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EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you the nine things you need to know with your morning coffee…
1. #MARY McALEESE: After 14 years, it’s the final day in office for Mary McAleese before Michael D Higgins is sworn in as president tomorrow. Her last public engagement will be opening a building near Christchurch Cathedral in Dublin which will provide accommodation to homeless people.
2. #EUROZONE: As the turmoil continues in the eurozone this morning, France and Germany are reportedly considering a radical overhaul of the eurozone which could include kicking some countries out of the euro. Asian markets have fallen overnight in response to the continuing uncertainty.
3. #BANKERS: Enda Kenny has spoken to the Financial Regulator after three of Ireland’s major banks – Bank of Ireland, AIB and Ulster Bank – all said that they would not be passing on the ECB interest rate cut to customers, the Irish Times reports.
4. #AIB: AIB is still raising salaries, hiring new staff and promoting existing workers, a source at the bank has confirmed to TheJournal.ie. The salary increases are viewed by management as a way of “recognising the responsibilities taken on by staff”.
5. #GAZA: Seven Irish activists, who were due to be deported from Israel following their attempt to break the blockade on Gaza, have missed their flight home today. The Department of Foreign Affairs has lodged a complaint with the Israeli authorities demanding that immediate alternative arrangements are made to get them home. The remaining seven activists are due to return home tomorrow.
6. #BUDGET 2012: Several major capital programmes are expected to be axed when the government announces its plans for capital spending for the next four years this afternoon. The Metro North, the prison at Thornton Hall, and DIT’s planned move to Grangegorman are all expected to be deferred.
7. #NAMA: Paintings seized from property developer Derek Quinlan by NAMA were last night sold at a Christie’s auction in New York to help pay off some of Quinlan’s property debts, the Irish Times reports. One artwork by Andy Warhol sold for $782,000 (approximately €573,600).
8. #CRASH AND BURN: Republican Party presidential candidate Rick Perry crashed and burned during a live televised debate last night when he couldn’t remember which agencies he wanted to abolish. Cringe. Watch the video here.
9. #BEVERLY HILLS STROP: Actor and comedian Eddie Murphy has pulled out of hosting next year’s Oscars one day after the show’s producer resigned, the New York Times reports. Director Brett Ratner, described as Murphy’s “creative partner”, stepped down on Tuesday after using a homophobic insult in an interview while promoting his new film.
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Everyone keeps saying “ohhh what if they get a missile that can reach California”…what if they do? Chinese missiles can reach anywhere in the US, Russian missiles can reach anywhere in the US, but they don’t fire them for the same reason NK won’t, because even if they got every single US air force missile base on the ground in a surprise first strike the US could just retaliate with B2′s, B-52s and Trident Subs and turn NK into a sheet of glass.
When you read up on NK and it’s geopolitics you discover they have this tendency to throw a tantrum or get aggressive when they want aid. They need aid because, contrary to what Richard Boyd Barret and Mr “im pretending to be working class even though I went to a fee paying school and earn a 6 figure income” Paul Murphy say, central economic planning and direct allocation are disasters. So why give them the money I used to wonder, why give into their tantrums, everyone is afraid if the aids totally cut off NK will collapse, nobody wants that.
China does not want it because it = floods of refugees, SK does not want it for same reason. The US does not want it because it means some nukes will go missing that might not be seen again until some NK general makes a fortune selling them to a Saudi prince that gives them to ISIS and next time they’re seen it’s a bright flash in DC or NY or London. They’re not gonna actually fire those missiles, they play insane but they’re not actually insane.
@Ryan Carroll:Makes sense and nice to read an informed comment rather than just making noise for the sake of making a comment but not actually having anything to add to the debate
@Ryan Carroll: fair post, but you refer to NK as “they” isn’t it really just one guy. If he has a melt down on any given day then everyone else does what he says, even though it may mean armageddon
Basically. Whatever your politics, you’d be stupid to believe that the North Korean administration is completely irrational – they don’t want a nuclear war any more than anyone else. But they’ve been living with the threat of an American-backed invasion for 60-odd years, so they’ve made a bit of military grandstanding a central part of their foreign policy. You might argue it’s not the best strategy for bringing the Korean conflict to a permanent resolution but it seems to be keeping them on the map so far.
@Neville Bartos: they might have a hereditary head of state but it’s hard to know how much of an autocrat KJU really is. I suspect he’d have a difficult time declaring war without the support of his generals, for instance.
@Ryan Carroll: To address what you said about giving NK aid, the reason it’s kept going is because the UN don’t want another Korean famine like we saw in the 90s when millions died. That’s why UN food aid will keep coming despite their military aggression.
In fact, the NK regime has been using nuclear tests as a weapon of blackmail in order to force the UN into giving them aid. As you mention, their economy is a shambles, so the only way everyone in the country doesn’t starve is if they threaten and loudmouth their way to humanitarian aid.
@Ryan Carroll: tbh I clicked on thinking this was another story about Bray Wanderers
@Ryan Carroll: what are you basing this input on? How do you know NK won’t launch? You can’t compare China to NK.
Sigh. Not very Christian.
@Ryan Carroll: the US probably does want this because a fall of NK means the US are right on the Chinese border destabilising the whole region the same way it’s doing in the Middle East
@Jesus Christ: Hey man, thanks for saving Microsoft Paint. I’ve started the ministry like I promised, mostly just preaching to the junkies outside the office. I have a sweet dog collar and shirt ordered, when it comes I’ll step things up a notch and start a weekly mass.
If there is one thing we’ve learned over the years is north Korea could not give a fiddlers about sanctions.
How many missiles have the USA n others not jus tested bit dropped on other countries?? The US are the only country to use nuclear weapons on civilian targets…North korea have never been involved in a war since the korean war…the US used chemical weapons in Vietnam…the US n UK have illegally invaded and destroyed countries all over the world for years…there is more to fear from so called western countries than anything else in this world…
@Robbie Moles: don’t forget the fact that the US killed 20% of the North Korean population only a few decades ago in a civilian targeted bombing campaign by flattening every settlement area bigger than a small village. And yet you still get idiots that think the North Koreans hate the west because of propaganda.
Tick-Tock Tick-Tock
@Nick Allen: it’s looking ominous something is going too break out any day
@ColmD:
Yes, you would expect something to happen alright. Kim is a nut job and so is the Don which makes it very worrying.
I think it’s very clear that North Korea doesn’t care about any sanctions, I’m sure the orange man on twitter will inform us on the next plan of action.
Every action has a reaction , go Korea duck the sanctions
They can use they’re midsole defence systems if they did fire one rather than risk a full scale war pm the strength of a potential attack , wmd in Iraq comes to mind . I’d say they will have the battle do , it’ll be the new Vietnam , Iraq , Syria
Crazy A$$ Mother our Kim Jong. Sticking two fingers up in the face of war. Pushing the the buttons literally and preverbally..
@The Viking: Why do the US and Japan, and anyone else think for one moment that Kim, takes any notice of them he is laughing at them sanctions mean nothing to him he is going to do what he wants, enough talking done go in and destroy him and his torturous regime or else STFU.
And they did this 20 seconds after Peter Cherrie got sent off??? Coincident??? I think not.
Poor fish (again) one day they will rise up against kim
Ah its all fake anyhow
POT…. KETTLE…. BLACK…… I wish them all the best with their Nuclear programme. I dont agree with how he treats his people, but maybe being taken seriously as a super power may advance their economy and be beneficial to improving korean society as a whole. He seems to be the only head of state with a set of big shiny balls. Maybe a lot more world leaders could follow his model and not be bullied by US and EU warlords.
Fire missiles will eventually break the country ie just like water meters here it’s fruit less task
It’s a perfect storm and when China’s leaders are seen as the most sensible,then the rest of us should worry
Nobody else can put pressure on the North Korean leadership.they are beyond the Pale.
These people need to be taken down a few pegs. It’s not acceptable what there at
have your say