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

IRELAND

Leo Varadkar is pictured as he arrives in the RDS for the Dublin Horse Show Sam Boal Sam Boal

• AIB has reassured mortgage holders that they will not face higher than anticipated mortgage repayments in October after some customers received letters notifying them of a sudden increase.
• A coroner has stressed the importance of people with food allergies always carrying an EpiPen after a young foreign tourist to Ireland suffered a fatal anaphylactic shock after forgetting to bring one with her when visiting a friend’s house for dinner.
• The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has alerted third-level students to warning signs of potential rental scams and asked that they bear this in mind during their accommodation search.  
• A Dubliner accused of repeatedly kicking an unconscious US tourist in the face during a “vicious” robbery has been refused bail and sent forward for trial.
• The leadership of the PSNI has been urged to give a “full response” following a major data blunder.
• Cigarettes worth over €2,800,000 have been seized at Dublin Port. 
• The HSE has stated that the Covid-19 vaccination programme will remain paused until September despite the emergence of a new variant of the virus which is known to be more contagious.
• One of the country’s largest property developers has been refused planning permission for its proposal to build over 300 new homes in south Dublin due to its excessive height and density as well as a lack of road infrastructure.

WORLD

The smoke from wildfires in Waimea, Hawaii, USA Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

#HUNTER BIDEN The US Justice Department has escalated its investigation into president Joe Biden’s son Hunter, naming a special counsel amid allegations he engaged in illicit business deals overseas.

#CIRCUS MAXIMUSK Elon Musk has said that his planned cage fight against fellow tech billionaire Mark Zuckerberg will take place in Rome at an undisclosed ancient Roman site.

#WESTERN UKRAINE A Russian missile strike targeting civilian infrastructure in the western Ukraine region of Ivano-Frankivsk killed one boy, prosecutors said today.

#NORWAY A Norwegian climber who recently became the fastest person to summit the world’s 14 highest peaks has addressed controversy after critics accused her of walking over a dying man to set her record.

PARTING SHOT

Sarah Courtney of the Irish Coast Guard on a helicopter Sarah Courtney Sarah Courtney

Sarah Courtney is a winchman with the Irish Coast guard. 

Above she is pictured recently in a rescue helicopter above the Arklow Arrow boat.

Last year, Courtney was awarded the CHC Excellence Service Award after she rescued seven fishermen from a sinking boat.