EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you the nine stories you need to know with your morning cup of coffee.
1. #GREECE: A second general election is looming in Greece after the second-largest party pulled out of talks aimed at forming a coalition late last night. The leader of left-wing party Syriza said the party will not enter government with anyone who agrees with international bailouts for the country. Talks to form a coalition government will continue later this evening without Syriza.
2. #GREEN LIGHTS: Have you noticed the small green lights fitted to the top of some taxis in Dublin city? An investigation by TheJournal.ie has found that some – although not all – could be intended to signal to customers and other drivers that the vehicles are being driven by an Irish national.
3. #REFERENDUM: A group of independent TDs and an MEP will call for the Fiscal Compact referendum to be delayed later today. The group, which includes TDs Shane Ross, Catherine Murphy and Finian McGrath, as well as MEP Marian Harkin, will say a deferral of the referendum would be in the country’s best interests following the election in France, the fall of the Dutch government, and the ongoing political turmoil in Greece.
#4. CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL: A site at the Phoenix Park in Dublin has been proposed as a possible alternative for the National Children’s Hospital, as uncertainty continues over where the hospital will be built. RTE.ie reports that developers of the site say the hospital could be constructed for €440 million, a saving of over €200 million on the Mater Hospital site.
5. #VIGILANTE VIOLENCE: At least 85 people have been shot and more than 200 forced out of their homes in Derry as part of an escalating campaign of violence by Republic vigilantes over the past year. A special report by the Guardian today cited research which found around four men, mostly in their teens or early 20s, have been forced out of the city by a group called Republican Action Against Drugs.
6. #LOTTO WASTE: Around €90 million has gone unclaimed in prizes from the National Lottery over the past five years,according to new figures. The Irish Times reports that almost €17 million was left uncollected last year alone. One of the highest unclaimed prizes was a €250,000 ticket which was sold in Wexford last month.
7. #TEACHER TRAINING: The Minister for Education has announced a €40 million upgrade plan for St Patrick’s primary level teacher training college in Drumcondra in Dublin. The college was built to accommodation 800 pupils but currently has over 2,000 students. Under the upgrade plan, the college will have enough space to accommodate 2,500 students as part of a refurbishment and building of new student facilities.
8. #TRUTHINESS: The CEO of internet company Yahoo has resigned just four months after he took on the job after it was revealed that his CV included a fake degree in computer science. The scandal over Scott Thompson’s qualifications erupted one week ago when an activist group alleged that he had lied about details of his college degree. The Wall Street Journal reports this morning that Thompson told the board of Yahoo that he has cancer before he stepped down.
9. #X-RATED: A quick-thinking Waterford man has set up a website under Enda Kenny’s name using the new .xxx domain. The Sun reports that Kevin O’Shea set up endakenny.xxx, as well as similar sites for Fine Gael, Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil, ‘in a moment of madness’. Be careful what you search for…
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