LAST UPDATE | 9 Sep 2021
GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news that you need to know as you start your day.
1. Irish MEPs have criticised Poland for pushing back migrants at its border with Belarus, Gráinne Ní Aodha writes in today’s lead story.
Their concerns have been voiced as the Polish government erects a barbed border wall with the neighbouring country. It intends to set up patrols and has also suggested it will not host Afghan refugees.
One Irish MEP said that what Poland was doing was “no better than what Trump was trying to do along the US-Mexico border”, and that the EU should condemn it.
2. Fianna Fáil’s party think-in which begins in Cavan today heralds two things: the start of the party conferences for the larger political parties as well as the new autumn term of politics.
Part of the meeting will focus on analysing the party’s result in the last general election. A report – though over a year old – will be presented to members by the party’s chair TD Seán Fleming.
The report finds that the confidence and supply arrangement it had with Fine Gael when they held power “pushed the party too close to government” and “hampered” the Fianna Fáil’s ability to provide opposition to government policies.
3. Gardaí are appealing to a community in Kerry to assist them in their investigation into the deaths of three people at a house yesterday, as they work to establish a motive for the suspected murder-suicide.
The bodies of Eileen O’Sullivan (56) and her 24-year-old son Jamie were found inside their home in Ballyreehan, close of the village of Lixnaw.
Eileen’s partner Maurice O’Sullivan (63) was found outside at the rear boundary of the house. All three had sustained gunshot wounds and a legally-held firearm was found in close proximity to the body of Maurice O’Sullivan.
It’s suspected the older man shot and killed his partner and her son before turning the gun on himself.
4. The construction industry has called for reform of Ireland’s planning system amid a “concerning slowdown” in applications in 2021.
The government is proposing replacing the Strategic Housing Development (SHD) process which was introduced in 2017 in order to speed up delivery of units by allowing direct planning applications to An Bord Pleanála.
The SHD process has been criticised, however, for excluding local authorities from the planning process with several SHD projects facing judicial reviews in the courts.
5. The new military judge presiding over the September 11 attacks trial in Guantanamo Bay has said he would not force it toward an end – but that he wanted to see “action” after nine years of hearings.
Air Force Colonel Matthew McCall told the military commissions court at the US navy base in Cuba, that he would not stop lawyers defending 9/11 “architect” Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others from making their case that the men were denied due process because they were tortured by the CIA.
6. The European Medicines Agency has listed the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre syndrome, which can cause temporary paralysis, as a “very rare” side effect of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.
A causal relationship was “considered at least a reasonable possibility”, the EMA said in an update after a total of 833 cases of the syndrome had been reported worldwide by 31 July, from about 592 million doses of the AstraZeneca “Vaxzevria” shot administered.
7. Gardaí are investigating a fatal road collision that occurred in the townland of Coras Point, Co Cavan, at around 9pm yesterday.
The collision involved a pedestrian and a car and occurred on the R198 (between Coras Point and Cavan town). The pedestrian, a man aged in his 60s, was fatally injured during the collision.
8. Coming as they did ahead of today’s European Central Bank (ECB) meeting, finance minister Paschal Donohoe’s remarks yesterday about Budget 2022 were well-timed, Ian Curran writes in today’s Morning Memo.
Speaking at an event yesterday, the Dublin Central TD and president of Eurogroup of finance ministers said that he will stick closely to the budgetary plans laid out in last month’s Summer Economic Statement when he unveils Budget 2022 next month. That means he will look to eliminate “all the high levels of borrowing that we had to put in place to help us respond back to Covid”, he said.
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9. And finally, the weather. Met Éireann says there will be heavy thundery showers or longer spells of rain this morning with further heavy showers developing this afternoon and evening, especially in the midlands.
There is a continued risk of isolated thunderstorms and localised flooding. Highest temperatures will range from 17 to 22 degrees Celsius.
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