GOOD MORNING.

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

Jailed 

1. An Irishman described as one of the world’s largest facilitators of child abuse images has been sentenced to nearly three decades in prison in the US state of Maryland. 

Eric Eoin Marques, 36, pleaded guilty last year to operating a web hosting service that allowed users to anonymously access hundreds of thousands of images and videos depicting the rape and torture of infants and older children.

He was sentenced last night to 27 years in Federal prison in the US. 

Mother and Baby Homes

2. Survivors of Mother and Baby Home are considering legal action in a bid to gain access to their medical records, having been told to submit FOI requests to get access to their records, despite already applying under GDPR legislation.

They had been told that a nominated GP would first need to receive their records, and that GP would then need to decide whether it’s “appropriate” for the survivors to get their records – a situation described as infantalising. 

Simon Coveney

3. The Minister for Foreign Affairs remains in his post this morning, following the Government’s seeing off a no confidence vote by Sinn Féin. 

Social media companies

4. There have been critical shortcomings by social media companies in tackling disinformation, according to a new report commissioned by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI). 

Terence Wheelock 

5. A protest will take place in Dublin today calling for an independent inquiry into the death of a 20-year-old man who died following his arrest and detention in a Dublin garda station 16 years ago.

Prince Andrew

6. Prince Andrew could be tracked down by a High Court sheriff after lawyers representing the woman suing him for alleged sexual assault asked the UK legal system to notify him about the case. The prince is reportedly staying with the Queen at Balmoral.

Nuclear submarines

7. Australia will build nuclear-powered submarines in a new partnership with the United States and Britain.

Alanis Morissette

8. The Canadian singer has criticised a new HBO documentary about her life, calling it “salacious”. 

Morissette participated through several interviews but has now withdrawn her support for Jagged, which features Morissette discussing sexual encounters when she was 15 that she calls statutory rape. 

Migration

9. It’s one of the most pressing and contentious issues for the European Union, and here reporter Adam Daly takes a look at the bloc’s proposed pact for members on the matter.