GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news you need to know as you start your day.
1. In our lead story this morning, Muiris O’Cearbhaill reports on the latest in the student accommodation crisis – this time of students getting asked to care for their landlord’s children for up to 20 hours a week as a de-facto au pair in exchange for not having to pay rent.
Advertisements seen by The Journal contain offers which say that students can avail of the room if they work as a childminder for up to four hours a day during the week.
Responding to the scheme, Minister of Higher Education Simon Harris described the arrangement as ‘very unorthodox’.
2. The Republicans trying to beat Donald Trump to win the party’s nomination for the 2024 presidential race faced each other down for the first time in the inaugural debate of this primary season.
The debate took place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the early hours of this morning Irish time without Trump, who declined to participate.
From climate denial, the “elephant not in the room” and UFOs, Lauren Boland has the key moments here.
3. And what of the man himself? Donald Trump skipped the debate and instead did a sympathetic fireside chat with controversial US broadcaster Tucker Carlson.
He used the rambling pre-recorded interview, which was posted on Twitter, recently renamed X, to lambast his election rivals.
Trump dismissed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as a “lost cause,” said he was “very disappointed” by his former vice president Mike Pence and called former New Jersey governor Chris Christie a “lunatic.”
4. The Kremlin is yet to comment on the apparent death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, after the Wagner chief was reportedly on the passenger list of a fatal plane crash in Russia yesterday.
Prigozhin was the architect of a brief coup attempt in June.
Commenting on the mysterious death, US President Joe Biden said he was “not surprised” by the reports: “There’s not much that happens in Russia that (President) Putin’s not behind. But I don’t know enough to know the answer”.
5. The Irish Navy will have just two ships available to go to sea until the new year and sources have said that considerations are being made to have a reduced fleet in 2024 due to the ongoing staffing crisis.
The ships available to go to sea will be the LÉ Samuel Beckett and LÉ William Butler Yeats – it is understood a third ship will be on standby.
A high level meeting has taken place in Haulbowline Naval Base in Cork Harbour in recent days when the issue was discussed, reports Niall O’Connor.
6. A coalition of non-governmental organisations has written to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar calling on him to publish the proposed new wording for the ‘women in the home’ clause in the Irish Constitution.
The group said that unless the proposed wording is published as soon as possible, there will not be enough to allow for a national conversation on the matter to take place before the referendum.
The Government has signalled its intention to hold a referendum later this year on a proposal to insert a gender equality and non-discrimination principle into the Constitution.
7. The then-Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson was advised to avoid referring to the Republic of Ireland as “The Free State” or “The Republican Government” when he took up the role in October 1999, newly declassified files have revealed.
Mandelson had recently replaced Mo Mowlam as Secretary of State for the region when a first day briefing paper was provided for him by the Northern Ireland Office.
The 164-page document contained guidance information for Mandelson and other new ministers on the state of politics in Northern Ireland at a time when preparations were advancing towards devolving power following the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
8. Japan has began to release wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean despite angry opposition from China and local fishermen.
China has reacted by banning seafood imports, while Japan has insisted the release is a big step in decommissioning the still highly dangerous site 12 years after one of the world’s worst nuclear accidents.
9. Six days short of her 21st birthday, Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke cemented her place among the 400m elite as she finished fourth in the World Championship final in Budapest.
Tallaght’s Adeleke, bidding for Ireland’s first world championship medal on the track since 1995, was narrowly run out of the podium places as she crossed the line in 50.13 seconds.
Pre-race favourite Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic was crowned world champion as she won gold in a new national record of 48.76 seconds.
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