EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you the nine things you need to know as you start your day…#
1. #GREECE: It’s finally wrapped up: after 13 hours of talks in Brussels, eurozone finance ministers finally signed off on a €130 billion bailout for Greece, which will ensure the country does not default next month. Part of the deal also means Greece will be given some cash in a reserved account which can only be used to pay back its debt.
2. #ASSAULT: The 25-year-old man who was injured in an early-morning assault on Sunday morning has died from his injuries. James Tynan was pronounced dead in hospital in Clonmel yesterday evening. A file on a 22-year-old man is being prepared for the DPP.
3. #WAITING LISTS: A new HSE report has shown that over 11,600 people were waiting more than six months for hospital treatment at the end of December – a major surge on the figures from December 2010. The news comes as the health services prepare for the impact of staff retirements.
4. #ONE YEAR IN: Former Fianna Fáil deputy leader Mary O’Rourke has blasted the members of the current Dáil, saying they are “not very bright or intelligent”. In an exclusive interview with TheJournal.ie marking a year since the general election, O’Rourke says of the new goverbment: “They said they were going to do everything and now they are doing nothing. I don’t think much of them.”
5. #VISIT: Michael D Higgins will undertake his first official overseas visit as President today when he heads for London. His two-day visit will include visits to Olympic Park, and see him meet Irish expatriates at the Camden Irish Centre.
6. #TOURISM: Some of the world’s best-known tourist landmarks – including, for the first time, Niagara Falls – will be turning green on March 17 as part of a worldwide tourism drive. Tourism Ireland will also be illuminating the Empire State Building in New York, the Auckland Sky Tower, and the TV tower at Alexanderplatz in Berlin to mark St Patrick’s Day.
7. #NOT-SO-SUMMER OLYMPICS: Qatar has confirmed it wants to have a go at hosting the 2020 Olympic Games, two years before it’s set to hold the FIFA World Cup. The Summer games wouldn’t be so summery though: Qatar says it would hold the games in October to help avoid the searing heat.
8. #DOLPHIN RIGHTS: A group of philosophers has launched a campaign to have dolphins legally classified as non-human “persons” because of their level of intelligence. PA reports that the ‘Declaration of Rights for Cetaceans’ would mean an end to keeping dolphins, and whales, in captivity for entertainment.
9. #PANCAKES: It’s Shrove Tuesday, which means that (as with every other day, when you think about it) it’s time for the world to collectively indulge in its quiet love for pancakes. We’ve pulled together a few videos to help you perfect the art of the perfect pancake. Now flip off…
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say