Online spending
There has been a 17 per cent decline in online spending in recent months, reflecting a return to some pre-pandemic habits, a new report reveals.
The latest AIB Retail Spend Outlook report found that customers resumed spending on occasions and events in the second quarter of this year.
Overall sales between April and June remained stable, recording a modest 1 per cent decline year-on-year.
The value of in-store sales saw an increase of 5 per cent on last year compared with a decline of 17 per cent in the online channel.
Portrush fire
Almost 50 firefighters are responding to reports of a fire at the Dunluce Centre in Portrush, Co Antrim.
The Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) was called to reports of a fire at the former family entertainment centre at 8.26pm on Monday evening.
Videos and photos on social media show smoke billowing from the centre.
Luas stop assault
A man is in a critical condition in hospital following an assault in Dublin on Sunday evening.
Gardaí are investigating the serious assault which occurred at the George's Dock Luas stop in Dublin 1 on Sunday evening, shortly before 9pm.
A man, aged in his 20s, received serious head injuries and was taken to the Mater Hospital where he remains in a critical condition.
A technical examination of the scene was conducted on Monday morning.
Heatwave
The public should use water responsibly during the current heatwave as the hot weather conditions could lead to shortages, Irish Water has said.
The utility company’s head of operations, Tom Cuddy, told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that “some modest interventions” were being undertaken as drinking water sources were dropping and demand was increasing.
The interventions were having little impact on customers as they involved tankers bringing water to reservoirs and cross connecting on water schemes.
“With the hot spell coming we are encouraging people to use water responsibly,” he said.
Ukraine refugees
More than 1,200 Ukrainian refugees will have to leave student accommodation by the middle of September, on top of thousands who will be moved before the end of this month.
It emerged over the weekend that 3,028 Ukrainians will have to leave to make room for returning students by the end of August. But the Department of Integration told The Irish Times on Monday that another 1,250 are scheduled to leave by mid-September.
The State’s response to the Ukraine refugee crisis remains under extreme pressure.
The Millstreet Green Glens arena in Cork is nearly constantly at capacity, it is understood – some 319 people were there on Monday, and its capacity is 320.
Kerry crash
A man, aged 37, has died following a collision between a motorcycle and a car in Co Kerry this evening.
The collision in the townland of Strands End, Caherciveen, Co Kerry, occurred at approximately 4.45pm this evening.
The motorcyclist was fatally injured and was pronounced dead at the scene. His body will be removed from the scene to University Hospital Kerry where a postmortem will take place at a later date.
The female driver, early 50s, and sole occupant of the car was uninjured and did not require medical attention.
Trump FBI raid
The FBI has searched Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate as part of an investigation into whether he took classified records from the White House to his Florida residence, sources have said.
Disclosing the search in a lengthy statement, the former US president said that agents opened up a safe at his home and described their work as an “unannounced raid” that he likened to “prosecutorial misconduct”.
The search intensifies the months-long probe into how classified documents ended up in more than a dozen boxes located at Mar-a-Lago earlier this year.
A separate grand jury investigation is also taking place into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and adds to the potential legal peril for Mr Trump as he lays the groundwork for another run.
