LAST UPDATE | 26 Jul 2023
GOOD MORNING.
Here’s everything you need to know as you start your day.
1. In our main story this morning, Christina Finn reports that Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he will not be suggesting to the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris that there should be a move towards arming gardaí.
There has been a focus on crime on the streets of Dublin following the attack on an American tourist in the Talbot Street area last week.
Varadkar said yesterday that Ireland is relatively safe, while stating that it is the “wrong approach” to tell people that certain areas are unsafe to walk in.
2. From September, one publicly funded IVF cycle will be available to couples in Ireland that meet certain criteria, including limits on maximum age, body mass index (BMI), and the number of existing children a couple have.
But how do these restrictions compare to other countries that offer free IVF, particularly when it comes to age and weight limits?
Of the European countries that offer public funding for IVF, there are significant differences in access to treatment according to age, relationship status and third-party donation.
3. As wildfires continue to rage on several popular Greek tourist islands, the Taoiseach has said airlines should “err on the side of fairness and generosity” when it comes to wildfire-related compensation for impacted holidaymakers.
He also said airlines should “put safety first” when it comes to flying to countries impacted by wildfires – but he refused to say whether flights should be halted to Greece.
Varadkar said he has been in touch with colleagues in Greece and other countries “to pass on our support and our solidarity.”
4. The Abhaile scheme will be extended until the end of 2027, Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys and Minister for Justice Helen McEntee announced today.
Both ministers received approval to the extension this week after an independent review found there was a “continued need” for the service to remain in place to help debtors in “long-term arrears”.
5. In the UK, NatWest boss Alison Rose has resigned from her position after admitting to being the source of an inaccurate story about Nigel Farage’s finances.
Rose said she made a “serious error of judgment” when she discussed Farage’s relationship with private bank Coutts, owned by NatWest Group, with a BBC journalist.
6. Back home, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Transport Minister Eamon Ryan appear to be on different tracks when it comes to whether a review of rail travel in Ireland makes the case for more road investment.
Varadkar has said the review does make the case for more road investment, but Ryan has disagreed with such assertions, stating that the targets contained in the review, which was carried out by his department, are merely a starting off point.
7. Moving further afield, both Russia and China are sending government delegations to North Korea this week for events marking the 70th anniversary of the armistice that halted fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War.
The visits suggest North Korea is further opening up after years of pandemic isolation and is eager to showcase its partnerships with authoritarian neighbours in the face of deepening nuclear tensions with Washington, Seoul and Tokyo.
8. President Emmanuel Macron has warned that separatist sentiment could lead to violence in New Caledonia, as he urged the pro-independence camp to accept a string of votes to stay part of France.
On a landmark visit following three referendums that have rejected secession – the latest hotly disputed by the indigenous Kanak pro-independence population – Macron insisted the Pacific archipelago’s future was within France.
9. Volunteers have worked frantically for a second day to try to save dozens of pilot whales that have stranded themselves on a beach in western Australia, but more than 50 have already died.
Nearly 100 long-finned pilot whales were first spotted swimming near the city of Albany in Western Australia yesterday morning.
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