LAST UPDATE | 29 Jul 2022
GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news that you need to know as you start your day.
1. Sectoral emissions targets have been agreed by the Government, with farmers being asked to cut their emissions by 25% by 2030.
It comes after days of tense talks within the Government, with negotiations being completed yesterday.
The agreement reached will see multiple sectors being asked to cut their emissions, including the electricity, transport, buildings, industry and agriculture sectors.
The Climate Change Advisory Council has described the emissions targets as problematic.
2. Just 33 public electric vehicle charge points have been approved under a scheme announced three years ago that was intended to develop up to 200 charge points per annum.
There are a number of grants available to help people buy electric vehicles and set up charging stations at home, Orla Dwyer writes in today’s lead story.
But one scheme for public charging points on streets or in car parks has had little take-up among local authorities, figures show.
3. An additional €2 million in supports, including scholarships, for underrepresented and disadvantaged students has been announced by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris.
The measures are aimed at driving inclusion in higher education this year.
The funding will include an additional 50 bursaries of €5,000 per student for the most disadvantaged students including those with a disability, mature students, lone parents, and further education award holders.
4. A survivor of Tuam mother and baby home has criticised the fact he is unable to access records related to his older sister, who spent time in another institution as a baby.
Peter Mulryan, a member of the Tuam Home Survivors Network, has previously shared his search for information about his younger sister Marian, who was also born in Tuam.
He is now going public with his search for information about his older sister, Bridget, who spent time in St Gerard’s in Dublin as a newborn. He has not been able to locate a burial record for Bridget to date.
5. The Aviva Stadium is being used to temporarily host Ukrainian refugees this week.
Just under 100 Ukrainian refugees are currently being housed in the stadium, with all refugees having stayed in the temporary accommodation for the last week.
It is understood that these refugees will be moved onto separate accommodation today.
6. Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien has received the report on allegations of conflicts of interest by the former Deputy Chair of An Bord Pleanála, Paul Hyde.
The report itself was authored by senior counsel Remy Farrell, and was delivered to the minister yesterday.
In a statement, O’Brien said that he would be considering the recommendations of the report and that he had provided a copy of the report to the Attorney General for review.
7. Personal injury awards were €118 million lower in 2021 compared to the last full year before the pandemic.
The Personal Injuries Assessment Board made a total valuation of claims of €157 million in 2021, a 43% drop on €275 million in 2019.
That came alongside a 31% fall in the number of claims from 31,072 in 2019 to 21,410 last year. In 2020, there were 26,009 claims valued collectively at €206 million.
8. US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have agreed to schedule their first in-person summit during a sometimes tense phone call where Xi warned the United States not to “play with fire” in Taiwan.
Although this was their fifth phone or video call since Biden took office a year and a half ago, the summit would be their first in-person meeting as leaders. No detail was given on the timing or location.
China’s state-run Xinhua agency said Xi delivered harsh words on US policy towards Taiwan, a democratic island with close ties to the United States but which China considers part of its territory.
“Those who play with fire will eventually get burned,” Xi was quoted as telling Biden, repeating language he employed when they spoke last November.
9. And finally, the weather.
Met Éireann says any mist or fog will clear to leave a dry but mostly cloudy start to the day with some scattered showers developing – most of these across Atlantic counties.
Rain is expected to arrive along the west and northwest coasts by this evening. It will be humid with highest temperatures ranging from 19 to 23 degrees Celsius.
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