Author Archives: Bodger

France’s top tennis player Gael Monfils (left) and world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in 2020

This morning.

Writing on Twitter, Monfils said:

“Hello everyone, I wanted to give you some news following my recent withdrawals from tournaments. I suffered a small health glitch (probably following my third dose of vaccine).

“On the advice of my doctor, I decided to take some time to rest. So unfortunately I will not be able to play the Davis Cup next week. I hope to be able to return in the United States.”

Meanwhile…

He is the second French player to be forced off court after a suspected adverse reaction to a coronavirus vaccine. Jeremy Chardy, now ranked 138, has not played a match since the U.S. Open last summer.

Novak Djokovic, who is playing his first tournament of the season in Dubai this week, is the only unvaccinated player in the men’s top 100.

French No 1 Tennis Player Blames Covid Booster For Withdrawal From Davis Cup (Daily Sceptic)

AFP

This afternoon.

Tallaght, Dublin 24.

Sam writes:

Gardai at the scene on lands in Lugmore in the Mount Seskin area, where a man was seriously injured in a shooting on farmland at around 1pm this afternoon. He was taken to Tallaght University Hospital, where his condition is described as serious. It is believed he had been shot in the head. The scene has been preserved for a forensic examination.

Meanwhile…

…via Irish Times:

While the investigation into the incident is at an early stage, gardaí believe the injured man may have been on privately owned farm lands, with his dog, in the area when a dispute broke out.

A dog, believed to be owned by the injured man, was also shot during the incident, which is not regarded as being related to gangland or organised crime.

Gardaí are instead trying to establish if the man who fired the shot had challenged the injured man about why he was in the area.

Man shot in head during dispute on farmland in Co Dublin (irish Times)

Man critically injured in shooting on Dublin farmland (RTE)

Sam Boal/RollingNews

This afternoon.

Government Buildings, Dublin

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar detailed the Cabinet’s lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, including the removal of the mandatory requirement to wear masks on February 28.

The new old normal.

RollingNews

Meanwhile…

Wait, what?

FIGHT!

This morning/afternoon.

Government Buildings, Dublin2.

Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman (above) received cabinet approval to publish the Institutional Burials Bill that will provide a ‘legal basis’ to allow recovery and identification of the children interred at the site of the former Mother and Baby Home in Tuam.

Survivor groups say a legal basis already exists with the lawful obligation of a coroner to perform an inquest into any death within their district.

The legislation will ‘allow the Government, by order, to direct an intervention at a site and to approve the appointment of a Director to oversee and manage a phased, step-by-step approach’ comprising:

Excavation of the site
Recovery of human remains
Post recovery analysis of remains to support, where possible, establishing circumstances and cause of death
Identification of remains through DNA familial matching
Return of remains to family members or respectful re-interment.

Meanwhile…

This afternoon.

Tuam, county Galway.

Minister O’Gorman publishes Institutional Burials Bill (Gov.ie)

RollingNews

This afternoon.

London, England, United Kingdom.

Via The Guardian:

West Midlands police have asked a judge to exclude reporters from a hearing in which they will attempt to force a journalist and former MP who exposed the Birmingham Six’s wrongful conviction to reveal his source material.

The force have applied for an order under the Terrorism Act 2000 compelling Chris Mullin to hand over material, including notebooks, from his 1985-86 investigation into the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings, which killed 21 people and injured more than 200.

…Officers believe Mullin has interviews that could confirm the identity of a surviving member of the IRA gang now thought to be behind the pub bombings. Relatives of victims of the bombings have criticised the former MP for refusing to disclose the names of living suspects.

Police move to ban reporters from Birmingham Six journalist hearing (The Guardian)

Meanwhile…

Pic: Amazon

Thanks, Fearganainm

Above from left: Charlene Masterson, survivor of violent abuse; Aine Kerr, Co-Founder and COO, Kinzen; Sonya Lennon CEO, WorkEqual; Orla O’Connor, Director, National Women’s Council; Noeline Blackwell, CEO, Dublin Rape Crisis Centre; Maria Elena Costa Human Rights Lead Irish Network Against Racism; Stephanie Walsh, Business Development Director, Rethink Ireland; and Seán Cooke, CEO, Men’s Development Network

This afternoon.

National print Museum,. Dublin 2.

Rethink Ireland – formerly the social innovation fund – is inviting ‘business leaders and philanthropists’ to contribute to a Freedom From Fear Fund to help ‘end violence against women in Ireland’.

Yvonne Judge writes:

The Freedom From Fear Fund has been created by Rethink Ireland in partnership with the National Women’s Council. The Fund, which has an initial target of raising €100,000, is now open for donations.

Aine Kerr co-founder and COO of Kinzen announced the first business donation to the fund by her company, co-owned with Mark Little..

The Fund aims to support education and prevention programmes working with girls and boys as well as supporting projects that address the structural causes and the risk and protective factors, associated with violence against women. The Fund will also support projects working to achieve systemic culture change and innovative services to survivors of violence and their families.

Today, a Proclamation to end violence against women in Ireland was also launched, with a live printing of the document at the National Print Museum

The Proclamation is based on the UN and Council of Europe’s Conventions, signed by Ireland, which enshrine the rights of women to live with freedom from fear. A personal testimony was delivered at the launch by Charlene Masterson, a survivor of violent abuse. businesses should contact stephanie@rethinkireland.ie

Rethink Ireland

Leon Farrel/Photocall Ireland

This morning.

Deirdre Ní Choistín

TG4 funded films have received thirteen nominations for this year’s IFTA Film and Drama awards. The nominations were announced this morning. An Cailín Ciúin (top)has received ten nominations and Foscadh (centre), two nominations and Doineann has one nomination. An Cailín Ciúin and Foscadh are films from CINE4, an initiative between TG4, Fís Éireann and the BAI, to develop Irish language feature films. Doineann is a film from the Gealán scheme funded by TG4, BBC Gaeilge and the Northern Ireland Screen Irish Language Broadcast Fund.

In fairness.

KIN leads the IFTA nominations (RTE)

…sanctions.

This morning.

Dublin Castle, Dublin 2.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney calling for EU sanctions against Russia.

Meanwhile…

 

Fight!

Earlier: We Are Family

Sam Boal/RollingNews

Minsk protocol?

This morning.

Dublin Castle, Dublin 2.

Green Party Leader and Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan arrives for a cabinet meeting on lifting all covid restrictions.

Earlier: “A Sense Of Nervousness”

Sam Boal/RollingNews