LAST UPDATE | 3 Jun 2022
GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news that you need to know as you start your day.
1. In our lead story this morning, Orla Dwyer reports that parents of children with disabilities have said they are “frustrated” trying to access public services – and plan further protests to highlight the issue later this month.
The Journal and investigative platform Noteworthy spoke to a number of parents who described a “constant fight” to access services with many resorting to private care – sometimes also oversubscribed – to avoid the long waiting lists of the public system.
HSE services for children with disabilities have undergone changes in recent years – with new local networks across the country finalised as of last December. However, at least one-quarter of the staff positions in these network remain unfilled.
2. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has entered its 100th day as fighting raging across the east of the country, where Moscow’s forces are tightening their grip on the Donbas region.
The sombre milestone came as Kyiv announced Moscow was now in control of a fifth of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea and parts of Donbas seized in 2014.
After being repelled from around the capital, President Vladimir Putin’s troops have set their sights on capturing eastern Ukraine, prompting warnings the war could drag on.
3. Gardaí are set to draft in barristers to prosecute their cases in the District Court following a High Court ruling which bans garda court presenters.
As revealed by The Journal on Tuesday, summary prosecutions were thrown into disarray by Ms Justice Marguerite Bolger as her ruling banned garda court presenters prosecuting cases.
Court presenters are generally gardaí at sergeant or inspector rank who act as prosecuting gardaí in court – they act on behalf of other, often lower-ranking gardaí, and outline the details of cases for the judge.
4. Dublin Airport’s operator has said that departures are running “very efficiently” this morning, adding that they will make sure it continues throughout the Bank Holiday weekend.
DAA Head of Communications Kevin Cullinane said that people had heeded the advice to arrive two-and-a half hours before short haul flights and three-and-a-half hours before long haul flights.
5. In the US, disgraced celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti was sentenced to four years in prison yesterday for stealing $300,000 from porn actress Stormy Daniels, who was due the money for writing a book about her alleged tryst with Donald Trump.
Avenatti, who represented Daniels in her lawsuit against the former US president, was convicted of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft following a trial in Manhattan in February.
6. Staying in the US, a state senator has said that the police chief in charge of operations at the Texas elementary school where a gunman murdered 21 people was not informed of desperate calls made by children trapped inside.
The 911 calls “were not being communicated to the so-called incident commander,” Senator Roland Gutierrez told a news conference, referring to the school district’s police chief, Pete Arredondo.
7. Back in Ireland, the father of Captain Dara Fitzpatrick has said he is “relieved” following the end of an inquest into the death of his daughter and her three aircrew, who perished in 2017 when their helicopter crashed.
The jury at the inquest into the deaths of Capt Fitzpatrick and the three other Irish Coast Guard aircrew in the Rescue 116 helicopter crash today recorded verdicts of accidental death.
8. In the UK, thousands of people gathered in London yesterday for the start of a four-day celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee.
Spectators flooded the Mall in front of Buckingham Palace, with Union Jacks and plastic tiaras in tow, to watch the Trooping the Colour ceremony and to see the Queen and her family on the palace balcony.
9. If you’re flying out of Dublin Airport this Bank Holiday weekend, you’re probably anxious about getting through bag drop and security on time.
Lengthy queues at the airport last weekend resulted in around 1,000 people missing their flight, and while operator DAA has vowed to prevent a repeat of that, travellers might be wondering how they can avoid the worst of the delays.
If you’re still worried, here’s some packing advice.
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