LAST UPDATE | 8 Nov 2022

GOOD MORNING.

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

US midterm elections

1. Americans are heading to the polls today to vote in elections for the Senate, House of Representatives and a rake of state-level races.

While the elections are not overtly about the presidency, they are still a question of Red vs Blue, Republican vs Democrat and about which party is ascendant heading towards the next presidential election in 2024.

Rónán Duffy has a rundown of what’s at stake at voting booths across the country.

Ghost buses

2. Dublin Bus will today apologise for a deterioration in their their Real-Time Passenger Information (RTPI) systems, leading to cancelled buses appearing on apps and street signs in recent months.

Acting Chief Executive of Dublin Bus Andrea Keane will tell the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport that “the reliability of RTPI systems has unfortunately deteriorated in recent months” due to both software issues and a shortage of bus drivers.

In her opening statement, Keane will tell TDs and Senators that Dublin Bus apologises to customers who have been impacted due to the “significant problems” caused by RTPI systems “not performing as [they] should”.

COP27

3. Taoiseach Micheál Martin is to address the CO27 summit today.

Martin, who arrived at the Cop27 climate conference in Egypt on Monday, said that measures previously committed to need to be accelerated.

He said that this includes Ireland’s delivery of off-shore wind targets.

Cancer report

4. Cancer patients in deprived communities are more at risk of dying of the disease, a new report has found.

The report, by think tank TASC, said that while cancer survival rates are improving, disadvantaged and marginalised groups face a range of additional barriers when battling the disease, such as reluctance to get tests and risk of homelessness.

Enoch Burke

5. A High Court judge has strongly rejected criticisms made by jailed teacher Enoch Burke about other members of the judiciary as being “scurrilous” and “utterly without merit.” .

Mr Justice Brian O’Moore rebuffed allegations of wrongdoing made by Burke against judges who had made rulings in proceedings taken by the teacher’s employer’s Wilson’s Hospital School in Co Westmeath came before the courts earlier this year.

Gardaí

6. Thirteen people have been charged in relation to burglary-related crime and are due in court this morning.

Gardaí said the 13 will appear before the district courts relating to offences of burglary, trespass, possession of implements and articles used in thefts, robbery and unauthorised taking of vehicles and handling of stolen property.

Donald Trump

7. Former US president Donald Trump has said he would be making a “very big announcement” next week, as speculation continues that he will re-run for office in 2024.

“Not to detract from tomorrow’s very important, even critical election … I’m going to be making a very big announcement on Tuesday, November 15 at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida,” he told a cheering crowd in Ohio on the eve of US polls which will determine control of Congress.

Ballyfermot

8. 

A woman in her 40s has been arrested after a man was found stabbed to death in a flat in Ballyfermot, Dublin.

Gardaí and emergency services found the man with an apparent stab wound in a flat in Claddagh Court shortly after 2.30am this morning.

AIB

9. AIB has welcomed the announcement by the Department of Finance to sell 8% of its stake in the bank.

In a statement yesterday evening, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said that the State’s shareholding in AIB would be reduced from 62% to 57%.

Colin Hunt, AIB Group plc Chief Executive said this morning: “We very much welcome the decision and subsequent transaction undertaken by the Minister for Finance.”