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Stakes are high for Gavin on campaign launch day

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There are some august former high-ranking members of the Defence Forces who without much prompting will talk at length about Jim Gavin’s leadership qualities.

His work as part of the UN operation in Chad which focused on protecting civilians is cited in particular.

Towards the end of that mission as the rebels began to enclose the UN base, it was the unflappable Mr Gavin who flawlessly oversaw the departure of 27 military flights from dawn until dust over the course of one fraught day.

All this was achieved on a potentially perilous desert airstrip.

It was surely something of that same demeanour Mr Gavin exuded when he met Taoiseach Micheál Martin over the summer and got the Fianna Fáil leader’s blessing to contest the presidency.

Yes, the parliamentary party vote followed but the boss’s imprimatur was unlikely to be overruled.

However, many of those within Fianna Fáil who were worried that they did now know a great deal about the former Dublin GAA football manager have not had their concerns completely assuaged.

Indeed, throughout the week, members of the party were shrugging their shoulders or looking towards the ground when asked how they felt about their presidential candidate, now that the contest is fully under way.

Some whispered that it suits certain agendas if the party leader’s chosen candidate suffers in the run up to the 24 October election.

The predominant view though was that Mr Gavin’s campaign had failed to catch fire, and it was not clearly evident how it could be remedied.

There was even a charge that all this was leading some figures, who should be enthusiastically out canvassing, to quietly retreat from the campaign.

A stance that is regarded by several Dublin members of the party as being a massive overreaction, given that this election effort is really only in its infancy.


Read more: Áras candidates voice support for a united Ireland


Those who have been out on the stump with Mr Gavin talk of a candidate who is growing into the role, and they highlight the fact that many people are keen to talk to him.

His ability to interact with people in those situations is described as good and he is suitably relaxed in that environment.

But unquestionably the early television appearances left a sizable swathe of TDs and Senators underwhelmed.

All this after Mr Gavin had urged them at the party’s recent think-in to each mount a committed canvass in their individual areas.

Officially the word from Mr Gavin’s camp is that there is no anxiety in the air about what is unfolding.

Plus, there is a focus on the high energy approach that will define the period ahead.

This rhetoric will be tested once the presidential television debates commence, with the first scheduled to take place tomorrow night.

Today Mr Gavin will have his official campaign launch.

This will have to be perfectly pitched to two audiences. They are the voting public obviously, but also any Fianna Fáil politician who might be in two minds about their level of commitment to his cause.

A failure on either front could present significant difficulties for Mr Gavin.

The stakes could not be higher.


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SF calls for €100k NMH bike shed tender to be scrapped

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Sinn Féin has called for a tender for a new €100,000 bike shed at the National Maternity Hospital to be scrapped.

A notice on the Government’s e-tenders website invites submissions for tenders to destroy the old shed and build a new one at an estimated cost of €100,000.

Sinn Féin’s Finance Spokesperson Pearse Doherty labelled the plan for a new bike shed as “outrageous” and referenced a previous controversy when €335,000 was spent on a bike shed at Leinster House.

The €100,000 tender for the proposed bike shed at the National Maternity Hospital includes destroying the existing bike shed and taking away all rubbish.

It is to cover the build of the replacement shed and includes sensor lighting.

It also covers improvement to the ground so that it is entirely even and any tree stumps that are in the way are removed.

In May, a report into the bicycle shelter installed at Leinster House found that there was an “absence of some fundamental good practices”, including a value for money assessment, ahead of the project’s construction.

The conclusion is made in a Deloitte audit for the Office of Public Works.

The audit was sought by the Government and the OPW after Opposition outcry over the bike shelter.

The costs include €284,000 spent on construction and installation, €10,000 on contract administration and €4,000 on archaeological services.

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Russia launches major drone, missile attack on Ukraine

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Kyiv has come under heavy drone and missile bombardment this morning, in what independent monitors said was one of the biggest Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital and surrounding region since the war began.

At least three people were killed and about ten injured in the city, the head of Kyiv’s military administration said on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Russia had launched a “massive” air attack on the country involving hundreds of missiles and drones.

He said the attack underlined the need for more punitive sanctions against Russia to force it to stop its aggression.

“Putin must feel the danger of continuing this war – personally for him, his buddies’ pockets, his economy, and his regime,” he posted on X, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“That is what can make him stop this senseless war.”

Several other regions were also hit in the strike, with at least 16 people, including three children, injured in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, authorities said.

Several buildings were damaged and on fire in Zaporizhzhia, footage posted on social media channels in the area showed.

In Kyiv, drones flew over the city and anti-aircraft fire rang out for several hours, according to Reuters witnesses. Loud explosions were also heard. The attack was continuing as of 9.15 local time (7.15 Irish time).

Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a fire had broken out at a state cardiological hospital as a result of the attack.

Some residents fled to metro stations deep underground for safety, sleeping on makeshift beds or sitting on deck chairs following events on their phones.

Neighbouring Poland closed airspace near two of its southeastern cities and its air force scrambled jets in response.

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‘My tears could help people survive brain tumours’

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1 hour ago

Lynette HorsburghNorth West

imageCancer Research UK handout

A father with an incurable brain tumour has donated his tears to a pioneering study that could revolutionise how brain cancers are detected because he wants to “make a difference”.

Alex Davies was initially treated for epilepsy but months later scans revealed he had a brain tumour and was told he may only have 12 to 18 months to live.

The 49-year-old is now taking part in research at the Manchester Cancer Research Centre exploring if tear fluid can identify glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain tumour.

He is hoping the study will result in earlier diagnoses and ultimately save lives.

Mr Davies, from Lostock, Bolton, started suffering seizures in 2023 before later undergoing surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Follow-up scans initially showed no evidence of cancer but later tests discovered the tumour was growing back and he is now receiving palliative care at home.

imageCancer Research UK handout Alex, who has brown hair and beard and Emma Davies, with long blond hair, standing outside the entrance to Manchester Cancer Research Centre wearing t-shirts which read Stand Up To Cancer. They are both smiling. It is a sunny day.Cancer Research UK handout

Mr Davies, who worked at Network Rail before his diagnosis, said he was relatively fit with no health conditions when he “collapsed out of the blue”.

“It took months to get to my diagnosis and my initial MRI scan didn’t spot the tumour,” he said.

“My symptoms worsened over about three months including severe headaches, my speech became affected as well as my balance and I was getting confused.”

The father-of-two continued: “If helping with this research could mean someone like me can be diagnosed sooner, it offers real hope for the future.”

Mr Davies’ wife Emma said it was a “really horrible time for us”.

She said if a simple tear test could be used to bring a diagnosis forward it “would improve that awful time for so many others in the future”.

Thanks to nearly £500,000 funding from Stand Up To Cancer – a joint fundraising campaign from Cancer Research UK and Channel 4 – the study led by scientists at the University of Manchester has expanded to include larger-scale trials.

imageCancer Research UK handout Left to right: Prof Petra Hamerlik, Alex and Emma Davies in a lab in the Manchester Cancer Research Centre. They are all wearing white coats and smiling.Cancer Research UK handout

Researchers have described the test as a “liquid biopsy” and said the “world-first approach” could pave the way for faster, cheaper and less invasive brain cancer diagnosis.

If successful, the test could be rolled out to GP surgeries which would allow patients to receive a diagnosis much earlier.

Prof Petra Hamerlik, who lost her father to glioblastoma at a young age, is leading the project.

She said the research had not previously been explored to diagnose brain cancer.

“My team is currently developing a tear-protein-based classifier that can differentiate brain cancer patients from healthy volunteers with high levels of accuracy,” she said.

“If successful, we’ll seek further funding to develop a tool that can be rapidly deployed across health services, ultimately helping patients like Alex receive a timely diagnosis and better outcomes.”

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