GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news that you need to know as you start your day.
1. Weather warnings are taking effect around the country today as Storm Kathleen hits Ireland.
A Status Orange wind warning will impact five counties, with a Yellow warning for the rest of the country.
Storm Kathleen, which is only the third named storm to occur in the month of April since the naming system began in the 2015/16 storm season, is expected to bring strong wind and rainfall across much of the country today.
2. Tougher penalties are needed for those partaking in anti-social behaviour, Fine Gael leader Simon Harris is to tell his party’s Ard Fheis this evening.
Harris, who is set to be elected as Taoiseach in the Dáil next week, will give a televised address in Galway at 6.30pm.
The speech at the Ard Fheis in Galway is the first opportunity for Harris to set out his priorities and values as Taoiseach and for the final year of the coalition government.
3. No places. No under-ones. No access to subsidies. Astronomical prices.
Finding and paying for childcare is an enormous challenge facing families in Ireland right now, Lauren Boland writes in today’s morning lead.
Read a collection of readers’ stories detailing the stress, strain and heartbreak of trying to find childcare in Ireland.
4. American and Israeli negotiators are expected in Cairo this weekend for a renewed push to reach a ceasefire-hostage deal in a conflict that has raged for nearly half a year.
Ahead of the talks, US President Joe Biden wrote to the leaders of Egypt and Qatar urging them to dial up pressure on Hamas to “agree to and abide by a deal”, a senior administration official told AFP on Friday night.
5. A doctor who is set to address a meeting of the Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign today has said he feels anxious ahead of his return to Gaza following the killing of the aid workers earlier this week.
Professor Nick Maynard is a surgeon at Oxford University Hospital and has been visiting Gaza since 2010 on a regular basis to perform and to teach cancer surgery.
Maynard has Cork connections via his wife Fionnuala, who is from Kinsale.
6. The jury at the Stardust inquest have broken their deliberations for the weekend having completed a third day considering their verdict on the causes of death of the 48 victims of the fire.
Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane yesterday answered questions posed by the jury in the Dublin District Coroner’s Court, after they sought legal guidance from the coroner about the general questionnaire they were presented with at the start of their deliberations.
7. Proposed by the government in 2006, legislation to allow for the creation of AE was finally signed off by Cabinet last week. The government is saying it now wants the system up and running by 1 January 2025.
It would be a brave soul that would put money on that deadline being met, with a slew of deadlines being missed in recent years.
But regardless, the green light for the legislation is a big step towards making AE a reality, Paul O’Donoghue writes.
8. Former RTÉ correspondent Ciaran Mullooly has announced his intention to run for a seat in the upcoming European Parliament elections.
He will compete for a seat in the Midlands North-West constituency.
Mullooly is to stand for Independent Ireland. The party includes TDs Michael Fitzmaurice, Michael Collins and Richard O’Donoghue.
9. Uisce Éireann has advised customers to expect reduced water pressure in areas of north Dublin because a “major” water main has burst in Fingal.
The state water body said a number of customers “may experience slightly lower pressures than normal” but that repairs to the pipe might not be completed until next Tuesday due to the complexity of the works.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say