Author Archives: Bodger

This morning.

The National Lottery has confirmed it will hold a must-win draw this Saturday, after more than seven months without a jackpot winner.

Via RTE News:

This Saturday, if there is still no winner of the jackpot, it will flow down to the winners in lower tiers. This will likely result in several winners.

National Lottery spokesperson Fran Whearty said that must-win draws will be held in the future to prevent such long rollovers from happening again, explaining that jackpots are “guaranteed to be won no more than five draws after the cap has been reached”.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland Mr Whearty urged players to play responsibly at the weekend because they are “as likely to win with one ticket, as with multiple”.

It’s not gambling.

It only feels like gambling.

Fight!I

Lotto ‘must-win’ draw on Saturday as jackpot unclaimed since June (RTE)

This morning.

Cappincur, Tullamore, county Offaly,

Superintendent Eamonn Curley (above), of Tullamore Garda Station, making a statement in relation to the ongoing investigation into the fatal assault of school teacher Ashling Murphy, which occurred yesterday afternoon on the Grand Canal towpath.

Murder investigation as 22-year-old woman killed in Offaly (RTE)

Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews

Meanwhile…

Taoiseach Micheál Martin

On The Late Late Show…

Linda Pototzki writes:

Following fresh changes to Covid restrictions and the continuing high number of infections across the country, Taoiseach Micheál Martin will provide an update on the current situation on managing the outbreak of Covid-19.

As Operation Transformation returns to our screens for its 15th season, Ryan will be joined by presenter Kathryn Thomas and the five new leaders for 2022 – John Ryan, Stefano Sweetman, Kathleen Hurley Mullins, Katie Jones and Sarah O’Connor Ryan – as they embark on a health and wellness journey with the main intention to reset and kick-start a new chapter in their lives.

The Late Late Show is pleased to host a very special TradFest music session with some of the country’s most-talented Irish musicians including Mike Hanrahan (Stockton’s Wing), Niamh Dunne (Beoga), Dara & Mick Healy (Boxing Banjo), Bridín, Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh (Altan), Séamus & Caoimhe Ui Fhlatharta, to name a few.

The Late Late Show on RTÉ One tomorrow at 9:35pm.

RollingNews

This afternoon.

Leinster House, Dublin 2.

Sinn Féin Cork North-Central TD Thomas Gould (above right) and the party’s spokesperson on Health, David Cullinane (left) launching legislation for the Dáil to tackle derelict sites.

Deputy Gould said

“There are over €12m in levies that haven’t been collected and what this piece of legislation is looking to do is to make the whole situation of managing derelict sites accountable and transparent

“…This piece of legislation would force that the 7% excise levy is collected every year.

“This would force local authorities that if they don’t collect 75% of the levies, they will have to compile a report which outlines why they haven’t….

[Under the new bill, the report would include what authorities plan to do to ensure levies are collected, actions on compulsory purchase orders and derelict sites. The minister would then have to respond to these issues or answer concerns that have been highlighted by the authorities]

“The derelict sites levy came in in 1990. Here we are now and it’s still not being enforced.”

Sinn Féin brings new legislation aimed at tackling derelict sites (Irish Examiner)

RollingNews

This afternoon.

Earlier…

This morning.

Government Buildings.

Earlier…

This morning.

The Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022 has been published

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Roderic O’Gorman (top) has written to Mother and Baby Home survivors, former residents, their families and advocates, saying:

The Bill seeks to enshrine in law the importance of a person knowing his or her origins. It aims to remove the long-standing obstacles faced by adopted people and others in gaining access to their own birth and early life information.

For the first time, the Bill will guarantee the full and un-redacted release of all such information to persons who have attained the age of 16 years.

The main features of the Bill provide for:

· The release of full birth certificates, birth information, early life information, care information and medical information for all persons who were adopted, boarded out, the subject of an illegal birth registration or who otherwise have questions in relation to their origins;

· A statutory tracing service for persons wishing to make contact, share or seek information;

· A Contact Preference Register, established in law, through which people can register their preference in relation to contact with a child, or genetic relative, as well as lodge personal communications or updated medical information; and

· The safeguarding of relevant records.

Minister O’Gorman added:

The Bill also amends the Civil Registration Act 2004 to address key issues arising for people affected by illegal birth registration by:

· Providing the relevant individual with an entitlement to live under whichever identity they prefer (i.e. their birth identity or the lifelong identity by which they have lived) and to have their social parents recognised in law through the mechanism of a parallel register; and

· Providing a robust legal basis for the transfer of information to the GRO, thereby vindicating the right of relevant individuals to an accurate birth registration.

It is intended that the Bill will also contain further measures to address issues arising for people affected by illegal birth registration, particularly succession issues.

Now that the Bill is published, the first stage (introduction to the Dáil) is complete and I intend to commence Second Stage in the Dáil next week.

The Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022 here.

RollingNews

Thanks Breeda

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin this afternoon

This afternoon.

Government Buildings, Dublin 2.

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin has launched the the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill paving the way for a new watchdog to ‘regulate online services and to reduce the availability of harmful content’.

Vias Gov.ie:

The Bill will establish a new regulator, a multi-person Media Commission which will include the Online Safety Commissioner. This new body will be responsible for overseeing updated regulations for broadcasting and video on-demand services and the new regulatory framework for online safety created by the Bill.

The Media Commission will also have roles in relation to the protection of children, research, education, media literacy, journalistic and creative supports. In carrying out these roles the Commission will support and promote an open, trusted and pluralistic media and online environment….

Hmm.

Meanwhile…

Online Safety Commissioner?

It will be the role of the  to oversee the regulatory framework for online safety. As part of the framework, the Commissioner will devise binding online safety codes that will set out how regulated online services, including certain social media services, are expected to deal with certain defined categories of harmful online content on their platforms. The defined categories of harmful online content include criminal material, serious cyber-bullying material and material promoting self-harm, suicide and eating disorders.

The Online Safety Commissioner will have a range of powers to ensure compliance, including the power to require the provision of information and to appoint authorised officers to conduct investigations. In the event of a failure to comply with a relevant online safety code, and subject to court approval, the Media Commission will have the power to sanction non-compliant online services, including through financial sanctions of up to €20m or 10% of turnover.

Media Commission?

The Media Commission will take on the current functions of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and regulate both television and radio broadcasters. The Commission will also be responsible for the regulation of video on-demand services. The regulations that apply to these services will be set out in Media Codes and Rules and will address issues such as programme standards, advertising, sponsorship, product placement, accessibility and other matters.

There will also be a new 30% quota for European Works in the catalogues of video on-demand services. There is already an existing quota of 50% for European Works for transmission time for television broadcasters.

Fight!

Minister Martin presses forward with vital online safety law to establish new regulator (Gov.ie)

Meanwhile…

This afternoon.

Longtime Prince Andrew accuser Virginia Giuffre’s sexual abuse lawsuit against him can move forward, as a New York judge rejected the royal’s efforts to dismiss her civil claim on Wednesday.

Giuffre, who has alleged that the late financier Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell sexually abused her, said they forced her into sex with the Duke of York at age 17. She filed suit against the royal on 9 August, citing battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Prince Andrew rejected in effort to get US sexual abuse case dismissed (The Guardian)

Getty

From top: US Chief Medical Advisor Dr Anthony Fauci, Sir Jeremy Farrer, director of the Wellcome Trust and a former member of SAGE

This afternoon.

Sir Jeremy Farrar, an advisor to SAGE – UK’s NPHET -, who publicly denounced the theory that a lab leak was the ‘likely’ origin of Covid as a ‘conspiracy’, admitted in a private email in February 2020 that a ‘likely explanation’ was that the virus was man-made.

Via MailOnline:

In an email, sent to American health chiefs Dr Anthony Fauci and Dr Francis Collins, Sir Jeremy said it was possible Covid had been evolved from a Sars-like virus in the lab. He went on that this seemingly benign process may have ‘accidentally created a virus primed for rapid transmission between humans’.

But the British scientist was shut down by his counterparts in the US who warned further debate about the origins of the virus could damage ‘international harmony’.

He was told by other scientists with links to virus manipulation research that it could cause ‘unnecessary harm to science in general and science in China in particular’.

Sir Jeremy claimed in his emails that other respected scientists also believed the virus could not have emerged naturally. Names included Professor Mike Farzan, the Harvard researcher who first discovered how the original Sars virus binds to human cells.

Despite his concerns, Sir Jeremy went on to sign letters in The Lancet a fortnight later denouncing anyone who believed in the lab leak theory as bigoted.

Top SAGE adviser admitted lab leak theory was ‘most likely’ origin of Covid in February 2020 but debate was shut down because it could ’cause harm to China’ (MailOnline)

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