LAST UPDATE | 15 Nov 2022

GOOD MORNING.

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

Gambling laws

1. The Cabinet will today be asked to approve the publication of the Gambling Regulation Bill.

It’s understood the new legislation, which has been led by Minister of State James Browne in the Department of Justice, aims to provide a more modern and improved approach to the licencing and regulation of gambling in Ireland today.

It will recognise the variety of gambling activities available in the State and the impact of technology on the gambling industry in Ireland.

Motor insurance

2. Motor insurance premiums have fallen by 17% between the fourth quarter in 2017 and the fourth quarter in 2021, according to statistics contained in the Central Bank’s fourth annual Private Motor Insurance Report.

The report shows that the average premium cost per policy decreased by 2% to €607 between 2020 and 2021. The total earned premium for private motor insurance in Ireland last year was €1.38 billion.

The frequency of claims increased by 11% last year. However, this was still 15% below pre-Covid levels in 2019.

Environmental report

3. A new report has identified the highest and lowest-performing local authorities with regards to their work on environmental issues such as air and water quality and waste.

Kildare, Dublin City, Leitrim, Monaghan and Finglas performed the best in 2021 at contributing to national priorities around waste, water, air and noise, and relevant governance processes.

Meanwhile, Offaly, Mayo, Sligo, Wexford and Waterford performed the worst.

Global population

4. A baby born today will be the world’s eight billionth person, according to a projection by the United Nations.

The UN attributes the growth to human development, with people living longer thanks to improvements in public health, nutrition, personal hygiene and medicine.

US midterm elections

5. Donald Trump loyalist and prominent election denier Kari Lake has lost her bid to be governor of Arizona, according to projections from US networks.

Lake, a former TV anchor, had been seen as one of Trump’s most reliable picks heading into the midterm elections, but her defeat caps a run of results that have raised doubts about the former president’s place in the Republican Party.

G20 summit

6. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has snubbed Russia in his address to the G20 summit in Bali, opening his speech with: “Dear G19.”

Zelenskyy slammed “the crazy threats of nuclear weapons that Russian officials resort to”, and urged leaders to end the “destructive war” on his country.

Brexit fallout

7. Brexit has “permanently damaged” the UK economy, former Bank of England policymaker Michael Saunders warned as London was deposed as Europe’s biggest stock market.

The French stock market now has a combined value of $2.823 trillion, marginally above the UK stock market which is worth $2.821 trillion altogether, according to figures from Bloomberg.

Voices

8. In our Voices column today, security analyst Tom Clonan writes that Russia’s withdrawal from the Ukrainian city of Kherson represents a humiliating defeat for Vladimir Putin’s forces.

Kherson is the gateway to the annexed Crimean peninsula – it was one of the first cities to be occupied by Russian forces at the outset of the invasion in February.

LGBTQ+ students

9. Three quarters of LGBTQ+ students feel unsafe at school, according to new research from advocacy group BeLong To.

Some 58% said they have heard homophobic remarks from school staff, and one third said they had skipped school to avoid negative treatment associated with being LGBTQ+.