LAST UPDATE | 16 Mar 2022
GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news that you need to know as you start your day.
Ukraine-Russia talks
1. Talks between Ukraine and Russia will continue today as Russian forces press on with attacks around the country, including major damage in the port city of Mariupol.
In an address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia’s demands in negotiations were becoming “more realistic”.
He said that “efforts are still needed, patience is needed” and “any war ends with an agreement”.
Live updates
2. To stay up-to-date on the developments in Ukraine, follow along with our liveblog, which will bring you updates throughout the day.
Pierre Zakrzewski
3. Irish citizen Pierre Zakrzewski was killed outside Kyiv on Monday when incoming fire struck his vehicle.
Working in Ukrain as a camerman for Fox News, he died alongside Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra “Sasha” Kuvshynova, while their colleague Benjamin Hall was injured.
In a statement, Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott said:
Pierre was a war zone photographer who covered nearly every international story for FOX News from Iraq to Afghanistan to Syria during his long tenure with us. His passion and talent as a journalist were unmatched.
Lyra McKee
4. Back in Ireland, five men have been released from police custody after they were arrested in the investigation into the murder of journalist Lyra McKee.
The PSNI released the five men, who are aged 20, 21, 21, 41, and 54, pending a report being submitted to the Public Prosecution Service.
A sixth man is still in custody.
Gaeilge
5. New polling has found that almost two-thirds of people (65%) would like to see most people using ‘cúpla focail’ on a daily basis.
However, there is a general disconnect between overall positive feelings towards Irish and how often it is used.
There is also little desire for Irish to become the predominant language in the country.
St Patrick’s Day
6. Representing Irishness abroad this week is Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who is in the US to attend St Patrick’s Day events.
He is due to meet US President Joe Biden tomorrow to hand him a traditional bowl of shamrock, as well as this evening at a fundraising gala in Washington DC.
The Taoiseach will receive an International Leadership Award at the gala tonight.
Fuel laundering
7. Revenue officers seized 14,000 litres of marked mineral fuel in Louth earlier this week as part of an operation targeting fuel laundering.
Officers also seized
New Zealand
8. In one of the countries with the stricted Covid-19 response in the world, New Zealand’s leader has said the country is “ready to welcome the world back”.
Most tourists will be allowed back into New Zealand by May, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced.
Before the pandemic, international tourism used to make up about 20% of New Zealand’s foreign income and more than 5% of GDP.
UK
9. And finally, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has defended a trip to Saudi Arabia and the UAE as part of efforts to find alternative sources of oil outside of Russia.
Labour leader Keir Starmer criticised the trip, saying that “going cap in hand from dictator to dictator is not an energy strategy”.
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