GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news that you need to know as you start your day.
Donald Trump indictment
1. Donald Trump took secret documents dealing with US nuclear and weapons programs from the White House after leaving office, potentially putting national security at risk, according to the newly unsealed indictment of the former president.
The documents show the former president has been indicted on 37 felony counts related to retaining classified information, obstructing justice and false statements.
It marks the Justice Department’s first official confirmation of a criminal case against Trump arising from the retention of hundreds of documents at his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago.
Ukraine
2. The humanitarian situation in Ukraine is “hugely worse” than before the Kakhovka dam collapsed, the UN’s top aid official has warned.
Undersecretary-general Martin Griffiths said an “extraordinary” 700,000 people are in need of drinking water and warned that the ravages of flooding in one of the world’s most important breadbaskets will almost inevitably lead to lower grain exports, higher food prices around the world, and less to eat for millions in need.
“This is a viral problem,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. “But the truth is this is only the beginning of seeing the consequences of this act.”
Healthcare
3. Close to 500,000 people are on waiting lists that are longer than the maximum Sláintecare wait time targets.
The 2017 Sláintecare report recommended maximum wait times of no more than 12 weeks for an inpatient / day case procedure or GI Scope and 10 weeks for a new outpatient appointment.
New hospital waiting list figures published by the National Treatment Purchase Fund show that, as of the end of May, 497,090 people were on the Active Waiting Lists that are longer than the Sláintecare maximum wait times.
Former garda arrested
4. A former senior officer in An Garda Síochana was arrested yesterday by detectives investigating alleged sexual offences.
The man, who has retired from the force, was being questioned at a garda station in Dublin. A spokesperson confirmed the arrest and said that the man was arrested for “alleged offences contrary to the Criminal Law (Rape) Amendment Act 1990.”
The man was later released from detention as the investigation probe continues.
Assisted dying debate
5. The joint Oireachtas committee on assisted dying will begin its public deliberations on Tuesday.
The cross-party panel of five senators and nine TDs will examine whether a system should be implemented to allow terminally ill people to avail of medical assistance to die in certain circumstances.
It was established in private seven weeks ago and will meet in public for the first time this coming Tuesday to look at the legal and constitutional issues.
Boris Johnson
6. Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resigned as an MP after accusing a House of Commons investigation into whether he misled Parliament over partygate of attempting to “drive me out”.
In a statement to the media, he said he was quitting his seat and triggering an immediate by-election because he was “bewildered and appalled” at the Privileges Committee’s investigation into him.
He said he had received a letter from the committee which is investigating whether he lied to MPs over partygate “making it clear, much to my amazement, that they are determined to use the proceedings against me to drive me out of Parliament”.
Colombia
7. Four children who disappeared 40 days ago after surviving a small plane crash in the Amazon jungle have been found alive, according to Colombian authorities.
The children, who are siblings and Indigenous, were alone when searchers found them and are now receiving medical attention, President Gustavo Petro told reporters.
The president said the youngsters are an “example of survival” and predicted their saga “will remain in history”.
Nora Sheehan murder case
8. A pre-trial hearing began yesterday in the case of a 74-year-old man accused of murdering a woman whose body was found in a wooded area in Cork 42 years ago.
The expected three-week hearing is taking place before Justice Paul McDermott at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin.
The prosecution case is being led by senior counsel Brendan Grehan, while Michael Delaney SC is heading up the defence team.
Pope Francis
9. Pope Francis is “progressively improving” and sitting in an armchair working after surgery to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia in his abdominal wall, the Vatican has said.
After a restful night, Francis had breakfast and read the newspapers from his armchair yesterday, spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement.
He quoted doctors as saying Francis’s condition was “progressively improving and the post-operative course is smooth”.
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