LAST UPDATE | 14 May 2025

GOOD MORNING.

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

Trans rights

1. Sinn Féin has seen a number of long-time members leave the party over a belief that the party is set to water down its support for LGBT+ issues, in particular on rights for transgender people.

EPA

2. Over half of septic tanks inspected last year by local authorities last year failed inspection.

Trump’s Middle-East trip

3. Donald Trump is set to meet the leader of Syria and the heads of the Gulf states in Riyadh today before travelling to Qatar, where controversy is swirling over the gifting of a luxury aircraft.

Menendez Brothers

4. Erik and Lyle Menendez will have a new shot at freedom after 35 years behind bars for murdering their parents, a judge ruled.

EU

5. The Court of Justice of the European Union is to rule today on whether the EU failed the transparency test by declining to release text messages sent by Ursula von der Leyen to the head of Pfizer as the bloc tried to secure Covid-19 vaccines.

Microsoft

6. Tech giant Microsoft yesterday started to lay off almost 3% of its global workforce.

Courts

7. New “criminal organisation” charges were brought against five men accused of attacking a man allegedly branded “RAT” and beaten in west Dublin.

Eurovision

8. Ten countries last night qualified for the finals of the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland.

Gloster’s exit

9. The news that Bernard Gloster will step down from his role as CEO of the HSE in March of next year has been met with mixed reactions and some dismay by workers in the health service, who have spoken to The Journal on an unnamed basis.