LAST UPDATE | 7 Aug 2023
GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news you need to know as you start your day.
1. In our lead story this morning, Mairead Maguire reports on the lasting effects of the pandemic on youth services in Dublin’s inner city.
Dublin’s youth workers say lockdowns and reduced services had a profound effect on many children in the area.
The fear is that years of hard work in the community has been ‘wiped out’ by the pandemic.
2. Two new farming apprenticeships that begin in September are aimed at helping to address labour shortages in the agricultural sector.
The farm manager apprenticeship trains people to work as managers in the agri sector using the latest research and best-practice knowledge on how to run a commercial farm business.
The farm technician apprenticeship trains people in skills in daily operations, compliance with industry standards and regulatory measures.
3. An industry body for newsagents has warned of a need to reform the business of newspapers, amid an increasing number of shops opting not to stock the printed word.
The Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association of Ireland said it has recorded approximately 40 shops that have stopped selling papers in and around Dublin city centre.
You can read Eoghan Dalton’s full report here.
4. Gardaí are seeking the public’s assistance in tracing the whereabouts of 16-year-old Robert (Bobby) Carpenter Duncan who was last seen in Arklow, County Wicklow, on the evening of Friday 4 August 2023.
Robert is described as being approximately 6 foot (183 cm) in height with a thin build, red hair and blue eyes. Robert is believed to have been wearing a navy jacket when last seen.
4. ‘Vital’ risk assessment software has not been provided to Dublin Fire Brigade despite five years of promises, reports Muiris O’Cearbhaill.
The software was deemed necessary by the service in 2018 after a large fire at the Ballymun Metro Hotel. However, its development has faced major delays which, firefighters say, pose a “serious risk” to the safety of themselves and the public.
The software would provide more information about any potential risks associated with a building that is on fire, such as previous complaints in regards to its fire safety or any hazardous threats that could endanger members of the public trapped in the fire or firefighters attempting to extinguish it.
6. Gardaí have asked for the public’s assistance in tracing the whereabouts of 16-year-old Nathan Douglas, who was last seen in Sandyford, Dublin on Tuesday, 1 August 2023.
Nathan is described as being approximately 5 foot 10 inches (178 cm) in height with a slim build and fair hair.
When last seen, he was wearing green tracksuit bottoms and a black bubble jacket.
7. Niger has closed its airspace due to the “threat of intervention” as the junta defied a deadline from the West African bloc ECOWAS to reinstate democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum or face possible military action.
ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African States) issued its ultimatum a week ago, demanding the generals relinquish power by midnight last night.
Bazoum was overthrown on 26 July when members of his own presidential guard detained him.
8. In today’s Voices piece, Hannah McCarthy travels to Kenya and finds a growing number of surrogate cases there.
9. And finally, here’s a quiz to test your knowledge of all things reality TV.
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