By Sarah Gill
11th Jan 2024
11th Jan 2024
Your speedy summary of today's must-read stories.
South Africa’s genocide case against Israel
Israel will face accusations of committing “genocidal” acts in Gaza at the UN’s top court today, charges the country’s president dismissed as “atrocious” and “preposterous”. South Africa has lodged an urgent appeal to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to force Israel to “immediately suspend” its military operations in Gaza. South Africa argues that Israel is breaking its commitments under the UN Genocide Convention, a treaty signed in 1948 as the world cried “never again” after the Holocaust.
Eleven wounded in Russian strikes on Ukraine’s Kharkiv
A Russian missile attack struck a hotel in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine yesterday evening, wounding 11 people. The strike comes just ahead of the war’s second anniversary, with both Moscow and Kyiv accusing each other of inflicting dozens of civilian casualties in a sharp escalation of attacks. “Two missiles hit a hotel in the centre of Kharkiv. There were no military personnel there. Instead, there were 30 civilians, eleven of whom were wounded,” Mayor Igor Terekhov posted on Telegram. Rescuers evacuated 19 people, sharing a video of the operations, which showed a small building with blown-out windows.
Public sector pay
Public sector pay talks between the Government and trade unions were adjourned after the two sides failed to reach a deal. Kevin Callinan, the lead union negotiator and the general secretary of the Forsa union, said that the opening offer from the Government side in this latest round of talks was “extremely disappointing”. “The fact remains that there’s a substantial gap between the parties in relation to pay,” he added.
Domestic stamp prices
An Post is to increase the cost of domestic stamps by five cent from the start of next month, bringing the cost to €1.40, 3.7% increase. This follows a hike last January, which saw prices rise by 10 cent from €1.25 to €1.35. There will be no change to the cost of a worldwide letter stamp which is currently priced at €2.20, or the national digital stamp introduced back in 2022, which costs €2. An Post has blamed the rising cost of transport, fuel and energy for this latest price increase.
Michael Lynn secret stash
Gardaí are hunting for a massive money haul they believe convicted thief Michael Lynn has hidden in various locations. Specialist detectives have carried out searches of five properties and frozen a number of bank accounts linked to the high-profile former solicitor and property developer. Sources said a four-figure amount of cash was seized in Tuesday’s GNECB operation, but added that this is just the “tip of the iceberg” and more searches are planned, while analysis of bank accounts and other financial transactions will continue.
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