Morning Briefing: Top stories on Friday, April 28

Good morning everyone. Here's today's briefing from the early crew here on the Irish Examiner newsdesk.

Fri, 28 Apr, 2023 - 07:45

Good morning everyone. Here's today's briefing from the early crew here on the Irish Examiner newsdesk.

YOUR MORNING DASHBOARD

Here are the nine stories we are highlighting on the irishexaminer.com home page right now.

Fears of 'significant' pay-outs to asylum seekers following ruling: The Government may be forced to pay significant compensation to asylum seekers following a landmark court ruling after it failed to house an Afghan man seeking international protection. >>READ MORE.

The Cascade scheme, in the Castlelake development in Carrigtwohill, had lain vacant for so long it was branded an eyesore in 2019, with local calls for it to be “finished or blown up”. Picture: Denis Minihane.

Unfinished 'eyesore' is converted into 95 new homes for Cork: An unfinished eyesore apartment complex that lay vacant for 17 years has been transformed into 95 homes as part of a major new social housing project in Cork. >>READ MORE.

Joyce Fegan: Ann Lovett’s story finally gets big screen treatment: This is also a story of Ireland — how a girl could end up giving birth alone in a grotto, and what systems and strata of social control led to these circumstances? >>READ MORE.

Mike Pence ‘gives evidence to grand jury in Donald Trump election probe’: Former vice president Mike Pence has given evidence in private to a federal grand jury investigating efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, according to a source. >>READ MORE.

Locals say that raw sewage flowing into the River Funshion in the village poses a serious health risk to residents, with one parent of two young children recently finding a rat in the family’s toilet. File picture

'Forgotten' Limerick village hoping sewerage plant will get green light: A Limerick community which has been fighting for a wastewater treatment system for its village is hoping it will be included in a government announcement being made next week. >>READ MORE.

Man arrested as part of Gsoc Hutch investigation released without charge: A man arrested as part of an investigation into a senior member of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc) attending a party to celebrating Gerard 'the Monk' Hutch's acquittal of murder has been released without charge. >>READ MORE.

Huge drop in mortgage switching leads to 'slowdown' in approval activity: Mortgage switching activity during March fell by over 50% compared to the same period last year leading to a slight drop in overall approvals, new figures from the Banking and Payments Federation (BPFI) shows. >>READ MORE.

La Rochelle' Irish head coach Ronan O'Gara looks on ahead of the French Top14 rugby union match between Union Bordeaux-Begles and La Rochele. Picture: ROMAIN PERROCHEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

Ronan O'Gara: When it all goes pear-shaped in the first ten minutes: What renders us helpless is watching a bad opening first period and knowing that there isn’t a lot you can do about it. >>READ MORE.

Men and menopause: a hot topic for couples: A man can be deeply affected by his partner’s menopausal symptoms, all the more so if he is struggling to understand what is happening to her. Sharon Ní Chonchúir asks experts for advice on how males can navigate this often challenging transition. >>READ MORE.

Tommy Tiernan talks Late Late Show, his Marquee visit, and the joys of phone-less gigs: Tommy Tiernan has an ambivalent attitude towards phones, so maybe it's no surprise that he's not hanging on a call from Donnybrook, Dublin 4 - even if it involves the second longest-running chat show in the world. >>READ MORE.

AND TODAY'S WEATHER