LAST UPDATE | 16 Apr 2023

NEED TO CATCH up? The Journal brings you a round-up of today’s news.

IRELAND

• The parents of a 10-year-old girl who died following a Strep A infection have said they want her story to save other children.
• A farmer who died in an accident involving a bull on a farm near Enniskeane in west Cork on Friday has been named locally as 71-year-old Joseph Shorten.
• An Post CEO David McRedmond said he has “no further interest in a role at RTÉ”, after confirming that he is out of the running to be the broadcaster’s next director general. 
• A teenager has died following a collision in Portadown. 
• Only a day after she had beaten her own Irish record in the 200m, Rhasidat Adeleke absolutely smashed her national best in the 400m, breaking the 50-second barrier in the process. 
• Biden has told reporters in Delaware that Northern Ireland has an “incredibly opportunity” for economic growth, and has pledged to work with the Irish and UK government’s to help restore devolution. 

INTERNATIONAL 

#US GUN VIOLENCE has erupted over the weekend as at least four people were killed in a shooting at a teen birthday party in Alabama and two were killed after someone opened fire in a park in Louisville. President Joe Biden has called for urgent gun reform.

#SUDAN UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday condemned clashes in Sudan that have left dozens of civilians dead including three workers for the global body’s food agency, demanding swift justice over the killings.

PARTING SHOT 

A text messaging system to warn Irish citizens of large-scale emergencies is expected to be introduced at the end of next year at the latest, a spokesperson for the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications has confirmed.

The new ‘Public Warning System’ will enable mobile phone operators in Ireland to send warnings to the public via text message on behalf of the government before or during large-scale public emergencies when there’s danger to life.

Similar schemes are being introduced across EU countries. 

A PWS sends messages to citizens who may be close to a possible natural disaster or terror attack, to prevent the spread of misinformation and let them know how to stay safe. The EU system will be similar to the ‘Amber Alerts’ currently in use in the United States.