LAST UPDATE | 5 Jul 2023

GOOD MORNING.

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

RTÉ scandal

1. New documents released by RTÉ show that former Director General Dee Forbes told presenter Ryan Tubridy in 2020 that his pay would not be reduced.

The information was contained in a series of documents submitted to TDs last night ahead of RTÉ’s appearance before the Oireachtas Media Committee this afternoon.

The documents were sent as it emerged that a review of RTÉ’s finances had uncovered the use of more barter accounts by the broadcaster. 

DCI John Caldwell

2. Three men have been charged in the investigation into the attempted murder of Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell earlier this year.

Detectives in the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) arrested the three men, aged 45, 47 and 58, yesterday morning under the Terrorism Act.

All three have since been charged with preparatory acts of terrorism. The 45-year-old man and the 58-year-old man have further been charged with possession of articles for use in terrorism and providing property for the purposes of terrorism.

Climate crisis

3. Monday was the hottest day globally of modern records.

The average global temperature reached 17.01 degrees Celsius, higher than the last record of 16.92 degrees, which was recorded in 2016.

Temperatures fluctuate around the world and from year to year but on average are on an upwards trajectory as the threat posed by climate crisis grows.

Back to school costs

4. Nearly three-quarters of parents say that covering the cost of back to school is a considerable financial burden.

That is according to a survey by the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU), which found that despite a slight reduction in costs overall compared to last year, families are struggling in the lead up to September.

The average level of debt is €306, with 17% of parents having debts of over €500.

Healthcare

5. The mother of a two-year-old with scoliosis has said that she fears her child is regressing due to a lack of support being available from the HSE’s Children’s Disability Network Team in Carlow.

Yvonne Proctor, who is mother to five children, said that her daughter Shannon, who was diagnosed with scoliosis last June after a “fight with the system”, has not seen an occupational therapist since January as the OT she was meant to work with left the team, and has not been replaced. She hasn’t been seen by a physiotherapist since March.

“The system is completely broken. There is no one for us to lift the phone to now, because the staff are not there. My daughter is two and she still hasn’t been assessed by a speech and language therapist either, despite having real developmental delays,” Yvonne said.

Rugby World Cup

6. Nearly a dozen gardaí will be stationed in France during the Rugby World Cup.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee got the go ahead to deploy eight members of an Garda Síochána to work with the French police and the Gendarmerie at the sporting event, which is to be held in the autumn.

A further three gardaí will be in France to help during the tourist season. The same assistance was provided last summer.

West Bank

7. Roughly 150 people attended a demonstration on O’Connell Street in Dublin yesterday evening to protest against Israel’s assault on a Palestinian refugee camp in the city of Jenin, which began on Monday and has so far left 10 people dead and many more injured.

The gathering was organised by the Irish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) and featured speeches and chants led by two spokespeople for the organisation.

People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith, Dublin City Councillor Daithí Doolan and Mags O’Brien of the Trade Union Friends of Palestine also spoke.

White House

8. The Secret Service in the US is investigating the discovery of cocaine in the White House, according to local media reports.

The White House was temporarily shut down on Sunday evening after a substance was found in a shared storage area that subsequently tested positive for cocaine.

The Washington DC fire department was called in to evaluate the substance and determine whether it was hazardous. 

Human rights

9. Writing a Voices opinion piece for The Journal, MEP Barry Andrews says that “Ireland’s policy of welcoming companies with poor human rights records stands at odds with the way that we portray ourselves in the world”.

“When it comes to the companies we welcome into Ireland, we do not always apply a standard that is appropriate to our image as an outspoken defender of human rights,” Andrews writes.