EVERY DAY, TheJournal.ie brings you nine things you really ought to know with your morning cup of coffee.
1. #BAILOUT: Ahead of a summit of EU leaders this week, Ireland’s hopes of sorting its debt out have been bolstered by Olli Rehn. Writing for the Sunday Business Post today, the EU commissioner has backed Ireland’s wishes for a lower interest rate on its bailout, and a more manageable timetable of repaying its debt.
2. #BUDGET 2012: Five months away and it’s already in the news. The cabinet is to this week discuss the prospect of a €100 domestic charge, which could be introduced in this year’s Budget in lieu of a property tax, the Sunday Business Post reports. Joan Burton has told the Sunday Independent that the Budget will tackle the new culture of welfare being a “lifestyle choice”.
3. #HACKING: The editor of the Irish Mail on Sunday newspaper has been told he may have been a victim of phone-hacking. Sebastian Hamilton’s phone may have been hacked by Glenn Mulcaire while Hamilton was the News Editor at the paper’s British edition.
4. #DONEGAL: The search for a 19-year-old teen who went missing after a late-night swim in Lough Swilly on Friday will continue at first light this morning, RTÉ News reports. The Sunday World adds that the mother of the missing teen, believed to be from Derry, has appealed for prayers for his safe return.
5. #AFRICA: The UN has begun its first delivery of humanitarian aid to Somalia in years, after the country’s Islamist militia lifted a two-year embargo on aid delivery. The aid comes as the Horn of Africa faces its worst drought and food crisis for decades.
6. #ROSCOMMON: A senior consultant from Roscommon General Hospital is considering a libel action against the health minister Dr James Reilly over his assertions that Roscommon had a higher mortality rate for heart-attack victims. The Sunday Business Post reports that the doctor feels his reputation was damaged by the disputed figures. Demonstrators appealing against the A&E closure there will today protest at the Connacht football final.
7. #RACE FOR THE ÁRAS: It’s the election that won’t go away. The papers are divided on David Norris’s chances of getting a nomination: while the Sunday Times’ Stephen O’Brien says he has little chance, the Sunday Business Post says Fianna Fáil could allow its members to informally support Norris to get him a nomination, while the Sunday Independent says independent senators are also plotting a nomination campaign.
8. #BRITISH OPEN: Today could be yet another incredible day for golf in Northern Ireland. With Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy having already taken Majors in the last 14 months, today 42-year-old veteran Darren Clarke takes a one-shot lead into the final round of the British Open at Sandwich. Our colleagues at TheScore.ie will be liveblogging the day’s events.
9. #AND THEY’RE OFF: When most of us think of ‘racing’ we think of horses or perhaps greyhounds, but yesterday the world racing championships were held… for snails. The championship was won by Zoomer, who covered the 13-inch course in 3 minutes and 23. Here’s a stock example of the high-octane thrills that you missed out on:
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