LAST UPDATE | 14 Aug
GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news you need to know as you start the day.
1. An emergency has been declared in the Russian Belogrod region after a Ukrainian drone attack destroyed buildings and injured civilians, according to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
It is the second attack by Ukrainian Armed Forces inside Russia’s borders after the military attacked and seized control of a portion of the Kursk region, bordering Ukraine.
2. Investment fraud attempts surged by 76% in the first half of this year, according to a new report by Bank of Ireland.
The bank said that the majority of cases began after potential victims were targeted on social media, where they were offered bogus investment opportunities with promises of high returns.
3. Estate agents expect house prices to increase by an average of 4.5% over the next 12 months, according to a new mid-year report from the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI).
This figure is up from the 1% increase forecast by SCSI estate agents for 2024 back in January.
4. Eir and Ryanair have topped the list of the companies most frequently named by consumers who made a complaint to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC).
In today’s lead story, Conor O’Carroll reveals that over 350 queries and complaints from consumers named Eir as the company they were contacting the CCPC about.
A total of 269 contacts were made about Ryanair, according to a new report from the CCPC published today covering the first six months of the year.
5. Venezuela’s Electoral Council failed to demonstrate “basic transparency and integrity” in how it processed the results of the country’s contested presidential election, a UN panel has concluded in a new report.
“The results management process of the CNE (the national electoral council) fell short of the basic transparency and integrity measures that are essential to holding credible elections,” the UN report said.
6. A man in the United Kingdom has been sentenced to 10 months imprisonment after pleading guilty to racially abusing a bus driver and violently attacking a betting shop.
The first incident saw Michael Mongan, 39, of Castle Road, Ealing, west London, attack a Ladbrokes branch in Northolt on 27 July. He repeatedly hit windows with a large stick and racially abused staff while under the influence of alcohol.
7. Ten prisoners were taken to hospital in a serious condition after they apparently overdosed on an opioid in Portlaoise prison, The Journal has learned.
In a statement the Irish Prison Service said it is liaising with the HSE and they have secured extra naloxone kits which is a drug which reverses the effects of opioids such as heroin and synthetic drugs.
8. US President Joe Biden’s administration has approved more than $20 billion in new weapons sales to Israel, brushing aside pressure from rights activists to stop arms deliveries over the humanitarian toll in Gaza.
The sale comes as Biden presses Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire after 10 months of bloodshed, although the weapons would take years to reach Israel.
9. A local network of community and civic groups in Tipperary have signed a petition to “reject hate and division” in the county and demand that Government do “better for everyone”.
It comes as protests were staged in Dundrum, a town in South Tipperary, against the use of a hotel to house people seeking international protection as gardaí sought to escort approximately 80 asylum seekers safely past a blockade yesterday.
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