EVERY DAY, TheJournal.ie brings you nine things you need to know with your morning cup of coffee.
1. #CORK Four men have been arrested in connection with a foiled armed robbery in east Cork. The arrests occurred after an air and ground search in the Glounthane area of the city.
2. #PENSIONS Fine Gael ministers are “furious” with Social Protection Minister Joan Burton over what they say is her “scaremongering” over a cut to the old-age pension in this year’s Budget, the Irish Independent says. Reports yesterday said that a cut could be imminent, but a spokesperson for the Taoiseach Enda Kenny told the paper that the matter “isn’t even on the table”.
3. #PERU The family of Michaella McCollum Connolly are waiting to find out if she will face trial in connection with drugs charges. Her family told the Herald that “this is a normal family – this is not a normal situation” and spoke of their concerns about the situation she is in.
4. #FUNERALS The Bishop of Meath, Dr Michael Smith, has banned families from giving eulogies during funeral Masses, according to the Daily Mail. It says that poems or playing of secular songs is also banned under a directive from the bishop.
5. #MARCHES The Police Federation has called for a ban on all contentious parades in Northern Ireland for the next six months, says The Irish News. Meanwhile, the Parades Commission chairman described the weekend’s rioting in Belfast as “scenes of unwarranted lawlessness”, and said the PSNI handled it in a “courageous” manner.
6. #UNIVERSITY A new study looking at which universities are the world’s best at attracting funding from business puts Ireland right at the bottom of the ranking (30th place). It says that the average value per researcher from Ireland is $8,300, compared to $97,900 for a researcher from Republic of Korea.
7. #TRAINING The Department of Agriculture spent €750,000 on training for staff between September last year and June this year – including €12,000 on courses entitled ‘Negotiation Skills’. They also spent €29,142 on teas and coffees and facility hire, while travel and subsistence costs for the training came to €198,540.
8. #SNOWDEN The father of Edward Snowden, Lon Snowden, has obtained a visa to visit his son in Russia, according to the family lawyer. He is due to visit Russia soon, but his attorney Bruce Fein said that they will not discuss the date. Snowden is wanted in the United States for espionage.
9. #COMPUTERS Two Dutch orthopaedic specialists have identified a condition they are calling ‘Gameboy back’, the Irish Times reports. They say this is a curvature of the spine affecting young people who spend much time playing consoles or using other handheld devices like smartphones and iPads.
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