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GOOD MORNING. HERE’S everything you need to know as the weekend gets underway.
1. Gaza War
Trucks carrying humanitarian aid from Egypt into war-torn and besieged Gaza started passing through the Rafah border crossing today, a security source and an Egyptian Red Crescent official told AFP.
Egyptian state television showed several trucks entering the gate on the 15th day of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Some 2.4 million Palestinians live in the densely populated enclave, and almost half have been displaced, according to the UN. Israel has cut off supplies of water, electricity, fuel and food to the long-blockaded territory.
2. Weather
There will be a brief respite from the wet weather this weekend with cooler, more settled conditions forecast, but the rain is likely to return next week.
According to Met Éireann, it will be a dry day in many places today, with variable cloud and some brighter spells. Some drizzle will remain, however, and there will be some showers in the north and west.
3. Citizen’s Assembly
The Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use is to vote today on its key recommendations to the Government on possible policy, legislative and operational changes to Ireland’s drug policy that it believes will reduce harms to individuals and communities.
One of the most debated issues that has been considered by the assembly is whether a policy of drug decriminalisation should be put in place in Ireland.
4. Vaping
A number of schools have removed the outer doors of bathrooms on their campuses in an effort to crack down on vaping, as they struggle to find ways to deal with the large numbers of students using vapes during school hours.
Parents of students from one school in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan were upset to find out, through their children, that this decision was taken without their consultancy.
5. Collision
A number of people were hospitalised following a collision between a car and a bus in Co Tipperary yesterday.
The incident happened on the N76 outside of Clonmel, near Kilsheelan at around 4.30pm. The driver of the car was taken to Cork University Hospital where he is currently receiving treatment for serious injuries.
6. EU politics ‘not working’
A number of Irish MEPs have spoken to TheJournal about the issues they see with how EU politics are functioning.
It comes after European Commission president Ursula vond der Leyen has been strongly criticised for her response to the Israel and Hamas war and bombardment of Gaza.
7. All Blacks victory
New Zealand easily dispatched Argentina to advance to the final of the Rugby World Cup in what was a bit of a no-contest last night in France. The All Blacks easily defeated their opponents.
8. Trump fined
Former US president Donald Trump has been fined $5,000 after a disparaging social media post about a key court employee in his New York civil fraud case was allowed to linger on his campaign website after the judge ordered it deleted.
Judge Arthur Engoron avoided holding Trump in contempt for now, but reserved the right to do so – and possibly put him in jail – if he continued to violate a gagging order barring parties in the case from personal attacks on court staff.
9. Web Summit
Amazon has become the latest company to say that they will not be participating in this year’s Web Summit in Lisbon, a representative for Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud computing arm of the company, confirmed to the Business Post.
The news follows the announcement by Google and Meta yesterday that they were withdrawing from the tech event following comments made by its chief executive Paddy Cosgrave in relation to Israel and Palestine.
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Finally, an informed, accurate piece on this topic
Yes informed however the Minister for Health and former Minister for Health (Leo) should step down
It would be good to know it the wife’s and daughters of the Senior management had their test done in the same way and if in recent weeks they had tests and in which clinics?
@Cranky: how else would the tests be done. They could have paid to do it privately but its still the same test. Did you actually read the article.
I concur with the article. However a phone call and call back has resulted in no answers to my questions from the helpline. HSE/CS I want action and not any more time wasting and being passed from Billy to Jack.
I’m getting one per year from now on. Will have to pay but there’s no price on life.
Good article & it’s essential women have confidence in cervical screening which if abnormalities detected early treatment can commence.
I’ve a few observations to make: According to article today”US Laboratories contracted by Cervical Check to carry out standard screening only” which article says “with higher potential for error!.This is shocking when you read the article which shows that since 2002 the US CPL labs also had the capacity to check smears for HPV!So since 2008 at least,that is a lost decade when all smears could have been tested for HPV in the US CPL Labs!Who made that decision to exclude HPV cervical smear testing?
Women’s lives and health are more important than cost,etc.
So why werent they contracted to also check smears for HPV especially with the history of missed diagnosis of abnormalities on smears?
CPL Labs could have been contracted to also check smears for HPV as they had already did that for US women,etc!
I also note that HIQA advised Government in May 2017 to bring in this superior test in May 2017 but no action taken.
This scandal is more important than party politics and Government as it’s literally women’s lives affected and their children and families.There will be no tolerance of the usual “moving on” from scandals,there MUST be accountability,there MUST be transparency,there MUST be full answers,there MUST be full confidence restored in cervical screening including most importantly ensuring the screening labs screen smears for HPV,there must be full supports & medical support including any drugs that may prolong these women’s lives including compensation for women&their families without need for court cases,and finally the patient MUST come first and be No1 top priority in whatever healthcare Ireland has.
What I understand from the brave young women who have spoken out is that it was hard enough to get the diagnosis of terminal cancer and the heartbreak it is causing their families but to find out that abnormalities were missed and not been informed about that for years adds to the trauma.It is disgraceful.
Urgent actions can be taken even in conjunction with the scoping enquiry such as ensuring the US CPL Labs conduct HPV testing re smears including in its sister company here so that women can have more confidence in cervical screening.Urgent supports to the women& families affected.Also PAC can continue this week to further question HSE,Dept of Health, Cervical Care&State Claims Agency,HIQA,etc so the public is further informed including the shocking memos.(PAC debates transcripts May 10th)
The women of Ireland&their families deserve answers and to have confidence restored and FULL accountability and transparency not just from Cervical Check,HSE,Dept of Health but also Government who make policies and can bring in strong legislation re accountability and transparency in all our public services.As Emma said “talk is cheap”,actions speak louder than words!
@Nuala Mc Namara: The HSE wouldn’t pay for the HPV to be included that’s why it was cheaper. Secondly Harris saying we will be one of the first countries to have HPV included is total crap. It’s standard practice for a number of yrs in Finland and other countries.
That’s why i am afraid to go for a smear test i don’t want to be told I’m grand and in fact
that i have cancer
@GiGi O’Dwyer: Hopefully now all smears will be tested for HPV which causes most cervical cancer and that if there’s a history of cancer in the family or any unusual symptoms eg bleeding women should contact their doctor for exam &?
HPV vaccine should protect our children.
You would wonder will this whole mess benefit VHI, Laya and private health insurance generally?
Though you would not know it from glossy brochure,corporate logo this was the cheapest check possible. One woman 3 times via this system was failed another 2. There was some serious quality issue buried here. Why are all the cases from US tests. This should of all been dealt with in 2015.
But the administrators who run the private contracts were too busy deflecting and projecting greatness onto themselves. This for me is not a communication issue alone, its the accuracy of the test, we knew it wasn’t as accurate in those labs in 2008 and seems to have been outperformed by the Coombe now substantially. The correspondence database for those dept’s will show they knew but those with most to hide will want a private commission. a brief open public inquest is what is needed.
A victims impact module included. Were the US test under performing ? Quality assurance was meant to be inbuilt into Cervical Check, who knew about issue the who what when ? , what did they do ? Give these women every treatment we can and honour them by coming clean and no Denis Naughten like talk of private in a personal capacity.
have your say