EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you nine things you need to know with your morning coffee…
1. #MAHON: The final report of the Mahon Tribunal is due to be released today, with key findings expected on the financial dealings of former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. We’ve got all you need to know – including a full timeline of the Tribunal; a who’s who of crucial figures; and some, er, choice quotes.
2. #PROMISSORY NOTES: Finance minister Michael Noonan has revealed details of a potential Government deal with the ECB, which if successfully agreed would effectively postpone the €3.1billion Anglo debt payment due this morning until 2025.
3. #TOULOUSE: An armed siege in the French city of Toulouse has entered its second day, though it is not clear whether school shooting suspect Mohamed Merah is still alive. Police overnight set off explosions outside the building and heard gunshots.
4. #MURDER: A murder investigation has been launched over the death of 22-year-old Ciarán O’Connell in Cavan in the early hours of Saturday. O’Connell was at a St Patrick’s Day party when he was attacked, RTÉ reports.
5. #AIB: The National Consumer Association’s chief executive Ann Fitzgerald has urged AIB customers to walk away after the bank introduced a new regime of charges yesterday. She said the charges were “an insult” to consumers.
6. #FUR: High-profile Irish actors have banded together to call for an end to the controversial practice of fur factory farming in Ireland. Saoirse Ronan, Amy Huberman and Rachel Pilkington are among those supporting the campaign against the industry, which Pilkington said kills 225,000 animals every year.
7. #SYRIA: The UN Security Council has unanimously approved a call for a ceasefire in conflict-torn Syria, Associated Press reports. The plan put forward by peace envoy Kofi Annan won support from Russia and China, who had vetoed previous resolutions,
8. #TOBACCO: One billion people will die from tobacco smoking worldwide during this century – or one person every six seconds, according to a new global report. It also states that tobacco-related deaths have tripled in the past decade.
9. #BETTER THAN THE REAL THING: It’s been an embarrassing week for high-profile US activist Jason Mattera, who accidentally interviewed a Bono impersonator believing it was the real thing. Mattera hit the star with tough questions about U2′s tax dealings – before being forced to admit he’d been “punked”, the Washington Post reports.
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