NEED TO CATCH up? The Journal brings you a round-up of today’s news. 

IRELAND

Ellie Fitzpatrick (age 10) from YMCA Dublin celebrates the completion of the YMCA Dublin 'Out and Active' Summer Programme. Leon Farrell Leon Farrell

• Health officials this evening confirmed 2,051 further cases of Covid-19 in Ireland with 323 people in hospital with the virus, 56 of which are in ICU. 
• After appearing to pack up the tent and call it a day for another year, Summer is officially back with settled weather forecast until “well into next week”.
• Teachers unions said they are “alarmed” that unvaccianted pregnant teachers are being sent back to school before getting the opportunity to achieve significant protection against Covid-19. 
• Laois County Council said there is “no provision in law” to revisit the refusal of a licence for Electric Picnic to take place next month.
• A HSE review found “no blame” on a school offered Covid-19 vaccines by the Beacon Hospital. 
• Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said that he was “concerned” at footage from after the GAA hurling final at Croke Park on Sunday, but added that there will be no additional restrictions for those attending upcoming GAA finals.
• A man in his 30s was charged with the attempted murder of his mother at their family home in Bandon, Co Cork earlier this summer.

THE WORLD

Geronimo the alpaca, as owner Helen Macdonald is being interviewed, at Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire. Geronimo has twice tested positive for bovine tuberculosis and, as a result, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has ordered its destruction. PA PA

#AFGHANISTAN: Afghans face an increasingly desperate race to escape life under the Taliban after President Joe Biden confirmed US-led evacuations will end next week.

#ONLYFANS: The online subscription service announced it has reversed its plan to prohibit sexually explicit content from October.

PARTING SHOT

Dominic Raab said today reports of him paddleboarding on holiday while Kabul fell are “nonsense” because he was working and the sea was actually “closed”.

The UK Foreign Secretary also said that, with the benefit of hindsight, he would not have gone away on holiday at that time.

Raab faced strong criticism for not returning from Crete when the situation in Afghanistan began to deteriorate and the Taliban took control of Kabul.

He has said he left to return to the UK on Sunday 15 August, and that he was “working tirelessly” throughout that period despite being out of the country.

The Times reported that witnesses said they saw Raab swimming and using a paddleboard on the last day of his holiday.

Speaking to Sky News today, Raab said: “The stuff about me being lounging around on the beach all day is just nonsense. The stuff about me paddleboarding – nonsense.

The sea was actually closed, it was a red notice.