EACH DAY, TheJournal.ie brings you nine things you should know with your morning cup of coffee.
1. #PRIVACY: In an exclusive report, the Guardian has revealed that the National Security Agency in the US obtained a secret court order in April to collect the telephone records of millions of Verizon customers. There has been no comment, as yet, from the Obama administration.
2. #MISTAKE: The IMF has admitted that it was guilty of significant failures in the first Greek bailout that left the country in a deep recession. However, its report also placed blame on the European partners, as well as Athens itself.
3. #CHILDREN: The establishment of the long-awaited Child and Family Support Agency has been delayed by a row over the transfer of psychologists, the Irish Times has learned. The body will be responsible for child welfare and protection but Psychology Services Ireland argues that transferring its members will sabotage progress made in primary care.
4. #FUNDRAISING: Donations by businesses to Irish charities fell by more than a quarter to €1.2 million last Christmas, Fundraising Ireland has revealed this morning. Generosity from the general public held up stronger, with just a 4.3 per cent drop noted.
5. #RACISM: Following the discovery of anti-Semitic messages on the shell of the planned Anglo HQ in Dublin yesterday, the Immigrant Council of Ireland said it has noted an increase in hate speech and racist messages appearing across the city in recent days.
6. #KATE FITZGERALD: An inquest has heard that there was no third-party involvement in the death of PR consultant Kate Fitzgerald, the Irish Independent reports. State pathologist Marie Cassidy said the post-mortem findings were “completely typical” of death by hanging.
7. #REFERENDUM: “Do we need two chambers in government in Ireland?” That was a question posed by Minister Simon Coveney this morning as he discussed the upcoming referendum on the proposed abolition of the Seanad. His emphatic answer was ‘no’, stating that “we are now moving toward the norm internationally”. However, today’s papers report that a number of Labour TDs have vowed to fight to save the Senate.
8. #PRO-LIFE: Founder of Libertas Declan Ganley told TheJournal.ie that he has organised a public meeting to discuss “alternatives to the current status quo in Irish political thinking” on a range of issues from economics to abortion.
9. #MIRACLE: In some good news this morning, a Bangladeshi survivor who was trapped for 17 days in the devastating building collapse last month has been discharged from hospital. The 18-year-old told reporters she felt “great” and was looking forward to starting a new job at a luxury hotel.
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