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Gardaí in Westport wish to seek the public's help in locating the whereabouts of 16-year-old Elaine Sweeney, who is missing from Westport since the 19th September, 2018. 

Elaine was last seen when she left the house at 8am on Wednesday. 

Elaine Sweeney

She is described as 5' 2", slight build with long brown hair, brown eyes and it is unknown what she was wearing at the time of going missing. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact Westport Garda Station on 098 – 50230, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.

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It's beginning to look a lot like….

The 2018 Team Hope Shoebox Appeal was officially launched this week.

Today FM’s Alison Curtis has joined forces with Team Hope this year to encourage families, friends, schools, community groups and businesses across Ireland to champion the annual Appeal and donate gift-filled shoeboxes to children from some of the poorest regions in the world by 9th November.

After smashing last year’s target and delivering more than 264,000 shoeboxes, Team Hope wants to exceed all expectations and deliver 280,000 shoeboxes this year. Every single shoebox donated is delivered directly into the hands of a child in need, so every shoebox counts.

Team Hope is asking people to champion the Appeal in their own schools, communities, businesses and among their family and friends.

"By encouraging as many people as possible to take part, even more children will experience the joy of receiving a Shoebox. For most of these children, it is the only present they will receive all year, turning an ordinary day into a day filled with smiles, excitement and laughter," said Peter Heaney, Chief Executive Officer of Team Hope.

How do I get involved? 

Getting involved is simple. All you have to do is find an empty shoebox, wrap it in Christmas paper and fill it with gifts for a boy or girl aged between 2 and 14 years old, attach €4 and bring it to a local drop off point before Friday, November 9th.

When considering items that are best to gift, think of the 4W’s:

·      Write – pen, pencil, copybook, paper, colouring book, felt pens, sharpener, eraser, solar calculator (these children have no access to batteries).

·      Wash – toothbrush and toothpaste, soap (wrapped), facecloth, hairbrush, comb.

·      Wear – a hat, scarf, gloves, socks or underwear.

·      Wow – sunglasses, games, small Irish gift, a photo of yourself, sweets (must be in date until at least April 2019), make up, a small musical instrument, toys like a doll, a car, cuddly toy, skipping rope, yo-yo or finger puppet.

There are 400 drop off points nationwide, including all Axa, FastFit/FirstStop branches and Toymaster stores. 

To find your nearest drop-off point or for more information about the Team Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal visit: www.teamhope.ie

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Westlife fans, this is for you. 

The iconic pop group of the 1990's are reuniting and social media is having a field day.

After calling it a day in 2012, the boy band have reportedly signed a new deal with Universal.

However, there is one catch…former member Brian McFadden won't be joining the reunion. 

It looks like taking to the stage again to belt out classics like Swear It Again, What About Now? and You Raise Me Up will be Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Nicky Byrne and Kian Egan. 

Before they split,, the group had 14 UK number one singles and 50 million record sales worldwide.

This will be their first time playing to a crowd since their farewell tour six years ago in Croke Park.

Social media obviously went wild for this news with fans tweeting their excitement. 

One wrote, ''I might actually have a meltdown if this is true though. Like imagine. Imagine Westlife being back. The four of them on one stage. Oh my God.''

Another said, ''Westlife reunion may possibly be one of the greatest things to happen in my lifetime.''

Are you as excited as we are?

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Former EastEnders star Danniella Westbrook has announced that she is battling womb cancer.

She took to Twitter to thank everyone for their well wishes and support.

The actor and reality TV star revealed that she will undergo a hysterectomy and that on hearing the bad news, she immediately thought of her late friend Jade Goody, who passed away in 2009 from cervical cancer.

The 44-year-old said, “I’ve always said I am not scared of dying. But when the doctor said, ‘You have cancer’, straight away my thoughts turned to Jade and that I don’t want to die. I know I need to fight.”

Danniella's mum was diagnosed with womb cancer  30 years ago, but she beat the disease after undergoing treatment on the NHS. 

She said, “they are taking me in in three weeks for a full hysterectomy. Before they take it out they won’t know to what extent the cancer has grown.”

Danniella went on to explain that the cancer was found by a doctor in Spain, where she lives, after a few weeks of heavy bleeding. 

The diagnosis was confirmed  by a doctor in Essex when she returned to the UK.

Our thoughts are with the mother-of-two as she battles this illness. 

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They say a picture speaks a thousand words, but this piece of artwork has left us speechless.

Artists took to a boarded-up house in Ranelagh and created a heart-stopping reflection of the sad times we live in.

The housing crisis in Ireland has gone from bad to worse, whilst there are a number of properties lying unoccupied. 

According to Focus Ireland, more than one in three people in emergency accommodation is a child.

Their most recent figures report 3,867 children are living in emergency homeless accommodation with their families.

Reflecting their statistics, a snap of the street artwork was uploaded to SUBSET's Instagram page.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by SUBSET (@subsetdublin) on

It shows three men in balaclavas, one of which is trying to enter the property by force.

In each window of the house, the most vulnerable and innocent victims of the housing crisis are seen – children.

The artwork is in relation to Take Back The City – Dublin campaign, which is a movement currently taking over the city. 

 

Feature image credit: SUBSET Instagram stories

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Gardaí investigating a fatal road traffic collision at Bonavalley, Athlone resulting in the death of an 18-year-old teen on the 11th September 2018 are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

The unidentified, young man was walking outside of Athlone Institute of Technology when the accident occurred on the morning of September 11th.

The injured victim was taken to Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore but loved ones were heartbroken when he was pronounced dead a short time later.

The driver of the car, who remains anonymous to the public, was uninjured.

Gardaí continue to appeal for witnesses, in particular, the driver of a white rigid truck with a tail lift who may have witnessed the accident occurring, to contact Athlone Garda Station on 090 6492600, The Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.

Any information could help them assess the situation more accurately and discover the truth about the devastating event that occurred.

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In a long-awaited report into the Cervical Check scandal, health expert Dr Gabriel Scally has commented on the state of the national cervical cancer screening service.

The author of the new report into the CervicalCheck debacle described it as so poorly run it was “doomed to fail” and said some of the treatment of women “bordered on misogynism,” according to the report.

The past number of months have been a time of great distress and pain for the 221 women who developed cervical cancer and the families of 18 women who have died – as a result of the failings of those involved in the programme. The scandal emerged after it was revealed that over 200 women had their cervical smear results audited by Cervical Check – but were never told of the discrepancies in these results.

“A whole-system failure” meant women were not told about an audit showing problems with past smear tests until after they were diagnosed with cancer. As a result, this meant they potentially missed out on earlier interventions.

Some women, such as Vicky Phelan, waited years to be told she had been misdiagnosed years earlier. She is now battling terminal cancer. 

The report also found that the suffering of the women and their families was "aggravated by some doctors."  

"The anger of many woman and families about how they have been treated in respect of disclosure is intense and raw,” Scally wrote. He used words such as inappropriate, unsatisfactory, damaging, hurtful and offensive to describe the manner in which some women were told about their results. 

He did say, however, that the continuation of cervical screening in the coming months was of crucial importance. “My scoping inquiry team has found no reason why the existing contracts for laboratory services should not continue until the new HPV regime is introduced.”He also added that he is satisfied with the quality management processes in the current laboratory sites used as part of the screening service.

Responding to the report, the HSE said they would respond to the report and those affected once they had time to "read and review it with care."

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Gardaí at Store St. are appealing for help in tracing the whereabouts of 17-year-old Jason Collins who is missing from Dublin since the 3rd of September 2018.

Jason was last seen on Eden Quay, Dublin 1 on the 3rd of September 2018 at approximately 9.30am. He is described as 5'9" in height, medium build, black hair, and green eyes. When last seen he was wearing a black jacket, grey tracksuit bottoms, and grey runners.

It is unknown whether Jason is in Ireland or whether he may have travelled to the UK.

Gardaí are appealing for anyone who may have seen Jason or who may know of his whereabouts is asked to contact Store St. Garda station on 01 6668000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.

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Olivia Newton-John has delivered the sad news that she is taking on cancer for the third time.

The most recent diagnosis came last year and she cancelled a tour to avail of treatment.

Speaking to Australia’s Channel Seven she said doctors found cancer at the bottom of her spine in 2017.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Olivia Newton-john (@therealonj) on

The actress is staying positive about winning her fight against the disease, and her husband, John Easterling, has been her rock through all the difficult times.

“My husband’s always there, and he’s always there to support me, and I believe I will win over it and that’s my goal,” she said.

The 69-year-old said she is using a combination of modern medicine with natural remedies to treat the cancer.

The star has cut out sugar entirely from her diet and uses marijuana for pain management.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Olivia Newton-john (@therealonj) on

The Grease star's first experience with the cancer was in 1992.

She overcame breast cancer, but during the television interview, Olivia opened up about her second battle with breast cancer in 2013, that she choose to keep out of the public domain.

Explaining why she decided to keep her second battle private up until now, the actress said: I thought ‘It’s my life’ and I just decided to keep it to myself.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Olivia Newton-john (@therealonj) on

Doctors discover the breast cancer was back after a minor car crash.

They found a lump on Olivia's shoulder, which they thought could have been strain from her seatbelt.

However, on further assessment, they confirmed the cancer had returned. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Olivia Newton-john (@therealonj) on

Since first beating breast cancer in 1992, Newton-John has been an advocate for breast checks in Australia.

She even has a cancer facility named after her: the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness Research Center, in Melbourne. 

Wishing Olivia a speedy recovery – go kick some cancer butt, gal! 

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Vogue Williams is getting to grips with motherhood and her wardrobe. 

The model welcomed a baby boy with husband, Spencer Matthews last week.

Taking to Instagram, the new mum explained how some items of clothing have now been banished. 

Source: Vogue Williams

The snap shows the 32-year-old in a stunning white, long dress.

However, it seems like it won't be worn for a while as the new mum wrote:

"I really love this dress but it’s [very] impracticable whilst breastfeeding, it's off to the back of the wardrobe!!"

Other members of the families are also getting used to the new arrival.

Source: Vogue Williams

Vogue posted an adorable snap of her dog, Winston.

The pup looks less than impressed but is cuddled up beside the baby boy in his Moses basket. 

Alongside the post, she joked: "Best pals already! By best pals I mean Winston finally acknowledged there was another person in the house yesterday!!"

Source: Vogue Williams

We think someone might be put out that someone else is now getting all the attention. 

Congratulations to the family on the birth of their baby boy. 

We are looking forward to seeing some of Vogue's more practical fashion choices, and we've no doubt that she'll look unreal. 

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It seems that every day, another company is trying to become more environmentally-aware and it's fab.

The latest to make new moves towards helping our world be a better place is the leading beer company, Carlsberg.

They obvs use a lot of wrapping and plastic in their six-packs, but no more!

What's the solution, so?

Recyclable glue!

From now on, the cans will be held together by this glue – pretty cool right?

When the new multi-pack of beer cans arrive, it will be a world first and it is set to cut back the Danish brewer’s use of plastic to package by more than 75%.

Called “Snap Packs”, they have spent three years in development and are strong enough to make it unscathed from shelf to home, but will break when twisted. 

Brits will be the lucky ones to debut the eco-friendly packaging innovation as Carlsberg has chosen the UK market, as it consumes 30% of its beer yearly.  

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), is a big fan of this new development and has hailed it as a “big step” in efforts to tackle the deteriorating situation regarding plastic pollution. 

The company will reduce its plastic use by 1,200 tonnes a year, i.e. 60 million plastic bags once the ''Snap Packs'' are rolled out. 

As the plastic rings can trap birds and animals, this issue is serious.

Bo Oksnebjerg, secretary-general of WWF Denmark said in a press release that, ”our wildlife is drowning in plastic. We, therefore, need to act now. We need less plastic to end up in nature. That is why we consider it huge progress that Carlsberg is now launching solutions that significantly reduce the amount of plastic in its packaging.”

So, we can now buy a six-pack of beer without harming the environment?

Count us right in. 

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It's time to get off the couch and make an effort, according to this study.

Our lives of inactivity seem to be catching up with us, as a quarter of the world's population is becoming less and less active.

The figures on global inactivity have been released after scientists studied data collected by the World Health Organisation (WHO) – and it's not good news.

Researchers analysed data from 358 surveys across 168 countries, including 1.9 million participants.

They investigated trends in inactivity worldwide from 2001 to 2016.

And as you can probably guess, we didn't do so well.

Shockingly, almost 40 percent of Irish women didn't get enough physical activity in 2016.

The lads did only slightly better, with 30 percent of them not moving enough.  

This is compared to global figures in 2016 with indicates that 27.5 percent of the world population aren't getting enough physical activity.

There is an eight percent different between men and women. Almost 32 percent of women do insufficient exercise, compared to 23.4 percent of men. 

Sufficient exercise was classified in the report, as an individual doing at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week, or any equivalent combination of the two.

The surveys took note of physical activity in work, at home, for transport and during leisure time – so we have no excuses.

Although Ireland didn't do so well, women in Latin America and the Caribbean had some of the highest levels of inactivity in 2016.

Some 43.7 percent of the their females populations weren't getting the required exercise.

The study suggests that living in a high income country, you're twice as likely not to get the exercise you need (36·8 percent), than in a low-income country (16·2 percent). 

Additionally, it reports that insufficient activity has increased in high-income countries since 2001.  

Our inactivity could be having serious health implications, according to the researchers.

The report published in The Lancet Global Heath journal, says: "Insufficient physical activity is a leading risk factor for non-communicable diseases, and has a negative effect on mental health and quality of life."

It warned if our current habits of insufficient activity continues, we will not reach our 2025 target.

"If current trends continue, the 2025 global physical activity target (a 10% relative reduction in insufficient physical activity) will not be met."

"Policies to increase population levels of physical activity need to be prioritised and scaled up urgently," it added.

Every little bit of movement makes a difference, so grab a friend or your favourite playlist and get out and about!

Or challenge yourself by joining a class or a team sport, you'll have some fun and might even make some new friends.

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