LAST UPDATE | 1 Nov 2023

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

Tree felling

1. In our main story this morning, Cormac Fitzgerald reports that locals and councillors in Dublin City have said that more notice and public consultation should be offered by the council before trees are felled.

The concerns come after a number of longstanding trees have been felled in recent weeks for a variety of reasons, sparking frustration and concern among locals in Dublin 8 and Dublin 6.

Gaza strikes

2. An Israeli strike on Gaza’s largest refugee camp yesterday killed at least 47 people, reportedly including a Hamas commander involved in the 7 October attacks.

A large explosion ripped through the densely packed Jabalia camp before nightfall, tearing facades off nearby buildings and leaving a deep, debris-littered crater.

The Palestinian telecommunications agency said today that phone and internet services had “been completely cut off in Gaza”, the second such blackout in a week.

Weather 

3. Heavy weather of recent days is set to continue as further warnings remain in place for parts of the country.

Met Éireann has said that further rainfall associated with Storm Ciarán, combined with already saturated ground conditions and high river levels, may lead to flooding.

It’s advised that difficult travelling conditions are likely, along with floods in some areas.

Later today, counties Cork, Waterford, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford and Wicklow are to fall under a Status Yellow rain warning.

This will take effect from 7pm this evening and will lift at 9am tomorrow.

Stalking

4. Standalone offences for stalking and non-fatal strangulation come into effect from today, while sentences for some existing offences have increased. 

The offences include violence against gardaí and other emergency service workers, as well as measures to support victims and punish perpetrators of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.

Taoiseach in South Korea

5. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and three government ministers will this week travel to Korea as part of a high-level trade mission to strengthen ties and work on untapped opportunities for Irish companies. 

A series of meetings are scheduled to be held with key decision-makers in a bid to open up new trade, investment and education links with a focus on Irish food, beverages and beef. 

Jason Corbett

6. Thomas Martens admitted in a video interview with two investigators that he struck Irishman Jason Corbett with a baseball bat after Martens saw him choking Molly Corbett, Jason’s wife and Martens’ daughter, in August 2015 in the couple’s home in Davidson County in the US. 

Prosecutors played the video yesterday during the sentencing hearing for Martens and Molly Corbett in Davidson Superior Court.

Trump trial

7. Donald Trump’s two adult sons are expected to begin taking the witness stand this week in the civil trial for financial fraud that threatens to deal a heavy blow to his business empire.

Building collapse

8. Five people are receiving treatment in hospital after a building collapsed in Co Mayo.

Duffy’s Bar in the east Mayo village of Kilkelly collapsed at around 8.50am yesterday morning, collapsing on top of a parked van and covering the pathway and part of the road in rubble.

Word of the Year

9. The abbreviation of artificial intelligence (AI) has been named the Collins Word of the Year 2023.

The dictionary said AI, which it said means the “modelling of human mental functions by computer programs”, has become the dominant conversation of 2023.

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