LAST UPDATE | 2 May 2023

GOOD MORNING. 

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

GSOC investigation

1. In our lead story this morning, Alice Chambers looks at how Ireland’s garda watchdog has missed targets in almost three quarters of its investigations.

The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) is the independent body that handles complaints relating to police misconduct, which has been in the news recently thanks to one of its investigators allegedly attending a party for Gerard ‘The Monk’ Hutch after his release from the Special Criminal Court.

The Noteworthy investigation found that from 2022 complaints received and closed last year, just 30% were completed on time. 

Ireland’s Chinese diplomacy

2. Tánaiste Micheál Martin is to outline what is expected to be a significant shift in Ireland’s foreign policy towards China, saying we must be “realistic and clear-eyed” about China’s strategic goals. 

He is also due to warn the private sector and academia to increase their levels of awareness about possible risks they are exposed to as a result of any links with China. 

It is expected that although Martin, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, will tell the Royal Irish Academy’s Annual International Affairs Conference this afternoon that Ireland wants to continue to work with the super power on climate change, human rights and economic growth, China’s behaviour must still be monitored. 

New scheme for treatment

3. Proposals are being examined by the Government that would allow for pharmacists to assess and treat minor illnesses.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said that the proposed scheme would allow people to bypass attending their GP to get a prescription, allowing pharmacists to directly provide medication for certain illnesses. 

Sudan crisis

4. War in Sudan could spur more than 800,000 people to flee into neighbouring countries, the United Nations has warned.

The UN’s refugee agency UNHCR said that it was now working with a planning figure of hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the violence that erupted in Sudan on 15 April.

Russia’s death toll

5. More than 20,000 Russian troops have died and another 80,000 were wounded in five months of fighting in eastern Ukraine, particularly in Bakhmut, according to the White House.

Newly declassified US intelligence said that about half of those killed were soldiers recruited by the private military company Wagner, which draws much of its ranks from prison populations in Russia. 

The toll from fighting – with the most intense battle being for Bakhmut, where Ukrainian troops have been driven from all but a sliver of the city – accounts for losses since the start of December, according to the US figures.

Hollywood writers strike

6. Thousands of television and movie writers will go on strike today after talks with studios and streamers over pay and working conditions ended without a deal.

It means late-night shows are expected to grind to a halt immediately, while television series and movies scheduled for release later this year and beyond could face major delays.

Writers demand higher pay, minimum guarantees of stable employment and a greater share of profits from the boom in streaming.  

Barristers protest over pay

7. Barristers are taking to the court steps across the country from 10am today in protest against pay for some practitioners.

The demonstration centres around the fees paid to barristers practicing in the District Court under the criminal legal aid scheme, with barristers calling for the restoration of cuts imposed during the recession.

At present those practicing in the district court are paid €25.20 for a remand hearing, €50.40 for a plea in mitigation at a sentence hearing and €67.50 where a matter goes to a full trial. 

Palestinian dies after hunger strike  

8. A Palestinian prisoner has died in an Israel jail after 86 days on hunger strike.

Snooker championship final

9. Luca Brecel withstood a stirring fightback from Mark Selby to clinch a dramatic 18-15 victory and become the first player from mainland Europe to win the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible.

Five previous visits to the famous venue had yielded no success for Brecel but, having clawed back outlandish deficits to sink both Ronnie O’Sullivan and Si Jiahui in the previous rounds, he switched roles to fend off a late surge by the four-time champion.