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GOOD MORNING. HERE are today’s top stories as the weekend gets underway.
1. Hostage-prisoner exchange
Hamas has handed over three Israeli hostages to the Red Cross in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Yunis, in the sixth hostage-prisoner swap under its ceasefire agreement with Israel, an AFP journalist reported.
Israeli-American Sagui Dekel-Chen, Israeli-Russian Sasha Trupanov and Israeli-Argentinian Yair Horn were paraded on the stage and told to address the crowd before their handover to the Red Cross.
2. Munich
Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris remain in Germany this weekend for the high-profile Munich Security Conference.
The conference got off to a rocky start yesterday, with US vice-president JD Vance taking aim at EU leaders, criticising liberal policies and likening them in some way to autocratic regimes.
Leaders will continue to meet today for a variety of breakout sessions.
3. IFTAs
Saoirse Ronan won both Lead Actress in a film for The Outrun, and Supporting Actress in a Film for her role in Blitz at the IFTAs last night. Oscar winner Cillian Murphy won Lead Actor in a film for the acclaimed adaptation of Claire Keegan’s novel, Small Things Like these.
Kneecap director Rich Peppiatt has won Best Director. The film also picked up awards for casting, editing, and costume design.
4. Beirut
There has been widespread international condemnation after a high-ranking UN peacekeeper was injured in an attack on a UN convoy near Beirut Airport – no Irish soldiers are believed to have been involved in the incident.
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5. Boilers
A rule change that would have prevented older people from getting financial support to buy a replacement for a broken oil or gas boiler has been scrapped, after fears were raised it would have left some older people “trapped” in increasingly cold homes.
It would have applied to private housing, and came about after the last government initially directed local councils to cease grants to replace broken gas and oil boilers due to new EU legislation.
6. Housing
A memo will go to Cabinet next week allocating a substantial funding increase towards the delivery of housing, it is understood.
The additional monies comes alongside the updated National Planning Framework (NPF), which is set to be discussed and cleared at the first Cabinet subcommittee on housing meeting taking place on Monday.
7. Appeal hearing
A Senator’s claim that a ‘secret arrangement’ exists allowing the RAF to intercept any rogue aircraft in Irish airspace is a “bare assertion” without sufficient facts to ground it and his action against the State cannot be reviewed or determined by a court of law, an appeal hearing has been told.
The case was brought before the High Court by Independent Senator and former soldier Gerard Craughwell, who claims that any such arrangement, or “international agreement”, between the two governments is unlawful and unconstitutional, unless it has been approved by the Irish people in a referendum.
8. Aubrey McCarthy
One of Ireland’s new Senators has said he received death threats and was criticised from all angles when he spoke out about the problem of asylum seekers sleeping rough in Dublin.
Aubrey McCarthy is the founder of Tiglin and also runs the Lighthouse Café in Dublin city, which provides essentials for people experiencing homelessness and food poverty.
McCarthy was recently elected to Seanad Éireann after winning the final seat of the three seats available in the University of Dublin (TCD) Constituency.
9. Defence contract
Ireland could be about to sign a contract costing between €600m to €800m for new armoured vehicles for the Irish Defence Forces with France.
That’s according to a French military industry official speaking to a Government Defence and European affairs committee in Paris.
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