LAST UPDATE | 21 Sep 2022

GOOD MORNING.

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

Russia to ramp up troops in Ukraine 

1. Russian president Vladimir Putin this morning accused the West of attempting to destroy Russia as he announced “partial” conscription across the country.

Putin repeatedly claimed that his army was fighting a special military operation against “neo-nazis”. He said he signed a “partial mobilisation” of reserves in Russia.

Government’s St Patrick’s Day spending

2. In our lead story this morning, Stephen McDermott reports that the government spent almost €175,000 to send ministers abroad on trade missions for St Patrick’s Day this year.

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show how much the Government paid for five-star hotels, limousines, tuxedo rental and shamrock bowls to promote Ireland and to support Irish communities across the world.

The visits took place within weeks of the beginning of the war in Ukraine, and the Government also sought to use the trips to express solidarity with the war-torn country and to express Ireland’s “strong commitment to democratic and humanitarian values”.

Irish support for Ukraine in EU

3. Almost two thirds of people in Ireland are in favour of Ukraine joining the European Union, new polling shows. 

The latest annual European Movement Ireland ‘Ireland and the EU’ poll, conducted by Red C Research, found that 65% of people are in favour of the country joining the EU, while 18% are not in favour and 17% don’t know. 

The research also found that 62% of people in Ireland agree that the EU should continue to allow more countries to join as Member States.

Switching banks

4. Less than one third of customers who are switching banks due to Ulster Bank and KBC leaving the Irish market have started transferring their direct debits, according to new figures published by Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI).

It is reminding customers that opening a new account is just the first step in the process.

“There is still a journey to be travelled and further action is required by both customers and the wider industry in this regard,” said the BPFI’s Brian Hayes.

Protests in Iran

5. Protests spread to 15 cities across Iran overnight over the death of the young woman Mahsa Amini after her arrest by the country’s morality police, state media reported today.

In the fifth night of street rallies, police used tear gas and made arrests to disperse crowds of up to 1,000 people, the official IRNA news agency said.

Demonstrators blockaded streets, hurled stones at security forces, set fire to police vehicles and garbage bins, and chanted anti-government slogans, it added.

Migrants sue Florida Governor

6. Venezuelan migrants flown to the upscale Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard have sued Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his transportation secretary for engaging in a “fraudulent and discriminatory scheme” to relocate them.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Boston yesterday, alleges that the migrants were told they were going to Boston or Washington, “which was completely false”, and were induced with perks such as McDonald’s gift certificates.

Germany nationalises gas importer

7. The German government has agreed to nationalise the country’s biggest gas importing company, Uniper.

The move expands state intervention in the industry to prevent an energy shortage resulting from Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The deal with Uniper builds on a rescue package agreed in July and features a capital increase of €8 billion that the government will finance.

As part of the agreement, the government will take a majority stake in Uniper, which until now was controlled by Finland-based Fortum.

Sala flown in ‘dodgy’ aircraft

8. The pilot of a plane in which footballer Emiliano Sala died described the aircraft as “dodgy” and vowed to wear his lifejacket prior to the fatal flight.

An inquest in March found the Argentina-born striker died from head and chest injuries but was deeply unconscious, having been poisoned by fumes from the Piper Malibu’s faulty exhaust system, on the evening of January 21 2019.

The 28-year-old player was flying from Nantes in France to Wales to join then Premier League club Cardiff City when the plane crashed in the English Channel close to Guernsey, also killing 59-year-old pilot David Ibbotson.

Lewandowski to wear Ukrainian captain’s armband

9. Poland’s Robert Lewandowski will wear both the Polish and Ukrainian captain’s armbands at the World Cup in Qatar.

Former Ukraine coach Andriy Shevchenko presented the Barcelona star with the symbolic blue and yellow armband at the Polish national stadium in Warsaw.

“Thank you Shevchenko,” tweeted Lewandowski on Tuesday. “It was a pleasure to meet you! It will be an honour for me to carry this captains armband in the colours of Ukraine to the World Cup.”