EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you the nine stories you need to know as you kick off your day.
1. #FANNYGATE: Senator David Norris has been sharply criticised for his comments that Fine Gael TD Regina Doherty was “talking through her fanny” during a debate about the abolition of the Seanad. Doherty is to make a formal complaint to the leader of the Seanad about the remarks.
2. #NORTHERN IRELAND: At least one pipe bomb was thrown at police in Belfast last night during the fourth consecutive night of violent protests in the city. The PSNI said it was “extremely fortunate” that no police office had been injured in the attack and urged community leaders to use their influence to ensure calm in the area.
3. #MAGDALENES: The four Catholic orders which ran the Magdalene laundries will not give money to the fund set up to compensate survivors of the institutions, the Irish Times reports. The orders have said they will instead assist in providing other things to the women, such as access to records and accommodation for the former residents who remain in their care.
4. #BANKERS: Twenty-one bankers in Ireland were paid at least €1 million in 2011, according to data published by the European Banking Authority. The report, which found that Ireland’s figures compare fairly favourably with other EU countries, said 14 of the 21 were working in investment banking.
5. #HORSEMEAT: Irish authorities are currently pursuing one prosecution in relation to the horsemeat scandal, Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney has confirmed. The company in question is accused of putting false labels on products.
6. #ABORTION: Two Fine Gael Senators – Fidelma Healy Eames and Lucinda Creighton’s husband Paul Bradford – look likely to lose the party whip when the Seanad has its first vote on the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill later today.
7. #STRIKE: Workers in Greece are holding a general strike today in protest against new austerity measures imposed by the government. The strike is expected to shut down public services, slow down hospitals and disrupt domestic flights, AFP reports.
8. #CARTEL: The head of the notorious and brutal Zetas drug cartel in Mexico which is responsible for a large number of killings in recent years has been captured close to the US border, the Mexican government has confirmed.
9. #MONSIEUR BONO: U2 frontman Bono is set to be awarded France’s highest cultural honour this evening when he will be made a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters at a ceremony in Paris. Bonne chance…
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