Consultants warning
It could take 15 years to clear the current hospital waiting lists unless funding is urgently provided to help patients, the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has said.
Hospital waiting lists have now reached over 907,000 across all specialities, which includes over 100,000 children waiting to be seen, the IHCA said.
This is despite over 6 million patients being treated last year as the growing population increases pressure on the system.
Energy crisis
A "whole of Government" response is needed to tackle the ongoing energy crisis, which is threatening some sectors and could lead to company closures and jobs losses, according to business group Ibec.
The group's director of lobbying and influence, Fergal O'Brien said increased energy costs will present a real challenge for some businesses, such as engineering and the manufacture of building supplies.
Some companies were looking at energy bills that had increased four or five times, he said, adding it is a significant cost which could mean increased bills of tens of thousands of euro for small companies and tens of millions of euro for large companies.
Gas usage
The amount of natural gas used by power plants to generate electricity was 7.4 per cent lower in 2021 compared to the previous year, mainly due to a Cork power plant being offline, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
A fault at the gas-fired Whitegate power station meant that it was offline for most of 2021.
It comes after the British multinational energy company Centrica announced in July that Bord Gáis Energy’s operating profits grew 74 per cent in the first half of this year to around €39 million, partly due to the return of Whitegate in December 2021.
Nasa launch
Nasa’s Artemis 1 Moon rocket launch has been postponed due to a problem with one of the engines.
The rocket had been due to take off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida, during a two-hour window after 1.33pm BST, but was called off by the launch director moments before.
Nasa said the first opportunity for the next launch attempt will be September 2nd depending on how the engine bleed develops.
