LAST UPDATE | 14 Jun 2023

GOOD MORNING.

Here’s all the news you need to know as you start your day.

Irish media

1. RTÉ News online and The Journal are the two biggest sources of online news in Ireland, according to an annual report on the state of digital news media in the country.

It is the seventh year of the Reuters Institute Digital News Report for Ireland, which gives an authoritative view of news consumption patterns across Ireland. 

The report measures what news sources are used by the population and how often they use them; trust levels in news media; how people see the role of journalists and news organisations; what news is paid for; and where users access it.

Water quality 

2. Water quality has not improved in Ireland’s rivers or lakes in recent years, new analysis has found.

A study published today by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified that there was no significant change in the overall biological quality of rivers or lakes in 2022.

Improvements in some areas were matched by a similar rate of decline in others.

Donald Trump

3. Former US President Donald Trump dismissed his indictment for mishandling government secrets as a “heinous abuse of power” as he addressed supporters after pleading not guilty to dozens of criminal felony counts yesterday.

Trump pleaded not guilty to dozens of criminal counts for mishandling some of the US government’s most sensitive secrets and scheming to prevent their return, in a historic appearance yesterday evening in federal court.

The US government accuses Trump of violating the Espionage Act and other laws when he removed classified documents upon leaving office in 2021 and failed to give them up to the National Archives.

Authorities say he conspired to thwart investigators and knowingly shared national security secrets with people who did not have the requisite clearance. 

Christy Dignam

4. Christy Dignam, the lead singer of Aslan, has died aged 63 a decade after he was diagnosed with cancer.

He had been receiving palliative care at home since December following six months of treatment at Beaumont Hospital.

In a statement on, Christy’s daughter, the singer Kiera Dignam, said: “On behalf of my family, it is with a broken heart that we convey the news of my father’s passing, Christy Dignam.”

President Michael D. Higgins paid tribute to Dignam and spoke of the “great sadness” the nation is feeling on hearing the news of his death.

Nottingham

5. Two 19-year-old students and a man in his 50s were stabbed to death in Nottingham before the attacker allegedly stole the older victim’s van and attempted to run over three  other people.

Nottinghamshire Police said a 31-year-old man was tasered and arrested on suspicion of murder following the deadly rampage and held in custody.

A vigil at Nottingham’s St Peter’s Church, in the city centre, was attended by hundreds of people paying their respects to those who died and those injured. 

Ukraine

6. At least three people were killed and 13 wounded in a Russian missile attack on the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa early this morning, according to authorities.

Russia fired four Kalibr missiles from a ship in the Black Sea, Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesman for the region’s military administration, said on Telegram.

A strike on a retail chain’s warehouse killed three employees and wounded seven others, he said.

Transport

7. The ombudsman has said it is “nothing short of shameful” that there is still no suitable government support to help disabled people access personal transport.

Ger Deering said this was despite a commitment from government over a decade ago to develop a scheme streamlining supports for disabled to access transport sand reports from two government departments highlighting the need for such supports.

Speaking at the publication of his annual report for 2022, Deering said that 2022 saw the highest number of complaints ever received by his office.

Stalking and harassment

8. Government-approved changes to the Criminal Justice Bill will allow civil orders restraining stalking to be made on an urgent basis. 

Justice Minister Helen McEntee has pushed for a range of changes to be made to the bill aimed at providing better supports and protections for victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. 

Under the amendments, the identities of harassment and stalking victims will be protected in certain court proceedings, and will prevent these victims from being cross-examined by the accused. 

Weather forecast

9. The weather is set to remain hot and humid today as yesterday proved to be the hottest day of the year, according to Met Éireann.

Temperatures today are predicted to rage from 22 to 27 degrees and “most areas will be dry with hazy sunshine,” the forecaster said.

The forecaster also warned that UV levels would be “moderate to high under cloudy skies, and high under clear skies.”