LAST UPDATE | 3 Nov 2023

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

Gaza

1. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel in a trip focused on measures to minimise harm to civilians in the war in Gaza.

Prior to his departure, Blinken said he would seek “concrete steps” from Israel to ensure that harm to Palestinian civilians is reduced, as US President Joe Biden also called for humanitarian pauses in the conflict.

This is Blinken’s second trip to the Middle East since fighting erupted on 7 October after Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out a massive attack on southern Israel that left 1,400 people dead, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.

Letterkenny University Hospital

2. GPs in Donegal are concerned that patients in the region with melanoma, a highly time sensitive skin cancer, will “suffer poorer outcomes” as a result of Letterkenny University Hospital (LUH) losing its dermatology service.

The service has collapsed following the retirement of a senior dermatologist at the Co Donegal hospital.

A few weeks ago, the consultant dermatologist at Sligo University Hospital (SUH) wrote to GPs in the region to inform them that all referrals were now being directed to him.

Flood relief

3. The government has extended the time until 5 November to avail of funding from two emergency schemes for premises damaged by floods that are unable to get flood insurance.

The expansion of the Emergency Business Flooding Scheme and the enhanced, more generous version covers those affected by recent flooding in Counties Cork, Waterford, Limerick, Kilkenny and Louth.

They allow businesses, voluntary groups and clubs to apply for funding towards the costs of returning to their pre-flood condition, including help with the costs of replacing flooring, fixtures, fittings and in some cases, damaged stock.

Air quality

4. The EPA has launched a national air quality forecast online, which it says will enable people to plan their outdoor activities “in order to reduce potential exposure to poor air quality”.

The forecast will allow members of the public to read maps that show a predicted daily air quality in their area for up to three days.

The maps are based on the Air Quality Index for Health (AQIH), a scale from 1 to 10 which indicates what the air quality currently is in the nearest station and whether or not it might affect someone’s health.

Murder trial

5. Jozef Puska took to the stand to give evidence in his defence against the charge that he murdered 23-year-old school teacher Ashling Murphy.

In the opening part of his testimony, Puska said he had “no bad intention whatsoever” when he was cycling behind Annemarie Kelly, a witness who told the trial that she thought Puska was following her along a street in Tullamore prior to Ms Murphy’s murder.

The jury also heard today that gardaí interviewing Puska in January last year asked him to account for his presence at the location where Ms Murphy was murdered by the Grand Canal in Tullamore and for the fact that his DNA was found under her fingernails.

Evictions

6. More than 4,500 eviction notices were issued to tenants in the third quarter of this year, new data from the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) shows.

From July to September, 4,518 notices to quit were issued to tenants. This compares to 5,735 notices issued in the second quarter of the year and 4,753 for the first quarter.

It brings the total number of eviction notices issued this year to 15,006.

Storm Ciarán

6. At least ten people have been killed in western Europe as Storm Ciarán brought winds of up to 200 kilometres per hour.

Three people have died in Italy, two in Belgium, two in France, and one each in the Netherlands, Spain and Germany, according to local authorities.

In Ireland, Status Yellow warnings for rainfall across Cork, Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford, and Wicklow were lifted at 7am yesterday morning after Storm Ciarán crossed over the south coast overnight. 

Sentenced

8. A 43-year-old man who attacked and threatened to “slice up” a woman he had met on Facebook has been sentenced to three years in jail, with the final six months suspended.

Neilus Cooney of Strand Street, Tralee, Co Kerry, also threatened to kill two gardaí who came to the woman’s assistance after she managed to flee her apartment and phone for help, a court has heard.

Cooney was wielding two scissors while he threatened a sergeant from the emergency response unit, who arrived after the first garda on the scene requested armed backup.

Fraud

9. Sam Bankman-Friend, the one-time cryptocurrency golden boy accused by US prosecutors of stealing billions of dollars of his customers’ money, has been found guilty on all counts and faces up to 110 years behind bars.

The jury reached its decision in just five hours after a trial in New York lasting five weeks.

Sentencing for the man widely known as “SBF” will take place on 28 March 2024.

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