Ukraine/Russia talks
Talks between Ukraine and Russia are confrontational but moving forward, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday, as the West plans to announce more sanctions against the Kremlin amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.
Intense Russian air strikes are turning besieged Mariupol into the "ashes of a dead land", the city council said on Tuesday, as street fighting and bombardments raged in the port city.
Hundreds of thousands are believed to be trapped inside buildings, with no access to food, water, power or heat. Both civilians and Ukrainian troops were coming under Russian fire, said regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.
Alcohol consumption
The closure of the hospitality sector resulted in a significant drop in alcohol consumption over the past two years, but people have progressively been drinking less since 2001, according to Drinks Ireland.
New provisional data from Revenue shows that alcohol consumption fell by 4.7 per cent between 2020 and 2021.
There was an even more dramatic fall of 9.6 per cent between 2019 and 2021, showing the true impact of Covid related restrictions and closures on hospitality venues.
Fourth vaccine dose
There is a need for the public to be sensible and responsible about public health measures to combat the current surge in Covid cases, the chair of the Irish Medical Organisation’s (IMO) GP committee Dr Denis McCauley has said.
GPs are seeing a surge in Covid cases, some people were getting quite ill and the numbers in ICU were beginning to go up, he told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.
This is a problem and it needs to be recognised, he said, adding that the thinking needs to be changed “subtly” initially.
The public must be advised to wear masks in settings where there are groups of people, to maintain social distance and to continue to wash their hands.
Ukraine refugees
The next wave of refugees from Ukraine will be more vulnerable, aid agencies have warned Irish politicians.
A meeting of the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee heard harrowing testimony on Tuesday from aid agencies and charities about the humanitarian crisis sparked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
TDs and senators were also warned that the crisis will also have a knock-on impact on the world’s poorest countries.
Wexford collision
Gardaí are investigating the circumstances surrounding a fatal road traffic collision in which a pedestrian was killed.
The crash took place at Knockavilla in New Ross, Co Wexford at approximately 7.30pm on Tuesday.
The pedestrian, a man in his 80s, sustained serious injuries and was taken to University Hospital Wexford where he later died.
Gardaí said no other injuries were reported as a result of the incident.
Prince Charles visit
The Prince of Wales appeared taken with a prickly little pal during the first day of his visit to Northern Ireland.
Felix the hedgehog has seen a significant change in luck after growing very thin and ill with lungworm.
He is now back to a healthy weight and looking forward to being released back into the wild – even after befriending the heir to the throne.
Appeal lost
A rapist who complained that the 12-year sentence he received for twice raping a teenage schoolgirl at his sister’s 18th birthday party was too long has failed in a bid to have his jail time reduced.'
Richard O'Mara (33), of Walnut Avenue, Kingswood, Tallaght, Dublin, had pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape at Ballymulcashel, Kilmurry, Sixmilebridge, Co Clare, on October 18th, 2015.
However, he was convicted of both counts by a jury at the Central Criminal Court following a trial in April 2019 and sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment with the final two years suspended by Ms Justice Tara Burns.
