IrelandMorning Briefing

Your top stories on Thursday: Met Éireann issues weather warnings; Irish woman given key role in Trump administration

Here are the stories you need to start your day including: More fixed-speed cameras and technology to capture drivers using mobile phones planned for 2025

Weather warnings have been issued from lunchtime on Thursday with more stormy weather on the way. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times
Weather warnings have been issued from lunchtime on Thursday with more stormy weather on the way. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times

Met Éireann issues weather warnings beginning at lunchtime

Weather warnings have been issued for several counties on the island of Ireland by both Met Éireann and the UK Met Office.

A status yellow wind warning has been issued for Clare, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo. The weather alert comes into effect at 1pm until 4pm on Thursday.

News in Ireland

  • Fianna Fáil’s policing agenda set to trigger coalition spat: Policing reform is set to be a central plank for Fianna Fáil in programme for government negotiations, with a tussle over the justice portfolio expected in coalition talks with Fine Gael.
  • Leaving Cert students cleared to use AI in research projects: Leaving Cert students will be permitted to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools when preparing research projects worth at least 40 per cent of marks across a range of subjects from next year.
  • New road safety measures on way in 2025 - RSA: More fixed-speed cameras and technology to capture people using mobile phones while driving, along with legislation to enable re-education courses for errant drivers, are among measures the Road Safety Authority (RSA) is hoping to see introduced next year.
  • Asylum seekers protest at having to leave ‘cold weather accommodation’: About 30 International Protection applicants who had been staying at a centre in Citywest, Dublin during the recent spell of cold weather protested outside the Dáil on Wednesday after earlier being ordered to leave the accommodation.
  • Gardaí investigating Jo Jo Dullard disappearance establish ‘promising leads’: Gardaí investigating the disappearance of Josephine ‘Jo Jo’ Dullard have established a number of “promising leads” in recent weeks, despite the conclusion of a large search operation which failed to uncover the missing woman’s remains.
  • Weather forecast: Rain, heavy in places, with squally winds will spread eastwards across Ireland today and will gradually clear during the afternoon, followed by scattered showers. Southerly winds will become west to northwesterly as the rain clears and will increase fresh to strong and very gusty, reaching gale force at times near Atlantic and southern coasts. Highest temperatures of 8 to 13 degrees. The winds will ease this evening and tonight, and the showers will become isolated with most parts becoming dry. There’ll be some clear spells with a chance of some frost and icy patches. Lowest temperatures of 0 to 5 degrees.
  • Check out today’s Most Read stories
  • Join The Irish Times WhatsApp channel for breaking news straight to your phone.

The Big Read

  • No shame in solitude - the science and power of being alone: In a thoughtful article at the Conversation entitled The Loneliness Myth, Netta Weinstein makes mincemeat of the so-called loneliness epidemic, calling out the “loneliness-as-pathology” perspective as a clear rejection of what is simply, and crucially, a natural part of experiencing life as a human being, – that is engaging with solitude.

Opinion

Business

Sport

  • Karen Duggan: It would make sense to part ways with Eileen Gleeson now: We were all hoping that qualifying for the World Cup was the start of something big for this Ireland team, that they would build on it and leave a legacy.

World

  • French government collapses after losing no-confidence vote: French opposition politicians brought the government down on Wednesday, throwing the European Union’s second-biggest economic power deeper into a political crisis that threatens its capacity to legislate and rein in a massive budget deficit.
  • Manhunt under way after UnitedHealth chief executive shot dead in ‘brazen’ New York attack: The chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, one of the US’s largest health insurers, was fatally shot in the chest on Wednesday in New York City, police confirmed in a press conference.

Podcast Highlights

Explainer: How the martial law debacle rattled South Korea

Listen | 18:21

Why not try one of our Crosswords & Puzzles?

Like this?

Get the best content direct to your inbox by signing up to one of our newsletters