The Briefing - Your Friday morning news catch up

Welcome to your Friday morning briefing. Let us ensure you’re up to speed on what’s happening and are prepared for the day ahead.

Fri, 18 Jul, 2014 - 01:00

Denise O’Donoghue

BRIEFING TOP STORY

80 CHILDREN AMONG 295 PASSENGERS KILLED ON MALAYSIA AIRLINES FLIGHT

Up to 80 children were feared to be among the 295 passengers and crew who died after the Malaysian Airways plane was shot down over Ukraine yesterday afternoon.

IRISH NEWS

MOON WALK BUZZ RETURNS

On July 20, 1969, Buzz Aldrin was "out of town" when the world united and rejoiced in a way never seen before or since.

ONE FIREARM STOLEN OR LOST DAILY OVER LAST FOUR YEARS

Almost one legally held firearm has been reported stolen or lost every day over the last four years.

WORLD NEWS

KILLING OF 295 RAISES STAKES IN UKRAINE CONFLICT

The killing of 295 people aboard a Malaysian airliner brought down over eastern Ukraine sharply raised the stakes in a conflict between Kiev and pro-Moscow rebels in which Russia and the West back opposing sides.

ISRAEL SENDS GROUP TROUPS INTO GAZA STRIP

Israel launched a large-scale ground offensive in the Gaza Strip yesterday, escalating a 10-day military operation to try to destroy Hamas’ weapons arsenal, rocket-firing abilities, and tunnels under the Palestinian territory’s border with Israel.

SPORT

RORY READY TO RID HIS FRIDAY DEMONS

Rory McIlroy will try and forget his recent Friday woes today as he bids to extend his one-shot first-round lead and take a firm grip on the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.

VAN GAAL: I'M NO DICTATOR

Louis van Gaal might have a reputation as a tough taskmaster but he will run Manchester United democratically after being unveiled as manager at Old Trafford.

BUSINESS

MUNSTER BUSINESSES DOODLING THEIR WAY TO A DEEPER FORM OF LEARNING

GRAPHIC harvester Naomi Fein has been enjoying huge success of late, giving Munster’s leading companies storyboard accounts of seminars, workshops and other events to take home and share with their colleagues.

VIEWPOINTS

THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE HOW WE SAY OUR LAST GOODBYE STILL ESCAPES US

IT isn’t a question that anybody would like to have to answer yet it looms in the distance with certainty. It’s a conversation nobody looks forward to but should be undertaken with seriousness, because it lurks in everybody’s future.

SHOWBIZ