Here at JOE we like to be a bit cheeky and a little bit caustic as we cast our eyes over the day’s papers. But there’s nothing funny about the front of The Irish Times, which reports that “Child deaths while in care or contact with services now at 188â€.
This figure marks a major revision of figures released this time last week by the HSE, at which point the number was 37 but only include those youngsters who were actually in care as opposed to those who were “known to social services†and therefore presumably at risk, and people aged 18-21 who were in after care. That figure had been revised up from 23 the previous week.
The first words of the first line of the Times’ story warns that this might not be the end of the story. “AT LEAST 188 young people…,†it says. It is reported that senior HSE official Bernard Gloster, who had been involved in collating the figures, admits that “disputes over the provision of figures had further dented public confidence in social servicesâ€.
Elsewhere on the front of The Times, a catholic bishop and a religious congregation have refused to remove two priests form a retreat centre in east Galway that is frequently visited by groups of young people, despite a recommendation for their removal by a group commissioned by the bishop to advise him. Plus there’s talk of €1.2billion loans to Anglo Irish Bank from US insurance giants AIG being under scrutiny by the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation. One day we’ll have positive news to report relating to banks or banks… maybe.
The Irish Examiner leads with the same story as The Times, pointing out that of the 188, 84 children suffered ‘unnatural deaths’. The Examiner also goes with more on the story of Senator Ivor Callely, his expenses, and his rift with his party Fianna Fail. Like The Examiner, Callely is a native of Cork… or so his expenses would have us believe.
Plus there’s news that Monday will almost certainly see the launch of the new 4G version of the iPhone when Apple boss Steve Jobs takes to the stage at his company’s annual software development conference in San Francisco. It is speculated that the iPhone 4G will have a clearer display, a front-facing camera and improved battery life.
“Israeli PM vows to stop Irish aid ship†the Irish Independent splashes across the front page. Efforts by our diplomats to secure a peaceful passage for the MV Rachel Corrie have been rejected by those on board the vessel, with those on board, including five Irish people, insisting that the ship is allowed to dock and unload at Gaza’s port rather than up the coast at Ashdod in Israeli territory.
The story, which takes up the whole front page, is accompanied by a picture of Fiachra O Luian being greeted  by his mother having arrived at Dublin Airport on Friday following his deportation from Israel for being aboard one of the aid ships that had been blocked from delivering aid to Gaza earlier in the week. There’s also a picture of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured, top), who appears to be snarling.
