GOOD MORNING.

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

Foodbanks 

1. In our lead story this morning, Jamie McCarron reports that a foodbank coordinator has said it’s impossible to predict whether they can fill the growing demand for food each month.

Government statistics published last week found 8.9% of those surveyed in 2021 were experiencing food poverty.

Foodbank coordinator at Trim Family Resource Centre, Elaine Casey, believes that 2022 will almost certainly see more food poverty due to the cost of living crisis.

Monkeypox death in Europe

2. Spain has reported Europe’s first monkeypox-related death of the current outbreak – and the second outside of Africa.

The World Health Organization last Saturday declared the monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency.

Kentucky flooding

3. Trapped homeowners swam to safety and others were rescued by boat as record flash flooding killed at least 16 people in the US state of Kentucky and swamped entire towns.

Heavy rain continued to pound in the eastern part of the state yesterday and authorities warned the death toll was likely to grow sharply.

US gun control 

4. The US House of Representatives, spurred by a series of recent mass shootings, has passed a bill that would ban assault weapons for the first time in decades.

The legislation was approved by a 217 to 213 vote in the Democratic-majority House and now goes to the Senate – where it is likely doomed to fail.

Ukraine 

5. Top diplomats of the United States and Russia spoke yesterday for the first time since the Ukraine war, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken describing a “frank” exchange as he pushed to free two Americans.

Blinken initiated the call with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, whom he had shunned as early as a few weeks ago, as he pressed Russia to accept an offer to free prisoners.

Musk counter-suit 

6. Elon Musk has filed claims against Twitter as he fights back against the tech firm’s lawsuit demanding he be held to his $44 billion (€43 billion) buyout deal.

Musk’s counter-suit was submitted yesterday along with a legal defense against Twitter’s claim that the billionaire is contractually bound to complete the deal he inked in April to buy Twitter. 

Recession?

7. Some economists have been forecasting another major economic downturn in Ireland – but how likely is this? 

This week The Journal‘s The Explainer podcast spoke to Stephen Kinsella, Head of the Economics Department at the University of Limerick and Chief Economics Writer with The Currency about this topic. 

Monkeypox

8. Shame and stigma surrounding monkeypox in gay and bisexual men will only serve to prolong the current outbreak, an advocacy group has said.

The MPower programme, which is part of HIV Ireland, has said that the government needs to prioritise the procurement of recently approved smallpox vaccines to protect men who have sex with men, who are particularly at risk of contracting the virus.

Cashless risks

9. Following AIB’s now-scrapped decision to remove cash services from 70 of its branches, advocacy groups have highlighted the importance of cash to victims of domestic abuse and coercive control.

Women’s advocacy groups warned that a move towards cashless banking on a greater scale could endanger victims of domestic abuse and coercive control.