Other News In Brief

Smear Campaign Against Podemos Described As 'Shocking'

Sinn Féin National Chairperson, Declan Kearney MLA, has described confirmation of a malicious smear campaign against Podemos as shocking.

He said: "Freedom of the Press is integral to any functioning democracy and it must be safe guarded.

"This must extend to preventing subversion of the truth within the media, or an undermining of journalism with robust regulation.

"Podemos is a voice for progressive democratic politics and has a mandate to serve in the Spanish coalition government.

"Confirmation that Podemos has been the target of a hostile smear campaign by sections of the Spanish media is shocking.

"The Presidents of Argentina, Chile, Colombia (elect), and Mexico have already described this campaign as an affront to democracy.

"This malicious 'fake news' agenda against Podemos must be unambiguously condemned. The Spanish State needs to act urgently to ensure such a serious undermining of the democratic process is never repeated.

"Sinn Féin sends its solidarity to Podemos and commends its role in continuing to promote progressive, democratic politics within the Spanish State."

Construction Begins On 2,000 New Homes Nationwide

Construction has got underway on over 2,000 new homes across Ireland last month, according to new data.

Commencement Notices for 2,060 new residential homes were received by Building Control Authorities in June 2022.

In the past 12 months (July 2021 to June 2022), Commencement Notices for 29,343 new homes were received. On a rolling 12 month basis, the total number of commencements received is 7.6% higher than previous 12-month period of July 2020 to June 2021 (27,264).

Commencement Notices data indicates the number of homes on which construction commenced in any given month.

With the exception of 2020, when significant restrictions on home-building existed due to the pandemic, the number of residential homes for which Commencement Notices were received has increased every year since 2015.

The total number of homes for which Commencement Notices were received in June 2022 (2,060 units) is 30.2% lower than notices received in June 2021. However, it is worth noting that notices received in June 2021 included some of the backlog from previous months owing to significant Covid-19 related restrictions on construction activity in early 2021.

Council Provides £8,000 To Wallace High School

Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council (LCCC) provided £8,000 to Wallace High School for project based learning through the Local Investment Plan 22/23.

LCCC Chief Executive, David Burns and Head of Communities, Angela McCann were invited to a special showcase to highlight the extensive work undertaken by pupils in Year 8-10 including the 'Virtual Lisburn' Project.

David Burns said: "The young people here today are the future of our community and our workforce. Supporting skills development in schools is important and we were delighted to be able to fund such a positive project.

"The pupils of Wallace High have delivered creative projects that helped them develop critical thinking and decision making skills. We are proud to have played a part in helping the school to bring these collaborative projects to life.

"I was particularly impressed with The ‘Lisburn Virtual’ project which took us on a virtual tour of our very own Irish Linen Centre and Lisburn Museum and Castle Gardens. I commend the pupils and staff of Wallace High School for this wonderful work."

Year 8 projects included a fundraising event to support local refugees, team work to design and construct straw bridges and the most aerodynamic and flight stable rocket to travel the furthest.

Year 9s demonstrated excellent teamwork to experience a European food market through virtual reality (VR) and then created their own market with food from the chosen region. They also designed Pinewood Derby Cars to encourage future engineers.