LAST UPDATE | 24 Mar 2022

GOOD MORNING.

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

Ukraine

1. The UN Security Council has defeated a Russian resolution that would have acknowledged Ukraine’s growing humanitarian needs but avoided mentioning that the crisis was caused by the Russian invasion.

China was the only country to support Russia, with the 13 other council members abstaining.

The General Assembly started consideration of a resolution drafted by Ukraine and two dozen other countries that clearly states Russia’s aggression is responsible for the emergency.

Liveblog

2. Here are all the latest developments in Ukraine as they happen while G7, Nato and EU leaders meet in Brussels. 

Politics

3. Labour TD Ivana Bacik is set to be confirmed as the party’s new leader later this morning following Alan Kelly’s resignation.

Bacik is the only contender after other potential candidates ruled themselves out, leaving a path for the party’s newest TD to become its leader.

Sandra Boyd

4. The brother of Sandra Boyd appeared in court yesterday after the mother-of-five was fatally wounded in a suspected accidental shooting incident in her Dublin home.

Derek Boyd, 27, wept and told relatives, “I’m sorry”, in an emotionally charged hearing. 

He is accused of two offences contrary to the Firearms Act: unlawful possession or control of five rounds of 9mm Luger calibre ammunition and a Kahr CW9 semi-automatic pistol at his sister’s home address on 19 March. 

Frontline pressure

5. University Hospital Limerick, the most overcrowded in Ireland, is deferring almost all elective activity as it tries to manage “a sustained surge in emergency presentations and a significant increase in Covid-19 activity”.

A record 100 patients were on trolleys in corridors in the hospital’s Emergency Department and on general wards yesterday and there were no general beds available.

There were two beds available in its ICU, where six Covid-19 patients were being treated.

Antigen testing

6. As Covid-19 cases rise again in Ireland, Dr Gerald Barry, assistant professor of virology at UCD, has suggested the government respond by implementing free mass antigen testing.

The government has indicated that no new restrictions will be imposed but has yet to tackle the current wave of the virus, which has seen the number of Covid-19 patients in hospital rise to levels last seen in early 2021.

Dr Barry said that widespread free antigen tests would be more cost-effective than PCR and “has been proven to help break chains of transmission in a population”.

Energy

7. Ireland urgently needs to diversify its sources of energy to ensure security of supplies in future, according to the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council.

A new report outlines that Ireland relies heavily on imported oil, gas, coal and peat as its primary energy sources and that energy customers are ‘acutely exposed’ to cost increases and supply issues because of overdependence on imports.

Ireland’s dependency on imported energy was 71% in 2020, well above the EU average of 57%.

P&O Ferries

8. UK MPs will quiz the chief executive of P&O Ferries today over the controversial sacking of nearly 800 workers without notice.

CEO Peter Hebblethwaite will appear before a joint hearing of the UK’s transport and business committees, where it is is expected he will face questions over the legality of the dismissals.

Visit

9. Britain’s Prince Charles and Camilla are visiting Waterford today after a two-day trip to Northern Ireland.

It’s the couple’s first time to visit the county, which will be followed by a journey to Tipperary.

They’ll be meeting local people and first responders who worked during the Covid-19 pandemic.