LAST UPDATE | 8 Sep 2021
GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news that you need to know as you start your day.
1. Three people been shot dead in a suspected murder-suicide at a house in north county Kerry.
Sources have said the discovery – at a house in the Ballyreehan area of Lixnaw – was made at 9pm yesterday by a neighbour.
A Garda spokesperson said investigators are not looking for anyone else as part of their investigation, Niall O’Connor reports.
2. The rapid growth of chicken farms in the border counties has the potential to cause serious negative impacts on air quality and protected nature areas, Niall Sargent writes in today’s lead story.
A previous 2020 study from University College Cork found that 240 of 418 farms producing chicken meat at the time of the study were based in Monaghan.
A new report commissioned in January by Monaghan County Council and carried out by planning consultancy Fehily Timoney estimates that there are now 18.5 million birds in the county, most of which are raised for their meat.
The report, seen by Noteworthy, also found that 118 applications were made for farms in Monaghan between 2018 and 2020 that could potentially house an additional 2.8 million birds.
3. The Taoiseach has reiterated that future government appointments must be transparent after Simon Coveney’s second Oireachtas Committee appearance over Katherine Zappone’s envoy role.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin yesterday evening said that “perception does matter in public life” and appointments must both be transparent and be seen as such.
A spokesperson said “as the Taoiseach stated, the approach and process surrounding the selection of a UN part-time Special Envoy was wrong, and this should not have happened in the way it did”.
4. Isolation and loneliness were some of the most frequent issues raised by people who contacted Samaritans last year.
An “increasing number” of callers say the long-term impacts of isolation have made them feel less able to cope as the pandemic continues, while calls about mental health struggles were the most common concern during the nine months of Covid-19 restrictions.
Samaritans, which provides support to people in emotional distress or at risk of suicide, answered a call for help every 56 seconds on average last year.
5. As of this week, soft plastic packaging can be put in household recycling bins along with hard plastics, cardboard, paper and other waste.
Soft plastics include plastic wrap on products, plastic labels, bubble wrap, sweet wrappers, crisp packets and plastic carrier bags. All waste collection companies are now accepting this waste once it is clean, dry and loose when put in the bin.
Dr David Styles, a lecturer in environmental engineering in the University of Limerick, told The Journal that while the soft plastic recycling is “not bad and a step in the right direction”, there is “still a long way to go”.
Let’s take a look at what this will mean in practice, and why it’s happening now.
6. A soldier involved in the evacuation of civilians from Afghanistan has described scenes of chaos as people desperately tried to flee the country.
He recalled hearing the sound of gunshots and being surrounded by barbed wire as he touched down at Kabul airport to help the UK evacuation effort following the Taliban takeover.
“There was quite a fear factor when we got there and obviously it was dark at night so nobody knew what was going on. You had barbed wire in a square and loads of the civilians, the population in there, just waiting to get on a flight.”
7. Britney Spears’ father has filed a petition to end his daughter’s court-ordered conservatorship, US media has reported.
The filing comes weeks after Jamie Spears said he was prepared to step back from his role as conservator, and after repeated requests from the pop star to remove him from what she and her supporters say is a cruel and exploitative arrangement.
“Recent events related to this conservatorship have called into question whether circumstances have changed to such an extent that grounds for establishment of a conservatorship may no longer exist,” the filing states, according to CNN.
8. Creative innovation or irresponsible and faddish — El Salvador’s decision to begin accepting Bitcoin as legal tender is almost as polarising as cryptocurrency itself, Ian Curran writes in today’s Morning Memo.
From yesterday, the Central American country adopted the blockchain-backed asset, requiring businesses to accept it as payment for goods and services alongside the national currency, the US dollar. But the plan — which supporters say will make remittances to the country cheaper — hit an early snag when the Bitcoin’s price plummeted suddenly from just over $52,600 (€44,475) at one point yesterday to just $42,150 (€35,640) this morning.
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9. And finally, the weather. Met Éireann says today will be warm with scattered thundery showers, mixed with spells of hazy sunshine. Some of the showers will be heavy and prolonged with the risk of lightning and localised flooding.
It’s expected to be misty in parts too, especially along southern coasts. Top temperatures will range from 19 to 24 or 25 degrees Celsius, warmest across Ulster and the north midlands.
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