June 19: Today’s top stories in 60 seconds

Woman (70s) dies after car she was travelling in struck ditch in Co Clare
A woman in her 70s has died following a single-vehicle collision in Co Clare. The incident occurred on the R483 in the townland of Ballinagun, near Kilrush, in Co Clare at around 9.20pm yesterday evening. Gardaí said the car struck a ditch, causing significant damage to the vehicle. The woman, who was a rear seat passenger in the car, was fatally injured during the collision. She was pronounced deceased and taken to University Hospital Limerick for a post-mortem examination. The R483 remains closed this morning pending a technical examination by Garda forensic collision investigators. Local diversions are in place. Gardaí in Kilrush are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the crash to contact them.
The Journal 

Bill shock on way for thousands of energy customers as discounted deals expire
Around 130,000 households are set to be hit with electricity and gas bill shocks as they are coming to the end of discount deals. Consumers face huge increases in their bills because the high discounts on unit prices they were on have now been withdrawn. The warning comes as leading energy expert Paul Deane of University College Cork said consumers could see small price cuts of between 10pc and 20pc in the autumn.
Independent.ie

Nearly half of those eligible for rent relief scheme yet to apply
Almost half of people eligible for the Government’s rent credit tax relief scheme have yet to apply for the help, nine months after the policy was first announced. New figures obtained by RTÉ News show that despite the rent credit tax relief scheme plan being a cornerstone of Budget 2023, to date just 230,000 out of 400,000 eligible people have requested the support. Under the rent credit tax relief scheme, a single person who is renting is eligible to receive €500 a year from Revenue, while a couple who are renting are eligible to receive €1,000. In addition, parents or guardians of a student who are paying the accommodation costs of a student living away from home are also entitled to receive the financial support. Requests can currently be made for 2022 and 2023, while the scheme is currently due to continue until 2025. However, the relatively low uptake has led to concerns over its existing effectiveness, with critics pointing to the fact renters can only access the fund if their landlord is registered with the Residential Tenancies Board.
RTÉ

Taoiseach casts doubt on 50% cut in childcare costs by Budget 2024
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has cast doubt on Green Party plans to cut the cost of childcare by 50 per cent by Budget 2024, saying the Government will try not to stoke inflation with an overly-large budget package.
The Irish Times

Donnelly accuses nursing home operator of ‘cynical’ tactics over Fair Deal scheme 
The health minister has accused a private nursing home operator of using “cynical” tactics and causing undue anxiety to its residents to highlight what it has described as an underfunding crisis in the Fair Deal scheme.
The Irish Examiner

Uganda school attack: ‘Gospel songs interrupted by screaming’
Pupils in Uganda were singing gospel songs before a deadly attack by Islamist militants on Friday, a woman who lives opposite the school says. “Then I heard screaming,” Mary Masika told the BBC. The vicious attack in Mpondwe left about 40 people dead. Islamic State-linked militants have been blamed for the attack. The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) was created in the 1990s and took up arms against President Yoweri Museveni, alleging persecution of Muslims. They are now largely based in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. The Mpondwe Lhubiriha Secondary School attacked on Friday is close to the border. Ms Masika says she and other residents have been left terrified by the attack which lasted about 90 minutes.
BBC News

American man charged with murder after attack on US women in Germany
Two US women who had just earned computer-related college degrees had gone to southern Germany to celebrate when a fellow American whom they met while hiking shoved them both down a steep slope last week, killing one and seriously wounding the other, according to officials.
The Guardian

Today’s forecast 
Sunny spells this morning. Showers will be isolated at first, but will become heavier and more widespread this afternoon and evening with thunderstorms and localised flooding possible. Highest temperatures of 18 to 22 degrees with light to moderate southwest breezes. Showers will begin to die off overnight, except for south and west coasts. Mild with lowest temperatures of 11 to 14 degrees in just light southerly breezes. Misty in parts too.
Met Éireann