Tuesday’s Top Stories: Rescue effort under way after Japan earthquake, Garda roads policing numbers fall in 2023

Japan earthquake: Death toll reaches 30 amid ‘large-scale damage’ and rescue effort

At least 30 people are dead after a series of powerful earthquakes hit western Japan, with officials warning people in some areas on Tuesday to stay away from their homes because of a risk of more strong quakes.

Aftershocks continued to shake Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas a day after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake hit the area on Monday afternoon.

Thirty people were confirmed dead in Ishikawa, officials said. Seven others were seriously injured, while damage to homes was so great that it could not immediately be assessed, they said.

Top News Stories

• Garda roads policing numbers fall in 2023 as road deaths reach nine-year high: Garda roads policing numbers continued to fall during 2023, with 47 fewer officers than at the beginning of the year, according to new data.
• More than 20 schools seek emergency funding amid rising costs: More than 20 primary schools who reported to be in financial difficulty sought emergency funding from the Department of Education last year in the face of rising costs. However, latest records indicate that just one school was successful in securing additional funding.
• State to build new reception centres for asylum seekers in 2024: Ministers will discuss in the new year fresh plans to build a large number of new State-run reception centres for asylum seekers, Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman has said.
• ‘It’s not worth the heartache’: the independent cafes closing down under cost pressures: When it came down to it, Rebecca Feely’s decision to close her Kale + Coco vegan cafe in Stoneybatter on Dublin’s northside last month was a question of self-preservation.
• Check out today's Most Read stories
• Join The Irish Times WhatsApp channel for breaking news straight to your phone.

News from around the World

• Israel announces partial withdrawal of troops from Gaza: Israel has started pulling troops out of Gaza in the first stage of a process expected to last throughout January, as Israel gradually shifts to the next stage of the war.

The Big Read

• First Look: Inside the new Book of Kells Experience at Trinity College Dublin: Each year more than a million people travel from around the world to see the Book of Kells, but what do most of us in Ireland know about it? Henrietta McKervey writes that she has a vague memory of being brought to see it as a child, of two pages in a glass case, indecipherable reds and yellows, a crush of people. “On my way to visit it this week, I realised I knew little other than its cultural significance as an object. I could have given a tourist directions to find it, but I’d have struggled to explain its history. According to Dearbhla Mac Fadden of Trinity College Dublin, I’m not alone.”

The best from Opinion

• Fintan O’Toole: Ireland was a country of secrets, but have we become a nation of oversharers?
• Oliver Sears: Why are Jews around the world held to account for the actions of the Israeli government?
• Nadine O’Regan: Dear stranger, please don’t touch my baby

Today's Business

• House prices to stabilise in 2024 as second-hand market recovers – Daft.ie: House prices could be largely stable this year as the second-hand market recovers from several years of economic uncertainty and the number of new homes built continues to grow, one expert predicts.

Top Sports news

• Gerry Thornley: Ireland’s system of maximising its resources will continue to be rewarded in 2024: Maybe Rassie Erasmus and South African rugby have it sussed. Unlike the vast majority of their international rivals – be they New Zealand, France, England, Ireland or even Wales, to a degree – they permit their players to play abroad, so allowing Japanese, Top 14, Premiership and Irish provinces to pick up much of the financial slack while players accumulate game time in a variety of competitions... It’s tempting to think that South Africa’s system is better and Irish rugby may as well just release the shackles and pick players based abroad. Except, of course, that Ireland’s system is also a prime example of maximising resources and, by and large, it has been rewarded. By concentrating on the talent in four provinces, that quartet have been hugely competitive.

Picture of the Day

Health Highlights

• ‘When I got really thin, the girls who taunted me wanted to be friends . . . when I went too far, they dropped me again’: In part due to symptoms often being hidden, there are no official statistics regarding how many people suffer with eating disorders in Ireland. However, it is estimated that between 2 and 3 per cent of the population will be affected by anorexia, bulimia or binge eating at some point in their lives, with almost 1,800 new cases occurring in the 10-49 age bracket in Ireland each year. Women and girls are twice as likely to be affected as men and boys.

Why not try one of our Crosswords & Puzzles?

• Simplex Crossword
• Crosaire Crossword
• Sudoku Puzzle

Like this?

Get the best content direct to your inbox by signing up to one of our newsletters