EVERY DAY, TheJournal.ie brings you nine things you need to know with your morning cup of coffee.
1. #DEATH: A four-year-old boy has died after an accident at the National Aquatic Centre in Dublin yesterday evening. The boy was taken to Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown where he was pronounced dead last night. An investigation is underway.
2. #PARAIC CASEY: A post mortem is due to be carried out on the body of the Irishman who died while attempting to swim the English Channel. Paraic Casey was reportedly just a kilometre from the the coast of France when he fell ill yesterday morning. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital in Calais. He had been swimming to raise funds for St Vincent de Paul and St Patrick’s Marymount Hospice in Cork.
3. #ABORTION: Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has said that he “remains to be convinced” of the need for legislation following the X case ruling on abortion 20 years ago. Martin told the Irish Examiner that his party’s stance on abortion has not changed and that it believes in the right to life. His comments come as the Pro Life Campaign challenged remarks made by junior health minister Kathleen Lynch yesterday that the government would have no choice but to legislate for abortion in certain circumstances when an expert review group reports on the issue in September.
4. #CHILD BENEFIT: The government has yet to make a decision on whether or not to tax child benefit in December’s budget following remarks by the Social Protection Minister yesterday that people earning over €100,000 should pay tax on the child benefit they receive. Burton told the Sunday Times that the proposal has been discussed by an advisory group and the Revenue but the government says that no decision has been taken.
5. #SYRIA: Forces loyal to embattled Syrian leader Bashar Assad have hit back at rebels in the cities of Damascus and Aleppo. Following significant gains by the Free Syrian Army last week including taking a number of border crossings close to Turkey and Iraq and killing four members of Assad’s inner circle, government forces have been striking back in a bid to clear rebels from the capital Damascus, BBC News reports.
6. #COLORADO: US President Barack Obama has met with survivors and families of victims of the attack on the cinema in Aurora, Colorado which left 12 people dead and dozens injured. Obama said that he shared hugs and tears with the families and said the entire country is with the community. Meanwhile, the man arrested in connection with Friday’s shooting, 24-year-old James Holmes, is due in court later today.
7. #NOT SORRY: The owner of the school that refused to enrol a teenage girl because she was pregnant has defended his decision. The former principal of the school in Tipperary has told the Irish Independent that he has received universal support for his decision not to enrol the girl at the school in his first public comments since the Children’s Ombudsman said the school had discriminated against the 16-year-old.
8. #SEANAD: Six former members of the Seanad including former minister Mary O’Rourke and renowned former civil servant TK Whitaker have signed a letter in today’s Irish Times urging that the upper house be reformed rather than abolished as the government has committed to doing by way of holding a referendum. The letter was written at the urging of an informal group that is looking to set up a campaign to save the Seanad. The group includes former justice minister Michael McDowell and current senators Feargal Quinn and Katherine Zappone.
9. #OUCH: Bob Geldof might have an extra reason not to like Mondays today when he hears that his daughter Peaches has decided that he cannot perform at her upcoming wedding to Thomas Cohen. The Telegraph reports that the 23-year-old daughter of the Irish musician and activist has instead opted for a pre-approved playlist from a DJ saying it would “put a weird Freudian spin” on the event were ‘Sir Bob’ allowed to play.
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