LAST UPDATE | 29 Jul
GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news you need to know as you start your day.
1. In our main story this morning, Patricia Devlin reports that the government department responsible for animal welfare in hare coursing has monitored just four out of 200 events in the last five years.
Noteworthy can reveal that the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) has sent veterinary inspectors to just a handful of meetings since 2019, and records secured under our investigation show that in 2021 and 2023, officials failed to attend any coursing events at all.
2. A man has died following a single-vehicle crash in Co Meath, becoming the fifth person to die on Irish roads over the weekend.
Gardaí and emergency services responded to the incident, which occurred on the R161 road from Trim to Navan at Philpotstown shortly before 10pm last night.
3. The highest volume of first-time buyers entering the housing market in the second quarter of a year since 2007 was recorded at the end of last month.
The Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland’s (BPFI) quarterly update on mortgage drawdowns has found that there was a 20% increase in the volume of first-time buyers entering the housing market last quarter compared to the first quarter of this year.
4. The International Protection Office is to prioritise the cases of applicants from Nigeria and Jordan as part of an effort to “speed up” processing.
The Minister for Justice Helen McEntee announced that the IPO will now prioritise applications from the two countries of origin that had the highest number of applicants in the last three months.
5. Nicholas Maduro has been declared the victor in the Venezuelan presidential elections, taking 51% of the vote. Opposition leaders have already rejected the vote.
Maduro, who will enter his third term in office, beat out rival Edmundo Gonzalez, who took 44% of the vote.
6. Sinn Féin’s new spokesperson for children hopes to publish a policy document on childcare in the coming weeks, The Journal has learned.
TD Claire Kerrane was named this week as Sinn Féin’s spokesperson for children, integration, equality and youth – mirroring Government Minister Roderic O’Gorman’s portfolio – in a reshuffling of some of the party’s spokesperson roles.
7. Irish novelist and memoirist Edna O’Brien has died at the age of 93.
Her publisher Faber confirmed her death, saying that O’Brien had “died peacefully” on Saturday after a “long illness”.
8. Mona McSharry is through to the final after an impressive showing in the 100m breaststroke at the Paris Olympics yesterday evening which set a new Irish record.
9. AIB has warned of an increase in the number of scams where customers are visited by a taxi driver or courier supposedly sent by the bank to collect their card.
The bank said it is also aware of instances in recent days where scammers gave instructions to leave cards under front door mats for collection.
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