September 15: Today’s top stories in 60 seconds

Taxi drivers avoiding ‘violent’ city centres

Explaining the shortage of taxi drivers available at peak times in busy areas, industry representatives have explained that drivers are concerned for their safety in “violent” cities at night. A survey by the National Transport Authority earlier this year found that 93% of licensed drivers were working but only 29% were working Friday and Saturday nights.

thejournal.ie

Mother and baby home survivors to protest outside Leinster House today

Survivors of mother and baby homes are protesting today for the extension of the Government’s redress scheme to include those who were boarded out, a precursor to fostering, and those who spent less than six months in an institution as a child. Those who receive redress will have to sign a waiver saying they will not take future legal action against the State.

thejournal.ie

Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not sustain serious injuries in battlefield crash

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s car collided with another vehicle while on a battlefield visit. While the driver of the othr vehicle was taken away by ambulance, medics examined the president and concluded that no serious injuries were sustained. The circumstances of the accident are under investigation.

Irish Examiner

R Kelly found guilty

R Kelly has been convicted on three counts of child sexual abuse imagery and three counts of child enticement. He was found not guilty on three counts of conspiring to receive child sexual abuse imagery and two further enticement charges. The verdict comes months after Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison in June for racketeering and sex trafficking.

The Guardian

ESRI reports inequality concerns

Research by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has found that while mortality rates have fallen substantially, inequalities between different groups remain a concern. The analysis of inequalities due to socio-economic status showed that the standardised mortality rate for those in the least advantaged group was twice as high as those in the most advantaged group in 2018.

RTÉ