GOOD MORNING.
The Journal brings you the top stories to start your morning.
1. Negotiations aiming to bring about a ceasefire and hostage deal to at least temporarily end the 10-month Israel-Hamas war in Gaza have ended without a final agreement.
It means concerns over a wider regional war remain, as the failure on the US-backed talks came shortly after Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon traded barrages yesterday morning.
2. In our main story this morning, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said he contacted a doctors’ representative group following reports that some GP clinics had attempted to charge women for contraception despite them being eligible for the free scheme.
The Free Contraception Scheme has been expanded to include all women between the ages of 17 and 35, covering implants, IUDs, and oral contraceptives, such as the pill, as well as all contraception-related appointments.
But The Journal reported earlier this month that some women continue to be charged for their contraception despite being eligible for the scheme.
3. A 91-year-old man has been waiting five months to receive compensation from the Mother and Baby Institution redress scheme.
The great-grandfather, who spent several years in St Finbarr’s county home in Cork as a child, first applied for redress in March, shortly after the long-awaited scheme opened.
However, five months on, his family have criticised the fact he is yet to receive his payment, despite promises that older applicants would be priortised.
4. A search will get underway later for the remains of Robert Nairac, who was murdered and secretly buried by the IRA.
Nairac was a British Army officer who was abducted by the IRA while on an undercover operation in the Three Steps Bar in Dromintee in south Armagh in May 1977.
5. Oasis fans await news on a long awaited return as a series of cryptic tweets hint from the band and the Gallagher brothers indicate they’re back.
Among the hints is one social media post flagging 8am tomorrow, with the band expected to return to touring for the first time in years.
6. Extra services take effect on railway routes across the country with a new train timetable starting today, with Iarnród Éireann advising customers to check departure times before their next journeys.
Extra services for Galway, Waterford, Wexford, Cobh and Midleton have been included in the new timetable, with extra Belfast services to follow later this year.
7. Tributes have been paid after a teenage boy was killed in a single-vehicle road traffic collision in Donegal over the weekend.
Kian Dawson, a 16-year-old from Carnhill in Derry, died in the single-vehicle collision on the R240 at Cross, Quigley’s Point at 11.15pm on Saturday.
8. Nasa has decided it is too risky to bring two astronauts back to Earth in Boeing’s troubled new capsule, and they will have to wait until next year for a ride home with SpaceX.
What should have been a week-long test flight for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will now last more than eight months.
9. A former US official has said he has “no regrets” over his resignation due to arms sales to Israel.
US State Department official Josh Paul, who worked on arms sales vetting before his resignation, told The Journal that he would praise the decision of others who have resigned over the onslaught on Gaza.
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