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

IRELAND

Leo Varadkar meeting with flood impacted locals in Midleton.

• Taoiseach Leo Varadkar met with angry and upset locals in Midleton today whose properties have been substantially damaged following flooding during Storm Babet.
• The first gardaí on the scene where schoolteacher Ashling Murphy was found unresponsive in undergrowth by the Grand Canal spent ten minutes doing chest compressions, he told a court that is hearing the trial for her murder today. 
• Five people have been hospitalised following a two vehicle collision in county Monaghan today. 
• The shortlist for the An Post Irish Book Awards was announced today.
• Swimming restrictions hit over half of all Irish bathing locations this summer. Sea swimming in Ireland is enjoying a new burst of popularity, but the risks of pollution are rising. Read Noteworthy’s investigation here.
• The trial of four Dublin men that were accused of raping a woman in her home has collapsed, after all charges against the men were dropped.

INTERNATIONAL

Palestinians inspect the damage of a destroyed building following Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City today. Associated Press / Alamy Stock Photo Associated Press / Alamy Stock Photo / Alamy Stock Photo

#GAZA: Israeli troops have been told to ready themselves to move into the Northern part of the strip.

#HIGGINS AND THE POPE:  “We sometimes have little bits of Spanish in what we say,” President Michael D Higgins told reporters following a fourth private meeting with Pope Francis today.

#TRUMP ON TRIAL: Donald Trump’s ex-lawyer Sidney Powell has pleaded guilty to reduced charges over efforts to overturn Trump’s loss in the 2020 US election in Georgia, becoming the second defendant in the sprawling case to reach a deal with prosecutors. As part of her agreement, she could be called on by prosecutors to testify against the former President at a later date. 

PARTING SHOT

 The amount of dust in the world’s air worsened in 2022, the United Nations said on today, as it called for more research into how climate change may increase sandstorm hotspots.

The UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said the slight rise was due to increased emissions from west-central Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Iranian Plateau and northwestern China.

“Human activities are having an impact on sand and dust storms,” WMO chief Petteri Taalas said in the global weather agency’s Airborne Dust Bulletin.