By Sarah Gill
27th Oct 2022
27th Oct 2022
Your speedy summary of today's must-read stories.
Iran security forces open fire as thousands mourn Mahsa Amini
Thousands of protestors gathered in Mahsa Amini’s hometown in Saqez city to mark 40 days since her death, during which Iranian security forces opened fire and shot tear gas. It has not been specified whether there were any serious injuries or deaths. Mourners gathered at Ms Amini’s graveside to pay their respects to the 22-year-old woman who died on 16 September, three days after being arrested by morality police for allegedly breaching the Islamic dress code for women.
ECB to hike interest rate
Today, the European Central Bank will raise interest rates again, and are likely to reel in a key subsidy to commercial banks, taking another huge step in tightening policy to fight off rising inflation. Rates have already been raised at the fastest pace on record, with a target rate of 2 per cent in mind. Inflation in Ireland in September was 8.6 per cent.
Road safety offence fines double
Fines for 16 road safety offences — including speeding (from €80 to €160), not wearing seat belts and mobile phone use (both from €60 to €120) — are set to double from today. Three new fixed-charge notices will also come into force in the new year, relating to the misuse of a disabled parking permit (€200), illegally parking in an electric charging bay (€80) and breaching a HGV ban and entering a specified public road without a valid permit (€200).
Kanye West
Following Adidas and Gap in distancing themselves from Kanye West, Skechers escorted him off their property and Madame Tussauds have removed his waxwork. This comes after Ye showed a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt design at Paris Fashion Week and later posted anti-Semitic comments on his Twitter account.