LAST UPDATE | 4 hrs ago
GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news to know as your start your day.
1. The death toll has risen to 10 from the Los Angeles-area fires, according to the county officials, as massive wildfires continue to engulf neighborhoods and displace thousands across the city.
Amid reports of looting, 20 arrests have been made in the area since Tuesday, and the National Guard has been deployed to maintain order.
2. A Status Orange low temperature and ice warning remains in place this morning as the cold weather persists ahead of an expected rise in the temperature this weekend.
Met Éireann said it will remain extremely cold across most of the country this morning, with widespread severe frost, ice and patches of freezing fog.
3. For the first time, average global temperatures across a full calendar year were more than 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels – a sign of escalating climate change that has caused “misery for millions”.
4. The US government has branded rioting which broke out on the streets of Dublin in 2023 as “white identity terrorism”.
In a new report released by the US Department of State, the violence was blamed on “Irish white supremacists and ultranationalists” spreading “anti-immigrant” disinformation online.
5. As government formation talks step up a gear, the leaders of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are speaking on a daily basis in a bid to reach compromises on policy proposals.
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have not come to an agreement yet on several issues, including a new Department of Infrastructure, drug decriminalisation and a so-called “acorn scheme” for families with newborns.
6. Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has been arrested after her convoy was intercepted by security forces as it departed an anti-government protest in Caracas, according to aides.
Machado emerged from months of hiding earlier today and reappeared in public as part of a last-ditch attempt to block President Nicolas Maduro from clinging to power.
7. Dublin post-production studio Windmill Lane Pictures has announced its immediate closure, with the directors saying the business is no longer viable.
Windmill Lane was founded in 1978 as recording studio and TV commercial post-production facility and in the 80s, it worked with some of the biggest musicians, including U2, David Bowie, AC/DC, and Bruce Springsteen.
8. Taoiseach Simon Harris will speak with the First Minister of Wales today to discuss the ongoing impact of the closure of Holyhead port following Storm Darragh.
The port operator, Stena Line, has now confirmed a partial reopening of the Port of Holyhead on 16 January.
9. Research published today estimates that the death toll in Gaza during the first nine months of the Israel-Hamas war was around 40% higher than recorded by the Palestinian territory’s health ministry.
The number of dead in Gaza has become a matter of bitter debate since Israel launched its military campaign against Hamas in response to the Palestinian militant group’s unprecedented 7 October, 2023 attack.
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