Good News Corner

New Rubbish-Collecting Boat Launched on Dublin Rivers 

A new vessel called the 'Liffey Sweeper' was recently launched to tackle the scourge of litter visible on the Capital's waterways.

The specially designed boat collects floating debris with a large, mechanical cage. Operating on the River Liffey, River Dodder and the River Tolka estuary, the vessel scoops up rubbish such as plastics, cans, and bottles. It is part of the River Liffey Cleaning Project by The Irish Nautical Trust and is scheduled to run 4 days per week to keep litter at bay.

Lidl Ireland To Offer Customers Free Period Products

Lidl Ireland has announced that they will begin offering free period products to customers from next month onwards in a bid to combat period poverty. The move comes as a 'Plan International study on young females in Ireland found that almost 50 per cent of girls aged between 12 and 19 found it difficult to pay for sanitary products.'

Lidl Ireland has partnered with Homeless Period Ireland to deliver the scheme and has also committed to providing The Simon Communities with quarterly donations of sanitary products. Any woman or girl can download the Lidl Plus app to avail of a coupon that entitles them to a free month's supply. 

Pill Cure for Covid-19 Currently Being Tested

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is currently testing a drug that has the potential to cure those with Covid-19 infections. The pill, categorised as a 'protease inhibitor', works in much the same way as anti-viral drugs for HIV do — by attacking the 'spine' of the virus and halting its spread to other parts of our bodies such as our lungs. 

60 volunteers located in the U.S. and Belgium and aged between 18-60 are currently testing the drug; if no significant adverse side effects are reported, there's hope that the pill will be made available to the public later this year. 

Sources: The Irish Times, Lidl Ireland, Montreal Gazette.