GOOD MORNING.

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

Lough Neagh

1. As concerns about the state of Lough Neagh grow in Northern Ireland, more focus has turned to the sand extraction that has been happening at the freshwater site for commercial purposes.

Thomas Greene reports for The Journal that Sand extracted from the lake is sold in a number of Irish retail stores and is used on pitches in sports grounds across the country, The Journal has learned.

Lough Neagh, Ireland’s largest lake and the source of 43% of Northern Ireland’s drinking water, has made headlines recently due to a resurgence of toxic blue-green algal blooms.

Ethnic cleansing

2. Armenia has urged the UN to send a mission to Nagorno-Karabakh to monitor rights amid warnings of ethnic cleansing.

“After failure of preventing genocide in Rwanda, the United Nations managed to create mechanisms for prevention, thus making the ‘never again’ a meaningful pledge,” Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said.

“But today we are at the brink of another failure,” he said in a speech to the UN General Assembly.

Tallaght road death

3. A man in his 20s has died in a collision in Tallaght last night.

The collision, involving a motorcycle and a pedestrian, occurred shortly before 2:45am.

The motorcyclist, a man in his early 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene.

 The pedestrian, a man also in his 20s, was taken by Ambulance to Tallaght Hospital. His injures are not life threatening.

Temple Street

4. The Sunday Independent reports that the surgeon at the centre of the Temple Street controversy sourced unlicensed springs for €51 a box to be implanted in children.

Weather warnings

5. Rain warnings are in place across the country with Met Éireann warning of potential flooding and hazardous travelling conditions.

A status orange rain warning is in place for Waterford, while status yellow wind and rain warnings remain in place for a number of other counties.

Diversity in Citizens’ Assembly on Drug Use

6. Writing for The Journal, Lynn Ruane, Ian Marder & Cian O’Concubhair argue that independent, critical, expert voices on policing and criminal justice are desperately needed in the Citizens’ Assumbly on Drug Use.

The ongoing Citizens’ Assembly on Drug Use has been in process since March of this year.

Smart phones

7. Margaret Lynch takes a look at the government’s backing of schools wishing to ban smartphones and wonders if it’s a red herring.

Education Minister Norma Foley, has recently announced her intention to support schools in the banning of smartphones.

Lynch however disagrees with the “never-ending” argument that phones are the cause of all societal problems.

Attack on democracy

8. In an interview for RTÉ’s The Week in Politics, Sean Ó Fearghaíl said last Wednesday’s protests outside the Dáil was a “direct deliberate, and orchestrated attack on democracy”.

The Ceann Comhairle pointed out that Leinster House is home to 220 politicians but it is also home to 1,200 staff, including civil servants, advisors, media, who are “all entitled to come to their place of work without being interfered with”.

He said he was “profoundly sad” after witnessing the scenes on Kildare Street.

Ireland’s Rugby victory

9. Ireland beat South Africa last night in a nail-biting game in Paris. 

Ireland had to fight in every split second. Time and time again, they had to cling on but Andy Farrell’s men found a way, Murray Kinsella writes.