March 07: Today’s top stories in 60 seconds

‘A terrible shock for the community’: Castlebar murder suspect had pub row with person known to victim
Gardaí are hoping CCTV footage from a nearby village will help them as they investigate the murder of Mayo farmer John Brogan. It emerged that the man arrested for the killing had been in a pub earlier in the day and had a row with a person well known to the victim. Mr Brogan (82) was found dead in his home at Pheasants Hill on the outskirts of Castlebar on Sunday evening after passers-by were alerted to a fire in the hallway. After emergency services put out the blaze, Mr Brogan was found inside the property having suffered apparent gunshot wounds. A man in his mid-60s was arrested in the vicinity and a weapon, believed to be a shotgun, was recovered.
Independent.ie

Government set to lift ban on evictions at end of month
The ban on evictions will not be extended beyond the end of this month under proposals going to Cabinet this morning. It follows discussions between the Government party leaders and the Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien last night. The Government has returned to its original plan on this politically contentious issue, but some renters will be able to stay in homes until June because legislation is already in place to end the ban on a phased basis. Opposition parties have already criticised the Government’s approach. Sinn Féin’s Spokesperson on Housing Eoin Ó Broin described it as shameful and cruel, adding that it will lead to more people becoming homeless.
RTÉ

Meta plans thousands more layoffs globally as soon as this week
Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, is planning a fresh round of lay-offs and will cut thousands of employees as soon as this week, according to people familiar with the matter. The world’s largest social networking company is eliminating more jobs, on top of a 13% reduction in November, in a bid to become a more efficient organisation. In its earlier round of cuts, Meta slashed 11,000 workers in what was its first-ever major lay-off, including about 350 in Ireland. The company has also been working to flatten its organisation, giving buyout packages to managers and cutting whole teams it deems non-essential, Bloomberg News reported in February, a move that is still being finalised and could affect thousands of staffers. The imminent round of cuts is being driven by financial targets and is separate from the “flattening,” said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing internal matters. Meta, which has seen a slowdown in advertising revenue and has shifted focus to a virtual-reality platform called the metaverse, has been asking directors and vice-presidents to make lists of employees that can be let go, the people said. A Meta spokesperson declined to comment on the plans on Monday.
The Irish Times

Cabinet to ask DAA to buy and operate anti-drone technology at Dublin Airport
The government will be asked to approve plans to appoint Dublin Airport operator DAA as the operator of counter-drone technology at the airport. Flight activity at the airport was briefly suspended last Thursday due to drone activity, the sixth such disruption in as many weeks. Transport Minister Eamon Ryan came in for scathing criticism from Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary last week, when the airline boss said that anti-drone technology is a “reasonably easy” solution that would only cost around €100,000. O’Leary had also spoken about the apparent indeicsion about whether gardaí, Airport Police or the DAA would operate the anti-drone technology. Ryan and Junior Minister Jack Chambers will today ask Cabinet to task DAA with purchasing and operating counter drone technology. Ministers will also be asked to consider plans to conduct a wider examination of the need of counter drone technology to protect key state infrastructure such as other airports, energy generation and transmission facilities, defence forces facilities, Government buildings and water infrastructure.
The Journal

Japan’s H3 rocket fails after liftoff in second mission attempt
Japan’s next-generation H3 rocket has self-destructed after liftoff when its second-stage engine apparently failed. The mission was to launch an observation satellite. The rocket has been mooted as a possible competitor to SpaceX’s Falcon 9. It is the second H3 failure for Japan’s space agency, Jaxa, after the rocket failed to leave the launchpad in a previous attempt in February.
The Guardian

‘Our small boats plan will push boundaries of international law’, admit senior Tories
A new plan to ban refugees arriving in the UK by small boats from today from claiming asylum will push the boundaries of international law but will not break it, a senior Tory has said. Home Secretary Suella Braverman is set to publish long-promised legislation on Channel crossings on Tuesday that she has admitted “pushes the boundaries of international law”. This will include preventing people who come to the UK illegally from claiming asylum or using human rights law to stop their removal.
Sky News

Today’s forecast
A frosty start this morning with icy stretches and some lying snow in parts. Falls of rain, sleet and snow in the south and southwest will clear away early in the morning to leave a cold, mostly sunny and dry day though cloud may linger in southern parts. Scattered wintry showers will affect the north and northwest. Highest temperatures of just 3 to 6 degrees. Light to moderate northerly winds will veer easterly in the afternoon and freshen in the southwest. A very cold and frosty night. Dry for most with cloud in the south gradually building up over Munster and south Leinster with a few patches of rain, sleet and snow moving into the far southwest. Lowest temperatures of -4 to 0 degrees, falling as low as -5 or -6 degrees in Ulster and the northwest. Light to moderate northeast to east winds, fresher in the southwest. A Status Yellow Ice warning has also been issued for Ireland and Northern Ireland. In place until 10am this morning, Met Éireann predicts that snow showers and icy patches are likely to cause some travel disruption.
Met Éireann