LAST UPDATE | 7 Feb 2022
GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news that you need to know as you start your day.
1. Social Protection
In our main story this morning, Jane Moore reports that The Department of Social Protection has been criticised for changing the way that people receive unemployment payments, which now have to be done in person again rather than online.
It was announced last month that people receiving Jobseeker’s Allowance will now have to collect it from a post office once again, following the recent easing of Covid-19 restrictions.
One man living near the Cork-Kerry border told The Journal that the change means he now has to drive over 55km to a post office in order to collect the payment, which brings his fuel cost to between €45 – €50 a week.
2. Dundalk
A man is due to appear in court charged in connection with a dangerous driving incident in Dundalk.
Two gardaí were hospitalised after their car collided with a vehicle they were pursuing in Dundalk, Co Louth, in the early hours of Sunday morning.
3. M50 collision
Gardaí are appealing for witnesses after a man was left in a critical condition following a road traffic collision in Dublin.
The collision occurred at around 4.30pm yesterday when a motorcycle and a car collided on the slip road from Ballymun heading onto the M50 southbound.
A man in his late 20s, the motorcyclist, was taken to Beaumont Hospital where he remains in a critical condition.
4. Ukraine
With war clouds gathering over Ukraine, international diplomacy goes into overdrive today with the French and Russian presidents to talk in Moscow and the German chancellor heading to the White House to meet with US leader Joe Biden.
Also the German, Czech, Slovak and Austrian foreign ministers are expected in Kyiv, which has played down dire US warnings that Moscow had stepped up preparations for a major incursion into Ukraine.
US officials have said the Kremlin has assembled 110,000 troops along the border with its pro-Western neighbour but intelligence assessments have not determined whether President Vladimir Putin has actually decided to invade.
5. Boris Johnson
In the UK, Boris Johnson is heading into a new week hoping changes to his top Downing Street team will ease the concerns of backbenchers who were wavering about his future.
The British Prime Minister made key changes over the weekend, appointing Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Steve Barclay as his new chief of staff and journalist and long-time ally Guto Harri as his head of communications.
But the changes come after a swathe of resignations from among the Prime Minister’s aides.
6. Ottawa
The mayor of Canada’s capital declared a state of emergency as protesters opposed to Covid-19 restrictions continued to paralyse Ottawa’s downtown.
Mayor Jim Watson said the declaration highlights the need for support from other jurisdictions and levels of government. It gives the city some additional powers around procurement and how it delivers services, which could help purchase equipment required by frontline workers and first responders.
7. Rayan Oram
Tributes have been paid to a five-year-old boy found dead at the bottom of a well in Morocco in a tragic end to a five-day rescue operation.
The ordeal of Rayan Oram since he fell down the 32-metre well on Tuesday gained global attention and sparked an outpouring of sympathy online from across the world.
8. Misinformation
Scientists recruited by the government to spread Covid-19 messaging on TikTok and Instagram have discussed the level of misinformation and abuse they encountered online.
The creators behind the novel communications strategy, which saw the Department of Health dabble in public health messaging across social media, also told PA news agency how difficult the pandemic has been for young people.
9. Jim Sheridan
Multiple Oscar nominated film director Jim Sheridan turned 73 yesterday.
The Dubliner has had a varied career that has seen him tackle themes from The Troubles to murder to the housing crisis.
But how much do you know about his work?
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