1. Donald Trump to visit Ireland this month
Businessman Donald Trump, the presumptive US Republican presidential nominee, has said that he will travel to Ireland later this month to visit his golf resort at Doonbeg in Co Clare after visiting his courses in Scotland. The New York billionaire announced the visit on Twitter, telling his eight million followers last night that he would leave for Scotland on June 22nd visiting his resorts in Turnberry and Aberdeen before travelling to Ireland. He plans to return to the United States on June 25th. "After @TrumpScotland, I will visit @TrumpDoonbeg in Ireland, the magnificent resort fronting on the Atlantic Ocean," he tweeted. Mr Trump's trip will coincide with the visit of US Vice President Joe Biden to Ireland from June 21st to 26th and the 'Brexit' referendum on June 23rd when British voters will decide whether or not to leave the European Union. This will be the property mogul and reality-TV star's first overseas trip since he became the expected Republican nominee after he saw off the last of 16 opponents and won a majority of convention delegates to clinch the nomination last month.
Brian Boyd: Bullshit can be more dangerous than lies in politics
2. Student loan scheme unlikely as all-party support seen as key
The prospects of a student loan scheme for third-level education have sharply receded after Minister for Education Richard Bruton said any changes must be based on a political consensus. A major report to be published soon on the future of third-level funding will lean heavily on an income-contingent loan scheme as the only realistic option of funding the system. However, Mr Bruton said while Fine Gael has supported such a move in the past, the minority Government will require the support of major parties in any decision it makes. Fianna Fáil has reservations over such a model, while Sinn Féin is strongly opposed to it. After eight years of spending cuts and rising student numbers, senior staff at universities and third-level colleges say funding shortages are reaching "crisis" levels and additional funding is urgently required.
Student Hub: Free Irish Times subscription for third level students
The Leaving Cert is getting better... slowly: New grading will help to reduce rote learning motivated by desire to maximise CAO points
3. Boy (7) abandoned in Japan for being naughty found alive
A Japanese boy abandoned in a dense forest by his parents for being naughty was found alive and unharmed on Friday, nearly a week after his disappearance set off a massive search. Seven-year-old Yamato Tanooka was discovered in a building on a Japanese military base around 4 km from where he disappeared last Saturday after his parents left him by the side of a road, reportedly as discipline for throwing stones at cars. "One of our soldiers was preparing for drills this morning and opened the door of a building on the base, and there he was," a member of Japan's Self-Defence Forces told NHK national television. "When he asked 'are you Yamato?' the boy said yes. Then he said he was hungry, so the soldier gave him some water, bread and riceballs." Yamato was taken to hospital for checks but was healthy except for low body temperature and would be kept overnight as a precaution, a doctor told a news conference.
4. ‘Huge’ social housing plan to be pushed - even if protested
The Government has committed to accelerating a "huge" programme of social housing, with the new homes to be built alongside private houses, even if this provokes protests. Minister for Housing Simon Coveney said the Government was determined to avoid the "mistakes of decades a that saw "huge swathes of urban areas" given over to purely social housing. Instead, he said, the Government would enforce a mixture of public and private housing. He acknowledged this would be "not popular in some areas", but it was the right thing to do. "We cannot have a situation where some communities block social housing in their area because they don't want it," he told the Dáil Housing andHomelessness Committee on Thursday. Expanding on the Government's housing strategy to The Irish Times, he said a majority of private houses built with the assistance of the State must be priced below €300,000 or be offered for rent at discounts to the normal market rate. Meanwhile, a Fine Gael Minister of State has said he advises people in his Cork North-Central constituency against taking social housing offered to them in certain estates because they are in bad areas.
5. Sinn Féin urges Government to lift gay blood donor ban
The Government has been urged by Sinn Féin to follow the example of the Northern Ireland Executive and lift the ban on gay men donating blood. Minister for Health Simon Harris said a report from an advisory committee is to be considered by the board of the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) later this month. The Department of Health would then consider how to proceed following the recommendations of the IBTS. Sinn Féin said it was time to follow the lead of the Executive and lift the ban. Sinn Féin TD Louise O'Reilly insisted that there was no need for a delay in making the decision. She said the ban could be lifted by way of ministerial order and urged Mr Harris to follow the lead of the newly appointed Minister for Health in the North, Michelle O'Neill.
Misc
Donegal man finds 'the heart of the GAA' in Los Angeles: 'It is a home from home for a lot of lads, you can just feel the energy'
RTÉ rejects Muslim scholar's appeal for daily Ramadan prayer: RTÉ One will broadcast 'Ramadan diaries' before 'Six One' news on Saturdays
US revenue rejects JP McManus backgammon claim: Racehorse owner not tax resident in Ireland so does not qualify for $5.2m refund, says IRS
Night restrictions on Dublin Airport runway may be lifted: New EU rules on noise from airports allows for reassessment of permissible levels
Broadband users face price hikes of 18% from September: Telcos say they intend to pass on Eir's increase in wholesale rates to consumers
