LAST UPDATE | 12 Jul 2023

GOOD MORNING.

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

Tubridy

1. In our main story this morning, Political Correspondent Christina Finn takes a look a how the events of the day unfolded for Ryan Tubridy yesterday as he attended two Oireachtas Committees. 

Twelfth of July

2. One person has been hospitalised following an incident at a bonfire in the Portaferry Road area of Newtownards, Co Down. 

Scores of parades will take place across Northern Ireland later as Protestant loyal orders celebrate the Twelfth of July.

NATO summit

3. Western powers will propose long-term security commitments for Ukraine today after NATO dashed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hopes of a clear timeline for joining the alliance.

Zelenskyy will hold symbolic talks with NATO’s 31 leaders at their summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, a day after blasting them for not moving faster to bring Ukraine into the fold.

BBC allegations

4. The BBC is facing increased pressure after fresh claims emerged about an unnamed presenter who has been facing allegations over payments for sexually explicit photos.

On The Sun’s front page today, the newspaper reported a 23-year-old person has claimed the BBC presenter broke lockdown rules to meet them during the pandemic in February 2021.

Separately, BBC News reported yesterday that a person in their early 20s has alleged that they were sent threatening messages by the unnamed man.

National Children’s Hospital

5. The board overseeing the construction of the National Children’s Hospital (NCH) is expected to tell the Oireachtas Health Committee today that a completion date for the hospital has yet to be confirmed while the developer of the project is “not providing sufficient resources to deliver the hospital”. 

The slow progress is underlined by the revelation that just 27 of the planned 3,000 rooms in the hospital have been completed – and even those 27 are beset with snags. 

Firefighter dispute

6. Siptu has said retained firefighters are “disappointed” with recommendations made by the Labour Court in relation to a dispute over working conditions and are expected to reject the proposals, leading to a possible return to strike action. 

The Retained Fire Service is a 2,000 strong part-time workforce which provides fire and first responder emergency services across the country.

Uisce Éireann

7. Uisce Éireann has opened a public consultation on its draft Regional Water Resource Plan (NWRP) for the South East, inviting the public to outline issues related to water supply and suggest solutions to those problems. 

The South East region covers counties Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford, Kilkenny, Carlow, Wicklow and Wexford.

Charles Manson follower

8. Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten has walked out of a California prison after serving more than 50 years of a life sentence for her participation in two infamous murders.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said that Van Houten “was released to parole supervision”.

Notre Dame

9. A crane hoisted massive oak trusses from a barge and onto Notre Dame Cathedral yesterday in a spectacular operation to rebuild the fire-ravaged monument and bring it back to life by December 2024.

With trusses weighing seven to seven and a half tonnes, the delicate operation drew crowds along a bridge over the Seine River and on its banks.