Five things you need to know today

1. Ted Cruz

A night of high drama unfolded at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, where failed Repblican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz prompted much righteous anger by refusing to back party nominee Donald Trump.

2. Housing

New houses costing in the region of €250,000 to €260,000 are expected to become available in the Dublin area as a result of Government initiatives, Minister for Housing Simon Coveney has said.

3. Illegal dump

Hundreds of tyres, window frames and household waste were among the items making up the 100 tonnes or so of rubbish that has been found on an illegal dump near Greystones, Co Wicklow.

4. Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a three-month state of emergency enabling authorities to crack down on those responsible for last weekend's failed military coup.

5. Central Bank

Greg Kavanagh, a big property developer, promised to spend "so much" money – "tens of millions", in fact – on an advertising campaign that would make the position of then central bank governor Patrick Honohan "untenable" over an issue concerning US bank loans.

Also... Miriam Lord writes that the heartfelt whimper of relief we hear today comes from the poor unfortunate tin can – battered and abused after months in the political firing line. It's been kicked so many times down the road it qualifies for mileage at the top Oireachtas rate.