By Sarah Finnan
21st Jul 2023
21st Jul 2023
Your speedy summary of today's must-read stories.
New homes ‘totally out of reach’ for couples on average salaries
New homes remain “totally out of reach” for couples on average salaries in many areas, with prices forecast to continue rising over the next 12 months. The latest report from the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) analyses the ability of couples with a joint income of €89,000 to buy a new home in five different counties.
The Irish Examiner
LDA to buy private sites for provision of affordable housing
The Land Development Agency has announced that it is seeking expressions of interest from landowners as it plans to purchase privately owned sites to build affordable housing. The LDA was set up to deliver affordable housing on State-owned land. It has also subsequently been tasked with running Project Tosaigh, a Government initiative whereby the LDA steps in to purchase and complete stalled or unviable housing projects in partnership with developers and then makes the homes available through affordable purchase or cost rental schemes.
RTÉ
Dublin attack: McEntee vows response to ‘thuggery’ after tourist’s life-changing injuries
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has promised a response to “thuggery in our streets” following an attack on a US tourist in Dublin city centre which left him with life-changing injuries. Ms McEntee made the comments following widespread criticism over a lack of Garda numbers in Dublin, including from her Government colleague Fianna Fáil TD Jim O’Callaghan, who said criminality “has become normalised in Dublin”.
The Irish Times
Ireland’s Katie McCabe accused of ‘petulance’ and being too ‘aggressive’ by Australian media
Katie McCabe has emerged as a villainous figure down under after her running battles with Hayley Raso during Thursday’s 1-0 defeat to Australia. Some news media outlets, with characteristic Antipodean understatement, have declared her to be the “public enemy number one” after her series of jousts with the Real Madrid-bound winger, who was brought down by Marissa Sheva for the decisive 52nd minute penalty. Aussie pundits complained about one tackle in particular, when McCabe left her studs on Raso in the first-half, although McCabe also came off worse in one tussle when she apparently broke one or two fingers, needing to get them bandaged together.
Independent.ie
Cork residents fail in ‘class action’ against landlord over anti-social activity by his tenants
A landlord has won an appeal against a decision which would have seen him liable for “hundreds of thousands” of euro in compensation to households in a Cork city suburb over claims that he failed to address anti-social behaviour by his tenants. Eagle Valley Residents’ Association had taken a landmark case to the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) on behalf of 188 households in the Wilton estate over a raft of complaints that the estate was being impacted by the behaviour of people living in a house owned by O’Donovan, including drug-related activity and violent incidents. Residents won the original case but landlord Kevin O’Donovan appealed the decision to the Tenancies Tribunal, which has now ruled that it does not have jurisdiction to deal with a ‘class action’ type of proceeding. The householders would have been awarded compensation if the ruling had stood.
The Journal
Politics latest: Rishi Sunak says next election ‘not a done deal’ as Tories lose two by-elections and hold on in Johnson’s old seat
The Conservatives have won the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election, meaning Rishi Sunak avoids a clean sweep of defeats in this triple by-election test.
Sky News
Putin may still seek revenge on Wagner boss – CIA chief
Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to buy time while he works out how to deal with Yevgeny Prighozin, says the director of the CIA. Mr Prigozhin is the head of the Wagner mercenary group who led a mutiny in Russia a month ago. That mutiny exposed significant weaknesses in the system of power Putin has built, CIA head William Burns said. He told the Aspen Security Forum that Russia’s leader may still seek retribution against Mr Prigozhin.
BBC News
Today’s forecast
Mostly cloudy this morning with patches of rain and drizzle, mainly in the north and west. Becoming wet this afternoon and evening as outbreaks of rain and drizzle extend across most areas. The rain will be heaviest in the west and north, bringing the possibility of localised flooding. Best of the dry weather will be in the southeast. Cooler than average with highest temperatures of 15 to 19 degrees, mildest in the southeast. Winds will be mostly moderate westerly, later becoming southwesterly and freshening along Atlantic coasts. Tonight will be wet and misty with further outbreaks of rain and drizzle, some heavy bursts and spot flooding expected, especially later. Mild and humid with lowest temperatures of 12 to 15 degrees in light to moderate southwest winds, breezier however along western and southern coasts.
Met Éireann