Every morning, TheJournal.ie brings you all the news you need with your morning coffee.
1. #HEAVE? Taoiseach Brian Cowen is to continue meeting with party members to discuss his leadership of Fianna Fáil today.
Cowen has been meeting with colleagues over the last two days to discuss his future in the party; his support has plummeted in the wake of the revelation he had played golf and gone to dinner with former Anglo Irish Bank chairman Sean Fitzpatrick in the months before the bank guarantee was granted in 2008.
Cowen has indicated that the consultation process should be concluded by this evening.
The Labour Party has scheduled a motion of no confidence in the government, to take place within the next fortnight.
2. #MICHAELA: The wake of Michaela McAreavey will take place in Co Tyrone this weekend.
Hundreds of mourners turned out last night to pay respects to the 27-year-old who was murdered while on her honeymoon in Mauritius last week. A funeral Mass will take place in St Malachy’s Church, Ballymacilroy - the same church in which she was married on 30 December.
3. #TYRELLSTOWN: Two people are being questioned in connection with a West Dublin killing.
A 21-year-old woman and man in his 30s are being questioned by gardaí at Blanchardstown Garda Station. The body of the victim, Adil Essalhi, was found in a ditch in Tyrellstown last Thursday.
4. #BP: In its first deal since the Gulf of Mexico disaster, BP has embarked on a joint venture with Russian oil company Rosneft.
The venture centers on drilling in Arctic, one of the most delicately-balanced environments on the globe. BP has described the multimillion euro deal as “historic”.
5. #UPGRADE: Technology company Intel has launched a $500 million (€375 million) upgrade of its Leixlip plant in Co Kildare.
The project, which is expected to take two years to complete, is expected to give a significant boost to the Irish economy.
6. #BAILOUT: The European Central Bank has revealed that it urged the taoiseach and the finance minister to bring the 2011 Budget forward in a bid to restore market confidence in Ireland in the run-up to the EU-IMF bailout.
However, the government would not do so and released the budget in December, as planned.
7. # TUNISIA: The UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has appealed for calm on all sides in Tunisia, after the country was forced to declare a state of emergency.
A dusk to dawn curfew has been enacted and a restriction on protests has been imposed, following the deaths of dozens of people over the past few weeks. The Department of Foreign Affairs has advises Irish citizens against all travel to Tunisia.
8. #CUBA: US President Barack Obama has announced that he will ease restrictions on American citizens travelling to Cuba.
Religious and educational travel will now be allowed, and US citizens will also be allowed to send money to family in the country. However the decades-old US trade embargo will not be lifted.
9. #CATHARSIS: The winner of a very unusual upcoming raffle will get the opportunity to do something many people across Ireland have no doubt been dreaming about: Crush a banker’s car in a scrapping machine.
The National Recycling company removed an 18-year-old 3 series BMW from Sean FitzPatrick’s home yesterday, after buying it online in a state auction of repossessed items, the Irish Examiner reports. On learning who the original owner of the car was, the group decided the best thing to do with the broken-down vehicle was put in in a scrapping machine, and raffle off the red button to a lucky member of the public.
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