GOOD MORNING. Here’s all the news that you need to know about as you start your day.
1. Cabinet has signed off on new legislation that will see indoor hospitality reopen to vaccinated and recovered people on a phased basis.
While no official date has been set for restaurants to reopen their doors, the legislation is aimed to be passed by the Dáil this week and will come into force sometime next week. It will run until 9 October, after which time any extension must be approved by the Dáil and Seanad.
In our lead story today, Adam Daly has explained how it will all work.
2. Staying with the government, and Micheál Martin’s leadership of Fianna Fáil has been placed into focus again following the party’s poor performance at last week’s by-election.
Barry Cowen made the concerns within the party public when he called for a “special meeting” after Deirdre Conroy received just 4.6% of the vote in Dublin Bay South, but much of the frustration is said to stem from the party’s declining support rather than this single result.
Speaking yesterday, Martin did not rule out a face-to-face meeting of Fianna Fáil TDs and Senators but insisted it would not be this week.
3. A new report compiled by academics has found significant evidence evidence of inhuman and degrading treatment of women and children in Mother and Baby institutions – including of pregnant women and survivors of sexual abuse.
The authors of this report came to this conclusion after examining the evidence compiled by the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes. In many instances, their findings contradict those of the commissioners.
Despite this, a spokesperson for the Department of Children told The Journal that Minister Roderic O’Gorman “welcomes this engagement with the [final] report”.
4. In Britain, doctors’ leaders have warned of “potentially devastating consequences” after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed yesterday that most mandatory restrictions in England will end next week.
The British Medical Association (BMA) deemed the Prime Minister’s decision to press ahead with lifting lockdown despite Covid-19 infections rising “irresponsible”.
At a Downing Street news conference, Johnson acknowledged the pandemic “is not over” and appealed to people to proceed with caution.
5. Twitter has removed over 1,000 tweets and suspended a number of accounts after racist abuse was directed towards a number of England football players.
The English Football Association said it was “appalled” after a number of its players were subjected to online racist abuse following Italy’s win over England at the Euro 2020 final.
England players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka all missed penalties in Sunday night’s match and were subsequently hit by racist comments on social media.
6. Back in Ireland, Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys confirmed yesterday that a new interim payment for unemployed people linked to previous PRSI contributions will not be introduced until 2023.
The new short-duration payment was due to be introduced when the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is eventually phased out in February 2022.
The proposal would see those who have been in long-term employment entitled to a higher payment than the current standard payment, receiving a percentage of their salary for a specific number of weeks or months when they lose their job.
7. In Australia, two apartment blocks have been placed under strict lockdown with residents barred from leaving, as authorities stepped up efforts to curb a fast-growing coronavirus outbreak.
Police were posted outside an apartment block in Sydney’s Bondi neighbourhood, where nine people have tested positive for the virus, with movement in and out of the building restricted.
Sydney’s five million residents are currently in their third week of a partial lockdown as the country continues to deal with the surge in Covid-19 cases.
8. The Muslim celebration of Eid Al Adha is set to take place at Croke Park for the second year in a row this month.
The GAA announced yesterday that its headquarters will host the religious ceremony and celebration outdoors on Tuesday, 20 July 2021.
9. Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris will today seek Government approval for 4,600 additional college places this upcoming semester.
Minister Harris is seeking approval for an additional €24 million to fund 4,620 places, which will include 440 in health sciences, 450 in science subjects, 120 in education and 102 in law.
This year has seen a significant increase in demand for college places, including an increase in the number of mature students and students from the European Union applying.
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