Every morning, TheJournal.ie brings you nine things you really, really need to know as you start your day.
1. #GE11: A new Millward Brown Lansdowne poll in the Independent this morning suggests that support for Fine Gael has dropped to 30 per cent, while Sinn Féin support has risen. Enda Kenny is still ahead to become next Taoiseach as the second-most popular party, Labour, sits at 24%.
2. #EGYPT: A defiant President Mubarak addressed his country last night, refusing to step down from office until after an election later this year. Further protests are expected for a ninth day, today. RTÉ reports that a group of Irish tourists staying at an Egyptian resort and several Irish citizens who live in Egypt are expected to fly back to Ireland today.
3. #QUEENSLAND: A powerful cyclone heading for Australia’s northeastern coast has been upgraded to a category 5 storm. State Premier Anna Bligh said the region was in for “24 hours of terrifying winds” and urged people to prepare for it “mentally as much as anything else”, ABC News reports.
4. #AER LINGUS: The dispute between management and cabin crew over the introduction of new rosters continues today. Talks are due to resume at the LRC today, although more flights have been cancelled.
5. #GE11: Brian Cowen’s brother Barry, a councillor on Offaly County Council, has been selected as one of Fianna Fáil’s three candidates to run for the Laois/Offaly constituency in the general election.
6. #GENDER BALANCE: A new report from the CSO shows that women in Ireland have a higher life expectancy than men, but earn about 90% of men’s wages. More men emigrate, are in prison and leave school early than women.
7. #HEALTH: Nurses unions are threatening that their members will strike if plans to cut trainee nurses’ wages go ahead, the Irish Daily Mail reports. The health service plans to phase out trainee wages over the next few years.
8. #SHOOTING: A woman was shot and injured in her lower back yesterday evening in Bray, Co Wicklow. Her injuries are not thought to be life-threatening, and gardaí are appealing to anyone with information regarding the shooting to contact them.
9. #DATING GAME: US researchers say they have discovered a link between how couples speak and the length of their relationship, Reuters reports. They say that couple whose conversational styles are in sync are nearly four times more likely to want to see each other again.
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