Author Archives: Bodger

This morning.

Tuam, county Galway.

“This a wound for our nation to carry.”

Writer Michael Harding greets a group of German runners and cyclists – led by John McGurk (top in kilt with RTÉ’s Pat McGrath) – who arrived at the Tuam burial site after a six-day trek across six countries in memory of the 796 children who died at the Mother and Baby Home and whose remains are still interred.

On their way to Tuam, the group laid a wreath to remember those buried at a similar mass grave in St Mary’s, Lanarkshire, Scotland,

Greeting the group were families and survivors of lost children, campaigners – including Catherine Corless – and Archbishop of Tuam Francis Duffy.

Archbishop meets survivors at Tuam mother-and-baby home gathering (RTÉ)

Pics and video by Breeda Murphy.

Stop that.

This morning.

Minister of State for Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora, Colm Brophy (above second left) with from left: Kenyans Anne Waithira Burke, Susan Ngereso McDarby and Zambian Michael Chanda, all members of the NoWahal dance crew, gather to announce details of Africa Day 2022.

Africa Day is the annual commemoration of the foundation of the African Union and is celebrated on May 25. It is supported by Irish Aid at the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Mr Brophy is wearing traditional Fine Gael native garb.

Sasko Lazarov /RollingNews

Gulp.

May 2, 1980.

Good, if ill-tempered, times.

This morning.

Meanwhile..

Um.

This morning.

Jdawgs writes:

Can anybody make my head get around this. Both these stories are from today, from the FT and Sky News. Before I go full “Gemma” can somebody explain…You can still have highest quarterly earning even though you have the biggest loss?

Anyone?

BP slumps to $20.4bn loss as it books cost of Russia exit but oil and gas profits soar (Sky News)

BP reports highest quarterly earnings in more than 10 years (FT)

Crowds gather outside the US Supreme Court last night

This morning.

Washington DC, USA

Via Politico:

The Supreme Court has voted to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, according to an initial draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito circulated inside the court and obtained by POLITICO.

The draft opinion is a full-throated, unflinching repudiation of the 1973 decision which guaranteed federal constitutional protections of abortion rights and a subsequent 1992 decision – Planned Parenthood v. Casey – that largely maintained the right. “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” Alito writes.

“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” he writes in the document, labeled as the “Opinion of the Court.” “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”

Deliberations on controversial cases have in the past been fluid. Justices can and sometimes do change their votes as draft opinions circulate and major decisions can be subject to multiple drafts and vote-trading, sometimes until just days before a decision is unveiled. The court’s holding will not be final until it is published, likely in the next two months.

Supreme Court has voted to overturn abortion rights, draft opinion shows (Politico)

CNN

Meanwhile…

Ah now.

Conservative MP Neil Parish

This afternoon.

House of Commons, London, UK.

Via The Sun:

Neil Parish has been named as the Tory MP who allegedly watched porn in the House of Commons chamber.

A spokesperson for the Chief Whip said: “Having spoken to the Chief Whip this afternoon, Neil Parish MP is reporting himself to the Standards Committee of the House of Commons.

The veteran MP for Tiverton and Honiton has had the Conservative whipped removed after referring himself to Parliament’s watchdog…

Tory MP Neil Parish named as Parliament’s ‘porn-watcher’ and has whip withdrawn (The Sun)

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