NEED TO CATCH up? The Journal brings you a round-up of today’s news.

IRELAND

A family head out on a barge trip on the Grand Canal in Sallins, Co Kildare. RollingNews.ie RollingNews.ie

• A detective said the ten suspected overdoses by people at Portlaoise Prison were probably linked to a synthetic opioid.
• New data from the Central Statistics Office showed that house prices rose by 8.6% nationally in the twelve months up to the end of June.
• A local network of community and civic groups in Tipperary signed a petition to “reject hate and division” in the county and demand that Government do “better for everyone”.
• The High Court allowed Denis O’Brien to add more than 370 names to defamation proceedings the businessman has brought over a series of allegedly fake ads featuring him that were posted on platforms operated by Meta.
• Rooms in a recently opened co-living development in Dublin city, which argued in its planning application that it would help address Ireland’s housing shortage, are being advertised as short-stay holiday lets online.
• Gardaí said there has been a significant increase in the wholesale price of cocaine in Ireland since late last year.
• Police in Peru have arrested an Irish citizen and seized 55 kilos of alleged cocaine.
• Bank of Ireland said investment fraud attempts surged by 76% in the first half of this year.
• Northern Irish DJ Matt McBriar, of electronic music duo Bicep, has said he is recovering from surgery after a “large and pretty rare” tumour was found in his brain.
• Eir and Ryanair topped the list of the companies most frequently named by consumers who made a complaint to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. 

INTERNATIONAL

In this photo taken from video released by the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian soldiers fire Giatsint-S self-propelled gun towards Ukrainian positions at an undisclosed location. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

#RUSSIA: Ukraine said it will allow the evacuation of civilians from Russia’s Kursk region into Russia and Ukraine and create a buffer zone in the area where its troops launched a major offensive.

#MPOX: The World Health Organisation declared the mpox surge in Africa a global public health emergency.

#LONDON: A man was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment in the UK after pleading guilty to racially abusing a bus driver and violently attacking a betting shop.

#BATTIR: Israel approved a new illegal settlement on a UNESCO World Heritage Site near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank in Palestine.

#CLIMATE CRISIS: A network of scientists found that climate change played a key factor in torrential rains in India that triggered catastrophic landslides killing at least 200 people last month.

PARTING SHOT

The mural of Rhasidat Adeleke on Jenkins Lane in Waterford city. PA PA

A mural of Irish Olympian Rhasidat Adeleke has been completed in Waterford city.

It is one of dozens of murals brightening up the area as part of Waterford Walls, Ireland’s largest international street art festival.

The festival, organised by The Walls Project, is running until 18 August and features food, music and live street art.

The Adeleke tribute on Jenkins lane was created by muralist JEKS, who is usually based in North Carolina.

Adeleke narrowly missed out on the medals podium in her two events at the Paris Olympics: the women’s 400m and 4x400m relay.

Adeleke made history by becoming the first Irish woman to run in an Olympic sprint final in Paris. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

The 21-year-old placed fourth in the individual event while the Irish quartet came achingly close to bronze in the team event – breaking a national record in the process.

As Ireland’s first ever female Olympic sprint finalist, Adeleke also became a role model for aspiring athletes across the country.

In a social media post, The Walls Project said: “How lucky are we to have such amazing talent here in Ireland?

While Ireland isn’t perfect, the progress our country has made over the last 20 years is staggering.

“Rhasidat Adeleke is a beautiful emblem of everything that’s great about modern Ireland. She symbolises talent, hard work, achievement at the highest possible level and diversity.

“She represents the Ireland that the vast majority of us want to live in.”