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GOOD MORNING
The 9 at 9
Good morning. Here are the nine stories you need to know this morning.
EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you the nine stories you need to know with your morning coffee.
1. #MORNING AFTER: Around 190,000 homes and businesses are still without power this morning in the wake of the massive storm which hit Ireland yesterday. ESB Networks has said it will be late this evening before power is restored to most customers and some may be without supply for days.
2. #STORMAGEDDON: Separately, Gardaí have warned people to take extra care this morning as road conditions are hazardous throughout the country. Local authority crews have been out clearing trees and other fallen debris from the roads.
3. #SURVEILLANCE: Justice Minister Alan Shatter has been asked to address an Oireachtas committee about ‘grave concerns’ over the alleged surveillance of the Garda Ombudsman offices.
4. #CORK: The Coast Guard is to inspect conditions in West Cork this morning before deciding if it is safe to resume the search for a Dutch man missing for five days. The body of the man’s companion was found on Monday after the two failed to return after a walk on Saturday afternoon.
5. #TRAGEDY: A post mortem on DCU student Patrick Halpin, who was found dead in London last week, has failed to determine the cause of his death, according to the Irish Times. The funeral of the 18-year-old will take place in Galway on Sunday.
6. #NOT HAPPENING: The Irish-American mayor of Boston is following the lead of the New York City mayor and says he won’t take part in the city’s St Patrick’s Day parade unless it changes its attitudes towards gay groups.
7. #BANKING: KBC Bank Ireland lost €864 million last year but says it is on track to return to profit by 2016, according to figures released this morning. The bank says it plans to create 200 new jobs this year.
8. #TENSIONS: Afghanistan has released 65 alleged Taliban fighters from a high security detention centre in a move condemned by the US as “deeply regrettable,” the BBC reports.
9. #SUPERGONE: It’s the end of an era in Irish shopping today as SuperQuinn stores across the country will officially change their name to SuperValu as the two well-known brands are combined. SuperValu has reassured customers that the famous sausages are safe and will continue to be sold.
