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LAST UPDATE | 19 Mar
GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news you need to know as you start the day.
1. Hamas has called for Israel to be compelled to a ceasefire, as Israeli strikes continued overnight, killing 13 people and wounding dozens more.
Yesterday was the deadliest day in Gaza in over one year, after more than 400 people were killed by Israeli air strikes in a surprise attack despite a ceasefire.
2. A ceasefire is also looking less and less likely in Ukraine, where Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Vladimir Putin of having “effectively rejected” a full ceasefire between the nations after Russian drone attacks last night.
The strikes came just hours after a much trumpeted phone call between Putin and US president Donald Trump, in which the White House later said Russia’s leader had agreed to pause strikes on Ukraine energy targets for 30 days. .
3. The Central Bank has warned that the “loss of momentum” with homes being built was “greater than expected” at the end of last year and will continue into this year.
The targets for 2026 and 2027 are also set to be missed according to a fresh bulletin.
4. After a week spent by many senior ministers on diplomatic work in the United States, the Cabinet will hear an update today on the implications of tariffs proposed by the United States and counter measures announced by the European Union in recent days.
5. The Climate Advisory Council has called for the establishment of a ‘National Climate Damage Register’ that would record damage done by major weather events, while also warning that the country needs to “radically improve preparedness” for such events.
The Council has today launched the first in a series of publications examining Ireland’s changing climate, projected changes and “the critical need to adapt”.
6. Fine Gael will run its own presidential candidate, separate to that of Fianna Fáil, Tánaiste Simon Harris has confirmed to The Journal.
In an interview with Political Editor Christina Finn in New York yesterday, Harris denied there would be a single government candidate in the November presidential election.
7. A man been arrested following the seizure of over €10 million worth of cocaine, found by gardaí after a lorry was stopped on the M9 in Co Kilkenny yesterday.
8. Irish Rail is planning new “bridge strike cameras” in a bid to tackle delays to services caused by vehicles colliding with railway bridges.
9. Calls for a UK-wide bank holiday to mark St. Patrick’s Day have been rejected by the British government on cost grounds.
While the holiday is widely celebrated across the UK, with over 50,000 people attending the parade in London over the weekend, the 17 March is currently only a bank holiday in Northern Ireland.
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