LAST UPDATE | 11 Aug
GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news you need to know as you start the day.
1. Taoiseach Simon Harris has said that Israel’s “gut-wrenching” air strike on a school-turned-shelter has necessitated a response from world leaders.
He has repeated Ireland’s call for an ‘urgent review’ of the EU-Israel trade deal in light of the strike, saying that world leaders have failed to use “all levers to bring an end to the violence”.
2. Ireland’s women’s relay team ran the race of their lives in Paris – but it was enough only for heartbreak.
Looking back at the performance is Gavin Cooney of The42.
3. Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelenskyy has acknowledged a Ukrainian incursion into Russian territory for the first time, as fighting continues in the Kursk region.
In his evening address, he referred to army chief Oleksandr Syrsky, who he said had “already reported several times on the frontline and our actions and pushing the war into the aggressor’s territory.”
Earlier today, Russia said it had evacuated tens of thousands of people from its border region, launching what it called a “counter-terror operation”.
4. The question of finding a balance between “desperately needed” housing and protecting animals that already live on earmarked land is one examined by Diarmuid Pepper this morning.
It comes after An Bord Pleanála refused permission for a project that included 330 apartments in Dublin due to concerns for the Light-Bellied Brent Goose.
5. Up to 10 PSNI officers were injured after petrol bombs, fireworks and heavy masonry were thrown during disorder in Derry last night.
Police said they are liaising with community representatives to prevent further escalation after disorder erupted in Nailors Row.
6. While there was violence in Derry, Belfast city centre saw a crowd of over 15,000 people yesterday afternoon as anti-racist demonstrations took over the area.
Organised by the United Against Racism group, the protesters made their way to City Hall in Belfast, chanting “When migrants’ rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back”.
Many waved Palestinian and Pride flags, with homemade placards that included Belfast-themed messages “scundered for racists” and “Ulster says yeooo to migrants”.
7. “Kamala Harris’s family in India are keeping a close watch on the US presidential campaign. But they don’t have any grand plans to celebrate even if she becomes the most powerful person in the world.”
Ayush Pandey writes that a simple ‘pooja’ – a ceremonial prayer performed by Hindus — is all that will happen if Harris makes history.
He spoke to Harris’s uncle based in India.
8.Gardaí seized €16 million worth of cannabis in Rosslare yesterday as part of an operation with Revenue agents.
738kg of cannabis and 70kg of cannabis resin with an estimated value of €16,000,080 were seized at Rosslare Europort.
The suspected illegal drugs were discovered when Revenue officers and Gardaí stopped and searched an unaccompanied freight unit which had disembarked a ferry.
9. It will be worth gazing upwards over the coming evenings as there will be 20 times more shooting stars in the sky for the next three nights thanks to an astronomical phenomenon.
The meteor shower will be most visible at 10pm on Monday night, but likely can also be seen tonight and Tuesday night.
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