LAST UPDATE | 11 Dec 2024

GOOD MORNING.

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

Kyran Durnin case

1. A woman continues to be questioned by gardaí in relation to the case of eight-year-old Kyran Durnin.

The woman was arrested yesterday on suspicion of the murder of Kyran and is being detained under Section 4 Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a garda station in the east of the country.

Syria appoints new leader

2. The rebels who ousted president Bashar al-Assad and are now in power in Syria have appointed a transitional head of government to run the country until 1 March.

“The general command has tasked us with running the transitional government until March 1,” said a statement attributed to Mohammad al-Bashir on state television’s Telegram account, referring to him as “the new Syrian prime minister”.

Ireland to join ICC case

3. Tánaiste Micheál Martin will today seek Cabinet approval for Ireland to intervene in South Africa’s case against Israel which is currently before the International Court of Justice.

The case against Israel concerns breaches of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip.

Coastal erosion threats

4. The number of homes at risk of falling into the sea due to coastal erosion has jumped by 173% in just five years, The Journal Investigates has revealed.

The huge hike is detailed in an internal Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) report which warns 2,279 properties are currently in danger from eroding shorelines — an increase of 1,445 since 2017.

Malibu wildfire

5. Thousands have been evacuated from the Los Angeles-adjacent town of Malibu, as a wildfire rips through the area.

The evacuation order encompassed roughly 6,000 people and more than 2,000 structures.

Eoin Hayes

6. Recently-elected TD Eoin Hayes said in a statement yesterday that he would be taking his seat in the Dáil as an Independent, adding that he wished to earn back the trust of the Social Democrats.

Hayes was suspended from the party following confirmation that he gave incorrect details about when he sold shares he held in a software firm that supplies technology to the Israeli Defence Forces.

Trump hush money conviction

7. Manhattan prosecutors have renewed their opposition to President-elect Donald Trump’s efforts to quash his hush money conviction, but accepted pausing the case while he is president.

Trump has long opposed the criminal process against him brought after he paid a porn star for her silence and then covered up the payments in an effort to boost his chances in 2016′s election.

Government formation talks

8. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’s deputy leaders Jack Chambers and Helen McEntee met yesterday evening to set out the parameters of negotiations between their two parties.

They said it was a “positive meeting” where they discussed the structure and format of future talks.

Coffee costs

9. Coffee drinkers could be about to see costs rise yet again as the price of beans hits a new record high, on the back of weather concerns in major grower countries like Brazil and Vietnam.

The price for arabica beans – the world’s most popular bean variety – reached a 47-year high this week, having risen by more than 18% this year to top 3.44 US dollars (€3.28) per pound.