December 06: Today’s top stories in 60 seconds

One in seven children in Ireland live in poverty – UNICEF
Child poverty in Ireland fell by 19% between 2014 and 2021, according to a new report from the UN Children’s Agency UNICEF. The country with the lowest child poverty rate is Denmark while Ireland has the eighth lowest position in the league table of EU and OECD countries. The report highlighted that one in seven children in Ireland are still living in poverty and more than one in ten experience prolonged poverty, lasting at least three consecutive years.
RTÉ

‘Justice not served’ by maximum two-year sentence for causing death by careless driving
The Irish Roads Victim’s Association (IRVA) has called for road traffic deaths to be “treated like other homicides and investigated accordingly unless and until the contrary is proven”. The Association added that “road crime should be treated like real crime” and that “far too lenient sentences are being handed down by the courts”. The IRVA provides information and support to those bereaved or injured by road traffic collisions, and works to reduce dangers on Irish roads. The Association also offers free legal guidance and can in some cases cover the cost of bereavement counselling for those affected by road traffic collisions. Currently, there is a maximum two-year prison sentence for causing death or serious bodily harm by careless driving. An additional fine of up to €10,000 is also possible for those convicted.
The Journal

Civil society groups to ‘consider’ approach to referendums over wording on care
Key civil society groups will consider their approach to two referendums on family and care after a lukewarm reception to the wording for a new constitutional article on the role of carers. The decision to hold the referendums was welcomed by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) yesterday, who are expected to campaign for a Yes vote and applauded moves to delete references to a woman’s role in the home. However, proposals to reform the constitutional treatment of care fell short of campaigners’ expectations, even as Ministers said the proposed approach would remove language that is “not truly reflective” of today’s Ireland, excludes families not based on marriage, and was “archaic and sexist”.
The Irish Times

Record cocaine bust: Woman arrested in Dublin suspected of ‘logistical role’ in €157m drugs haul
Detectives investigating the State’s largest-ever drug seizure have arrested a woman in Dublin who is suspected of having a “significant logistical” role connected to the smuggling operation. The arrest is the first direct Irish link to the major inquiry in which 2,253 kilos of cocaine were recovered aboard a cargo ship on September 26.
Independent.ie

Ireland could be short 3,000 hospital beds by end of this decade, experts warn
Ireland’s overstretched public health service could be short a staggering 3,000 hospital beds by the end of the decade, causing waiting lists to spiral, an expert has warned. Population growth and increased demand for care are set to heap pressure on the already creaking health service, a researcher with the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) said, with hospitals facing an immediate deficit of 1,000 inpatient beds, and an additional requirement for 300 hospital beds each year to address that growth and increased demand. But the ESRI’s Brendan Walsh said the Irish health system is just unable to keep up, and said the State’s lack of planning for sufficient hospital capacity means public hospitals are unlikely to be able to provide care to a staggering 73,900 additional people who will be on waiting lists by the end of the year.
The Irish Examiner

Israeli settler violence brings destruction and fear to West Bank as war rages
A few nights ago, the school in Khirbet Zanuta, a small Palestinian village in the hills south of Hebron, was destroyed along with most of the houses, by a bulldozer. Its tracks lay fresh and undisturbed in the sand when we arrived. The village was empty as its population of about 200 Palestinians left around a month ago, after sustained pressure and threats from armed and aggressive Jewish settlers who live in nearby outposts that are illegal under both Israeli and international law.
BBC News

Boris Johnson arrives three hours early – as insiders reveal what he’s expected to argue
Former prime minister Boris Johnson is set to apologise for mistakes the government made during the pandemic, but will insist he got the big calls right when he gives evidence to the COVID inquiry.
Sky News

Trump tells Hannity he will be a dictator only on ‘day one’ if elected president
Former president Donald Trump declined to rule out abusing power if he returns to the White House after Fox News host Sean Hannity asked him to respond to growing Democratic criticism of his rhetoric.
The Guardian

Today’s forecast
Today will be milder than recent days and it will become wet and windy. Rain and drizzle will be most frequent in Ulster this morning and patchy elsewhere. More persistent rain will extend across the country from the southwest this afternoon and evening, with thunderstorms possible too. Rain will be heavy at times, especially in the south and southeast where spot flooding is possible. Highest afternoon temperatures of 7 to 11 degrees with fresh to strong and gusty southeasterly winds and there will be gales at the coast. Wet and windy over the eastern half of the country early tonight, with fresh to strong and gusty southeasterly winds. Lighter winds and patches of light rain or drizzle elsewhere. The rain and strong winds will clear from most areas overnight but will persist near the east coast. More rain will develop in the southwest by morning. Lowest temperatures of 5 to 11 degrees. A Status Yellow rainfall warning has also been issued for counties Kerry, Cork, Waterford, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Wicklow, Antrim, Armagh, Down, Tyrone and Derry.
Met Éireann