This morning.

Compiled using 12 data indicators that span virus containment, the quality of healthcare, vaccination coverage, overall mortality and progress toward restarting travel and easing border curbs, the Ranking captures which of the world’s biggest 53 economies are responding best—and worst—to the same once-in-a-generation threat.

The Best and Worst Places to Be as We Learn to Live With Delta (Bloomberg)

Meanwhile…

This morning.

92% of adults vaccinated but children aged 5-12 ‘unlikely’ to get their jab this year (Irish Examiner)

Meanwhile…

Last night.

Project Veritas released the third video of its COVID vaccine investigative series apparently showing two Johnson & Johnson officials on hidden camera who argue that children do not need to take the COVID vaccine in part because of the potential long-term side effects.

Johnson & Johnson: Children Don’t Need the ‘F*cking’ COVID Vaccine Because There Are ‘Unknown Repercussions Down the Road’ (Project Veritas)

RollingNews

Meanwhile…

From top: Peter and Mark Keaveney at the opening of their first branch in 1961: The brothers today

This morning.

Grafton Street, Dublin 2.

Brothers Peter and Mark Keaveney celebrate the 60th anniversary of Peter Mark. Founded in 1961 on Grafton Street, Peter Mark has now become one of Ireland’s most recognisable brands with 67 salons on the island of Ireland.

In hairness.

RollingNews

Tokyo, Japan

This morning.

Via Forbes:

The Japanese government will lift the country’s near five-month-long Covid-19 state of emergency at the end of this week, a move that comes as daily new infections continue to decline sharply

The decision to lift the national state of emergency comes just a day before Suga’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) selects a new leader to succeed him. Earlier this month, Suga announced that he would drop out of the leadership race and resign from his role amid sinking approval ratings.

57.4%. That’s the percentage of Japan’s population that has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 according to Bloomberg’s tracker. After initially being criticized for a slow start, Japan’s vaccine rollout quickly gathered pace over the last few months.

Japan Is Lifting Its Covid-19 State Of Emergency After Five Months Of Restrictions (Forbes)

Previously: Foreign Substance

Getty

Meanwhile…

Oy vey.

Deirdre Ní Choistín writes:

A new series coming to TG4’s youth online platforms BLOC, from this Thursday shows how small changes can revolutionise our lives and help the planet.

Bí an Réabhlóid features madcap and energetic 22-year old Dubliner Barra Ó hÉ (top), who might well be the next Hector.

Barra will over a series of 6 x five-minute online programmes cover topics ranging from food, stress, consumerism and fashion to the body and prejudice. The series will be available to view on BLOC’s Youtube and IGTV accounts.

Yesterday: Eire Nua, Raho Rahu

This morning.

Tonight on Prime Time, a special RTÉ Investigates report reveals an investigation is underway at one of the country’s largest hospitals after it was discovered multiple baby organs were sent abroad for incineration without the knowledge or consent of their parents.

Via RTE:

During the late 1990s hundreds of families were horrified to discover the organs of their deceased children were removed and retained by Irish hospitals following post-mortem without their knowledge or permission.

The public outcry led to the establishment of four separate inquiries, including the publication of the 2009 Willis report, an independent audit which found almost 21,500 organs of deceased patients had been retained at hospitals and universities across the State.

Almost 20 years later, in April 2019, Cork couple Leona Bermingham and Glenn Callanan were overjoyed to discover they were expecting twins. However, at their 16 week scan they were given some bad news, there was complications with one of the twins.

On the 18th Sept 2019 Leona and Glenn’s twin boys, Lee & Lewis, were delivered at 33 weeks by emergency c-section at Cork University Maternity Hospital. Hours later baby Lee sadly died. Because of the circumstances of baby Lee’s death, Leona & Glenn were encouraged to agree to a post-mortem.

In mid-May 2020, Leona received an unexpected call from Cork University Maternity Hospital to say that the organs that they retained belonging to Lee had been incinerated and they wouldn’t be able to get them back.

Six months after they received the phone call to tell them Lee’s organs had been incinerated, Cork University Maternity Hospital eventually arranged to meet with Leona and Glenn. They were horrified to be told it was baby Lee’s brain that they kept and that the brain was incinerated abroad in Antwerp in Belgium.

RTÉ Investigates report on Prime Time tonight at 9.35pm on RTÉ One

Investigation under way at Cork hospital after baby organs incinerated (RTÉ)

Dog lover and South Korean President Moon Jae-in (above) has called on his country to reject their dog-meat-eating tradition

In Korea some folk like to eat
Man’s best friend as a tasty treat
But President Moon
Suggests that quite soon
They should stop eating this kind of meat

John Moynes

Getty

How did a star (which is round) create a rectangular nebula? No one really knows. To wit:

The round star, known as MWC 922 and possibly part of a multiple star system, appears at the center of the Red Square Nebula. The featured image combines infrared exposures from the Hale Telescope on Mt. Palomar in California, and the Keck-2 Telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. A leading progenitor hypothesis for the square nebula is that the central star or stars somehow expelled cones of gas during a late developmental stage. For MWC 922, these cones happen to incorporate nearly right angles and be visible from the sides. Supporting evidence for the cone hypothesis includes radial spokes in the image that might run along the cone walls. Researchers speculate that the cones viewed from another angle would appear similar to the gigantic rings of supernova 1987A, possibly indicating that a star in MWC 922 might one day itself explode in a similar supernova.

(Image: Peter Tuthill (Sydney U.) & James Lloyd (Cornell U.))

apod

Yesterday.

Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin 2.

Violinist Larissa O’Grady (above left), with skateboarder and award-winning composer Sam Perkin (right) and boarders Michael McMaster (pic 1) and Peter Buckley (Pic 2) rehearse their show DIS-CORD, part of Dublin Alive, Dublin City Council’s Local Live Performance Programme funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Classically gnarly.

Dublin Alive

Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

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