EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you the nine stories, a little before nine, that you need to know with your morning coffee.
1.#MH370: The Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said that debris spotted off the coast of Perth may belong to missing Malaysian Airlines flight 370. Two objects, one which is 24 metres long, have been spotted in the south Indian Ocean.
2.#NAMED: A judge in Cork has agreed to name a child rapist. 51-year-old Gerard Williams from Churchfield in Cork was convicted of raping the girl in a caravan at the funfair which is owned by his family. He was sentenced to four years in prison.
3.#RENT: The average rent for an apartment in Dublin is over €400 a month more expensive than it is outside the capital. The latest rent index from the Private Residents Tenancies Board says that the average rent in Dublin is €1,070.
4.#JET SETTER: Taoiseach Enda Kenny may just have returned from his St Patrick’s Day trip to the US, but he is off again today. Kenny will attend a meeting of the European Council, with a particular focus on rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
5.#STOBART: The Aer Arann brand is no more, the company has announced. Since changing the name on their planes to Aer Lingus Regional, Aer Arann’s corporate name was all that remained. That will change today, as the company announced plans to change their name to Stobart Air.
6.#WELCOME: The new manager of a Dublin shop that caused controversy by banning gay wedding cake toppers says that same-sex marriage merchandise is “more than welcome”.
7.#WE’RE HAPPY: The overall quality of life in Ireland is better than that the UK, France and Germany, a new study says. The study marks International Happiness Day, with Ireland scoring well in income, life expectancy and early school leavers.
8.#GUNS: Three men have been arrested after a gun was seized from a car in Louth. The arrests happened in Dundalk last night and all three are being questioned at Dundalk Garda station.
9.#AID: Ireland is to send an extra €3 million to the Philippines, foreign aid minister Joe Costello has announced. The aid will support local efforts to build shelters and re-establish livelihoods.
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