EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you the nine stories you need to know as you kick off your day.
1. #LOWRY: Gardaí are examining tapes of a phone conversation involving Independent TD Michael Lowry in which he discusses payments made to a land agent. A transcript of the tapes first appeared in the Sunday Independent last month and the conversation was played in full on TV3′s The Vincent Browne Show last night. Michael Lowry denies any wrong-doing.
2. #ARREST: A man has been arrested for wasting police time over the alleged abduction of property developer Kevin McGeever. McGeever, who had been missing for eight months, was found on a Leitrim road in January in a dishevelled state, amid reports that he had been kidnapped.
3. #PRIORY HALL: The Minister for Housing Jan O’Sullivan has said it is likely that other housing estates have been built which have similar problems to the doomed Priory Hall development. In an interview with TheJournal.ie, the Minister of State said the ex-residents of the Donaghmede complex are “in a dreadful situation”.
4. #CROKE PARK 2: Nurses will see their wages drop by 11 per cent under the new Croke Park agreement, while firefighters will see a fall of 3 per cent and Garda pay will decrease by 5 per cent, according to a study carried out by consulting actuaries. The INMO has called for the agreement to be rejected by its members.
5. #RESTRAINTS: Physical restraints were used more than 3,000 times in one year on patients in mental health facilities around Ireland, according to new figures released by the Mental Health Commission.
6. #IL PAPA: Pope Francis brushed off years of tradition and formality on his first day as head of the Roman Catholic Church by delivering a mass in Italian rather than Latin, paying his own hotel bill, and carrying his own luggage at a Vatican hotel.
7. #IRAQ WAR: Men who served in the Iraq war for the UK are almost three times more likely to commit a violent offence than their civilian counterparts, according to a major study carried out by The Lancet to mark the 10th anniversary of the invasion.
8. #SAMSUNG: The much-hyped Samsung Galaxy S4 phone, which is seen as a major rival to Apple’s iPhone, has been unveiled – and includes a feature which allows users to control the device with their eyes.
9. #HOOKYLICIOUS: We’re not sure if you’re ready for this jelly, to be honest, but this has to be seen. George Hook, doing the Harlem Shake, thrusting slowly at the camera. You’re welcome.
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