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

Budget

1. Householders can expect electricity credits of between €300 and €400 between now and early next year, The Journal understands.

Meanwhile, while it had been mooted that that renters tax credit would only reach around €800 in this years budget, senior government sources have said that the €1,000 is not off the table yet. In addition, it is understood that Education Minister Norma Foley will roll out free school books up to junior cycle.

Gardaí trainee allowance will also see a boost, rising from €185 per week to €305 per week, in a bid to recruit and retain gardaí in the force, it is understood.

Your stories

2. We asked readers to get in touch and let us know what they want to see in the Budget.

Many of you contacted us and there were some recurring themes: more support for parents paying for childcare, reducing the Universal Social Charge (USC) or scrapping it altogether, increasing social welfare payments such as the Carer’s Allowance and the State Pension, and financial support for people trying to buy their own home – especially for single people.

Here is a round-up of what readers want to see announced this week.

Gaza Strip

3. Fighting between Israel and Hamas has left hundreds dead on both sides since yesterday after a surprise attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group.

The conflict’s bloodiest escalation in decades saw Hamas carry out a massive rocket barrage and ground, air and sea offensive that Israel’s army said had killed more than 200 Israelis and wounded 1,000, while soldiers and civilians were taken hostage.

Gaza officials said intense Israeli air strikes on the coastal enclave had brought the Palestinian death toll to at least 256, with nearly 1,788 wounded.

As fighting raged into today, Lebanon’s powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah movement said it had fired “large numbers of artillery shells and guided missiles” at Israeli positions in a contested border areas “in solidarity” with Hamas.

Private hearing

4. Disability and advocacy groups have expressed concern at a ruling which will see a hearing which would have seen issues raised about the care of disabled people at a facility held entirely in private.

Following an application from the charity at the centre of the hearing for it to be held in private, an adjudicator for the commission (WRC) said that the case was “not in the public interest”, ruling that the case should be heard in private because it raised ‘special circumstances’ and barred the public and the press from attending the case.

When asked about the decision by The Journal, the adjudicator said the case involved “exceptional circumstances” as it involved claims concerning “vulnerable people” – the residents of the facility in question.

Military exercise

5. The Journal recently traveled to the Portuguese coast to observe a major military exercise testing drones and undersea tech.

“The Irish divers were in the seaside town an hour south of Lisbon as part of the NATO Partnership for Peace initiative for a major military and scientific exercise looking at the use of undersea drones to deal with everything from sunken ships to protecting critical infrastructure like internet cables,” News Correspondent Niall O’Connor writes.

“The exercise, which took place last month, was held at coastal towns an hour south of Lisbon where NATO and partner nation navies gathered to test new technology.” 

Afghanistan earthquake

6. The death toll from a series of earthquakes in western Afghanistan rose sharply again today to more than 2,000 people as rescuers scrabbled for survivors among the ruins of razed villages.

Yesterday’s magnitude 6.3 quake — followed by eight strong aftershocks — jolted hard-to-reach areas 30 kilometres northwest of the provincial capital of Herat, toppling rural homes and sending panicked city dwellers surging into the streets. 

St Patrick’s Day

7. Fáilte Ireland and Dublin City Council “strongly disagreed” with plans put forward by the then CEO of the St Patrick’s Day Festival to turn the event into a month-long celebration, according to a report into the governance of the festival.

In February 2019, then CEO of the festival Susan Kirby spoke to the Irish Times about the festival’s 10-year strategy and vision, which would see it grow from a five-day event into a month-long celebration across Ireland. Opening and closing ceremonies, multiple concerts, a festival village and a symposium were all outlined as potential events in the festival’s future.

However, according to a report, the publication of the Irish Times article “caused significant friction and also considerable email correspondence and commentary”.

The report outlines how some “key stakeholders” felt that the article was promoting a vision and strategy that had not yet been agreed by the Board, though it was being discussed and deliberated upon.

Rugby results

8. Ireland triumphed over Scotland at their last game of the Group Stage in the Rugby World Cup last night.

Their 36-14 victory earned them a place in the quarter-final against New Zealand.

Semi-finals

9. Ireland Boss Andy Farrell said he feels the best is yet to come from his team after a comprehensive win over Scotland sent them into a World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand.

“I don’t think, and neither do the team think, that we’ve played our best rugby yet,” said Farrell after the six-try 36-14 win over Scotland last night.

“We know where we want to go and what we’re trying to achieve. Will we ever get there? I don’t know.

“It’s days like next week that’s coming where we need to find out a little bit more about ourselves. These lads are certainly willing to do that.”