EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you the nine stories you need to know before your morning coffee.
1. #SHOOTING: Gardaí are continuing the investigation into the shooting of 16-year-old Melanie McCarthy McNamara in Dublin on Tuesday night amid reports that the weapon used in her shooting has been recovered. Gardaí believe that the teenager may not have been the intended victim of the attack.
2. #PROPERTY: The number of properties available to rent nationwide has hit its lowest level in more than three years according to the latest quarterly report from Daft.ie. Commenting on the report findings Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton has said that the recent review of rent supplement levels has had a “positive impact” on people working and renting.
3. #FINANCE BILL: Opposition parties have heavily criticised a measure in the Finance Bill to introduce tax exemptions for wealthy foreign executives who come to work in Ireland. Meanwhile the Bill also contained some more unusual measures – involving bread, Islamic finance and cricket – which you can read about here.
4. #BARRACKS: The Defence Forces are looking to rent new bases in all four of the towns where barracks were controversially closed in recent months. The Department of Defence yesterday published ads in local papers looking for properties to rent in Cavan, Mullingar, Castlebar and Clonmel, all of which are already home to State-owned barracks slated for closure.
5. #GREECE: Greek leaders will travel to Brussels today for a meeting with eurozone finance ministers to try and rescue a €130 billion bailout deal needed to save the country from bankruptcy. The coalition party leaders met for crisis talks for more than seven hours yesterday but failed to reach an agreement over the austerity package.
6. #GREEN JERSEY: Former US president Bill Clinton will urge major business and economic leaders to invest in Ireland at an event in New York later today. Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore and Jobs Minister Richard Bruton will all attend the event.
7. #SYRIA: The head of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon has said that the UN’s failure to agree a resolution on Syria is “disastrous” for the country’s people. There have been high casualties in Homs over the past five days as the Syrian government has led a sustained attack on the city.
8. #CHILD ABUSE The Catholic Church in Ireland has hit back at claims that victims of child sex abuse did not receive enough support after coming forward. Church authorities say that there is “ongoing outreach” and highlighted the compensation which has been paid to abuse survivors.
9. #BOY WONDER A 12-year-old American boy saved his gran’s house from being seized by the bank by raising more than €10,500 for her on his website after she had fallen behind on her mortgage. Aw.
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