EACH DAY, TheJournal.ie brings you nine things you should know with your morning cup of coffee.
1. #ANGLO TAPES: Day three of the Irish Independent’s Anglo scandal reveal that CEO David Drumm was laughing with senior executives about the rapid fall in the bank’s deposits just hours before the Government bank guarantee was agreed on. Drumm is reported to say: “Another day, another billion”. The newspaper also reveals that the former Taoiseach Brian Cowen has stated he was “very surprised” by what he heard on the Anglo Tapes.
2.#REFERENDUM: The Irish Times reports that the electorate might be asked to head to the polls for a second referendum to give the future banking inquiry more powers. Yesterday in the Dáil, the Cabinet chose to go down the road of an Oireachtas committee inquiry, to the criticism of the opposition which is calling for an independent inquiry. It is believed that any such inquiry will not take place until October or November.
3. #MAGDALENE LAUNDRIES: Details of a €25 million fund that will be made available to survivors of the Magdalene Laundries will be announced today. The supports will not just be of a financial nature but will also include the awarding of medical cards and other public health supports such as mental health and counselling services to the survivors.
4. #ABORTION: The first vote on the Protection of Life Bill during Pregnancy Bill has been delayed until next week to allow TDs more speaking time. The vote was originally meant to take place at the end of this week, but more debates on the issue are to take place today, tomorrow and Friday. It’s believed 13 TDs will oppose the abortion bill.
5. #EUROMILLIONS: Did you buy a Euromillions ticket? You could be the winner of half of the €187 million jackpot. There were two winners in last night’s draw, and they’re from Ireland and Belgium. The winning numbers are: 4, 5, 13, 27 and 35. The lucky stars are 1 and 2.
6. #IMMIGRANTS: Irish attitudes to immigrants have become more negative, according to the ESRI. A new report states that Irish people had a “very positive” attitude towards newcomers to the country during 2002–2006, but over the last seven years openness to immigration, or willingness to accept immigrants has fallen.
7.# CAP REFORM: Progress has been made in Luxembourg as the Irish Farmers’ Association has welcomed, with caution, how the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform negotiations are progressing. The IFA said progress had been made as a result of determined opposition from countries such as Ireland.
8. #BANK RECORDINGS: The Irish Examiner says that Permanent TSB and AIB have both confirmed that they too recorded phone calls at the time of the bailout. However, Bank of Ireland refused to comment. A spokesperson for AIB said they recorded calls from certain areas of the bank, but not every internal call. The Central Bank stated that there are no regulations or requirements for banks to record calls.
9. #BONO: Speaking in an interview with TV veteran Gay Byrne, which was broadcast last night, U2′s front man defended moving the band’s publishing arm to the Netherlands for tax reasons, stating they were simply “acting like a business”. The Meaning of Life programme also heard Bono state that he did pay a lot of tax in Ireland, but just like any business he remained “tax sensible”.
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