Every morning, TheJournal.ie brings you nine things you really need to know by 9am.
1. #WASHINGTON: Taoiseach Enda Kenny is due to meet US President Barack Obama in Washington today as part of the St Patrick’s Day festivities.
2. #ST PATRICK’S DAY: Gardaí are warning motorists to expect major delays as the St Patrick’s celebrations take place across the country, check AA Roadwatch for details and updates for different areas. (And don’t forget your weekend guide to the festivities.)
3. #HOUSE PRICES: The price of housing could fall by 13.4 per this year – and a further 14.4 per cent in 2012 – before recovering in the following year, according to a scenario created by Central Bank stress tests, the Irish Times reports.
4. #STATE ASSETS: Following a meeting between Michael Noonan and Brendan Howlin with the IMF, ECB and European Commission yesterday, Ireland has been given the go-ahead to sell off state assets with a view to use the proceeds to stimulate employment, reports the Irish Independent.
5. #ATHLONE: An 86-year-old man has died after being hit by a tractor in Athlone town yesterday, shortly after 3pm.The victim has not yet been formally identified.
6. #CORK DEATH: The man who died while cleaning a septic tank in Cork yesterday has been named as 27-year-old Kenneth Murphy from Aldergrove, Belgooly, reports the Irish Examiner. His co-worker Finbarr Ahern was hospitalised as a result of the incident. Two separate investigations by the gardaí and the Health & Safety Authority are underway.
7. #HEALTH: The implementation of the HSE’s reform programme, which included controversial cuts to services in smaller hospitals, is to be put on hold pending a review by the new Minister for Health Dr James Reilly. He said that there would be “no withdrawal of services anywhere within the hospital sector until such time as we’ve had the opportunity to review it and the implications in each individual case”, reports the Irish Examiner.
8. #JAPAN: Military helicopters have been dumping loads of seawater onto Japan’s stricken nuclear complex this morning, in an attempt to cool overheated uranium fuel that could potentially release more radiation, reports the Associated Press.
9. #NATE DOGG: US hip-hop singer Nate Dogg has died at the age of 41 as a result of complications from two strokes he suffered recently. MTV reports Nate Dogg, real name Nathaniel Hale, collaborated with other hip-hop giants such as Snoop Dogg, Warren G, Eminem, Dr Dre, 50 Cent and Ludacris.
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