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

Kosovo

1. The US has called on Serbia to pull its forces back from the border with Kosovo after detecting what it called an unprecedented Serbian military build-up.

Serbia had deployed sophisticated tanks and artillery on the frontier after deadly clashes erupted at a monastery in northern Kosovo last week, the White House warned.

The violence in which a Kosovo policeman and three Serb gunmen were killed marked one of the gravest escalations for years in Kosovo, a former Serbian breakaway province.

Cargo ship seizure

2. A retired commander has said Defence Forces staff need to be paid better to bring the force “up to standard”.

Eugene Ryan, former Commander of fleet operations and one of the founding members of MAOC(N), the EU narcotics monitoring body, spoke to The Journal this week following a multi-agency operation that led to the seizure of €157 million worth of cocaine from a cargo ship after it was boarded by Army Rangers on Tuesday.

Tullamore

3. A woman in her 40s has died and a teenager has been arrested following a “violent” incident in Co Offaly yesterday afternoon.

The incident happened at a residential property in a rural area outside of Tullamore at around 1pm.

The woman was known to the boy and she suffered severe injuries during the attack. 

Spinal surgeries

4. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told advocacy groups for scoliosis and spina bifida patients that he “wouldn’t rule out” a statutory review of Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) during a meeting yesterday afternoon.

The Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Paediatric Advocacy Group and The Scoliosis Advocacy Network have called for a full statutory review into the HSE and CHI following the controversy surrounding children’s spinal surgeries at Temple Street hospital.

The groups, who represent 16 of the 19 children who suffered surgery complications at Temple Street and their families, said they want “no part” of an external HSE review into CHI’s spinal surgery services unless the terms of reference are widened significantly.

Elianne Andam

5. A 17-year-old boy has appeared in court charged with the murder of 15-year-old Elianne Andam, who was stabbed to death on her way to school in south London.

The boy, who has also been charged with having a knife, appeared before Croydon Magistrates’ Court yesterday and was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on 3 October.

Elianne was wounded in the neck after getting off a bus in Wellesley Road, Croydon, at about 8.30am on Wednesday. The 17-year-old suspect was arrested in New Addington just over an hour later.

US government shutdown

6. The US government is on the brink of a shutdown after the far right of the Republican Party scuppered final attempts at a temporary budget agreement, throwing into doubt everything from access to national parks to Washington’s massive support for Ukraine.

All but critical government services would close from tomorrow if lawmakers fail to reach a deal, the first such shutdown since 2019.

It would immediately delay salaries for millions of federal employees and military personnel.

January 6 riots 

7. Speaker of the British House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle has said that the role social media played in the January 6 riots in the United States was a “wake up call” for all legislators.

Hoyle said: “If it can happen there, it can happen anywhere in theory. You’ve got to be aware that social media, of what good it is, is also bad.”

Speaking to The Journal during the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament in Dublin this week, Hoyle detailed the steps the British government has taken to combat potential attacks on politicians and the Royal Family.

Sycamore Gap tree

8. UK police investigating the “senseless destruction” of a world-famous tree next to have made a second arrest.

The Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland was cut down overnight between Wednesday and Thursday in what detectives have called a “deliberate act of vandalism”.

The tree, which is believed to have been around 300 years old, was made famous in a key scene in Kevin Costner’s 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves and was among the UK’s most photographed trees.

Weather warning

9. A Status Yellow weather warning for rain has come into effect in Cork, Kerry and Waterford.

Met Éireann is cautioning that persistent and at times heavy rain in the three counties could lead to localised flooding, dangerous road conditions, and disruption to travel.

The warning was implemented at 8am this morning and is due to last until 8pm tomorrow evening.