LAST UPDATE | 6 Jul 2025

GOOD MORNING. 

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

MV Matthew

1. In our lead story this morning, Niall O’Connor hears from some of those at the heart of one of the most ambitious anti-drug trafficking operations of modern times.

Their mission resulted in the capture of the bulk carrier MV Matthew and its cargo of cocaine worth €157 million – the largest drug seizure in the history of the state.

Help to Buy

2. The Help to Buy scheme is coming under examination as those in the housing sector look at whether the scheme is actually helping people to buy homes, or is just inflating costs in the market at a cost to other options.

Paul O’Donoghue looks why demands to raise the Help to Buy threshold may be ignoring one key problem: we still don’t know if the scheme actually works.

Texas floods

3. The death toll from devastating floods in central Texas hit 50, including 15 children, as rescuers scoured flooded riverbanks littered with mangled trees for dozens of missing girls.

Elon Musk

4. Staying with the US, Elon Musk has claimed to have launched a new political party in the to challenge what the tech billionaire described as the country’s “one-party system” – a move unlikely to go down well with his old ally Donald Trump after their bitter falling out.

Cowboy builders

5. Only 600 construction companies out of an expected 20,000 have registered with the body entrusted with cracking down on “cowboy builders” in the last ten years.

Our readers on loneliness

6. The World Health Organisation has found that loneliness affects nearly one in six people worldwide, while a separate EU study named Ireland as the loneliest country in Europe.

We asked our readers on their experiences of loneliness and how they manage.

Ozzy’s last call

7. Birmingham saw Ozzy Osbourne’s final ever gig as Black Sabbath’s frontman, with thousands flocking to his UK hometown for a celebration of the heavy metal genre he helped to create.

Reek Sunday callout

8. There has been a callout for priests fit enough to help minister sacraments at the top of Croagh Patrick for Reek Sunday – as the Catholic Church has been forced to halve the number of its services as a result of a diminished and ageing clergy.

All-Ireland hurling semi-finals

9. They managed to stun Limerick but a repeat performance was a step too far for the Dublin hurlers as they were put away by Cork in yesterday’s All-Ireland hurling semi-final.

Seven goals saw Cork on their way, and today’s other semi featuring Kilkenny and Tipperary will tell us who their opponents will be.