China’s Qin Kai in action during the Men’s 3m Springboard Semi Final Round at the Aquatic Centre. Picture by: EMPICS Sport/EMPICS Sport/PA
THESE ARE THE things you need to know as we round off the day in three easy steps.
THINGS WE LEARNED:
#QUINN: The High Court has heard that the administration of Quinn Insurance Ltd may exceed the €1.6 billion figure suggested last week. Fianna Fáil Finance Spokesperson Michael McGrath called on the Government to clarify its plans for the 2 per cent insurance levy imposed on policy holders since January of this year – suggesting it could remain in place for “25 years or more” in light of the new developments.
#BILLS: The number of people who have had their gas or electricity supplies cut off almost tripled in the first three months of this year. Almost 7,000 customers – the vast majority of them residential – had their energy disconnected between January and March, according to the figures released today by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER).
#PRISONS: Despite the number of people being detained in Irish prisons increasing over the past year, the cost of keeping them has fallen. Figures published by the Irish Prison Service show that 13,952 people were jailed last year at an average cost of €65,359 each – down from €70,513 on the previous year. The report also suggested that a significant number of those who were jailed were repeat offenders.
#EDUCATION: Fears over a possible “two-tier” education system developing have been expressed by the Union of Students in Ireland, after the Education Minister Ruairí Quinn gave his endorsement to a new private loan scheme for postgraduate students under which a bank will pay tuition fees directly for the duration of their studies. The Union has expressed concern that many students will be unable to access the scheme as they will not qualify for loans.
#BORDER: Two signs placed in border counties have been removed in the midst of a political row between Sinn Féin and the DUP. The Roads Service said the signs, which read “Welcome to Northern Ireland”, were erected to remind motorists of the change in jurisdiction and road laws.
However, Sinn Féin MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone Phil Flanagan told TheJournal.ie that there had been “no discussion whatsoever with the people in the communities and people living on the borders are impacted on by partition every day,” in relation to the signs being erected. Meanwhile, Alastair Ross, DUP MLA for East Antrim said Sinn Féin was “fighting a political battle that their electorate has abandoned.”
Bahamas’s Shamar Sands falls after hitting a hurdle in the men’s 100-meter hurdles during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
THINGS WE LOVED:
- This picture of a newborn baby gorilla getting a check-up at Melbourne Zoo and reacting to the coldness of the stethoscope, tweeted earlier today by University of Gothenburg professor Christian Munthe. Awww.
- A wonderful glimpse into life on Inis Meáin just after the turn of the 20th century, thanks to Flickr user Fergal of Claddagh.
- Today marks the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of Guadalcanal – the Allies’ first pivotal offensive of World War II. Life Magazine has this collection of poignant and unsettling pictures, from photographer Ralph Morse who documented the campaign.
THINGS WE SHARED:
- The rare and touching story of Richard Marsh who survived a massive stroke and regained consciousness only to discover he had locked-in syndrome – meaning he could not move or communicate with anyone around him. Marsh tells The Guardian how he lay in a vegetative state and watched doctors advise his wife to switch off his life support machine – and how he, miraculously, walked out of intensive care just four months later.
- Can you walk the length of Ireland without passing a pub? Photographer David Blackmore is giving it a go… do you fancy his chances?
- This charmingly illustrated zine of Moral Panics on Irish Radio by Fuchsia Macaree (… altogether now: “It’s a disgrace, Joe!”)
Nobody likes queue-jumpers, right? So everyone should like this:
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