LAST UPDATE | 27 Jan 2025

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

1. Illegal vape sales

The illegal of disposable vapes is commonplace in shops across Dublin, a new undercover investigation can reveal.

The Journal Investigates went undercover late last year to find these vapes being sold in plain sight, visiting 16 locations across the capital. 

Over 80% of the shops visited by The Journal Investigates sold the team a disposable vape that breached regulations.

2. Investigation

Gardaí are investigating “all the circumstances” surrounding the death of a baby girl at a home in Co Longford. The incident happened yesterday morning in Abbeylara, Co. Longford.

3. Storm Éowyn

An urgent appeal has been issued for blood donors in the wake of Storm Éowyn, with a warning that supplies are very low.

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) said that current supplies were under three days for most blood groups, and asked for donor and public support to replenish the levels.

The service said that recent weather events, including Storm Éowyn, coupled with high levels of respiratory illness had significantly impacted collections and stocks were running critically low as a result.

4. Waterford

A man has been charged in relation to the death of a woman at a residence in Waterford city at the weekend.

The woman’s body was discovered by gardaí at a residence on O’Brien Street in the city at 10am on Saturday.

A man was in his 30s was arrested in connection with the incident and was held on suspicion of an offence under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.

5. Holocaust Remembrance Day

Taoiseach Micheál Martin is among the world leaders who will gather in Poland today to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest Nazi concentration camp complex and was liberated on 27 January 1945.

As well as being the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, today is also International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

6. Climate Action Plan

An environmental group is bringing the Irish government to the High Court, arguing that it has failed to clearly outline a plan for how it will keep Ireland’s emissions within legally-binding carbon budgets.

Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE), represented by Community Law and Mediation, is challenging the government’s 2023 Climate Action Plan in the High Court this week.

FIE is arguing that the 2023 Climate Action Plan 2023 and its Annex of Actions fail to demonstrate with sufficient specificity how emissions will fall in line with Ireland’s carbon budgets.

7. Gaza

Palestinians began returning to the north of Gaza today after Israel and Hamas said they had reached a deal for the release of another six hostages.

The breakthrough preserves a fragile ceasefire in the war, which has devastated Gaza and displaced nearly all its residents, paving the way for more hostage-prisoner swaps under an agreement aimed at ending the more than 15-month conflict.

Israel had been preventing Palestinians from returning to their homes in northern Gaza, accusing Hamas of violating the truce by failing to release civilian women hostages.

8. Political poll

Sinn Féin has seen its support rise since the general election last year and is tied with Fianna Fáil as the most popular party among voters.

That’s according to the first Business Post/Red C poll of the new year.

Sinn Féin has jumped three points in the poll to 22% when compared to November’s general election result, meaning Mary Lou McDonald’s party is tied with Fianna Fáil.

9. US deportations

Colombia has backed down and agreed to accept deported citizens sent on US military aircraft, hours after President Donald Trump threatened painful tariffs to punish the defiance to his mass deportation plans.

Colombia’s leftist president, Gustavo Petro, had earlier said he would only take back citizens “with dignity,” such as on civilian planes, and had turned back two US military aircraft with repatriated Colombians.

Trump responded by threatening sanctions of 25% that would quickly scale up to 50% against Colombia.