LAST UPDATE | 23 May 2023

GOOD MORNING.

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

1. Cabinet

People who assault gardaí and other emergency service workers could face jail sentences of up to 12 years under new plans to be submitted to the Government today.  

Minister for Justice Simon Harris will today seek Cabinet approval to amend laws to increase sentences for assaults causing harm to members of An Garda Síochána and other frontline workers.

The minister said yesterday that the proposed legal changes would also apply to the ramming of a Garda vehicle and other emergency service vehicles.

2.  Eating disorder services

The HSE has confirmed there will be no additional funding for the development of eating disorder teams for 2023. 

In January 2018, the HSE published a National Model of Care for Eating Disorders (MOC). 

The plan aimed to establish eight adult and eight CAMHS eating disorder teams that would form the eating disorder network. 

An update by the HSE provided in response to a Parliamentary Question from Sinn Féin’s mental health spokesperson Mark Ward shows that just two CAMHS teams and two adults teams are in operation. 

3. Animal species decline

Almost half of the animal species on the world’s surface are currently undergoing declines in their population sizes, new research has found.

The researchers from Queen’s University Belfast said the findings are a “drastic alert” as global biodiversity loss caused by human industrialisation is significantly more alarming than previously thought.

They found that 48% of species on Earth are currently undergoing declines in their population sizes, whereas less than 3% of them are increasing in population size.

4. Apple

The highest court in the EU will today hear the European Commission’s appeal against the ruling that overturned its own 2016 ruling finding that Apple had underpaid €14.3 billion in tax owed to Ireland. 

Apple and successive Irish Governments have consistently made the argument that tax is not owed. 

If the appeal wins out, the money will have to be paid to the Irish State. 

5. Madeleine McCann

Searches are expected to begin today as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, police in Portugal have confirmed.

A Policia Judiciaria statement said it is co-ordinating searches in the Algarve at the request of German police and in the presence of British officers.

An area near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, around 50km from Praia da Luz where Madeleine went missing in 2007, was being sealed off ahead of searches according to Portuguese news website SIC.

6. Donald Trump lawsuit

The columnist who won a sexual abuse and defamation case against former US president Donald Trump has filed a fresh lawsuit over comments he made on TV a day after the verdict was announced.

E Jean Carroll, 79, was awarded $5 million (€4.6m) on 10 May and is seeking at least a further $10 million (€9.3m) for comments made by Trump at a CNN town hall meeting.

Her lawyers, who filed the amended lawsuit in Manhattan, said the former president had “doubled down” on derogatory remarks about the former Elle magazine columnist.

7. Fire safety

Dublin Fire Brigade will tell an Oireachtas Committee today that fire safety must be “integral” to the adoption of new methods of housing construction. 

The fire service processes around 1,400 Fire Safety Certificate applications every year, in conjunction with the building control authorities of the four Dublin councils. 

In the midst of a housing crisis, the Government is understood to be exploring how new modern methods of construction (MMC) can increase the delivery of housing.

8. Electric vehicles

Demand for electric vehicles (EVs) is up 35% year on year, data from website DoneDeal has found.

DoneDeal also found that for the first time in 2023, an electric vehicle – specifically the Volkswagen ID.4 – is the most popular new car among all car types.

The ID.4 had previously claimed the top spot between September and December of last year before being overtaken again in January by a diesel car, the Peugeot 3008.

9. Ray Stevenson

Actor Ray Stevenson – known for films including Thor and Punisher – has died at the age of 58, his representatives have confirmed.

The Northern Irish actor died on Sunday, though no further details were immediately made available.

Stevenson also starred in multiple television shows including as soldier Titus Pullo in the BBC/HBO series Rome from 2005-2007, as well as a spin-off series for the Star Wars franchise.