By Sarah Gill
28th Sep 2023
28th Sep 2023
Your speedy summary of today's must-read stories.
Cocaine seizure in Cork
Six men are being questioned in connection with the seizure of over 2000kg of cocaine, which is said to be the largest seizure in the history of the State. Three men were arrested as gardaí continued to interview the crew members on the MV Matthew cargo ship where the drugs were found. Three other men are being questioned at garda stations in Wexford. The military operation involving the Naval Service and the Army Ranger Wing which boarded and secured the cargo ship carrying over two tonnes of cocaine worth an estimated €157 million has now concluded, but the investigation continues.
Ryanair cancellations
Ryanair has announced a number of cuts to its winter schedule due to delays in the delivery of Boeing aircraft, but Europe’s largest airline by passenger numbers said its full-year traffic forecast was unaffected “as yet”. Ryanair said in a statement that it had expected to receive 27 aircraft between September and December. But due to production delays at the Spirit Fuselage facility in Wichita, combined with Boeing repair and delivery delays in Seattle, it now expects to receive only 14 aircraft between October and December.
Swiss glaciers
A Swiss Academy of Sciences panel has reported a dramatic acceleration of glacier melt in the Alpine country, which has lost 10% of its ice volume in just two years after high summer heat and low snow volumes in winter. Switzerland — home to the most glaciers of any country in Europe — has seen 4% of its total glacier volume disappear in 2023, the second-biggest decline in a single year on top of a 6% drop in 2022, the biggest thaw since measurements began.
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin has increased its lead in the polls and looks on course to be the largest party in the next Dáil. The poll found SF on 34% support is now ahead of Fianna Fáil by 14 points and Fine Gael by 16. The smaller parties have seen their support drop, with the Green Party and Labour both on 3%, and the Soc Dems slipping significantly, on 2%. Solidarity-People Before Profit are on 2% and Aontú on 1%. Independents, meanwhile, stand on 20%.
Irish TikTok ‘covert influence operation’
TikTok dismantled a “covert influence operation” network dedicated to targeting users in Ireland with “divisive” content to “intensify social conflict”, the company has disclosed. The influence network was made up of 72 accounts that together had a following of some 94,743 users, and was shut down earlier this year. The network “hyper-posted comments with similar low-quality content in an attempt to redirect TikTok users off-platform and to intensify social conflict”.
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