GOOD MORNING.

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

Children’s Hospital

1. The independent expert who flagged “major generic faults” with the ventilation systems installed in half of the new Children Hospital’s operating theatres is no longer involved in the project and a new firm is to be contracted to sign-off on the systems, The Journal understands.

Malcolm Thomas from STS Consultancy and his colleagues were contracted by the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) to act as the validator for ventilation systems in the hospital when the project commenced, meaning they were monitoring progress in order to later sign off on the systems and deem the operating rooms fit for use.

STS repeatedly flagged design “faults” in the theatre’s ventilation which the firm believed could possibly pose a risk to patients down the line.

John Bruton

2. Former Taoiseach John Bruton was described as “a visionary” and “a great statesman” at a removal mass in Co Meath last night.

The 76-year-old Fine Gael politician died peacefully in the Mater Private Hospital in Dublin, surrounded by his family, in the early hours of Tuesday morning following a long illness.

His funeral will be held today.

John Caldwell

3. A man has been charged with the attempted murder of PSNI Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell.

DCI Caldwell was shot multiple times on 22 February 2023 at a sports complex on the Killyclogher Road in Omagh while he was off-duty.

A 44-year-old, who was arrested on Thursday, has been charged with attempted murder, directing terrorism and preparation of terrorist acts.

Gaza

4. Israeili Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered troops to “prepare to operate” in Rafah, the southern border city where thousands and thousands of displaced Palestinians have fled.

Israel has intensified air raids and witnesses reported new strikes on Rafah early this morning as Palestinians fear a ground invasion in the border city.

Netanyahu told military officials to submit to the government Cabinet a “combined plan for evacuating the population and destroying the battalions” in Rafah.

Turkey

5. One year after Turkey’s devastating earthquakes, Syrian refugees are still trying to recover from losing everything for a second time.

Winter Lights

6. Dublin City Council paid more than €100,000 to extend the annual Winter Lights festival until the end of January this year, figures released to The Journal show.

The festival sees numerous locations around the city lit up with colourful projections and lighting displays, including the Spire, prominent buildings like the GPO, city streets and some of the city’s bridges.

Figures show that the total cost for this year’s festival, which began in December, was €1.4 million – including €130,000 spent on extending the displays by four weeks.

London

7. Alkali attack suspect Abdul Ezedi is most likely to have died and his body may never be found, according to the Metropolitan Police.

The police force said its main working hypothesis was the 35-year-old had “gone into” the River Thames after being seen leaning over the railings of Chelsea Bridge in west London on the night of the incident.

In a briefing at Scotland Yard, Commander Jon Savell said: “We have spent the last 24 hours meticulously following the CCTV, and it’s our main working hypothesis that he’s now gone into the water.”

Ryanair row

8. Transport Minister Eamon Ryan hit back at an open letter from Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary calling on him to resign as transport minister.

In his letter, O’Leary today said Ryan either has “no idea what your own government’s National Aviation Policy is, or you are determined to frustrate this policy”.

Ryan penned a response and said he “fundamentally” disagreed with O’Leary. He said that the letters O’Leary has written during his time as transport minister have been “highly personalised, inaccurate and inflammatory”.

Pancake price

9. The Central Statistics Office published research showing the cost of making a basic pancake has risen by 3% in the year to December 2023.

The average cost of 2 kilograms of white, self-raising flour has gone up by 10% over the last 12 months, while the price of a half-dozen large eggs has increased by 3%.

The only basic pancake ingredient that has fallen over the past year is a two litre carton of full fat milk, which is down 3%.