EVERY MORNING,TheJournal.iebrings you the nine stories you need to know as you kick off your day.
1. #ROADS: A 26-year-old male motorcyclist has been killed in a road collision with another vehicle in Ashbourne, Co Meath last night. Gardaí are appealing for anyone who may have been in the area at the time or who witnessed the collision to come forward.
2. #SPYING: In Dublin a 23-year-old man was arrested yesterday by gardaí in connection with alleged surveillance of Garda Dublin Headquarters in September. A 41-year-old man had previously been charged with spying on the headquarters from a hotel room across the street which was booked under a false name.
3. #BELFAST: Police in east Belfast were under attack again last night as protesters angered by the recent flag dispute pelted them with fireworks, bricks and petrol bombs. A number of police officers were injured and a water cannon was deployed to the scene to disperse the crowd of about 300 people.
4. #DEPRIVATION: The results of a survey, published in the Irish Times show that the recession has had a significantly greater impact on people living in the outer commuter regions such as Meath, Offaly, Wexford and Roscommon with unemployment increasing 250 per cent in these areas since 2006.
5. #CYBERBULLYING: Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald has said she is concerned about the difficulties in regulating websites which are used by Irish children vulnerable to cyberbullying due to the open nature of the internet. Fitzgerald said she has arranged meetings with Facebook and the Anti-Bullying Forum to discuss safeguards for children.
6. #GARDAÍ: The Department of Justice plans to cut garda numbers by around 1,000 this year in a bid to cut costs, the Irish Independent reports. It is expected that plans will include an offer of a three year career break to gardaí with a lump sum and a guarantee of a job when the break period is over to induce officers to apply.
7. #TAZMANIA: Wildfires in Tasmania have forced thousands of people on the island to flee with at least 80 homes already destroyed, BBC reports. Fire crews have been working to contain the 40 separate fires that are burning across the island and hundreds of people were rescued from beaches where they took shelter.
8. #BIG FISH: A giant bluefin tuna has sold for a record-breaking $1.8 million in the first fish market auction in Tsukiji, Japan, AFP reports. The winning bidder, president of a sushi chain, said he hopes the monster fish can cheer up Japan and will sell it to customers at a huge loss in small portions.
9. #JACKPOT: No more money worries for a well known former internee in Belfast who was subjected to extreme interrogation by the British army in the 1970s as he has won the £10.2 million Euromillion lottery, the Irish News reports. 60-year-old Joe Clarke, a former children’s charity worker, bought the ticket for the New Year’s Day draw but only checked his numbers on Thursday.
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