Your Morning Headlines – 21/04/2015
Good morning. Here are the headlines at the start of the day.
1. Migrant Disaster
Two suspected human traffickers have been arrested as part of the investigation on Sunday’s disaster where 800 migrants died due to a boat capsizing.
The two men, a Tunisian believed to be the captain and a Syrian said to be part of the crew, were amongst the 27 survivors who arrived in the port of Catania on Monday. The boat had capsized after the appearance of a Portuguese merchant ship near the refugee boat caused a stampede.
Meanwhile, EU ministers have unveiled a 10 point plan intended to double resources for the current border surveillance mission, to try and prevent any more disasters in the future.
2. War of Dun Laoghaire
Another councillor, Jennifer Cuffe, has added her name to the race of Fianna Fail general election candidate for Dun Laoghaire.
Already there are three councillors vying for the position which includes fellow councillors Kate Feeney, Cormac Devlin and former minister Mary Hanafin.
The announcement comes as a surprise as Fianna Fail party leader Micheal Martin claimed she wasn’t running last Friday, something Cuffe has said was a miscommunication.
3. Auschwitz Trial
A so-called book-keeper and former camp officer of Auschwitz is to go on trial today, charged with accessory to murder.
93-year old Oskar Groening is tried as an accessory to cases of over 300’000 cases of deported Hungarian Jews sent to the gas chambers and could face up to 15 years in prison.
Groening is expected to be the last to be tried for Holocaust crimes with many having already died of old age. Many survivors from Auschwitz are expected to appear as witnesses.
4. Homelessness Crisis
Figures revealed today that around 1000 children in Dublin are homeless and are living in emergency accommodation.
The Dublin Region Homeless Executive showed that 411 families with 911 children between them are in homeless accommodation compared to 371 families with 803 children last month.
This represents the biggest monthly increase of homeless families despite pledges by the government from last year to tackle the homelessness crisis head on.
5. ‘Alco-locks’
The Road Safety Authority has considered a new plan to fit alco-locks on drivers who persistently drink-drive.
The alco-locks work by forcing a driver to provide a breath sample to an installed on-board breathalyzer. Only if the driver pass will the car be allowed to start up.
This is one of many different measures proposed by the RSA to tackle of drink-driving and the wider problem of alcohol abuse. Other such measures include alternative sentencing options and education courses much like the ones done in Northern Ireland.
