LAST UPDATE | 17 Jul 2023

GOOD MORNING.

Here’s everything you need to know as you start your day.

RTÉ lobbying

1. RTÉ execuitves have lobbied senior Government figures about funding dozens of times in recent years, while making controversial use of three barter accounts and spending hundreds of thousands on voluntary redundancies during that time.

An analysis of returns on the State’s Lobbying Register shows that the broadcaster has contacted successive taoisigh and media ministers, as well as various TDs and secretaries general, more than 50 times about funding since 2016.

Record breaking temperatures

2. Europe could record its hottest-ever temperature this week on Italy’s islands of Sicily and Sardinia where a high of 48 degrees Celsius is predicted, the European Space Agency said.

The Cerberus heatwave, named after a three-headed, monstrous dog in Greek mythology, is bringing blistering temperatures to southern Europe.

The heatwave follows a record hot start to July as the World Meteorological Organisation confirmed that the beginning of the month was the hottest week globally of modern records.

Child care

3. A Dublin District Court judge has expressed his “utmost concern for the immediate predicament and welfare of children who are in care” due to reports that there is a lack of available and appropriate placements for children.

In the latest volume of 67 reports from the Child Law Project, it highlights “growing frustrations” around the procurement of safe and appropriate placements for children going into, or currently in, care.

Crimea

4. Traffic along a Russian-built bridge linking Crimea to Russia’s Krasnodar region has been halted following an “emergency”, officials and state media said today.

The bridge to Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, serves as a vital link for transporting supplies to Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

Tipperary road collision

5. A pedestrian has died after being struck by a car in Co Tipperary last night. 

The incident happened at Burgess West, Ballylooby at around 11.25pm.

A pedestrian, a 41-year-old man, was fatally injured in the collision.

The driver of the car, a 26-year-old man, was uninjured.

South Korea

6. Heavy downpours have lashed South Korea for a ninth day as rescue workers struggled to search for survivors in landslides, buckled homes and swamped vehicles.

At least 40 people have died, 34 others are injured and more than 10,000 people have had to evacuate from their homes since 9 July, when heavy rain started pounding the country.

Defence Forces

7. About 130 troops from the Irish Defence Forces Corps of Engineers will undergo a Nato assessment of their capabilities in Cork this week.

The evaluation is in two phases – an initial self evaluation and then a full examination of their capabilities in November. 

The review comes as a US assessor has said that close alliances between non-Nato nations and Nato are of huge “benefit” to all countries. 

Mayo collision

8. Tributes have been paid following the death of singer Ronan Keating’s brother Ciaran in a two-vehicle collision in Co Mayo on Saturday afternoon. 

A driver from one these vehicles, Ciaran Keating, suffered fatal injuries.

The driver of the second vehicle, a male, was taken to Mayo University Hospital to receive treatment for serious injuries.

Drug seizure 

9. Gardaí have seized and cannabis with a street value of more than €2.1 million following searches in Kildare and Westmeath.

Officers from the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau also recovered more than €112,000 in cash following the searches on Saturday.

The operation targeted transnational organised crime.