LAST UPDATE | 15 Aug
GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news you need to know as you start the day.
1. In this morning’s lead story, Muiris O’Cearbhaill reports that just eight people in Irish prisons convicted of a sexual offence are enrolled in the State’s flagship rehabilitation programme.
Records released to Fianna Fáil MEP and former barrister Cynthia Ní Murchú reveal that the number of people in prison convicted of a sexual offence has increased significantly, while the number of people enrolled in the in-house rehabilitation services is falling.
2. Mandatory evacuation orders were put in place for the town of Glushkovo, in Russia’s western Kursk region, where Ukrainian Armed Forces have pushed forward with their offensive.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his troops have “advanced well” in Russia’s Kursk region, as Kyiv’s biggest cross-border attack stretched into a second week, after capturing portions of border regions of Russia on 6 August.
3. Cisco systems, a digital communications firm, is planning to lay off 7% of its employees, globally.
Its second round of job cuts this year as the company shifts its focus to more rapidly growing areas in technology such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
The company based in San Jose, California, did not specify the number of jobs it is cutting. The Journal has asked the firm if jobs at their Irish offices are at risk.
4. Ceasefire negotiations for Gaza are to continue today in Qatar where it is hope a deal can be struck as the risk of a wider conflict in the Middle East has increased following heightened tensions in the region.
Hamas negotiators have said they will not be attending the talks as they say they have agreed to the ceasefire deal that was laid out already.
This means Israel, who is under increasing global pressure to put an end to the brutal conflict in Gaza, must decide to accept the deal as it stands or continue with global uncertainty around the future of the Middle East.
5. A woman in her 50s was arrested after gardaí assisted the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) and contractors to enter a site in north County Dublin.
It comes amid protests against construction activity at Thornton Hall in Kilsallaghan, which has been earmarked for “emergency-style” tented accommodation for asylum seekers.
6. Ireland’s first e-scooter sharing scheme will be launched in Wexford today. More than 50 e-scooters will be available on the streets of the town from today, in addition to a similar number of existing e-bikes provided by company Bolt.
The scheme is a collaboration between European escooter sharing platform Bolt and Wexford County Council.
7. JK Rowling and Elon Musk have reportedly been named in a criminal complaint filed by Algerian Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif.
The complaint, which was filed with French authorities, alleges “acts of aggravated cyber harassment” against Khelif, according to US magazine Variety. The athlete’s lawyer Nabil Boudi called it a “fight for justice”.
8. NASA Officials have said they have yet to decide whether to return two astronauts to Earth aboard Boeing’s Starliner, which flew them to the International Space Station (ISS), or bring them home on a rival SpaceX craft.
Astronauts Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore and Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams launched into space on Starliner on 5 June for what was meant to be an eight-day stay.
But they have been in orbit for 70 days, with their return delayed by thruster malfunctions that came to light during the first crewed mission to the ISS by the Boeing spacecraft.
9. Tributes have been paid to a farmer (64) who died in an incident with a bull on his farm on Tuesday.
Bobby Richardson of Killeenagarriff suffered fatal injuries after being attacked by a bull in Lisnagry. Locals said Richardson was an “absolute gentleman who would do anything for any of his neighbours’’.
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