Cyberattack disruption
There is expected to be “steady progress” in restoring Health Service Executive (HSE) systems and services in the coming days following the devastating cyberattack earlier this month.
While it may still be many weeks before the HSE’s computers are fully restored, technicians are said to be pleased with the progress being made using a decryption key provided by the attackers.
Government sources said there was still no evidence that stolen data on patients and staff had been published on the internet, despite a warning by the criminal gang behind the attack that this would happen on Monday.
The ministerial taskforce overseeing the State’s response is meeting daily to be updated on efforts to recover from the ransomware attack.
A source said there had been “steady, careful progress” with the decryption tool with “more services likely to resume in the next 48 hours”. They cautioned that the “entire process is likely to take weeks”.
EU leaders agree Belarus sanctions
The European Union has agreed to impose sanctions against Belarus, including banning its airlines from using the air space and airports of the 27-nation bloc, amid fury over the forced diversion of a passenger jet to arrest an opposition journalist.
In what EU leaders called a brazen “hijacking” of the Ryanair plane flying from Greece to Lithuania on Sunday, they also demanded the immediate release of the journalist, Roman Protasevich, a key critic of authoritarian Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
A brief video clip of Mr Protasevich, who ran a popular messaging app that played a key role in helping organise massive protests against Mr Lukashenko, was shown on Belarusian state television on Monday night, a day after he was removed from the Ryanair flight.
Sitting at a table with his hands folded in front of him and speaking rapidly, he said he was in satisfactory health and said his treatment in custody was “maximally correct and according to law”. He added that he was giving evidence to investigators about organising mass disturbances.
Digital green pass mid-July target
The EU’s digital green pass, which it is hoped will open up travel across the bloc, is expected to be operated in Ireland from the middle of July, according to those involved in discussions in Government.
EU leaders are expected to approve the plan, which will become operational from July 1st, at the ongoing summit in Brussels, but member states will have six weeks to implement it.
Ireland is likely to commence the scheme in mid-July.
It means that tourists bearing the pass — which attests that the holder has either been vaccinated, has a negative test for Covid or has had the virus in the last six months — will be able to enter the country without quarantining.
Gardaí seize cannabis worth €2.2 million
Two men have been arrested after gardaí seized €2.2 million worth of cannabis and €150,000 in cash yesterday.
Personnel attached to the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) and the Special Crime Task Force carried out a search operation in the Tallaght and city centre areas of Dublin on Monday.
This operation was carried out as part of ongoing investigations targeting persons suspected to be involved in organised crime.
A number of vehicles were stopped and searched in the areas as part of this operation. 110kg of Cannabis Herb (pending analysis) worth €2.2 million and approximately €150,000 in cash was discovered and seized by Gardaí.
Two men, aged in their 30s and 50s, have been arrested and are currently detained at Tallaght Garda Station under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996.
Winning €6 million lotto ticket sold in Athlone
A Midlands service station in Athlone has been confirmed as the winning location for last Saturday’s winning Lotto jackpot ticket worth €6,489,165.
The winning Quick Pick ticket was sold on Thursday, May 20th at the Applegreen service station located just off the M6/N6 motorway in the Arcadia Retail Park in Athlone, Co Westmeath.
Saturday night’s €6.4 million win marked the third Lotto jackpot to be won so far this year. This follows a €12.7 million jackpot win by a Kilkenny player in the April 14th draw and an €8.5 million jackpot win by an online player from Limerick in the January 27th draw.
