NEED TO CATCH up? The Journal brings you a round-up of today’s news.

IRELAND

Doina Besleaga from Presentation College, Carlow pictured with a prosthetic head at WorldSkills Ireland 2024 at the RDS Arena. John Ohle for Photocall John Ohle for Photocall

• The OPW has said that the price of a bike shed at Leinster House – which came ot at €356,000 – would have been “far, far lower” if the initally proposed location had been used.
• The board of the National Children’s  Hospital are not confident that the finish date for the new facility of June 2025 will be met.
• The OPW has revealed that a new govenment security hut cost the state €1.4 million.
• Leinster House is set to spend almost €190,000 on fitness instructors for TDs, Senators, and staff.
• The number of deaths due to cocaine more than trebled in Ireland between 2012 and 2021.
• Residents of Bride St in Dublin were evacuated from their homes last night as gardaí investigated a “suspicious object”, which was found to be non-explosive and non-viable by the Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit.
• A chief inspector has expressed “serious concerns” over the consistently poor conditions of a Galway nursing home, which has reportedly left residents with small portions and limited meal options.
• A 16-year-old boy iss among three people charged following last month’s riot in Belfast.
• A status yellow rain warning has been issued for Dublin and Wicklow for tomorrow afternoon.

INTERNATIONAL

Israeli soldiers carry out maintenance on military armored vehicles near the border of the southern Gaza Strip earlier this year. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

#IRISH IN LEBANON: Irish citizens in Lebanon have been urged to leave Lebanon immediately as the IDF warns of a possible ground invasion of its northern neighbour.

#INVASION: An Israeli military chief has told troops to prepare for a possible ground invasion of Lebanon, as the IDF calls up two reserve brigades to its northern border.

#BEIRUT: An Irish aid worker in Beirut with UNICEF has said that there is a great concern that the hospital system in the Lebanese capital could collapse in the wake of Israeli atacks on the city.

#ABBAS: Taoiseach Simon Harris has met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas today for the first time since Ireland recognised Palestinian statehood.

#UKRAINE: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is to present US President Joe Biden with a “blueprint” for Ukraine’s “victory” over Russia.

#WHITE HOUSE: Simon Harris will meet US President Joe Biden for a meeting in the White House next month, at an event to mark the cetenary of the bilateral diplomatic relations between the two countries.

#MARCELLUS WILLIAMS: A man convicted of murder in 1998, who has consistently claimed his innocence, has been executed in the US state of Missouri, bringing the total number of people executed in the US this year to 16. 

PARTING SHOT

Patrick Bolger Patrick Bolger

Dublin Zoo’s latest night-time event, Wild Lights: ‘A Journey Through Time’, will launch on 24 October, giving the public a chance to travel from dinosaur times right through to the present day.

The event will run from 24 October to 5 January, with daily showings beginning on 4 November.