LAST UPDATE | 20 Jul 2022

GOOD MORNING.

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

Organ donor 

1. In our lead story this morning, Aoife Barry reports that health advocates fear legislation providing for soft opt-out organ donation in Ireland could be left off the government’s agenda – after it failed to sign off on it this week.

They say that attempts at bringing in the legislation began over a decade ago, and that they are frustrated at how long it’s taking Ireland compared to the UK.

NI aircraft crash

2. Two people have died following a crash involving a light aircraft at a Co Down airport.

Emergency services rushed to Newtownards Airport following a 999 call at 8.21pm last night.  

UK fires

3. Fires are continuing to ravage through houses and buildings across the UK after temperatures topped 40 degrees in the UK for the first time ever.

A new record for the hottest day ever seen, of 40.3 degrees Celsius, was recorded in Lincolnshire, England yesterday afternoon – beating the previous record of 38.7 degrees in Cambridge three years ago.

Public holiday cost 

4. The new public holiday in February next year could cost the Exchequer between €220 million and €300 million, according to Tánaiste Leo Varadkar.

Emissions limits 

5. The government is working on sectoral emissions limits that are due to be agreed in the coming weeks after plenty of internal push and pull.

Here’s everything you need to know about what these limits are, which sectors are included and the consequences if they’re not adhered to. 

Banking

6. Many people affected by Ulster Bank and KBC’s impending closures have yet to open a new current account, according to the consumer watchdog.

New research by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission indicates that the majority of the two banks’ current account customers plan to switch to a new current account provider but less than half have already opened one.

Ukrainian refugees 

7. The first Ukrainian refugees arrived at Gormanston military camp in Co Meath, where they will stay in tented accommodation.

The first bus carrying the group of refugees arrived at the army camp shortly after 4pm yesterday, after their details were processed at the Citywest transit hub.

Steve Bannon

8. Former Trump aide Steve Bannon believed he was “above the law” when he defied a subpoena to testify before lawmakers investigating the 2021 Capitol assault, a US prosecutor said as arguments began in his federal trial for contempt of Congress.

Bannon, who led Donald Trump’s successful 2016 presidential election campaign, was among dozens of people called by a House of Representatives committee to testify about the storming of Congress by Trump supporters on January 6 2021. 

Streaming

9. Netflix has said that it lost subscribers for the second quarter in a row as the streaming giant battles fierce competition and plateauing demand.