Every evening, TheJournal.ie brings you a round-up of the day’s biggest news stories, as well as the bits and pieces you may have missed.

• US President Barack Obama said today that he wanted to see Muammar Gaddafi step down from power. However, he claimed that any air strike action was to protect civilians – a claim echoed by the US general Carter Ham who says his mission is not to attack Gaddafi. The multinational coalition enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya is also claiming it is a humanitarian mission, and not to give backing to the anti-Gaddafi rebels. Got that?
• The first bill to be published by new Justice Minister Alan Shatter wants to encourage judges to hand down community service orders as an alternative to prison sentences under one year.
• Civil servants will also, ahem, ‘serve’ no more time at their desks than tradition would dictate. Government proposals to reduce the number of “privilege days” that civil servants are allowed to take have been rejected by an arbitration board.
• The Irish Mail on Sunday and the receiver of the recently-demised Sunday Tribune have been locking horns at the Commercial Court. The Mail’s “special edition” wrapround cover on February 6 didn’t fool readers into thinking it was actually the Tribune – so the Mail’s legal eagle told the court today.
• The nominations for the Seanad closed today. Confused about who’s running – or indeed, how they are elected? Read our rundown here.
• Smoking may be the leading cause of preventable death in Ireland – but four out of five smokers want to quit. Saying that, another survey which popped into TheJournal.ie‘s postbox today says that the Irish public is worried by the capacity of dodgy pocket lighters “to kill and maim”. The survey was conducted on behalf of BIC, who make lighters. Safety ones.
• Thinking of heading to Florida for your hols? It’s a dump, literally – ScienceDaily has published a report that claims ancient trash left by humans more than 5,000 years ago formed the basis of the ecological paradise of Florida Everglades’ tree islands.
• Scientists and engineers are still struggling to deal with Fukushima nuclear plant and humanitarian efforts continue for those struck by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. On the most basic level of being awestruck by the power of nature, this video caught our eye today. It shows the footpaths and grassy verges of Central Park in Tokyo literally moving and cracking open under one observer’s feet. View here>

[caption id="attachment_107590" align="alignnone" width="389" caption="Parallel lines no longer exist on this section of tsunami-hit railway track in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)"][/caption]

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can make sure we can keep reliable, meaningful news open to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.

Support us Learn More