LAST UPDATE | 5 Jan 2022

GOOD MORNING.

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

1. Drug addiction

In our top story this morning, support service workers have told The Journal that large numbers of people struggling with drug addiction were abandoned and ‘left to kill themselves slowly’ during the Covid lockdown.

For five months from March to September 2020, the government designated substance abuse support groups, such as Narcotics Anonymous, as non-essential services and ordered them to close, leaving thousands of struggling addicts without a lifeline.

A survey of 157 drug and alcohol support services conducted by the government earlier this year revealed the extent of the distress caused. The survey found that 84% of the support groups saw an increase in drug use among their clients, with 87% of the groups reporting an increase in the number of clients relapsing and 57% reporting an increase in overdoses from their clients.

A number of the support groups blamed their abandonment on government indifference towards people with substance abuse issues during the Covid lockdown.

2. Schools

The ASTI has said that there is “enormous unease” among their members ahead of the schools reopening, as the INTO said there “isn’t hope” of getting enough substitute teachers to cover absences in schools over the coming weeks.

“There will be situations where there will be classes at home, there will be situations where schools will have to do a bit of juggling,” John Boyle of the INTO said today.

The Government has insisted since last December that schools would open as planned on 6 January; following a meeting between the Minister for Education, Department officials, unions and school representatives, it was decided that schools would open tomorrow as planned.

3. Covid in Europe

The Omicron variant is leading to record levels of Covid-19 infections in Ireland and across Europe, with many countries breaking their highest case numbers on a daily basis.

Over 100 million cases of the virus have been recorded in Europe since the pandemic first hit in early 2020, according to a tally by news agency AFP.

While Ireland has closed nightclubs, restricted opening hours for hospitality and put curbs on the number of people who can visit households, what are other European countries doing to tackle the spread of Omicron?

4. France

Staying in Europe, President Emmanuel Macron is facing anger from opponents and chaos in parliament after issuing a provocative warning to people in France not yet vaccinated against Covid-19 that he would pressure them as much as possible by limiting access to key aspects of life.

Opponents including rivals in the 2022 presidential elections accused Macron of overstepping the line with the language of his comments, while the furore they caused prompted a new delay in the passing of legislation aimed at tightening France’s Covid rules.

5. North Korea

South Korea and Japan have said that North Korea has fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile into the sea in the first such launch by Pyongyang this year.

In the decade since Kim Jong Un took power, North Korea has made rapid progress in its military technology at the cost of international sanctions.

The nuclear-armed nation’s first apparent weapons launch of 2022 follows a year of major arms tests despite the severe economic hardship during the coronavirus pandemic.

6. England

Across the pond, Boris Johnson has said there is a “good chance” he will not impose fresh restrictions in England to tackle the massive wave of Omicron cases.

Johnson backed sticking with Plan B measures despite acknowledging parts of the NHS will feel “temporarily overwhelmed”.

7. PSNI

A 36-year-old man is due in court today charged with the murder of a man in Co Down on Monday.

It’s believed that a 28-year-old man was fatally stabbed in the Church Street area of the town of Downpatrick at 11am on Monday 3 January.

The PSNI said today that its detectives have charged a 36-year-old man with murder and with possession of a weapon.

8. Blarney

A woman who was airlifted from Blarney Castle in Co Cork after she fell down steps high in the medieval building breaking three vertebrae has paid tribute to the emergency services for their swift and professional response.

Mary Cronin from Whitechurch, Co Cork was touring the castle with her children last Wednesday afternoon at around 2pm when the accident occurred.

9. Capitol riots

US congressional investigators probing last year’s deadly attack on the US Capitol have asked conservative television host Sean Hannity to provide information about his communications with Donald Trump.

Legislators said in a letter that they have obtained “dozens of text messages” that Hannity, a host at Fox News channel and a regular guest at Trump rallies, sent to the former president and his entourage before the attack.