRITE WE SHOULD BE EDUCATING OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TO SAY ITS OK
      #

      Reply

Add New Comment