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26th Mar 2024
Your speedy summary of today's must-read stories.
Up to 20 people in water after Baltimore bridge collapse, says fire department
Up to 20 people are feared to be in the water after a bridge collapsed into a river in the US city of Baltimore following a ship strike. “We understand up to 20 individuals may be in the Patapsco River right now as well as multiple vehicles,” Kevin Cartwright of the Baltimore Fire Department told CNN, adding officials were dealing with a “mass casualty multi-agency incident.” Video footage showed lights from what appear to be vehicles on the road surface as the bridge warps and crashes in sections, with the third tranche cantilevering upwards before it, too, tumbles into the water.
RTÉ
Taoiseach-in-waiting Simon Harris lauds UN ceasefire resolution as US abstention sparks Israeli anger
Taoiseach-elect Simon Harris has backed a resolution successfully adopted by the UN calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. “I welcome the resolution finally adopted by the UN Security Council and reiterate Ireland’s call for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and a political process to deliver a two-state solution. The humanitarian catastrophe has to end,” the newly-elected leader of Fine Gael wrote on X on Tuesday morning.
Independent.ie
Garda jailed for stealing €70 of cannabis from station while drunk at work
A Dublin Garda who was drunk when she sent her partner a picture of drugs and a text message saying, “Baby, I got you this”, has been given six months in jail for stealing a €70 cannabis exhibit from her station. Garda Holly Lane, 34, denied theft of the cannabis evidence seized by another officer, unlawful possession of the cannabis and having it for sale or supply at Store Street station on December 12, 2021. However, Judge John Hughes found her guilty on Monday following a non-jury trial at Dublin District Court. He imposed a nine-month sentence but suspended the final three months on condition she remained on supervised probation for two years and attended counselling for alcohol and drug addiction. Lane had been suspended since the date of the incident, and her Garda career is over, her barrister said.
The Irish Examiner
The number of homes available to buy in Ireland is now at its lowest level in 17 years
The number of homes available to buy nationwide on March 1, 2024 stood at below 10,500 while prices continue to rise, according to the latest Daft.ie House Price report. The number of available homes is down 24% year-on-year and represents a new all-time low for the series which extends back to January 2007. The number of homes available to buy currently is just 40% of the 2019 average. The fall in availability affects all major regions of the country and started in mid-2023, after 12 consecutive months of recovering availability following Covid-19 lockdowns.
The Journal
Middle East crisis live: Hamas emboldened to reject ceasefire proposal after UN vote, Israel claims
The UN Security Council’s approval of a resolution calling for an immediate end to hostilities emboldened Hamas to reject the latest ceasefire proposal, Israel’s foreign minister said Tuesday. Late on Monday evening Hamas issued a statement rejecting the latest deal offer, saying Israel was not responding to its core demands of a “comprehensive ceasefire, a withdrawal from the Strip, the return of displaced people and a real prisoner exchange.”
The Guardian
Today’s forecast
This morning, rain in Leinster and Munster will slowly spread northwestwards over Connacht and Ulster. Turning brighter over the southern half of the country this afternoon with scattered heavy showers following behind the rain. There is a chance of hail and an isolated thunderstorm. Highest temperatures of 6 to 10 degrees in moderate northeast to east winds. Early tonight, rain will linger in Ulster, with a mix of clear spells and showers elsewhere. More persistent rain will develop in the south later, spreading northwards to most areas by morning. Lowest temperatures of 1 to 5 degrees in light to moderate easterly winds becoming southeasterly later.
Met Éireann