EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you nine things you need to know with your morning cup of coffee.
1. #STORM: Good news – Met Éireann has lifted the national weather warning. Showers and gale force winds lingering today will pass by this afternoon and it has been reported that the government’s emergency planning task force will meet today to discuss the damage caused by the storm.
2. #PYLONS: The deadline for public submissions for Eirgrid’s Gridlink project, which could involve the construction of a large number of electricity pylons, expires later today. The company has said that, once the consultation process has been completed, it is willing to work with communities to resolve issues.
3. #BARRISTERS: Barristers in Ireland have been paid some €139 million by the Attorney General over the last ten years, The Irish Times reports – mostly for asylum cases which accounted for 23 per cent.
4. #MENTAL HEALTH: A study conducted by a team of Irish researchers has found high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder in psychiatric service users in this country. Among Irish participants in the research, sexual abuse.humiliation and lack of shelter were the top two traumatic events cited.
5. #HAASS TALKS: The Ulster Unionist Party has rejected proposals by negotiator Dr Richard Haass on resolutions to the issues of flags, parades and dealing with the past. In a statement, the party said it believes the Haass document is ‘not viable and therefore unacceptable’.
6. #MEDICAL CARDS: Over 700,000 medical cards have been issued in the last ten years. The lowest number of cards was issued in 2004 with levels rising each year since then and a huge leap of 150,000 extra cards between 2011 and 2012.
7. #AER LINGUS: The airline reported a jump in long-haul passengers on almost 12 per cent last month, though short hall passengers fell slightly in December. Overall, the total numbers flying with Aer Lingus were unchanged last month compared to the previous year.
8. #UNITED STATES: As we wave (hopefully) goodbye to our superstorm, the US has been gripped by a ‘polar vortex’ causing record low temperatures. AFP reports that more than a dozen death have been blamed on the frigid weather.
9. #TURKEY: Some 350 Turkish police officers were dismissed from their posts overnight, BBC reports. This follows a probe into corruption, specifically targeting those in the force who were close to the government.
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