GOOD MORNING.
Here’s everything you need to know as you start your day.
Greek Wildfires
1. Over 2,000 people have been evacuated from Greece’s Corfu as firefighters tackle blazes that erupted in peak tourism season.
Fires have been raging in the north of the island, with 2,466 people evacuated overnight between Sunday and this morning, said Yannis Artopios, but no houses or hotels had been destroyed so far.
It comes as tens of thousands of people fled wildfires on the Greek island of Rhodes yesterday as terrified holiday makers scrambled to get home.
Anti-migrant protests
2. Local political representatives say they are facing an “increased sense of threat” from far-right activists over recent months as a result of a growth in agitation around anti-immigration protests.
City and county councillors from around the country outlined incidents, from being called slurs including “groomer” and “baby killer”, to direct confrontations during canvasses.
They told The Journal it’s an example of how politicians on the Left in particular have been the focus of “intimidation” and attempts to “make them afraid of speaking up” in support of marginalised communities.
Moscow Strike
3. Ukrainian drones hit two buildings in Moscow and an ammunition depot in Russian-annexed Crimea, Russian officials said today, as Ukraine reported another Russian strike on a grain facility.
Russia said it had neutralised two Ukrainian drones over Moscow during the night with no casualties reported.
Spain elections
4. Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez and his right-wing rival Alberto Nunez Feijoo will each begin negotiations today to try to head off a fresh vote after an inconclusive snap election resulted in a hung parliament.
Defying polls that for months had written him off as defeated, the Socialist premier managed to curb the gains of the right-wing opposition.
Pharmacy taskforce
5. Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has announced that he is setting up an Expert Taskforce to support the expansion of the role of pharmacists in Ireland.
The taskforce will examine how pharmacists can better serve patients and the wider health service and will initially consider options to enable pharmacists to extend prescriptions for a range of medicines and medical conditions where appropriate.
Greta Thunberg trial
6. Swedish climate protester Greta Thunberg is set to go on trial today charged with disobeying police at a rally last month, in which activists blocked the port in the city of Malmo.
She is due to appear before the court in the southern Swedish city at 11.30 am, local time, this morning (10.30 am Irish time).
Barbenheimer
7. Barbenheimer, the social media-fuelled fusion of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, brought moviegoers back to US cinemas in record numbers this weekend.
It vastly outperformed projections and gave a glimmer of hope amid the backdrop of strikes.
8. Twitter’s owner Elon Musk and its new CEO said yesterday that the social media network would ditch its bird logo, be rebranded with the name X and move quickly into payments, banking and commerce.
Tweeting a picture of the company’s new logo, a white X on a black background, this morning, Twitter chief executive Linda Yaccarino said “X is here! Let’s do this.”
Climate and biodiversity
9. In an opinion piece with The Journal, Dr Donal Griffin of the Fair Seas campaign says it’s important not to forget to advocate for nature.
He says climate and biodiversity are not election issues, but that it’s time that changed.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say