LAST UPDATE | 16 Jun 2022

GOOD MORNING.

Here’s all the news that you need to know as you start your day.

Monaghan prison van

1. A prison van was rammed off the road by another vehicle while it attempted to transport a prisoner in Co Monaghan this evening.

The incident occurred on the N2 near Clontibret while the prisoner was being transported from court. It is understood that the prisoner remained in custody during the incident and that nobody was hurt during the attack.

Covid cases rise

2. In our top story today, Lauren Boland examines why the number of people and patients with Covid-19 is on the rise again in Ireland, with Omicron subvariants quietly being fought across the country.

In the last seven days, there have been 8,751 PCR-confirmed cases and 10,799 positive antigen tests registered.

DCU Professor of Immunology Christine Loscher said: “We have very restrictive access to PCR testing at the moment. There’s only certain cohorts that can actually get a PCR test now, so a lot of people are relying on their antigen testing.”

Energy poverty

3. The number of households in Ireland who are experiencing energy poverty is now at the highest rate ever recorded, according to a new report by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).

The report, published today, found that recent energy inflation has increased the estimated number of households in energy poverty to 29%. 

The previous highest recorded rate was in 1994 and 1995, when 23% of households were in energy poverty.

Syria and Kosovo peacekeeping

4. The Government has cleared the way for Irish Defence Forces peacekeepers to continue missions in both Kosovo and Syria.

Defence Minister Simon Coveney sought approval for the missions at Cabinet on Tuesday, with the minister seeking the missions to continue for an additional 12 months.

New Acting CMO

5. Professor Breda Smyth has been appointed to serve as interim Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health, as Dr Tony Holohan prepares to step down on 1 July.

Smyth is set to take up the role from 4 July, with a competition to permanently replace Holohan still ongoing.

Kevin Spacey

6. Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey is set to appear before a court in the UK today charged with sexually assaulting three men.

Spacey, 62, is expected to attend Westminster Magistrates’ Court today to face four counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.

Dom Phillips murder

7. A suspect has confessed to fatally shooting UK journalist Dom Phillips and his Brazilian companion Bruno Pereira in the Amazon, Brazil’s federal police have said.

Police said at a news conference in the city of Manaus that the prime suspect in the case confessed and detailed what happened to the pair who went missing on 5 June.

Kyiv visit

8. The leaders of Germany, France and Italy have travelled to Kyiv today, just a day after the US announced a $1 billion worth of new arms for embattled Ukrainian forces.

In a show of support, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi are visiting Kyiv.

The three leaders left Poland in the morning by train. AFP images showed the leaders descend from the train onto a platform in the Ukrainian capital.

Weather

9. According to Met Éireann, the north and west of the country will be mostly cloudy and will have some patchy showers but is set to brighten in the afternoon.

Across the rest of the country, the forecast is set to be warmer with widespread sunshine with highest temperatures between 20 and 22 degrees.