January 30: Today’s top stories in 60 seconds

Man hospitalised with serious injuries following apparent stabbing incident in Dublin
A man has been hospitalised with serious injuries following an apparent stabbing incident in the Santry area of Dublin last night. Shortly after 8:15pm, gardaí and emergency services attended at Shanliss Way, Santry, following reports of an assault. A man in his late 40s was treated near the scene for apparent stab wounds and removed by Ambulance to the Mater Hospital. While gardaí say his injuries are understood to be serious, they are not thought to be life threatening. An examination of the scene has been carried out and local enquires are ongoing. No arrests have been made at this time.
The Journal

Housing crisis a critical barrier to growth, Ibec warns
The housing crisis is becoming a critical barrier to the continued growth and development of business investment, employers’ group Ibec has warned. The organisation said the Government must therefore urgently deliver a range of policies to speed up housing delivery. The call came as Ibec published a new report on the growing problem which contains a range of recommendations about how the issues around housing can be resolved.
RTÉ

State to consider making supports for refugees time-limited
Supports and accommodation for refugees seeking shelter in Ireland could be time-limited under proposals due to be considered by the Government. The Cabinet committee on Ukraine will meet on Tuesday with Ministers set to discuss the shortage in national accommodation including for those fleeing the war in Ukraine. Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman will seek immediate access to buildings that belong to other Government departments in order to create between four and six emergency temporary rest facilities in the coming weeks. The Department of Children has also finalised a paper examining what other European countries are offering refugees. It is understood that the paper shows that Ireland is an “outlier” in terms of the type of accommodation offered to refugees, notably hotel accommodation.
The Irish Times

Funerals delayed as increase in number of deaths puts mortuaries under pressure
A spike in the number of deaths in recent weeks has disrupted funeral arrangements and put mortuaries under unprecedented stress. An Irish Examiner analysis of death notices on the website rip.ie shows there were 9,718 published in the eight-week period from December 1, 2022, to January 25, 2023 — up 20% from 8,075 in the same period a year earlier. The figure is also considerably higher than the 8,135 death notices published in the same period to January 25, 2021, when the country was in the grip of the worst period of the Covid pandemic. Pre-pandemic, 6,802 death notices were published in the eight weeks to January 25, 2019, almost 3,000 fewer than in recent weeks. The death rate in Cork has been so high in the last two months that bodies had to be stored in the city’s hospitals until space became available at the Cork City Morgue.
The Irish Examiner

Eight killed in mass shooting at birthday party in South Africa
Gunmen killed eight people and wounded three others at a birthday party in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, police said, adding that manhunt was underway to find the killers.The mass shooting was carried out by two attackers and occurred between 5:15 and 5:30pm on Sunday at a house in Kwazakele, Gqeberha, the South African Police Service (SAPS) said in a statement. The gunmen fled after the attack, and no arrests have been made, the police said. Investigations into the circumstances and possible motives for the attack were ongoing. Police have not named the victims, but confirmed that the owner of the house was among them.
Independent.ie

Boris Johnson claims Vladimir Putin threatened to kill him with missile in call ahead of Russian invasion of Ukraine
Boris Johnson has claimed Vladimir Putin threatened to kill him with a missile in a call ahead of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The former prime minister has alleged the Russian leader told him “I don’t want to hurt you, but with a missile, it would only take a minute” in an “extraordinary” conversation which took place in February after he had visited Kyiv.
Sky News

Today’s forecast
Mainly dry this morning with bright or sunny spells and isolated showers in the north dying out. Cloud will build in from the west through the day bringing some spots of light rain and drizzle this afternoon, mainly along the west coast. Highest temperatures of 7 to 10 degrees. Light westerly winds, with moderate to fresh southwest winds developing this afternoon. Mostly cloudy tonight with patches of drizzle to start. Rain will develop in the north and west early on, tracking southeastwards across the country overnight, but amounts will be small in most areas. Some clear spells and showers following later. Lowest temperatures of 4 to 7 degrees with freshening west to southwest winds, becoming strong later in the far northwest and west.
Met Éireann