LAST UPDATE | 21 Oct 2022

GOOD MORNING.

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

Energy Summit

1. European Union leaders are struggling to find immediate practical solutions on how to deal with the energy crisis while avoiding an open rift between Germany and France.

After day-long talks in Brussels yesterday dragged well into the night, the 27 EU leaders papered over divisions between some of the biggest member states and at least agreed to continue working on ways to impose a gas price cap in case of big price increases.

UK Conservative Party

2. Supporters of Boris Johnson are backing the former prime minister to make an extraordinary political comeback following the dramatic resignation of Liz Truss.

Just six weeks after he left No 10 for the final time, forced out by his own MPs after one scandal too many, allies are urging him to run again for a second shot at the Tory crown.

Meanwhile, you can take a look at how the front pages in the UK have been responding to Truss’ resignation.

Ukraine War

3. Kyiv accused Russia of planning to destroy a hydroelectric dam in the eastern Kherson region, where Ukrainian soldiers have been steadily advancing and Moscow-installed authorities have begun evacuations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces had mined the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant with the intent of blowing it up, in what would amount to a “catastrophe on a grand scale”.

Hundreds of thousands of people around the lower Dnipro River would be in danger of rapid flooding if the dam was destroyed.

Refugee accomodation

4. Minister Roderic O’Gorman has said he cannot rule out that refugees arriving in Ireland seeking accommodation may have to sleep on the streets. 

It was reported yesterday that the Citywest facility has now reached capacity and that new arrivals from Ukraine and other countries may have to sleep overnight in Dublin Airport. 

Arrivals to the Citywest Transit Hub have now been paused due to the “significant increase in the number of people seeking accommodation in recent weeks”, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth said yesterday. 

Fire Defects

5. Apartment owners at a Celtic Tiger-era development in Dublin have voted “overwhelmingly” against an “extreme” resolution that would have seen each owner pay over €68,000 to repair fire safety defects.

These deficiencies at Crescent Apartment Building in Park West development could allow a fire to spread rapidly through the development, and owners were informed the cost of remediation works will be €15.9 million.

A proposal that would have seen each owner pay a levy of €68,500 over five years was put to an extraordinary general meeting on Tuesday night, but over 80% of those present are said to have voted against it.

US Midterm Elections

6. US president Joe Biden made another trip to Pennsylvania yesterday, the 18th visit of his presidency, to underline the state’s central plot in the upcoming midterm elections. 

Biden made a speech at a newly repaired bridge in the western city of Pittsburgh before travelling east to the city of Philadelphia, where he attended a fundraiser for Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman. 

The Journal’s Rónán Duffy is in Philadelphia and has this report. 

Abortion

7. Less than half of adults in Northern Ireland are aware that abortion is lawful in the region, despite it being decriminalised there three years ago, a new poll shows. 

Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland on 21 October 2019. However, the UK Government is yet to establish commissioned abortion services in the region, leaving abortion provision inconsistent. 

People in the North are still travelling long distances to avail of abortions. In 2020 and 2021, a total of 161 people from the region travelled to England to access an abortion. 

Smart Devices

8. More than a quarter of children aged eight to 13 find it hard to switch off from their smart devices, a new survey has found. 

With the release of its latest survey, CyberSafeKids is running its third annual 24-hour ‘CyberBreak’ from 5pm today to 5pm tomorrow. 

The campaign is encouraging families and schools all over Ireland to participate in taking a break from the online world. 

Weekend Weather 

9. The rainy weather is set to continue today and into the weekend.

After yesterday’s largely dry day, it’s been a breezy and blustery start to today for many.

Met Éireann says widespread showers will merge into longer spells of rain at times and that some heavy downpours are likely, especially in southern parts.