LAST UPDATE | 1 Sep 2023

GOOD MORNING.

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

Man dies after being hit by bus

1. A man has died in Dublin City after he was hit by a bus. The incident happened last night at about 11.30pm.

The man – a pedestrian in his 20s - was fatally injured in the incident. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Deposit rates for savers

2. AIB has announced in increase in deposit rates up to 3% for a number of savings accounts, after pressure has mounted on Irish banks in recent months to pass on interest rate hikes to savers. 

PSNI

3. Chief Constable Simon Byrne has said that he will not resign following a seven hour meeting with the Northern Ireland Policing Board. 

The meeting was held to discuss the fallout from a High Court judgement which stated that two junior officers were unlawfully disciplined for making an arrest at a Troubles commemoration event in 2021. 

The budget 

4. Targeted measures to help mortgage holders struggling with very high interest rates are set to form part of this years budget, The Journal understands.

Finance Minister Michael McGrath called in the banks, vulture funds and the Central Bank yesterday to discuss what measures the banking industry are rolling out to ensure borrowers are supported. 

Free contraception

5. The free contraception scheme has been expanded to include women aged 27-30. 

The scheme is open to women, girls, transgender and nonbinary people who are ordinarily resident in Ireland and for whom prescription contraception is deemed suitable by their doctors.

Unassisted births

6. Birth experts are warning of an increasing prevalence of women having babies at home without medical assistance. 

Given the nature of unattended ‘free births’, data is unavailable on numbers opting for this, but those providing maternity services in the community told Noteworthy that they were coming across more year-on-year.

Storm names

7. Met Éireann and its counterparts in the UK and the Netherlands have released the list of storm names for the 2023/24 season, with seven names chosen by Ireland’s scientists.

The meteorological services each chose seven of the 21 storm names. The first storm will be named Agnes, while the season will round off with Storm Walid, if the entire roster, which is used in alphabetical order, is used.

Russia

8. Russian forces are claiming that they have intercepted a drone attack on Moscow. 

This comes a day after a similar attack on the country’s capital. Moscow has been hit by a barrage of drone attacks over the last month, after Ukraine vowed to “return” the conflict in July. 

Johannesburg

9. Survivors of a building fire that killed 74 people according to the latest figures have described jumping out of windows to escape the blaze. 

Serious questions are being asked about the dangerous state of ‘hijacked buildings’ that are often home to poor migrants living in the city.