Morning briefing – Irish local news highlights
Source: The Irish Times - Venezuela earthquakes: Venezuelans in Ireland are urging public support for humanitarian efforts after twin quakes on June 24 killed at least 2,600 people and left thousands injured or homeless, with La Guaira worst affected. - Dublin city robbery case: Two people, Ceiligh McCormack (29) and John Byrne (28), were remanded in custody over an alleged daylight mugging on O’Connell Street that left a 64-year-old woman with a dislocated shoulder and fearful of entering the city centre. - Alleged card fraud spree: Two men, Nixon Marian Malinte (36) and Ionut Cozma (40), were charged over a €5,000 shopping spree using a stolen bank card and have been barred from large parts of Dublin city centre as a bail condition. - Kildare fatal crash: A motorcyclist in his 50s died in a single-vehicle crash at Killick, Kilcock, around 10.45am Saturday. Gardaí appeal for witnesses; the road has reopened after a forensic exam. - Belfast restaurant incident: Police are seeking information after a man entered a University Street restaurant, shouted racial slurs, banged doors, and discharged a fire extinguisher toward outside diners before leaving in the Botanic Avenue direction. - Weather: A warm, mostly dry week ahead with temperatures up to 25C; today largely dry with some drizzle in Ulster and parts of Connacht. Elsewhere in Europe, temperatures could exceed 40C. - US presidents’ Irish roots: A new initiative will commemorate the Irish ancestry of 23 US presidents over the next year. It launches July 4 with a tribute to John F Kennedy in his ancestral town of Bruff, Co Limerick, per Culture Minister Patrick O’Donovan. - World Cup, Irish link: Dublin-born Roberto “Pico” Lopes and Cape Verde earned plaudits after pushing reigning champions Argentina to a 3-2 extra-time win in Miami; Lopes’s mother said she “couldn’t be more proud.” - Cork rider’s funeral: Funeral details have been announced for James Walsh of Kinsale, who died from injuries sustained in a crash at the Tandragee 100 last weekend; organ donation followed his death.