GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news that you need to know about as you start your day.
1.
Troops hit the streets of Sydney, Australia, this morning to enforce its lockdown. About 300 Australian Defence Force personnel will be deployed in Sydney after New South Wales state police requested military help to enforce Covid-19 rules.
Meanwhile, stay-at-home orders in Brisbane – the country’s third-largest city – were extended to curb a worsening outbreak.
2.
Belarus athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya spent the night at a hotel at Tokyo’s Haneda airport, after refusing to fly home yesterday, alleging her life was in danger.
The UN refugee agency is now involved in the case.
3.
In our Morning Lead story, Maria Delaney reports for Noteworthy on a €2.7m transport training centre that’s been causing conflict in the disability community.
Concerns about the National Transport Training Centre, recently rebranded as the Wayfinding Centre and which is spearheaded by the National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI), have been raised numerous times since then Minister for Transport Shane Ross surprised the chamber with its announcement at an Oireachtas Joint Committee in June 2019.
4.
The Chief of Staff at the Defence Forces says that full gender equality and greater diversity in the ranks can only be fully realised with a cultural change in society.
Vice Admiral Mark Mellett, who is set to retire soon, told The Journal that his work on diversity is an area he is most proud of, and he sees it as a major part of his legacy.
5.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has urged Catholic bishops not to resume Confirmations and First Communions, after a number of them said they intended to resume them the ceremonies despite Covid-19 guidelines.
The Irish Independent reports that the Minister said that while he understood the frustration, he would ask clergy to stick with the public health measures.
6.
Over in Britain, ministers are being asked by members of the travel industry not to create a new travel traffic light category that could put thousands of holidaymakers at risk of staying in hotel quarantine.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is reported to be among those saying there is “no need” for an Amber watchlist. But the decision on travel rules isn’t set to be made until Thursday.
7.
The Government is going to compel property owners and developers to pay the State up to half of the increase in the value of land when it is rezoned, the Irish Times reports today.
This move is to try and cool the housing market, and is part of the Housing For All measures set to be unveiled in the coming weeks.
8.
Gardaí in Cahir are investigating a fatal road traffic collision that occurred at Loughlin’s Bridge in Clogheen, Co Tipperary yesterday afternoon.
A man in his 80s, who was the driver and sole occupant of a car, collided with a tree at approximately 2.40pm. The man received treatment at scene but was later pronounced deceased.
9. In today’s morning Olympics breakfast roundup, The42.ie brings us up to date with everything that happened overnight. Ciara Mageean finished 10th in her heat of the women’s 1500 metres, while Sarah Healy finished 14th. Meanwhile, in the women’s 200m heat, Phil Healy finished fifth of five runners – but did produce a season’s best time of 23.21 seconds.
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