This morning/afternoon.

A report into available properties for those on Housing Assistance Programme (HAP)

Meanwhile…

…Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. said:

“The ‘Locked Out’ report reveals that the housing crisis is getting worse, not better. The number of properties, affordable for HAP tenants to rent, is virtually non-existent unless top-ups on the rent are provided.

“The Housing Minister claims the provision of affordable housing is a priority for the government, but where is the evidence of that?

“House prices and rents are exponentially increasing, while the number of properties available to rent is shrinking rapidly. HAP tenants, who are unable to pay the runaway rents now being quoted in every part of the country, are among those most at risk of becoming homeless.

“The standard HAP rate, which has not been increased since 2016, must now be increased as a matter of urgency. However, the only way to really resolve this crisis is to seriously ramp up the supply of social, affordable and cost-rental homes. The Minister promised to do this. When will he deliver on those promises?”

Report here

Simon Communities

Gμlp.

This morning/afternoon.

Athens, Greece.

Via EuraActiv:

The video of Azov Battalion’s soldier triggered the reaction of opposition parties as well as influential members of the ruling New Democracy party.

“The speech of members of the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion in the Greek Parliament is a provocation. The absolute responsibility lies with the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. He talked about a historic day, but it is a historic shame. The solidarity with the Ukrainian people is a given. But the Nazis cannot have a say in Parliament,” Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras posted on Facebook.

Similarly, former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said allowing this video to be broadcast in the Greek House was a “big mistake”.

…The socialists issued a statement asking why Greek lawmakers had not been informed about the video intervention of an Azov Battalion member and called on the president of the Greek Parliament to bear responsibility.

Zelenskyy speech at Greek parliament overshadowed by Azov video (EuraActiv)

German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach

This afternoon.

Bonn, Germany.

Via The Local:

In a stinging defeat for Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition, 378 MPs voted against the bill, while 296 voted in favour.

Scholz, who in late November touted compulsory jabs for all adults as the surest way out of the pandemic, had set a goal of introducing the jabs in “late February or early March”.

….MPs also voted against a motion from the opposition CDU/CSU parties that would have mandated the introduction of a general vaccine register and paved the way for a targeted vaccine mandate for certain professions and vulnerable groups.

Two motions against a vaccine mandate were also voted down in the Bundestag on Thursday.

German parliament rejects over-60s vaccine mandate (The Local.de)

Meanwhile…

Take that, covid Nazis.

Thanks SOQ

Getty

Belfast.

April 7,1922.

Via Century Ireland:

Northern Ireland is to acquire a new police force which will be known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC).

The RUC will number 3,000 men at the beginning and will be recruited from the Royal Irish Constabulary and the ‘Specials’, principally the A Specials.

The Northern Ireland Parliament has been told that the denominational make-up of the new force should reflect the religious composition of the six county area: two-thirds Protestant and one-third Catholic. Pay rates will be the same as those existing in the Irish and English police forces.

The announcement of the new police force comes as Northern Ireland continues to grapple with sectarian violence. In order to deal with the ongoing unrest, a Special Powers bill, known as the flogging bill, is currently being debated in the Northern Ireland Senate, and while it is likely to pass, it is being met with some resistance.

Northern Ireland to get new police force – the RUC – amidst continued sectarian violence (Century ireland)

‘sup?

This morning.

Via Dogs Trust:

Canine Carers at Dogs Trust Ireland were shocked to find a wooden skewer protruding from the side of a dog who was brought into their Munster Rehoming Facility.

Gracie came into the charity’s care after being found straying by a Local Authority dog warden. The two-year-old Lurcher was so hungry that she had resorted to eating whatever she could find to survive, including rubbish.

After being examined by a vet upon arrival, she was found to be underweight, had pressure sores and skin issues but otherwise appeared in good health. The dog was not microchipped so there was no way to contact her previous owner and establish why she was found alone, wandering and searching for food.

Dogs Trust

Meanwhile…

‘sup?

Upstate New York.

A virtually invisible Gracie.

Thanks JohnnyNYC

Your pet in camo to Broadsheet@broadsheet.ie marked ‘My pet In Camo’.

Meanwhile…

‘sup?

Telefis – Archbishop Beardmouth At The ChemOlympics

The drugs do work.

Cathal Coughlan and Garrett ‘Jacknife’ Lee have released a new EP culled from their debut collaborative Telefis album A hAon.

The title track is a surreal journey that only Cathal himself can explain.

He writes:

‘Archbishop Beardmouth visits the ChemOlympics, in his full Byzantine-Slavic magnificence, the giant torso-curtain of hair announcing him. He is very gratified by what he sees.

‘Gone are the mandatory drugs tests and geopolitical skirmishes of yore, and in, instead, has come immaculate, chemically-enhanced performance. There’s only the occasional moment when the live camera feed has to be cut, in order to enable the re-reading of the script, and perhaps the replacement of a competitor.

‘At these times, His Eminence loses interest in the spectacle, and becomes aware of the obsequious ravings of a young man seated below him, who points at a laptop screen full of animated bodies – devised, the young man says, by a special form of artficial intelligence.

‘The youth tries to interest the prelate in buying into the “cryptocurrency” which will fund the growth of this technology, which is named “COPD-coin”. The young man explains that he named it this way because it represents a shock to the international order.

‘His Eminence appears irked by this, and begins to grill the young man, “You wish to destabilise your own Motherland in this way? And you dare to approach the Lord God’s representative with this treason?”

””No, no, Eminence”, the young man remonstrates, “It shall be prevented from trading in the Motherland. Only in the sinful and subhuman parts of the world will it be allowed to operate. Because those people are stupid, and decadent.”

‘The Archibishop raises an eyebrow and leans forward. “Well then, how much money do you need to raise from this scheme?”

‘Later, at the big reception for the dignitaries, there are home movie screenings. On the screen, we see vintage images of Ireland’s famed one-time Orthodox Jansenist Papal ruler, Archbishop John Charles McQuaid (sometimes depicted in the company of his earthly proxy, Éamon de Valera).

‘He parades through a life of saintly self-love (since unfairly besmirched by individuals unfit to have breathed the same air as His Lordship) – from long-con shrine, to concrete basilica, to institution of pious incarceration. It could be said that we shall not see his like again – but let’s give it a go. Viva crypto!’

Nick says: Viva Telefis.

Telefis

This morning/afternoon.

Via RTÉ

RTÉ News has stepped up its commitment to trusted journalism and has become certified with the global Journalism Trust Initiative Mark.

The Journalism Trust Initiative was developed by Reporters Without Borders and aims to promote trustworthy journalism and news sources, helping in the battle against disinformation.

RTÉ News is one of a dozen media outlets leading the way globally as JTI certified media organisations, alongside the French national public service television broadcaster France TV, the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Meanwhile….

…Jon Williams, Director of RTÉ News & Current Affairs says:

“The Journalism Trust Initiative aims to make it easier for audiences to identify trustworthy journalism by creating a common set of standards for news organisations around trust and transparency. A benchmark of quality and independence, awarded by independent auditors. In the same way that when you see the Q Mark Irish flag on a product, you know it’s been produced in Ireland, the JTI standard means you know you can trust a news organisation’s journalism.”

Um.

Pause.

*cold, merciless stare*

FIGHT!

Dara Ó Briain

On The Late Late Show…

…Linda Pototzki writes:

One of Ireland’s most popular comedians Dara Ó Briain will drop in this week to talk about his current comedy tour ‘So…Where Were We?’ and the joy of being back on stage after two years of pacing the house…

Marty Morrissey will join Ryan to discuss why this year is a major experiment for the GAA and he’ll also be thanking the clubs and counties around the country for their overwhelming support following the passing of his late mother Peggy…

And Ryan will be chatting to three Irish CODAs – Declan Buckley, Amanda Coogan and Shane O’Reilly – about the very positive impact growing up the children of deaf adults have had on their lives.

Having shot to Late Late Toy Show fame in 2012, then going on later to star in Sing Street and featuring in the Best film Oscar-winning film CODA, 22-year-old Ferdia Walsh-Peelo will chat to Ryan about his stellar career and what is next on the horizon for the Wicklow-native.

….Ferdia will also perform on the show with his new band ‘The Fynches‘ live…

The Late Late Show tomorrow on RTÉ One at 9:35pm.

Rex

What you may need to know.

1. Top Gun 2, aka Top Gun: Maverick, is almost here after what has felt like endless delays for even the most patient of fans.

2. At one point, the sequel was set to come out in July 2019, but now it seems to definitely be flying into cinemas in May 2022, after 30 years a few more months won’t make that much difference?

3. According to The Wall Street Journal, both Netflix and Apple asked Paramount if the studio would sell the movie to them for a streaming debut.

4. Tom Cruise is back in the pilot’s seat as “Maverick”, while Val Kilmer reprises his role as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky.

5. Director Joseph Kosinski is keeping tight-lipped over how their relationship has changed in the intervening years though.

6. Alongside them are some new faces, including Miles Teller (Whiplash, Fantastic Four) as “Rooster”, a pilot trainee and the son of Maverick’s late best friend “Goose”.

7. Jennifer Connelly is the female lead, playing a single mother who runs a local bar near the Navy base

8. Kelly McGillis is not returning as Charlotte Blackwood, aka Charlie, as producer Jerry Bruckheimer told Total Film, her arc was “left back in the arc”

9. After more than 30 years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him.

10. When he finds himself training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialised mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt Bradley Bradshaw, call sign ‘Rooster’, the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt Nick Bradshaw, aka ‘Goose’.

11. Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.

Andy’s verdict: I Feel The Need…

Release: In cinemas May 27.

This morning.

Blanchardstown, Dublin.

Kickboxer Conor McGregor entering and leaving Blanchardstown District Court, where he was facing a charge of dangerous driving in his Rolls Royce Wraith (top pic) last month.

Via Irish Mirror:

McGregor sat quietly in the dock for the short hearing this morning.

His lawyer Michael Staines (above right) told the court that his licence and insurance have been shown to the gardai.

McGregor was remanded on bail and is to appear before the same court in June.

Asked for comment as he left the courthouse, McGregor said: “Just straight back into training my man, yeah.”

UFC star Conor McGregor appears in court charged with six traffic offences (Irish Mirror)

Sam Boal/RollingNews

Update: Possibly a different jammer (see comments).

Broadsheet.ie