GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news that you need to know as you start your day.
1. A new inspection system for landlords, as well as an overhaul of grounds for evictions and removing bans on pets, are among a range of measures promised by Sinn Féin if in government to significantly improve the rental sector, Jane Matthews writes in today’s lead story.
The party will next month publish its full housing plan – which it promises will be comprehensive and fully costed – but ahead of that The Journal has learned its plans to radically alter the rental sector.
2. Hamas said on Friday it rejects “new conditions” in a Gaza ceasefire proposal that US-led mediators presented during two days of talks in Qatar.
Western ally Jordan, however, put the blame squarely on Benjamin Netanyahu for blocking a deal.
Diplomatic efforts have so far failed to alleviate the suffering endured over more than 10 months of war, but US President Joe Biden insisted after the latest round of talks that “we are closer than we have ever been”.
3. Gardaí have said that one aspect of their investigation into the stabbing of an army chaplain at a barracks in Galway is to establish if there was a terror motive.
The attack took place at Renmore Army Barracks on Thursday night when a male youth approached the chaplain and allegedly attacked him. A teenager was later arrested.
4. A large fire that broke out at the site of a former hotel in Waterford City has now been brought under control.
Footage yesterday evening showed black smoke visible from across the city. The site belongs to Seamus Walsh, a Kilkenny businessman who also owns Waterford Castle.
5. High-strength MDMA is causing medical emergencies, including fits, at Electric Picnic.
The HSE has issued a warning, encouraging people at the festival to be cautious of any substances they might take.
6. A man has barricaded himself inside a homeless hostel in Waterford for over a week due to a dispute about a fire alarm.
The standoff between the hostel owner Depaul and the man, who is aged in his 60s, has seen a local city councillor call for sense to prevail over the row.
It’s understood the situation arose after a fire alarm was set off on Thursday 8 August in the McGwire House hostel in Waterford city.
7. The World Health Organisation has urged manufacturers to ramp up production of mpox vaccines to rein in the spread of a more dangerous strain of the virus.
The WHO on Wednesday declared the mpox surge a public health emergency of international concern – its highest alert level – with Clade 1b cases soaring in the Democratic Republic of Congo and spreading beyond its borders.
8. The family of a young girl who died from a rare genetic disease have called on the HSE to facilitate earlier diagnoses by screening newborns.
Maebhe Gorman died of metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) on 5 August, just a month shy of her third birthday.
MSD is an inherited disorder affecting mainly the ‘white matter’ of the brain, causing a progressive loss of physical and mental skills.
9. Rock band AC/DC are taking to the stage in Croke Park this evening, their first Irish show in nine years.
Dublin is the last stop of the European leg of the band’s Power Up tour, which is named after their latest album. If you’re heading to the gig today, here’s everything you need to know.
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