EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you nine things you should know with your morning coffee.
1. #HOUSEHOLD CHARGE: The proposal passed all stages in the Dáil last night – however later today a group of opposition TDs will hold a press conference outlining plans for a nationwide campaign urging householders to boycott the government’s plans. The Government plans to apply the €100 annual charge for two years and then introduce a property tax.
2. #IMF: The International Monetary Fund has approved the latest €3.9bn tranche of bailout loans, following official inspections in October. The IMF has already released around €9.15 billion in loans to Ireland since the bailout programme was agreed late last year.
3. #ARRESTS: Four men have been arrested for conspiracy to rob a commercial premises in Greystones. The men were arrested yesterday morning, and baseball bats and hatchets were also recovered during the operation involving gardaí from the Organised Crime Unit and a number of national units.
4. #NAMA: The National Assets Management Agency is hiring up to ten private investigators to search for any hidden cash deposits or assets of Ireland’s most prominent developers, the Belfast Telegraph reports.
5. #FISHING QUOTAS: Fishing groups have called on the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Simon Coveney to secure a good deal on catch quotas for the coming year at the annual EU Fisheries Council today – in particular they’re pushing for a zero quota on cod catches due to the severe depletion of local stocks.
6. #ZEITGEIST: Google’s Zetgeist has revealed the most popular searches of 2011: among Ireland’s most-searched terms were Pippa Middleton, eBay, iPad, Adele, Sickipedia, GAA Fixtures 2011, Orlando and Donedeal. The study showed that most Irish people access websites using the Google search function rather than the address bar.
7. #RUSSIA: Two men have been killed after a fire broke out on an atomic-powered icebreaker in Siberian waters. An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the blaze, but authorities say there is no damage to the vessel’s reactor and that there is no radiation leak.
8. #INDIA: A toxic batch of alcohol has killed more than 100 people in eastern India. Four people have been arrested in connection with illegally brewing and distributing the alcohol, which authorities believe may have been laced with methanol.
9. #MR RIGHT: Doesn’t exist – according to three in four women, who see their partner as just 69 per cent perfect. Watching too much sport and a lack of grooming were high on the list of criticisms from wives and girlfriends, the Telegraph reports.
Still, there’s a lot to be said for personal magnetism – just ask Etibar Elchyev…
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