GOOD MORNING.

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

1. Animal testing 

Irish universities have outsourced animal testing to overseas labs beyond the oversight of Ireland’s regulator.

The universities have spent hundreds of thousands of euros in recent years on the animal experiments, and refused to release key documents to our journalists when we tried to uncover the full details of the tests.

2. Weather 

Met Éireann is forecasting heavy and persistent rain from this evening with a status yellow rain warning issued for Donegal.

The weather warning is in place for the county from 4pm today until 4am tomorrow. 

3. Spanish protests 

An 87-year-old Madrid woman whose eviction triggered nationwide protests over Spain’s chronic housing crisis and a political debate that culminated in early elections died on Wednesday, a tenants’ union said.

“We are sorry to announce that Maricarmen passed away today,” the Madrid Tenants’ Union said in a statement about Maricarmen Abascal, adding that her case marked “a turning point in the history of this country”.

4. Strike 

Nurses and midwives will hold lunchtime protests at hospitals across the country today, as their union criticised Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s comments about public sector strike action as “a little bit glib”.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said members will demonstrate over cost-of-living pressures and their impact on staffing levels, ahead of planned work stoppages next Wednesday.

5. Insanity 

A 32-year-old man has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to murdering three members of his family at their home in Co Louth last year.

A Central Criminal Court judge warned jurors empanelled for the trial that some of the evidence they will hear may be “difficult or distressing”.

6. Schoolbooks

Schools need new administrative officers to be able to deal with the “massive workload” associated with the free schoolbooks scheme, the National Association for Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) has said.

A recent survey of school leaders by the association found three-quarters are unhappy to continue locally managing the scheme, which provides funding to cover students’ books and key classroom resources.

NAPD president Brian Doran told The Journal while the scheme is “important” and “worthwhile”, it is creating “an awful lot of administration”.

7. Death row

Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler has confirmed to The Journal that Ireland’s first mother and baby psychiatric unit will not be delivered next year.

The unit was first recommended in 2017, but records obtained by The Journal Investigates showed that progress on the project has remained slow. 

A mother and baby unit is a specialist inpatient psychiatric unit which would allow women experiencing severe mental health challenges to stay with their infant children.

8. Center Parcs 

Center Parcs has confirmed that a “small number” of roles at its holiday resort in Co Longford “may be at risk of redundancy”.

The Department of Enterprise confirmed this evening to The Journal that it was notified of proposed collective redundancies by the company on Monday.

A company of its size that intends to make 30 or more people redundant within a 30-day period is required to notify the Department.

9. RTÉ budget 

RTÉ Director general Kevin Bakhurst has said he “completely rejects the assertion” that the pace of reform within the national broadcaster has been slow, after it was confirmed in Budget 2027 that it would receive €20 million less in funding. 

In 2024, the government committed to providing public funding of €725 million to RTÉ from licence fee receipts and a direct top-up from the Exchequer over three years.

Of this, €260 million was allocated for 2027.