LAST UPDATE | 7 Sep 2023

GOOD MORNING.

Here’s all the news you need to know as you start your day.

HIQA

1. In our lead story this morning, Eoghan Dalton reports that a charity providing specialised care for disabled people has been ordered to pay over €20,000 to two healthcare assistants who brought separate cases against it.

Vacant buildings

2. The national commercial building vacancy rate has hit a record high of 14.1%, a 0.2% increase in the twelve months to July 2023.

The pandemic’s fallout, including the move to remote working and online shopping, are likely to be factors.

Child benefit

3. New research has shown that the introduction of a means-tested extra child benefit payment could potentially take 40,000 children out of poverty. 

The report, published today, is the third from an Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) research programme, which seeks to address gaps in our knowledge and understanding of poverty, income inequality and living standards in Ireland.

Gambling

4. Close to 30% of Irish 16-year-old boys gambled within the previous year when asked, with teenage boys far more likely to engage in problem gambling than girls.

The report also found that over one in five 16-year-olds who had gambled in the past year were getting into difficulty controlling their gambling. 

Dangerous drivers

5. Dangerous driving is “endemic” in Ireland, Fine Gael TD Ciaran Cannon has said, as the government plans to lower speed limits nationwide.

The limits are set to be reduced by as much as 20km on some roads. The new plans come after a series of tragic accidents, which have prompted politicians and the public to call for a renewed focus on road safety.

Drone attacks

6. Russian drones attacked the district encompassing Ukraine’s Danube river port of Izmail for the fourth time in five days, the regional governor has said.

Following the collapse of the deal allowing grain shipments from Black Sea ports, Russia has ramped up attacks on Ukraine’s southern Odesa and Mykolaiv regions, home to ports and infrastructure vital for agriculture exports.

Hunter Biden

7. Federal prosecutors plan to ask a grand jury to indict US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter by the end of the month, according to court documents filed yesterday.

The exact charges the president’s son would face were not immediately clear, but appeared related to a gun possession charge in which he was accused of having a firearm while being a drug user.

Abortion

8. A top Mexican court has decriminalised abortion across the Latin American country.

The court said on social media “that the legal system that penalises abortion in the Federal Penal Code is unconstitutional, since it violates the human rights of women and people with the capacity to gestate.”

Nitrates derogation

9. The country’s largest farmers organisation is due to picket a meeting held by the Agriculture Minister this morning, following a cut in Ireland’s nitrates derogation limit.

Minister Charlie McConalogue revealed yesterday that the EU Commissioner for the Environment Virginijus Sinkevicius had confirmed there was “no prospect” of re-opening the current Commission decision on Ireland’s limits.