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GOOD MORNING
The 9 at 9 Nine things you need to know at 9am: Men in court over republicanism and Dublin assaults, Brian Lenihan says we were forced into the bailout, and Lindsay Lohan’s about to lay low…
Every day, TheJournal.ie brings you nine things you really need to know as you start your day.
1. #ASSAULT: Two men are due in court this morning in connection with yesterday morning’s attack on a Romanian man on Dublin’s North Circular Road, in which the man’s arm was almost totally severed at the shoulder. The man remains in hospital.
2. #TERRORISM: A 33-year-old man is due in court in Dungannon, meanwhile, after being arrested yesterday in connection with the investigation into the death of PSNI constable Ronan Kerr. The man, from Omagh, has been charged with possession of explosives and firearms. Three others have been arrested as part of an investigation into dissident republicanism in South Armagh, and PSNI officers have asked for vigilance over the weekend.
3. #BAILOUT: Former finance minister Brian Lenihan has told the Irish Times that Ireland was forced into accepting its bailout by the European Central Bank – and that the Frankfurt bank “betrayed” Ireland in briefing against it.
4. #PENSIONS: Some of the most senior figures involved in the Irish banking collapse are earning hundreds of thousands in pensions – with the Irish Independent reporting that former governor of the Central Bank Patrick Neary, whose institution was condemned in the Nyberg Report, receiving €630,000 every year.
5. #OIL: Ireland is about to begin an obsession with a new black stuff, the Irish Examiner reports: this summer exploration companies will begin a drive to recover up to $1 trillion (that’s €690bn) worth of oil off our shores.
6. #NOT SO INNOCENT: The Vatican is relocating the remains of Pope Innocent XI from a chapel at the entrance to St Peter’s Basilica, to make room for the soon-to-be-beatified Pope John Paul II. Some Italian scholars believe it’s because Innocent was apparently complicit in William of Orange taking the throne – ending Catholic rule in Ireland and Britain.
7. #GERRY RYAN: The last person to see the late broadcaster Gerry Ryan alive says he’s experienced enough to know when someone has been taking drugs – and is adamant in today’s Irish Daily Mail that Ryan was not “on anything” the night before he died.
8. #WESTSTRIFE: Westlife’s Kian Egan has claimed his Twitter account was hacked – after apparently revealing on the microblogging site that he was leaving the band to concentrate on managing the band of his wife, Jodi Albert. Albert tweeted to retract Egan’s “statement” – after which Egan’s account, hitherto legitimate, was deleted.
9. #LILO LAYING LOW: Lindsay Lohan has been sentenced to 120 days in prison for violating the terms of her probation following a drink-driving conviction in 2007. She remains free on bail, however, pending an appeal.
