GOOD MORNING AND happy Saturday.

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

Covid-19

1. In our lead story this morning, reporter Jane Moore details how an immunology expert has some concerns around what a future winter wave of Covid-19 may look like and how new booster vaccines must be timed to provide the most protection possible.

Covid-19 cases have been on the rise in recent weeks due to the spread of the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of the Omicron strain, which are replacing the previously dominant BA.2 variant, which spread across Ireland in late 2021.

Christine Loscher, Professor of Immunology at DCU, told The Journal that Ireland was around a week away from the current wave’s peak.

Shinzo Abe assassination

2. The body of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been returned home to Tokyo, after he was shot and killed yesterday.

Abe was killed during a campaign event in western Japan on Friday by a gunman who opened fire on him from behind as he delivered a campaign speech – an attack that stunned a nation with some of the strictest gun control laws in the world.

Tony Sirico

3. Tony Sirico, the actor who was best known for his role as Paulie Walnuts in the Sopranos, has died aged 79.

Tributes to Sirico were lead by his family and co-star Michael Imperioli, who said: “Tony was like no one else: he was as tough, as loyal and as big hearted as anyone I’ve ever known… Heartbroken today”.

Elon Musk Twitter deal

4. Elon Musk, billionaire and CEO of Tesla Motors, has said that he is pulling out of the $44 billion buyout deal for social media giant Twitter.

Despite this, the head of Twitter’s board Bret Taylor has said that the company are committed to closing the deal and will be pursuing legal action against Musk.

Magazine Fort

5. Plans to repair and restore the Magazine Fort in Phoenix Park in Dublin have been approved.

Under the plan, the entire Magazine Fort will be repaired and restored to allow for the public to visit.

The fort, which was built in 1737, was used by the British forces to store both gunpowder and ammunition.

Peig Sayers

6. A new exhibition is seeking to reinvigorate interest in the literary works of Peig Sayers.

The Into the Island exhibition at the Museum of Literature Ireland wants to push the work of Sayers and as shine a light on the recordings of the Folklore Commission, which captured the stories of Irish people in the first half of the twentieth century.

Higher tax for drug dealers

7. Justice Minister Helen McEntee has said that she is in favour of drug dealers paying higher taxes on their earnings.

When asked by reporters if drug dealers should be taxed at a higher tax rate, Minister McEntee said “it wouldn’t be a bad thing”.

“If that’s something that needs to be done, it would have to be done in consultation with, and in conjunction with my colleagues and government,” McEntee told reporters yesterday.

Euro-Dollar parity

8. The Euro neared parity with the dollar today as traders bet on the prospect of a eurozone recession caused by soaring inflation.

The euro fell below $1.02 this week to its lowest level in 20 years. It even slumped to $1.0072 for a period today.

But what does that mean and what are the consequences? Check out our explainer for the full rundown.

Biden vs the Supreme Court

9. US President Joe Biden has labelled the US Supreme Court as “out of control”, adding that federal legislation is needed to restore abortion rights across the country.

Condemning the “terrible, extreme” decision by the Supreme Court to remove the constitutional right to an abortion, Biden said the most effective response would be made at the ballot box in the November midterm elections by electing lawmakers to give him firm control of the legislature he now lacks.