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Celtic Tiger-era Dublin development
Apartment owners at the Crescent Apartment Building have voted “overwhelmingly” against an “extreme” resolution that would have seen each owner pay over €68,000 to repair fire safety defects. In 2020, Dublin Fire Brigade became aware of issues at the Park West development, and these deficiencies could allow a fire to spread rapidly through the development, and owners were informed the cost of remediation works will be €15.9 million. The proposal that would have seen each owner pay a levy of €68,500 over five years was voted against it by 80% of those present.
Citywest reaches capacity
Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman has admitted that some international protection applicants could end up sleeping on the streets as the processing centre at Citywest reaches capacity. A decision had been taken to pause arrivals to the transit hub, but on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, O’Gorman now says he “could not rule out” that some people would end up sleeping on the street. Women and children will be prioritised and his department will work with NGOs about supporting other arrivals.
Gas price caps
European Union leaders ended another debate on the bloc’s response to the energy crunch without agreement on whether to cap gas prices, deciding in the early hours of Friday morning to keep examining options to put a ceiling on costs. The EU is grappling with high energy prices driving inflation and raising the prospect of recession across the continent, a situation aggravated by Russia slashing gas flows following its February invasion of Ukraine.
Tory leadership
Following the resignation of Liz Truss as Prime Minister, a campaign for leadership of the British Conservative Party is now underway, with her replacement expected to be confirmed no later than next Friday. While no candidates have been publicly declared, former prime minister Boris Johnson is believed to be considering entering the race, along with former chancellor and runner up to Ms Truss in the last contest, Rishi Sunak, and Penny Mordaunt, who came third.
24-hour cyber break
New research conducted by Ireland’s online safety charity, CyberSafeKids, revealed that 87% of Irish children aged eight to 12 are using social media and messaging apps despite being under the required age of 13. The charity is encouraging families to take a 24-hour break from all smart devices, starting at 5pm today in their third annual ‘Cyber Break’.