Battalion commander pays tribute to Private Seán Rooney
Multiple investigations have been launched into the killing of Private Seán Rooney in Lebanon.
The battalion commander of Private Seán Rooney, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Coakley has paid tribute to the soldier killed in Lebanon and his family.
Lt Col Coakley told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that the soldier and his family were rooted in the military through the 27th Infantry Battalion. Three of Private Rooney’s uncles serve in the same battalion based in Dundalk.
Private Rooney had undertaken many courses in his three years in the armed forces including advanced driving skills as drivers were greatly needed, added Lt Col Coakley.
This was Private Rooney’s second tour in Lebanon. “We all want to go overseas, to represent our country. We are all proud to wear the flag in our UN role,” he said.
The army was a close-knit family and would provide every support to the family of Private Rooney.
Taoiseach rotation and Cabinet reshuffle
The Taoiseach has refused to give away any of his plans for tomorrow's Cabinet reshuffle.
Minimal changes are expected at the Cabinet table when Leo Varadkar takes over the top job on Saturday.
The Taoiseach attended the European Council summit with Junior Minister for European Affairs Thomas Byrne, who like almost all junior Ministers, has no idea whether he'll still be in the job next week.
Micheál Martin was tight lipped on his reshuffle plans - and whether, as speculated, he's going to become Foreign Affairs Minister.
Cold weather continues into the weekend
A status yellow weather warning for ice will remain in place across Ireland until Saturday afternoon, as temperatures remain low nationwide.
As an orange warning for low temperatures and ice expires at 12pm on Friday for 16 counties, Met Éireann are continuing to forecast cold weather going into the weekend.
Some showers of hail, sleet and snow will occur, the state meteorological service said, especially in coastal areas.
However, accumulations are unlikely to occur at lower levels.
There is also a risk of freezing fog going into the weekend.
Bernard Gloster named as new chief of HSE
Bernard Gloster was named as the new CEO of the Health Service Executive (HSE), the health authority announced on Friday.
Mr Gloster is currently serving as head of Tusla, the state's child and family agency, and is expected to take up his new role in the spring of next year. He has held the position of Tulsa CEO since September 2019.
Mr Gloster has worked in healthcare services for over 30 years, and has already held a number of senior position within the HSE — including chief of HSE Mid West Community Healthcare.
He is a social care worker by profession, holds an MBA from Oxford Brookes University, and an MSc in Management Practice from UCC.
Man (80s) dies in Co Offaly following collision
A man in his 80s was killed in Co Offaly on Thursday, gardaí said, following a road traffic collision.
The collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian occurred at approximately 7:45pm, on the R420 in Tullamore.
The pedestrian was pronounced dead on the scene, the force said. His body was subsequently removed to the Midlands Regional Hospital in Tullamore.
No other injuries were reported.
The road is currently closed to allow for a technical examination to be conducted by Forensic Collision Investigators. Local diversions are in place.
An Garda Síochána appealed for any witnesses to the collision to come forward. Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling on the R420 between Tullamore and Clara, between 7:30pm and 8pm are asked to make this footage available to gardaí.
Competition authority blocks Uniphar acquisition of NaviCorp
The Irish Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has announced that it has blocked the acquisition of pharmaceutical company NaviCorp by Uniphar on competition grounds.
NaviCorp has relationships with over 400 pharmacies in Ireland, of which around 100 are fully franchised. It is an "important customer "of Uniphar.
In a statement, Uniphar said: "Uniphar plc today announces that the Irish Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (“CCPC”) has not cleared the proposed acquisition of Irish-headquartered pharmacy services group Navi Group (“Navi”).
"Following the proposal to acquire Navi, which was announced on 23rd December 2021, both Uniphar and Navi have engaged extensively with the CCPC and supported them in their review of the proposed transaction. However, the transaction will now no longer proceed to completion.
"Navi has been a longstanding partner of Uniphar and both parties will continue to work closely together to support our shared customer base of independent community pharmacies."
