LAST UPDATE | 30 Dec 2021

GOOD MORNING.

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

Marine life

1. In our lead story this morning, Noteworthy reporter Maria Delaney reports that wildlife organisations are concerned by large numbers of a fish that is important to the marine ecoystem off the Irish coast.

The Irish Wildlife Trust’s Pádraic Fogarty said that using sprat for fishmeal “was an appalling waste of marine life” and said “we shouldn’t be catching fish to be churned up to be fed to cattle and farmed fish”. 

2020 was a record year – but sprat has been fished beyond scientific advice for years in Irish waters.

Mica redress

2. The Taoiseach believes housing shortages will increase challenges with the mica redress scheme.

Defective building blocks with excessive deposits of the mineral mica have caused thousands of properties start to crumble, especially in Donegal, Clare and Mayo.

Micheál Martin said some people will need alternative accommodation while affected homes are being replaced and repaired. 

Ghislaine Maxwell

3. Ghislaine Maxwell’s family are lodging an appeal after Maxwell was convicted of facilitating illegal sex acts.

In a statement posted to Twitter early this morning, Maxwell’s family said they were “very disappointed” with the verdict and had already begun the appeal process. 

After a three-week trial, the 60-year-old was charged yesterday with five counts, including conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts. 

Iveagh House

4. The Department of Foreign Affairs says staff let their “guard down” in a photo showing a celebration upon Ireland securing a seat on the UN Security Council during Covid-19 restrictions on socialisation.

A photo from June 2020 shows at least 20 staff at the department at an event at Iveagh House with champagne while restrictions prohbited indoor gatherings of more than seven people.

A department statement said the “[United Nations] Security Council campaign team was working in a large open plan area of Iveagh House” that day and “in a moment of happiness, as the result came in, we briefly let our guard down by celebrating together”. 

Omicron

5. A “tsunami” of Covid-19 threatens to overwhelm healthcare systems around the world, the World Health Organization has warned.
6.55 million new infections were reported globally in the week ending Tuesday, the highest the figure has been since the pandemic was declared in March 2020.

“I am highly concerned that Omicron, being more transmissible, circulating at the same time as Delta, is leading to a tsunami of cases,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. 

Hospitalisations

6. In Ireland, 16,428 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed yesterday, the highest daily figure ever.

568 people were in hospital with the virus, including 93 in intensive care.

Dr Tony Holohan said all epidemiological indicators are a “cause for concern” and hospitalisations have been rising at levels not seen since January 2021. 

Transplants

7. 203 organ transplants were carried out in Ireland in 2021 – fewer than 2019 (274) but more than 2020 (190).

The majority the operations were kidney transplants (137), while 34 liver, 10 heart, 20 lung and two pancreas transplants also occurred.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said organ donation is “among the most selfless gifts we can give another” and thanked the families of the donors.

US-Russia relations

8. US President Joe Biden is due to call Russia’s Vladimir Putin today to offer a “diplomatic path” out of tensions around Ukraine.

Biden will say the US is “prepared for diplomacy and for a diplomatic path forward,” a senior US administration official said.

Status Yellow

9. It’s a wet and windy day ahead, with Met Éireann predicting persistent rain and a risk of localised flooding.

A Status Yellow rain warning will be in place for Cork and Kerry from 11am this morning until 5am tomorrow.  

Another warning will come into effect for Galway and Mayo from 5pm later today until 1am in the early morning.