EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you the nine stories you need to know as you kick off your day.
1. #IL PAPA: Pope Francis begins his first full day as leader of the Roman Catholic church today after being elected in an unexpectedly fast conclave last night. The 266th Pope will celebrate his first papal mass next Tuesday, with President Michael D Higgins and Finance Minister Michael Noonan attending as Ireland’s representatives. Here’s how front pages of newspapers around the world saw his election.
2. #PENALTY POINTS: Junior Minister Jan O’Sullivan has said Independent TD Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan’s behaviour over his penalty points has been “despicable and hypocritical”. In an interview with TheJournal.ie, O’Sullivan said that Flanagan should not have had his points written off – and should have refused any offers to have them removed.
3. #BACKLOG: Tallaght Hospital has said there is no risk to human safety from the backlog of around 6,000 X-rays and scans at the hospital. The hospital blamed a lack of administrative resources for the build-up and said it is working to deal with the problem.
4. #THE LEADER: Xi Jinping has been named as president of China as part of an arranged transition of power which takes place once a decade. Some 3,000 Communist Party members took part in the presidential vote which sees Xi replace Hu Jintao.
5. #CROKE PARK 2: SIPTU, the largest trade union in Ireland, is expected to say today whether it will be recommending its members accept or reject the Croke Park 2 deal.
6. #CRASH: A 9-year-old boy has been awarded €1.5 million in damages for injuries he sustained in a car crash which killed his sister and her best friend. The Irish Independent reports that the car was being driven by the mother of the best friend, who was uninsured at the time and had been banned from driving.
7. #CLOSURE: Monsoon Accessorize needs to close at least 10 of its shops around the country if it is to survive and come out of examinership. The Irish Times reports that the clothing and accessories shop, which has 18 outlets in Ireland, is to put in place a restructuring plan to try and secure its future.
8. #COCHLEAR IMPLANTS: Minister for Health James Reilly has said that providing cochlear implants for children who need them is a “high priority” for the government, following criticism from Opposition TDs over bad practice in Ireland.
9. #SPACEMAN: Chris Hadfield, the astronaut who has gained hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter by tweeting images of Earth from the International Space Station, has been named the Commander of the ISS. The Canadian told his followers that it was a “very big moment” in his life. Aw.
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