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LAST UPDATE | 13 Mar
GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news you need to know as you start the day.
1. Micheál Martin’s visit to Donald Trump in the White House concluded yesterday, with many breathing a sigh of relief that it wasn’t like Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent trip.
In between laughs about Ireland’s housing crisis, Trump threatened the pharma sector, praised Conor McGregor and railed against planning decisions in Co Clare, making it a fascinating watch at times.
“Some will feel the Taoiseach was too deferential – others will argue that getting in and out without any major incident is all we could have asked for,” our Political Correspondent Jane Matthews writes after attending the meeting in the Oval Office.
2. One group commenting in the aftermath of Martin’s meeting with Trump was Hamas, which welcomed the US president’s quick mention of Gaza, apparent change in previous proposals he made to forcibly remove all Palestinians from Gaza.
Trump had said that “nobody is expelling any Palestinians from Gaza” in response to a journalist’s question.
3. G7 nations are meeting in Canada, with peace in Ukraine is likely to top the agenda for today’s gathering in Quebec.
The meeting, which will also be attended by US secretary of state Marco Rubio, comes as the Kremlin considers a proposal for a 30-day ceasefire put forward after talks between the US and Ukraine.
4. A chest X-ray has confirmed improvements in Pope Francis’s condition in his fourth week in hospital for treatment of double pneumonia, the Vatican has said.
Doctors have said Francis is making slow, gradual improvements and this week declared that he is no longer in imminent danger of death.
5. People living with a disability face greater financial burdens as they spend more than half of their disposable income on their disability.
According to the report by Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), households with a disabled member face “significant” financial burdens related to disability and have a “very high” risk of poverty rates.
6. A launch pad fault has prompted SpaceX to delay a flight to the International Space Station to replace Nasa’s two stranded astronauts.
The new crew needs to get to the International Space Station (ISS) before Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams can head home after nine months in orbit.
7. The number of houses and apartments granted planning permission fell by 21% last year compared to 2023.
The total number of units granted approval in 2024 was 32,401, down from 41,225 in the previous year, according to newly released data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The number of apartments granted permission fell by a massive 39% compared to 2023, while approvals for houses dropped by 2.7%.
8. Three-quarters of parents whose children were in education when Covid-19 lockdowns took hold five years ago feel their social development was negatively impacted, according to a CSO survey.
The survey was carried out online in January as part of an effort to tell the social story of Ireland, and it gathered 21,000 responses.
9. Holders Real Madrid produced a gritty display to reach the Champions League quarter-finals with a 4-2 win on penalties against rivals Atletico Madrid, following a 1-0 defeat after extra time on Wednesday.
But the game will be remembered mainly for how Atletico were denied when Julian Alvarez’s effort was ruled out as he touched the ball twice because of a slip as he took his shot.
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