Your top stories on Friday: Asylum seekers exceed 30,000; dead man’s body may have lain undiscovered since Christmas

Number of asylum seekers being accommodated by State exceeds 30,000 for the first time

The number of asylum seekers being accommodated by the State has exceeded 30,000 for the first time as the Government considers a review of supports available to those who are not in direct provision.

The Department of Justice confirmed to The Irish Times that a total of 7,667 people had applied for international protection this year as of May 7th, an increase of more than 2,500 since the last official figures of 5,162 on March 31st.

A total of 30,027 people are being accommodated (up from 29,456 at the end of April) and a further 1,825 are awaiting an offer of State accommodation, according to the latest figures published on Thursday night by the Department of Integration.

News

Body of dead man may have lain undiscovered in Co Cork flat since Christmas: Gardaí are to prepare a file for the Coroner’s Court following the discovery of the body of a 61-year-old man, whom they believe may have been dead for almost six months in his flat in west Cork.
Eurovision 2024: Israel singer Eden Golan makes final after public vote: Thousands of protesters including environmentalist Greta Thunberg take to Malmo streets over Israel’s war in Gaza.
Closure orders: Rodent droppings and grime found in kitchens at Fitzpatrick’s Castle Hotel, Killiney: A closure order was served on three kitchens in Fitzpatrick’s Castle Hotel in Killiney, Co Dublin after rodent droppings, grime and stagnant water were noted by food safety inspectors.
More construction workers needed to ease housing crisis, economic watchdog warns: The State needs to attract more construction workers if housebuilding targets are to be met, an economic watchdog has warned, as it said the housing crisis was “inhibiting Ireland’s competitiveness performance” and undermining growth and wellbeing.
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World

Judge denies Trump lawyers’ second request for mistrial in hush-money case: Judge indicates Trump legal team to blame for allowing Stormy Daniels to give vivid details about alleged sexual encounter with Trump.

The Big Read

Portal with Dublin from New York side. Photograph: Michael Fitzpatrick

Dublin Portal: ‘Pretty cool, just don’t tell anyone you seen us dancing’: New Yorkers on the ‘Portal’ link to Dublin: Marty and Angelo from the Bronx were not good dancers. It didn’t really matter, though, because the girls whose attention they were trying to attain were nearly 5,000km away.

Opinion

Business

Companies looking to sidestep auto-enrolment by using existing pension schemes: Companies are looking at ways of signing all their employees up to existing occupational pension schemes rather than engaging with the new auto-enrolment scheme.

Sports

Almost 28 years on, Michelle Smith de Bruin’s Olympic splash continues to make waves: Last week in a provincial swim meeting in Dublin’s Aquatic Centre, Ellen Walshe smashed one of Ireland’s longest-standing national records. Walshe swam the fastest 400m individual medley (IM) by an Irish woman ever, breaking a 28-year-old record.