1. Cameron faces EU leaders amid Brexit fallout
British prime minister David Cameron will on Tuesday face European Unionleaders for the first time since his country voted to leave the bloc, at a summit in Brussels, as the ramifications of Brexit continue to reverberate around the globe. Speaking in the House of Commons in his first appearance since announcing he would step down by the autumn, Mr Cameron said he stood by all he had said in the campaign. He ruled out holding a second referendum to reverse the decision, and announced that a special unit in government had been set up to prepare for negotiations to exit the EU. Mr Cameron said it would be for his successor to invoke article 50 of theLisbon Treaty – the EU's exit clause – and to determine Britain's negotiating position. As the financial ramifications of Brexit continued to emerge – ratings agency Standard & Poor's and Fitch downgraded Britain's credit rating – intense diplomatic activity took place throughout the day in Berlin ahead of today's summit.
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2. CAO countdown: Tech graduates in demand amid skills shortage
Even before the ink had dried on her thesis, Deirdre Corr had a dilemma: which job offer should she take up? She wasn't alone. The tech sector is facing a severe skills shortage and the education system is not able to produce enough graduates to meet demand. That is why policymakers are desperate to try to encourage more Leaving Cert students to consider a career in computer science or ICT (information and communication technology) ahead of this Friday's Central Applications Office (CAO) change-of-mind deadline. Officials say the single biggest trend from the last four years has been the growth of the ICT sector. "This is a global issue," says Una Halligan, chairwoman of the expert group on future skills need, which advises the Government on employment trends.
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3. ‘A humane death is a very reasonable expectation’
Dr Des Crowley, GP, addiction specialist and medical officer in charge of the drug treatment programme in Mountjoy Prison in Dublin, has been working as a doctor in the Irish prison service for more than 20 years. Over the past five years in particular Crowley has noticed that prisoners are getting older, resulting in an increase of complex medical needs, such as long-term respiratory conditions due to heavy smoking as well as chronic conditions such as cancer and arthritis. A number of older prisoners who were injecting drug users in the past are now also suffering from health conditions due to complications from Hepatitis C, he says. According to Crowley, prisoners are suffering from chronic conditions up to 20 years earlier than their counterparts in the general population.
4. Chemsex: How Ireland can get ahead of the curve
Dublin, 3am. It's a Sunday morning in a Dublin apartment. "It's G o'clock," cries the host. Six naked men line up to take a carefully measured dose of the drug known as G. Get the measure wrong and you can become comatose; in the worst case scenario, you can die. A designated responsible person ticks their name off a chart so that they don't take the next dose too soon, and they down a shot of alcohol. After a while, sex resumes. G – short for GBL – is made from common household chemicals. It's also a party drug which increases libido. Along with the drugs crystal meth, GBH and mephadrone, it has become common in sex parties. In November last year, the British Medical Journal warned the rise of "chemsex" in the UK means it is no longer an alleged media scare story, but a public health priority. Chemsex typically involves use of illegal psychoactive substances, with multiple partners having sex. In an editorial, the authors warned: "Many barriers exist to chemsex drug users accessing services, including the shame and stigma often associated with drug use and ignorance of available drug services." Although London is the epicentre of the "chemsex" scene, it is on the rise in Dublin, and for similar reasons.
5. Humiliated England crash out of Europe
For Roy Hodgson, it was a desperate and ignominious way to end his four years as England manager. Whatever else happened in that time, his period in charge will probably always be remembered for the full-on humiliation that accompanied this defeat and the knowledge it will rank among the more infamous results in the history of the national team. How can it not when the suffering comes against a country with a population roughly the size of Croydon and absolutely no history of tournament football? What heroes Iceland were: brave, organised, superb. They have established themselves as the greatest story of Euro 2016 and it feels almost like a trick of the imagination that it is only four years since they were ranked 133rd in the world. Yet that will not reduce the embarrassment for England, their departing manager and a set of players who chronically under-performed after Wayne Rooney's early penalty. Iceland played with courage, skill and togetherness. England, in stark contrast, dramatically lost their way once their lead had been wiped out.
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Misc
Irish students in UK unlikely to face hikes in fees: Students due to commence courses this year told there will be no changes for EU students
Rent allowance limits set to increase immediately: Additional assistance to tackle housing emergency expected to vary by location
Universities face funding cuts if they fail to promote more women: Key decision-making bodies in colleges must be gender balanced, HEA report says
Colm Keaveney seeks protection in bankruptcy: Assets of Former Fianna Fáil TD - being sued by Denis O'Brien - now controlled by assignee
When feminism met real working-class lives in Rialto: A play shaped by first-person testimonies about gender inequality in Rialto provides a welcome alternative perspective