LAST UPDATE | 20 Nov 2023

GOOD MORNING. HERE are the top stories as the week gets underway.

1. Argentina 

Far-right outsider Javier Milei has declared that the “reconstruction of Argentina begins today” after a resounding victory in the country’s presidential election yesterday.

With 99.4% of the votes tallied, the populist candidate had 55.7% compared to economy minister Sergio Massa’s 44.3%, according to Argentina’s electoral authority – the widest margin since the country’s return to democracy in 1983.

2. Gaza

The health ministry in Gaza has said that 12 people have been killed in an Israeli strike on a hospital in northern Gaza.

Twelve people, included wounded patients and companions, “were killed and dozens wounded as a result of the Israeli occupation targeting the Indonesian Hospital”, said ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra.

It comes as Qatari mediators said they are inching closer to a deal to free some of the 240 hostages held by Hamas militants, as Israel said its troops are “expanding” their operation in the Gaza Strip.

3. Aughrim Street

A man has been charged in relation to a serious assault in Dublin over the weekend.

Gardaí said the incident occurred on Aughrim Street in Stoneybatter, Dublin 7 on Saturday night. The man is due to appear before Court No. 4 of the Criminal Courts of Justice (CCJ) this morning at 10.30am.

4. Rosalynn Carter

Former US first lady Rosalynn Carter, the wife of former president Jimmy Carter, has died at the age of 96 at the couple’s home in the southern state of Georgia, their nonprofit organisation announced.

She had joined her husband in at-home hospice care on Friday after being diagnosed with dementia in May.

5. Children

The Ombudsman for Children is to launch the findings of a new report which evaluated a project set up to support children in refuge from domestic violence. 

It marks the first time that research has been conducted with children living in domestic violence refuge in Ireland. The ‘Where I’m At’ project is part of the Children’s Programme at Meath Women’s Refuge and Support Services. 

6. National Lottery

The regulator of the National Lottery was alerted after one lottery player bought tens of thousands of tickets for Ireland’s biggest ever Lotto draw last year, and won money on 45,000 of the tickets.

It is not known how many tickets in total the individual bought. The cost of the 45,000 winning tickets alone would have been €180,000.

The player bought the tickets for the ‘Must be Won’ lotto jackpot in January 2022 which reached €19.6 million after many consecutive rollovers.

7. Russel Brand

Russel Brand has been interviewed under caution by the Metropolitan Police over allegations of sexual offences, it has been reported.

In September, the 48-year-old comedian and social media influencer was accused of rape, assault and emotional abuse between 2006 and 2013, following a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches.

A man, understood to be Brand, was questioned by detectives at a police station in south London on 16 November, the Times reported on Sunday.

8. Uisce Faoi Talamh

A new report analysing more than 13 million posts has been released today, shedding light on how misinformation about Covid-19, Russia and climate change, as well as hate material targetting migrants and LGBTQ+ people, is delivered to Irish internet users.

The report, called Uisce Faoi Thalamh (literally Irish for “water under ground” – an idiom for “conspiracy”), was published by the Institute of Strategic Dialogue (ISD), a counter-extremism think-tank. 

9. Electoral Commission 

The Electoral Commission has this morning announced its recommendation that the Midlands-North West constituency should gain an additional seat for European parliament elections.

The Commission, An Coimisiún Toghcháin, has also recommended that the counties of Laois and Offaly transfer from the South constituency into the Midlands constituency.

This will increase the constituency from a four seater to a five seater.