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EVERY WEEKDAY EVENING, TheJournal.ie brings you the five stories you need to know as you head out the door.
1. #INAUGURATION: Barack Obama is taking the ceremonial oath of office at the US Capitol building today, before giving what is expected to be a key indication of his plans for the next four years. Obama officially began his second four-year term yesterday, but ceremonial occasions are not normally held on a Sunday so a second ceremony – where Obama will give his inaugural address – is being held today. You can watch the whole lot here.
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2. #COURTS: A man has walked free from court – for the time being – after pleading guilty to sexually abusing his daughter on a weekly basis for a decade. RTÉ reports that Patrick O’Brien, 72, was given 12 years’ jail (with the final nine suspended) after admitting 16 charges of rape and indecent assault, but was granted bail pending an appeal.
3. #MISSING: Gardaí have renewed their appeal for help in tracing missing Bray man Philip O’Toole, who was last seen two weeks ago today. Investigators have released photographs of his car, which was found at the Lower Dargle Road in Bray two days after his disappearance. More details can be read here.
4. #FOOD: A survey from Bord Bia has found that over two-thirds of people rate the use of Irish food and produce as being important when eating out. The survey was taken out before the ‘horse burgers’ scandal, though Bord Bia said it had commissioned consumer research in the UK and Ireland to gauge how the public had reacted to that controversy.
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I’ve been to Christania. It’s a kip and rife with crime and druggies. If ever there was an argument against allowing stoners to have their own community this it. There was a police officer shot dead there in 2016 that prompted a rethink. It is a failed experiment and will probably die a slow death gentrified by Google or something like that. The rest of Copenhagen was enchanting though. This city has one of the lowest crime rates in Europe, great beer and cars are banned from the city centre making it very people friendly. Large but beautiful buildings allow many to live in the heart of the city.
@Sean: You do realise, dealers that lost business are the people causing the hassle in Christiania? They’re trying to push people back onto the street dealers. The Christiania rules mention ‘no gang colours’ or weapons etc The Christiania sellers took it upon themselves to shutdown after that happened.
I was in Christiania for months. Didn’t miss a day! It’s a wonderful example of how a self sustaining community can thrive.
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