Every morning, TheJournal.ie brings you nine things you really need to know by 9am.
1. #FUNERAL: The Taoiseach Enda Kenny is travelling to the north for the funeral of Ronan Kerr, which will also be attended by representatives of both sides of the political divide. The funeral is taking place at midday in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Beragh, Co Tyrone.
2. #HOLIDAY PACKAGES: The government is to review holiday entitlements for all staff across the public service – the move comes after yesterday’s revelation that some senior staff in local authorities have 42 days leave each year, the Irish Times reports.
3. #CORRIB PROTESTERS: The female protesters at the centre of the garda rape joke allegations last night spoke of their “shock and horror” at the remarks allegedly made about them, the Independent reports. Both women, who are graduate students in their 20s, are active environmental campaigners. One described the remarks this morning as “seriously wrong and dangerous”, the Mail adds.
4. #TV LICENCE: The government may introduce a household charge to replace the TV licence fee, which would take account of those using computers and mobile phones for television viewing. Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte told the Dáil that young people are not necessarily at all accesssing television through their television set”.
5. #DISGRUNTLED: The checkout girl who accidentally issued a €9 winning ticket that won a €500,000 prize Euromillions jackpot is to take legal action against Tesco after claiming the prize belongs to her – despite never having paid for the ticket, the Irish Daily Star exclusively reports.
6. #BERLUSCONI: The trial of Silvio Berlusconi on charges of having sex with an underage prostitute gets underway in Italy today.
7. #CHILD BIRTH: Police in the Netherlands have arrested the 52-year-old father of a 12-year-old child who gave birth on a school trip last month.
8. #BIN LADEN: The former US president George W Bush invited the son of Osama Bin Laden to the White House, it’s reported in the Daily Telegraph today.
9. #HARMONY: Scientists have uncovered the key to domestic harmony: have two daughters. By contrast, doubling the number of daughters leads to a world of pain, they warned. But going from two sons to three or four didn’t seem to make much difference to the parents’ ability to cope with life.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say