LAST UPDATE | 3 Mar 2022

GOOD MORNING.

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

Ukraine 

1. Today marks a week since Russia invaded Ukraine.

Talks between the two nations are scheduled to take place today. However, there is currently little hope for a breakthrough.

You can follow the latest updates on our liveblog here.

Kherson

Meanwhile, Russian forces have taken the Ukrainian city of Kherson, the first major urban centre to fall since Moscow invaded last week.

Russian “occupiers” were in “all parts” of Kherson, Ukrainian regional official Gennady Lakhuta conceded late last night.

Refugees

3. The fall of Kherson comes as it emerged that more than one million people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion.

That tally from UN’s refugee agency amounts to more than 2% of Ukraine’s population on the move in under a week. The World Bank counted the population at 44 million at the end of 2020.

Cervical Check

4. Meanwhile at home, it has emerged that nearly all the planned actions arising from a scoping inquiry into the failings of the CervicalCheck screening programme have been implemented, according to the Department of Health.

As of the end of 2021, 166 out of 170 actions have been completed, with the remaining four actions marked as being ‘in progress’.

Back open

5. Australia was back open to vaccinated travelers after Western Australia today became the last state to lift border restrictions.

Western Australia, which covers one third of the nation’s land area, closed its borders to most international and interstate travelers in 2020 to slow the spread of Covid-19.

Census

6. This year’s census will take place on Sunday, 3 April.

The nationwide survey will be launched by the Taoiseach and the Central Statistics Office at Government Buildings this morning.

Romania

7. Eight members of the nation’s military have died after their helicopter and a fighter jet crashed in bad weather near the Black Sea in eastern Romania yesterday.

The EU member is on the front line to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank as Russia is invading neighbouring Ukraine and has seen international reinforcements arrive in recent weeks.

Ambulance crisis

8. Back home and this time to Limerick. It has emerged that at least fifteen ambulances queued up outside the Emergency Department at University Hospital Limerick yesterday afternoon due to high levels of patient overcrowding, sources said.

There were 81 patients in the corridors of the emergency department and on wards yesterday as well.

Kerry

9. A man in his 70s died in Kerry following a three-vehicle crash.

The crash happened on the N21, in the townland of Knockbrack between Castleisland and Abbeyfeale at around 5.30pm yesterday.