Author name: highlandnews

Workers on minimum wage are 80 cent an hour better off from today. The lowest pay rate has seen an increase from €12.70 cent to €13.50. It’s the third increase of a four year plan to raise the rate to a national living wage and Social and Policy Officer with the ICTU, Laura Bambrick says […]

In the US, the FBI’s confirmed it’s treating the deaths of ten people in New Orleans as a terrorist attack. At least 35 others were injured when a pick-up truck slammed into crowds marking the new year in a bustling district of the American city. The male driver was later killed in a shootout with

The World Health Organisation is paying tribute to the lives lost to Covid-19, on the fifth anniversary of the outbreak of the virus. On this day in 2019, the W-H-O was notified of a number of cases of ‘viral pneumonia’ in Wuhan, China. Emergency systems were activated the next day, while the first set of

A number of houses have been without water since Sunday on the outskirts of Falcarragh, it’s hoped the problem will be fixed by 4:30 pm. Cllr Michael McClafferty says he was told over the phone by an Uisce Eireann representative that the issue could persist for weeks. The outage is said to be caused by

The HSE is advising people to stay away from New Years Eve parties if they have flu symptoms. 984 people were in hospital with the virus on yesterday morning. Dr Denis McCauley is a GP in Donegal and president of the Irish Medical Organisation. He says people need to be sensible if they feel sick:

New hate speech laws come into force today. The new legislation, signed by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, allows for increased prison sentences for crimes proven to be motivated by hatred. Figures from An Garda Siochana show there were 651 hate-related incidents committed in 2023. Independent Senator Ronan Mullen says the new legislation won’t change

Gardaí are warning the New Year period is one of the times when road users are at the highest risk of being involved in a fatal or serious crash. The Christmas Road Safety Campaign continues until January 6th, and motorists are being urged to pull together to reduce road deaths. 179 people have been killed

Five counties are under Status Yellow weather warnings this morning. Donegal is under a rain alert until 11am, while Cork and Kerry will be affected by a similar warning until tomorrow morning at 6am. A wind advisory is also in place in Donegal, Mayo and Galway until 11am today. Possible risks for both warnings include

2024 has been a challenging year for the Glenties MD regarding housing, but hope lies ahead. That’s the thoughts of Cathoirleath Cllr John Sheamais O’Fearraigh. He says housing projects to tackle the lengthy waiting lists for social homes are coming in 2025. However, there are larger issues at play in the area, something Cllr O’Fearraigh

Stormont’s Economy Minister will contest the Seanad election next month. The Sinn Fein minister says if elected, he’ll bring a strong northern voice to the house. Conor Murphy outlines his priorities:

A Midlands North West MEP has welcomed proposed changes to Credit Union lending rules. Ciaran Mullooly says it will be a “game-changer” for addressing the housing crisis and supporting local communities. The proposed Central Bank changes would allow Credit Unions to allocate up to 30% of their assets—around €6 billion—for mortgages and 10% for business

Better communication between teachers, teachers unions and the Department of Education is needed. That’s the view of the Donegal Regional Officer for the Irish Second Level Student Union as students prepare for Leaving Cert changes were are set to be implemented in 2025. Two new subjects are set to be added to the curriculum next

The Cathaoirleach of the Inishowen Municipal District says looking towards 2025, there is a lot of positivity for the area but a lot of fighting needed to get a number of projects over the line. Plans for a shorefront project for Buncrana have been in motion for a number of years now with progress expected

People are being encouraged to have their say on the Emerging Preferred Route Corridor for the Letterkenny Southern Network Project. The initiative aims to develop the transport network around the South of Letterkenny. The project is currently at phase 2, option selection, the feedback on which will help inform the final stages of the Option

Speed limits on local and rural roads are set to be lowered from February. The changes are part of a ten-year Road Safety Strategy plan, to reduce the number of road deaths and serious injuries in Ireland by 50%. It would see the speed limits on rural local roads, national secondary roads and roads in

People with flu like symptoms are being urged to speak to their GP, out of hours services or pharmacist, and not to attend emergency departments unless it’s strictly necessary. The number of people in hospital has rapidly grown since the weekend with close to 870 flu cases admitted. Dr Helen Cooper, Specialist Registrar, Department of

A status yellow rain warning has been issued for Donegal. It will take effect from 11 o’clock this morning, lasting until the same time tomorrow. Meanwhile, Donegal, Mayo and Galway will be under a status yellow wind warning from midnight until 11am tomorrow. Alan O’Reilly of Carlow Weather, says stormy weather may give way to

With 178 deaths on Irish roads this year, motorists and pedestrians are both being warned to be extra careful in the run up to the New Year. It follows the deaths of five people in separate incidents since Christmas Eve. Junior Transport Minister James Lawless says we know what to do to ‘keep it safe’:

Three babies have died of hypothermia in Gaza in the past few days. It comes as Israel continues to attack hospitals in the region, while arresting hundreds of medical staff and patients. Dr Mimi Syed, is an American emergency doctor working at the al Aqsa hospital in Gaza – she says conditions are appalling. Israeli

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service says the holiday season is a challenging period for its services. 10,000 blood donors are needed over the Christmas period, to maintain hospital operations. O negative, A negative and B negative are currently in short supply. Paul McKinney, Operations Director of the IBTS, is urging people to donate.

It’s feared almost all the 181 people on board a plane have been killed after it skidded off a runway in South Korea. The flight from Bangkok crashed on landing at Muan Airport – before hitting a wall and bursting into flames. So far, just two people have been rescued from the wreckage. There’ve been

A status yellow rain warning has been issued for Donegal. The alert will come into effect tomorrow morning at 11am and will last until 11am on Tuesday morning. Met Éireann are warning of the possibility of heavy rain, which could lead to localised flooding, difficult travelling conditions and poor visibility. Meanwhile, there’s a cold snap

A cool start to 2025 is looking likely as a cold snap moves in. Temperatures are expected to drop with wind picking up next week as threats of a storm increase. Alan O’Reilly from Carlow Weather says a New Year’s storm is possible.