LAST UPDATE | 18 Aug 2023

GOOD MORNING.

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

National monuments

1. In our lead story this morning, Jamie McCarron reports of concerns that Ireland’s historic monuments are being increasingly targeted by vandalism and attacks.

Pat Reid, who works at the Glendalough Heritage Forum, told The Journal that he was shocked to discover damage to an ancient granite stone last week.

RTÉ pay scandal

2. Ryan Tubridy was due to return to hosting his RTÉ radio show in September before he appeared to question the organisation’s statements on his previous earnings, according to the head of the national broadcaster.

The details of Tubridy’s mothballed return emerged after director-general Kevin Bakhurst announced trust had “broken down” and there are now no plans for him to resume presenting at RTE.

Housing

3. Housing charity Threshold has claimed that a law which banned up-front rent payments, is “challenging” and “opens the door for potential coercion of tenants by landlords for advance payments”.

The charity argues that the wording of the Residential Tenancies (No.2) Act, along the with the lack of available accommodation within the private market, allows for “an illusion of choice” when it comes to paying more than one month’s rent upfront.

Hawaii wildfires

4. The head of the Maui Emergency Management Agency has resigned, following heavy criticism for not activating disaster sirens during last week’s wildfire response.

At least 111 people were killed by the fires.

Omagh bombing

5. All questions surrounding the Omagh bombing can only be answered by holding a public inquiry on both sides of the Irish border, a lawyer representing some bereaved families has said.

John McBurney urged the Irish government to “reconsider” its position after a minister indicated this week that there is no new evidence which would warrant holding a public inquiry in the Republic of Ireland.

Brazil

6. A Brazilian hacker has claimed that former president Jair Bolsonaro wanted him to hack into the country’s electronic voting system to expose its alleged weaknesses ahead of the 2022 presidential election.

Walter Delgatti Neto did not provide any evidence for his claim to the parliamentary commission of inquiry, but his detailed evidence raises new allegations against the former far-right leader.

War in Ukraine

7. Russian forces have destroyed Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow and its Black Sea Fleet, according to Moscow officials.

Moscow’s mayor said emergency services were on the scene, but that early reports indicated there were no casualties.

Eastern Europe

8. Lithuania has closed two of its six border checkpoints with Belarus in a move it announced earlier this month citing the security risk posed by Russia’s Wagner mercenary group.

Officers laid road spikes at the closed checkpoints and will proceed to erect fences with barbed wire in the area.

Trump

9. Lawyers for Donald Trump have requested an April 2026 trial date on the federal charges that he conspired to overturn the 2020 election – long after next year’s presidential vote.

The request comes as lead prosecutor Jack Smith is pushing for a 2 January start date in the case, one of four criminal prosecutions that Trump is facing in the middle of his White House re-election campaign.