LAST UPDATE | 20 Dec 2022

GOOD MORNING.

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

First Home Sceme 

1. Political Correspondent Christina Finn reports this morning that maximum property price ceilings under the First Home Scheme for every county are to increase, with Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien expected to make the announcement later this week.

The scheme, one of the key pillars in the Government’s Housing for All plan, aims to help people to secure a home by providing part of the purchase price of the dwelling in return for a minority equity stake.

Seán Rooney funeral

2. The funeral of Private Seán Rooney will take place on Thursday, after his body returned to Ireland this morning following its repatriation from Lebanon.

His removal will take place in Dundalk at 9am on Thursday morning, followed by a burial service in All Saints Catholic Church, Colehill, Donegal at around 3.30pm that afternoon.

Twitter

3. Elon Musk has said only Twitter Blue subscribers will be able to vote in future policy-related polls on the platform in his first comments since millions of users voted for him to step down as chief executive of the site.

On Sunday, the Tesla boss said he would “abide by” the result of a poll, which he created, asking Twitter users whether he should step down.

The result was confirmed yesterday morning, with 57.5% of the more than 17.5 million accounts that voted saying he should withdraw from his role.

Terry Hall death

4. Neville Staple has led tributes to his The Specials bandmate Terry Hall following Hall’s death at the age of 63.

The singer-songwriter rose to fame as part of the band, who were pioneers of the ska scene in the UK.

Hall’s death was announced via the band’s official Twitter account yesterday evening.

Weinstein found guilty

5. Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been found guilty of one count of rape at a Los Angeles trial.

The jury of eight men and four women reached the guilty verdict after nine days of deliberation at the second criminal trial of the 70-year-old.

Weinstein is two years into a 23-year sentence for a different rape and sexual assault conviction in New York.

6 January panel 

6. The House 6 January has urged the United States Justice Department to bring criminal charges against former president Donald Trump and his allies, wrapping up its investigation of the violent 2021 Capitol insurrection with what has been called a “roadmap to justice”.

Jeremy Clarkson

7. UK presenter Jeremy Clarkson has said that he is “horrified to have caused so much hurt” after he wrote in a column in The Sun newspaper that he hates Meghan Markle on a “cellular level.” 

The former Top Gear presenter wrote last week that he hates the former royal on a “cellular level” and that he is dreaming of the day “when she is made to parade naked” through Britain’s towns.

The column, published last Friday, was deleted yesterday evening after it was met with widespread condemnation, as celebrities, politicians and social media users labeled it abusive. 

Suspicious death

8. Police in Northern Ireland have arrested a man on suspicion of murder in Lurgan, Co Armagh.

PSNI officers attended the scene of the suspicious death of a woman in the Silverwood Green area.

Weather warnings

9. A Status Yellow wind warning for Galway and Mayo is in place currently until 6am tomorrow.

Met Éireann has warned south to southwest winds will occasionally reach mean speeds of 50 to 60 km/hr and gusts of 90 to 100 km/hr.