LAST UPDATE | 30 Dec 2022
GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news you need to know as you start your day.
1. Tadgh McNally has our lead story this morning, reporting that former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said that he would have been unable to alert authorities about IRA plans to bomb Canary Wharf in 1996 “because of his republicanism”.
Newly released documents from the National Archives detail how Adams told Irish Government officials that he was unaware of plans for the attack, which ended a 17-month IRA ceasefire.
The bombing killed two people and injured more than 100, with over £150 million worth of damage also being caused by the explosion.
2. Ukrainian authorities say they have repelled a drone attack on Kyiv overnight, claiming that all were destroyed by air defences.
It follows a large-scale missile attack by Russia across Ukraine yesterday, leading to some regions being left without power.
3. The situation in Irish hospitals continues to deteriorate amid a surge of winter respiratory viruses, with The Irish Times reporting this morning that record overcrowding is expected in the New Year.
The paper quotes government officials who say use of the private hospital system will not relieve much of the pressure the public system is expected to come under.
4. Tributes continue to pour in for football legend Pelé, who passed away yesterday aged 82.
Brazil has declared three days of mourning, and a 24-hour wake will be held to remember him at his hometown club.
5. Aung San Suu Kyi faces was sentenced to an additional seven years in prison after being found guilty of corruption.
Myanmar’s former leader was detained last year after the country’s military seized power.
She has also been convicted of several other offences, which previously gave her a total of 26 years’ imprisonment.
6. Social media influencer Andrew Tate has reportedly been detained in Romania on suspicion of human trafficking and rape, according to Reuters news agency.
The former kickboxer was allegedly held alongside his brother, Tristan, and two other suspects while his house was raided in the capital, Bucharest.
7. New figures detail how courtroom donations have raised almost €17 million for charity over the past decade.
A judge can order a donation to the court poor box in lieu of a conviction, with St Vincent de Paul benefiting the most from the scheme, receiving more than €1.1 million.
A review into the system is underway, with proposals on the table to overhaul how donations are distributed and earmark them for services providing help to victims of crime.
8. The death toll from Covid in China is estimated to be running as high as 9,000 per day, the Guardian reports.
It comes as a number of countries reintroduce travel restrictions for people arriving from the country after the ending of its long-standing Zero Covid policy last month.
9. The Irish Examiner reports on criticism from opposition parties on the slow progress being made in switching schools from Catholic patronage to multi-denominational.
Just one made the switch in 2022, becoming the 14th to do so.
A target of 400 – including newly opened multi-denominational schools – has been set for 2030.
Includes reporting by Press Association.
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