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Image / Agenda / Breaking Stories

July 31: Today’s top stories in 60 seconds


By Sarah Finnan
31st Jul 2023
July 31: Today’s top stories in 60 seconds

Your speedy summary of today's must-read stories.

Tenants say no alarms were heard during fire where floors ‘filled with smoke’ in Dublin
Residents of an apartment building in Ballymun, Dublin where the second floor “filled with smoke” after a fire broke out in the underground car park said they never heard a smoke or fire alarm during the ordeal. One tenant’s son and other relatives were home when he heard three loud bangs coming from the bottom of their complex at The Plaza Apartments in Ballymun. The young boy went to the window of the apartment to see what he could find out. The son told The Journal that after the second loud “explosion” he saw black smoke billowing from underneath the complex and people leaving the building. The teenager said he gathered the cats and the others in the home and went next-door to let his neighbours know what was going on. His father told The Journal that by the time they had reached the second floor, the smoke from the fire below had impaired their vision. Both of the family members confirmed that despite the smoke causing extensive damage to their apartment complex and reaching the second of four floors in their block, they never heard an alarm.
The Journal

Split in Housing Commission over proposals for constitutional referendum on right to housing
A major split has emerged in the Government’s Housing Commission over proposals for a constitutional referendum on a right to housing, The Irish Times has learned. The commission, which was established to future-proof the State’s housing policy as well as to develop proposals for a referendum, is expected to deliver majority and minority reports on the constitutional question, say multiple sources with knowledge of the body’s deliberations.
The Irish Times

Justice Minister Helen McEntee must ‘make a decision’ on garda retirement age amid recruitment woes – AGSI
The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) has called on the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee to “make a decision” on the extension of retirement age for gardaí.
It is two years since the association first wrote to Minister McEntee on the issue, the AGSI General Secretary Antoinette Cunningham told RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland.
Independent.ie

First of two August supermoons will be visible from tonight
Keep your eyes on the skies as the first of two supermoons this month will be visible over the coming nights. Tuesday will offer the best chance to see the supermoon but it will also be visible on Monday and Wednesday night. A supermoon occurs when a full moon takes place that it is near its closest point to the Earth in its orbit. When this happens the moon appears slightly bigger in the sky and is around 30% brighter.
The Irish Examiner

Ukraine to start talks with US on security guarantees – senior official
Ukraine is to start consultations with the United States this week on providing security guarantees for Kyiv pending the completion of the process of joining NATO, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff said.
RTÉ

At least 44 killed in Pakistan after explosion at Islamist political rally
At least 44 people have been killed in an explosion in Pakistan during a rally organised by an Islamist party. More than 100 people were also injured in the explosion in north-west Bajaur district, where Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) was holding a meeting. Police told the BBC that they have found evidence suggesting the explosion was a possible suicide attack. A rescue operation has been completed and all injured have been taken to hospital, officers said. Officials have warned the death toll may rise further, as 15 people are in a critical condition. The motivation behind the attack is not yet clear.
BBC News

Plan to expand North Sea oil drilling announced – as critics slam Rishi Sunak’s ‘culture war on climate’
The prime minister has announced an expansion of oil and gas drilling in the North Sea amid ongoing rows in his party over the future of its climate commitments. Number 10 said hundreds of new oil and gas licences will be granted off the coast of Scotland to “boost British energy independence” and “reduce reliance on hostile states”.
Sky News

Today’s forecast
Mostly cloudy today with occasional outbreaks rain, turning heavy or possibly thundery in some spots later. There will be some limited sunny spells too. Breezy, in moderate to fresh westerly winds, with stronger winds in the northwest for a time this morning. Highest temperatures of 17 to 21 degrees. Lingering rain will mainly affect northern and southern counties for a time overnight, with clear spells and scattered showers elsewhere. Lowest temperatures of 10 to 13 degrees in mostly moderate westerly winds.
Met Éireann