LAST UPDATE | 16 hrs ago
GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news that you need to know as you start your day.
1. Voters in Ireland head to the polls today to cast their ballots in the local and European elections, while voters in Limerick will also vote for a directly-elected mayor for the first time. Polling stations across the country have been open since 7am this morning and will close at 10pm. The elections will decide Ireland’s representation in the European Parliament for the next five years, as well as the composition of the country’s 31 local authorities. You can follow our liveblog here.
2. If you need a quick reminder of who’s on the ballot in the Euros in your constituency, this handy guide is the refresher that you’re looking for. If you want to explore the candidates more forensically before going to the polls, you can learn more about each of them in our Candidate Database. At the local level, there are 949 council seats to fill and enough candidates to make one’s head spin. If you’re struggling to keep track of which candidates are running in your ward, this guide will tell you where to get the information that you need.
3. It’s been four years since we had a national election, so we reckoned a refresher in Ireland’s voting system may be in order. Proportional representation with a single transferable vote (PR-STV) is relatively unique, Ireland and Malta are the only countries to use it. Our News Correspondent Órla Ryan explains it all here.
4. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address lawmakers in the US Congress on 24 July, Republican party leaders have announced. The visit comes amid mounting pressure for Israel and Hamas to agree to a permanent ceasefire as Israel faces growing diplomatic isolation over the rising death toll in Gaza.
5. Palestinian cancer patients are at risk of being sent back to Gaza from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, where some are receiving life-saving treatment, The Journal reports this morning. Dozens of patients are the centre of a row between the State of Israel and a group of doctors advocating for their right to keep receiving treatment and follow-up care.
6. A multi-agency search operation for a man missing off the coast of Co Galway has resumed this morning. The man went missing yesterday after entering the water off a boat that was in the water near Carna.
7. A fourth man has been arrested in relation to the murder of Croatian national Josip Štrok, who died following an incident in Dublin earlier this year. The 31-year-old suffered severe head injuries at Grange View Way, Clondalkin, on 30 March. He died in Tallaght Hospital days later.
8. Former Ireland international Robbie Keane is stepping down from his role as Maccabi Tel Aviv manager, The42 is reporting this morning. The Tallaght native guided the team to the league title in his one season in charge but opted to part ways with the Israeli club. Keane received heavy criticism back home after deciding to move to Israel last summer.
9. The BBC has apologised for an “inappropriate comment” that was captured during its coverage of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings. During the broadcast, host Kirsty Young introduced a commentator and crossed over to live pictures of a military band. But before the cameras cut away from the studio, a voice could be heard off-camera that appeared to say “French arseholes”.
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