LAST UPDATE | 26 Aug 2021

GOOD MORNING.

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

The French President visits

1. French President Emmanuel Macron will arrive in Dublin today for a meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin. The two leaders are expected to discuss the situation in Afghanistan; the Irish Army Rangers coordinating with the French military on evacuations; the Covid-19 situation; Brexit and corporation tax.

In the evening, President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina will host a working dinner in honour of the French President.

Legality of a festival

2. The Irish Daily Mail is reporting that the Attorney General is to be consulted on the Electric Picnic festival. After the Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan suggested this week that outdoor concerts would be possible if only fully vaccinated people attended, hopes were raised that the festival would be able to be held at the end of September.

But Laois County Council has refused permission to the festival based on official public health advice from the Government. The hedonism is on hold for the moment.

The Irish Independent is reporting that Tánaiste Leo Varadkar is to push his government colleagues to allow Electric Picnic and other outdoor events to go ahead.

Afghanistan evacuations

3. Several nations have warned their citizens to immediately leave the surrounds of Kabul airport over an “acute” terrorist threat, as thousands of people try to reach a dwindling number of evacuation flights.

The US, UK, and Australia have said that the threat at the airport is high, and advised people who are trying to leave the country to do so by land.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace held a briefing with MPs yesterday, where he is reported to have said it would be a “better option” for those who still need to leave the country to travel across the Afghanistan border and try to enter a third country.

Zero Covid comes under pressure

4. Australia has reported more than 1,000 new local coronavirus cases for the first time during the pandemic, as a Delta variant outbreak surges in Sydney.

It comes as New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern defended her “Covid zero” elimination strategy after a Delta case in Auckland last week, ended a six-month run without local transmission in New Zealand.

That infection has since ballooned into the largest cluster the country has recorded throughout the entire pandemic, with 277 cases.

That time of the year: Fireworks

5. Concerns have been raised again this year over the “intimidating” use of fireworks across Dublin in recent weeks, which have left some residents “terrified”.

A number of Dublin city councillors have expressed concern over what’s been described as a “worsening” situation with fireworks being let off “earlier and earlier each year”. Last year there were reports of fireworks being let off in various areas of Dublin city as early as August. This year looks to be a similar story. 

Gender parity at the State broadcaster

6. A new research report examining diversity and inclusion at RTÉ during Covid is to be launched this afternoon, and examines gender parity as well as racial inclusion in the State broadcaster’s programming.

The research examined gender diversity across RTÉ Radio 1 programmes Brendan O’Connor; The Business and Today with Claire Byrne, and RTÉ One programmes Claire Byrne Live; Ireland on Call, and The Late Late Show. In terms of programming, across all programme participants, the gender ratio was 60% male to 40% female.

LEDs lead to Insect decline

7. Streetlights – particularly those that use white light-emitting diodes (LEDs) – not only disrupt insect behaviour but are also a culprit behind their declining numbers, a new study carried out in southern England showed today.

Europe heats up as Ireland stays mild

8. Last year was Europe’s warmest on record by a large margin, the latest in an annual series of global climate reports shows.

Though parts of north-west Europe were relatively cooler, and temperatures were close to normal in Ireland, the UK still saw its third hottest year on record in 2020, after 2014 and 2006, with temperatures 0.78 Celsius above the 1981-2010 baseline.

Ron Jeremy charges

9. Adult film star Ron Jeremy was formally charged with the rape or sexual assault of 21 women and girls, US prosecutors said.

In June 2020 he was accused of raping three women and sexually assaulting a fourth, and his appearance at a Los Angeles court sparked a wave of further allegations.