Every morning, TheJournal.ie brings you nine things you really, really need to know by 9am.
1.#BAILOUT In a hastily-convened press conference at government buildings last night, Taoiseach Brian Cowen and Finance Minister Brian Lenihan confirmed the world’s worst kept secret: Ireland is to seek a bailout from the EU/IMF.
2. #PROTESTOR: Gardai are investigating an incident in which a protestor – reported to be a Sinn Fein activist – was allegedly knocked down by a ministerial car outside government buildings. Speaking from the scene, BBC News’s Joe Lynam said the car had “hit a protestor and ran over” them. The man needed hospital treatment.
3. #RTÉ: The national broadcaster has come in for criticism over its handling of last night’s address to the nation by Taoiseach Brian Cowen. While other international media announced up to two hours beforehand that the Taoiseach was due to make a statement on the bailout, RTÉ failed to do so, continuing uninterrupted with its scheduled programming. The station was showing Fair City at the time the Taoiseach was originally due to begin his speech. RTÉ did screen the delayed press conference but was forced to cut it short, interrupting Vincent Browne midway through his questioning of Brian Cowen.
4. #CROKE PARK: Finance Minister Brian Lenihan has insisted the Croke Park deal would stand – but could only guarantee it for 12 months.
5. #CORPORATION TAX: US firms have warned the Irish government that there’ll be a “mass exodus” if the corporation tax rate is increased, the Telegraph claims.
6. #RENTS: The Daft report shows a slight increase in third quarter rents. Meanwhile the number of tenants in arrears has risen this year, prompting a 66 per cent increase in dispute cases taken to the Private Residential Tenancies Board.
7. #PRIEST: The Irish Examiner reports on a former high flying banker who has jacked it all in for life in what is perhaps the only career path more controversial than banking: the priesthood.
8. #IMF: One of the IMF officials now in Dublin, “tough guy” Ashoka Mody, was shot in the jaw outside his home by a disgruntled employee less than a year ago, the Irish Daily Star reports. He fought back “from the brink of death” the paper reports. Let’s hope he can help us do the same.
9. #BAILOUT CAN WAIT: And now for something that has nothing whatsoever to do with Ireland’s bailout, the banking sector, the property crash or the economy: a video of a kitty cat warding off the attack of an alligator. Yes, really. The small guy does occasionally come out on top.
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