GOOD MORNING.

Here’s all the news that you need to know as you start your day.

Tallaght tragedy

1. Three sisters have died in a serious incident in Tallaght in Dublin 24.

At approximately 12.30am today, gardaí were informed of a violent incident occurring at a domestic residence in the Rossfield Estate. A man in his early 20s has been arrested.

Gardaí remain at the scene which has been sealed off for an investigation.

Three female siblings – two children and an older teenager – were removed from the scene by ambulance to Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) at Crumlin, where all three were later pronounced deceased.

A male teenager was removed from the scene to Tallaght University Hospital with serious but what are believed, at this time, to be non-life-threatening injuries.

Energy costs

2. The cost of energy is skyrocketing with yet more price hikes during the week.

With the Budget arriving at the end of the month, there is speculation of what the Government will do to tackle the rising prices, including a potential windfall tax or another €200 energy credit for households.

In today’s lead story Tadgh McNally talks to people about how continually rising energy costs are impacting on their lives.

Glenbeigh Races

3. A teenage boy has died in a beach race meeting in Glenbeigh, Co Kerry.

The incident occurred at around 5pm yesterday evening on Rossbeigh strand.

It’s understood that the jockey, aged in his early teens, died from injuries caused by a fall from his horse during a race. He is a member of a well-known horse racing family.

Bessborough

4. The site of the former mother and baby home in Bessborough won’t be excavated like the site of another former institution in Tuam, despite the fact the burial place of over 850 children remains unknown.

Minister Roderic O’Gorman’s office told Carmel Cantwell, who brother William died shortly after he was born in Bessborough, that “in the absence of identifying the burial places of children”, no such office similar to Tuam can be established.

Cantwell told The Journal: “This is not justice. We know many random burials took place on different parts of the grounds, but at the moment we or anyone else does not know if there is a mass burial ground there.”

Patrol boats

5. Revenue Customs have begun an internal civil service recruitment drive to fill their crews with the impending arrival of two new patrol boats.

The recruitment campaign, which ends next week, comes as the service is set to purchase two new patrol craft costing €20 million to replace its current fleet of the Revenue Commissioner Cutter (RCC) Faire and the RCC Suirbheir.

It is understood the RCC Faire is generally based in Dun Laoghaire in Dublin and the RCC Suirbheir is normally seen operating near Kinsale, Co Cork.

It is believed the arrival of two new vessels, which it’s understood will each have a crew of six personnel, will see the new boats positioned in various ports around the country.

Nasa

6. Nasa has postponed its rocket launch to the moon for the second time due to a leak.

The rocket was due to launch yesterday, after the initial launch due to happen last Monday had to be abandoned moments before lift-off due to a temperature problem in one of the engines.

“The #Artemis I mission to the Moon has been postponed,” Nasa tweeted on Saturday.

“Teams attempted to fix an issue related to a leak in the hardware transferring fuel into the rocket, but were unsuccessful.”

Flooding in Pakistan 

7. Pakistan has appealed to the international community for an “immense humanitarian response” to unprecedented flooding that has left at least 1,265 people dead.

The request came even as planes carried supplies to the impoverished country across a humanitarian air bridge.

International attention to Pakistan’s plight has increased as the number of fatalities and homeless have risen. According to initial government estimates, the rain and flooding have caused about £8 billion (€9.25 billion) in damage.

Student debt in US 

8. In his latest opinion piece, our columnist Larry Donnelly says that Joe Biden’s student debt initiative is ‘a welcome drop in the ocean‘.

He writes: “The cost of higher education stateside, when compared to just about everywhere else, is, to put it bluntly, extortionate. Tuition, including room and board, exceeds $70,000 annually at the nation’s elite colleges and universities.

“That may not be news. It is an objectively staggering sum nonetheless. Academic leaders respond to complaints by citing the generous financial aid packages they offer.

“A relatively minuscule number benefit wholly from no-strings-attached largesse; the rest are saddled with enormous debt on graduation.”

Weather forecast

9. And finally, the weather.

Met Éireann says it will brighten up this morning after heavy rain clears to the north and northwest.

The afternoon and early evening will bring sunny spells and isolated showers. A further band of heavy rain will later push in from the southwest. Highest temperatures will range from 16 to 19 degrees Celsius.