LAST UPDATE | 29 Aug 2024

GOOD MORNING. The Journal brings you the top stories to start your morning.

Stepping down

1. Colum Eastwood is to quit as leader of the SDLP, the PA news agency understands. Eastwood is expected to announce the decision when he “makes a personal statement” about his future today, a senior SDLP source said.

Child migrant

2. A Dublin primary school has intervened in the case of a child who was moved to a former hotel for people seeking international protection in Co Tipperary, expressing fears that the child’s relocation could set her back “academically and emotionally” due to trauma she suffered previously.

‘Counter-terrorism’

3. The Israeli military said its forces killed five Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank in a second day of “counter-terrorism” operations that have killed 14 in total.

Storm names

4. Met Éireann, along with its counterparts in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, has released the list of new storm names for the 2024/2025 storm season, which starts on Sunday 1 September.   The three meteorological services have contributed seven names each to this season’s list.

Fatal collision

5. A man has been charged after the death of a woman who was badly injured in a two-car collision in Co Donegal at the weekend. The woman, who was in her 80s, was one of three people injured in the crash at Inver in the south of the county on Sunday morning at 9am.

Telegram

6. Pavel Durov, the founder and chief of Telegram, has been charged with a litany of violations related to the messaging app and banned from leaving France. However, the billionaire has been allowed to walk free from police custody after four days under arrest.

Cyber attack 

7. Fota Wildlife Park has been hit by a cyber attack, and has told customers in an email that they may need to cancel cards used to buy tickets on their website. 

Overdose

8. To mark International Overdose Awareness Day this Saturday, Merchants Quay Ireland is urgently calling for improved access to quality drug treatment. The addiction and homeless services charity wants to see the provision of lower threshold detox facilities, more rehabilitation spaces and more aftercare services.

Crime

Gardaí have arrested three people in and seized a firearm in the early hours of this morning in Dublin.