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EVERY EVENING,TheJournal.ie brings you a roundup of the day’s main news – plus any bits and pieces you may have missed…
- Cork has been officially ranked as a “healthy city” by the World Health Organisation, joining Belfast, Galway and Waterford among the Irish cities which have been accepted to the network. Only 90 cities world wide are members of the Healthy Cities programme.
- The European Central Bank has declined to comment on comments by Transport Minister Leo Varadkar today, but has affirmed its stance regarding the Irish government’s repayment of unsecured bank bonds – arguing that failure to repay them will have major impacts on the “credibility” of the Irish financial sector.
- A group of Irish bishops have rejected Michael Noonan’s controversial claim that emigration is a ‘lifestyle choice’ for young people, saying many are being forced to leave the country “because of circumstances outside of their control”.
- No “active infection” now remains at the Belfast neo-natal unit where three babies from a bacterial outbreak, according to authorities at the city’s Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital. All of the babies in the unit have now been screened for the pseudonomas bacteria. Although five have been found to still be carrying the infection, it is not active.
- Four alleged militants have been killed following the first suspected US drone attack in Pakistan in more than two months. The US has held off on drone attacks for almost two months after American airstrikes killed 24 Pakistani solders in November, provoking fury in the country.
- At least four people are believed to have died following the reported “seizure” of the Libyan city of Bani Walid by those still loyal to late leader Muammar Gaddafi.
- The founder of one of the world’s largest file-sharing websites, MegaUpload.com, is to remain in jail in New Zealand until his bail request is heard in a few day’s time. Three days ago, the the US Department of Justice and the FBI shut down the site and its subsidiary site accusing several of the individuals and entities involved in the operation of a number of crimes, including conspiracy to commit racketeering, copyright infringement and money laundering, as well as criminal copyright infringement.
- Italian authorities have recovered two more bodies on board the stricken cruise ship Costa Concordia, bringing the confirmed death toll to 15. Seventeen people remain unaccounted for. However, concerns were raised over the weekend that the ship may have been carrying ‘clandestine’ passengers on board who were not counted in the official passenger list.
‘Tropicana Sun’ a public art installation designed and built by artistic collective, Greyworld, is unveiled in Trafalgar Square, London. The installation which has taken six months to create is 30,000 times bigger than a football, has a surface area of 200m2 and weighs over 2,500kgs. Its internal core will produce 4-million lumens of light, the equivalent of 60,000 light bulbs, London, Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Jonathan Short)
- The first humpback whale of the year has been spotted off the Wexford coast by a group of fortunate whale-watchers close to Hook Head today. See photos here.
- No, you’re not going mad: some Simpsons-jaded continuity announcers on Channel 4 have recently been deliberately mispronouncing the name of the TV show – with such gems as “The Crimpsons”, “The Rumpelstiltskins” and (our favourite) “The Skiddlybiddledoowhopadomsons” making appearances… much to the confusion of unsuspecting audiences.
- Irish actor Fionnuala Flanagan is to be honoured at next month’s Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTAs) for her 50-year career, it has been revealed.
- Happy New Year China! Check out photos and video of celebrations to usher in the Year of the Dragon from across the globe.
- Heidi Klum and Seal have announced that they are to split after seven years of marriage. In a statement, they said: “We have had the deepest respect for one another throughout our relationship and continue to love each other very much, but we have grown apart.
Even if you’re not a fan of Downton Abbey, you should enjoy this…
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