Today’s headlines: The dream of foreign ownership turned sour for the ‘psychic scammer’; Putin’s “lover” seen publicly for first time since pre-war

Here are this morning’s top stories on Independent.ie.

The dream of foreign ownership turned sour for “the psychic scammer.”

Tom Colton was a 24-year-old accountant and his girlfriend Linda Barden was a 23-year-old banker when the 1999 Worldwide Property Show was held at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin.

Warmest summer on record, record rainfall… Europe faced climate chaos amidst weather shocks last year

Ireland’s winds have been strangely calm for the past year Europe experienced a year full of weather shocks and worrying climate trends.

Putin’s gymnast “lover” on public view for first time since pre-war

Vladimir Putin’s alleged lover has resurfaced in Moscow after speculation she was keeping a low profile in Switzerland.

“It’s the everyday things we will miss the most, like your beautiful smile, you were a shining light. We will always love you’ – father’s tribute to Kate

United in grief, shock and disbelief, a small Galway community united in solidarity with a young woman and her bereaved family got together yesterday to say a final goodbye.

Country emerging from current Covid wave with cases falling but hotspots persist

Waterford, Carlow, Kerry, Galway, Westmeath and Limerick had the highest incidences of Covid-19 New figures were revealed last week.

First mica lawsuit as standards body, quarry and city council sued

The first in a series of lawsuits related to the mica scandal was initiated in the High Court.

Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator back in service after three years of shutdown

The most powerful particle accelerator in the world – the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) – has revived after a three-year shutdown.

Le grand tête-à-tête: Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen on the home straight in the French presidential race

Emmanuel Macron yesterday warned of a French future of “hate” and economic ruin if rival Marine Le Pen wins tomorrow’s presidential runoff.

“Coming to Ireland was a miracle but I want to give something back to my friends and family in Ukraine”

A Ukrainian woman said fleeing to Ireland with her three daughters was “a miracle”, and it is now She wants to give back to her friends and family who are still in the war-torn country.

The central bank warns financial firms against selling risky complex products

Financial firms put customer money at risk by investing it in overly complex products that their customers do not fully understandthe central bank has warned.