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The 9 at 9 Nine things you need to know this morning…

EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you nine things you need to know before 9am…

1. #PUBLIC SECTOR: The Government will today unveil its much-heralded plans to reform the public service, including a cut in staff numbers and the scrapping of decentralisation projects. However, reports suggest the cuts could be less radical than those set out in the Programme for Government.

2. #ENDA KENNY: Germany is “very impressed” with Ireland’s financial reforms – or at least that’s what chanceller Angela Merkel told Taoiseach Enda Kenny in Berlin yesterday, the Irish Times reports. Meanwhile Kenny warned Merkel that implementing another new EU treaty would be “very challenging”, according to the Financial Times.

3.#WEATHER: Met Eireann has said there will be no repeat of last month’s extreme flooding over the next two days – despite warnings that heavy rainfall may lead to spot floods in parts of the west. Downpours are expected across the country today.

4. #WHITE HOUSE: A man has been arrested after two bullets were found to have hit the White House. Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, 21, is a suspect in the shooting, with officials suggesting he had become obsessed with US president Barack Obama.

5. #CRASH: An Irish woman has been killed and her partner seriously injured after they were involved in a car crash in Australia this week. Kelly Meehan from Co Clare and Patrick Gibbs from Ballinacurra, Limerick had met in Trinity College and were travelling between Perth and Wyndham.

6. #POPE: Clothing firm Benetton has been forced to pull a controversial billboard with an image of Pope Benedict XVI kissing a Muslim imam on the mouth. A Vatican spokesman said the picture showed “a grave lack of respect”, according to Reuters.

7. #MOTORWAY: The controversial M3 motorway made its operators €19million in profits in its first seven months of operation alone, reports Gordon Deegan in the Irish Times. The revenues include payments from the National Roads Authority in support of the project.

8. #GOOGLE: Google has stepped up its war on rival tech giant Apple with the unveiling of a digital music outlet, selling songs and albums over the Android store, the Guardian reports. However, the service is not yet available outside the US.

9. #SPUDS: Irish people are turning their backs on the humble potato in favour of more cosmopolitan carbs such as pasta, rice and couscous – and this is worrying An Bord Bia, according to the Irish Independent. The food organisation is commissioning market research to discover why potato sales dropped by 10 per cent in a year.

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17 Comments
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    Mute Brian Kelly
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    Oct 30th 2021, 6:22 PM

    Totally peeded of with putting it forward and back. Why can’t we just leave it forward so we still have brighter evenings where I can get things done in daylight after finishing work. Can’t do nothing in the darkness!!

    233
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    Mute John brett
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    Oct 30th 2021, 7:09 PM

    @Brian Kelly: be dark at nearly 10 in the morning if they are left.

    55
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    Mute Laura Clayton
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    Oct 30th 2021, 7:12 PM

    @Brian Kelly: what time do you finish work that it would still be bright?

    29
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    Mute john smith iv
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    Oct 30th 2021, 7:21 PM

    @Brian Kelly: because the sunrise would be close to 10 am in mid winter with no advantage a night time.

    33
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    Mute ⚡ Seánie ⚡
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    Oct 30th 2021, 6:21 PM

    Just means the kids will have us up at 5am instead of 6am

    110
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    Mute Tom kenny
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    Oct 30th 2021, 7:44 PM

    @⚡ Seánie ⚡: those were the days, now we have to wake them up

    52
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    Mute Derek Moran
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    Oct 30th 2021, 7:46 PM

    @Tom kenny: its a lot better!

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    Mute Tom kenny
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    Oct 30th 2021, 10:53 PM

    @Derek Moran: jaysus, it’s mighty

    5
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    Mute Shaun Gallagher
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    Oct 30th 2021, 6:05 PM

    I’ve 4 waines under 6yrs that will remind me

    66
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    Mute
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    Oct 30th 2021, 6:53 PM

    We will be going back an hour a day when Sinn Feinn in power .

    41
    Karl
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    Mute Karl
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    Oct 30th 2021, 6:56 PM

    Yawn !

    67
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    Mute Dave Byrne
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    Oct 30th 2021, 7:16 PM

    And the last 100 years of FG/FF ?

    54
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    Mute
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    Oct 30th 2021, 7:29 PM

    @Karl: yep you will be tired of going back to been the poor of Europe with these gombeens

    5
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    Mute Diarmuid Hunt
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    Oct 30th 2021, 7:34 PM

    Yep because it’s all been rosey under the administrations in power… SF might not be the cure and I don’t think protest votes help anyone but the threat of them should get FF/FG to get their $h!t together.

    23
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    Mute Dave Byrne
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    Oct 30th 2021, 7:42 PM

    I see the former housing minister is creaming €450 a day as an election observer wonder how he got that job?

    16
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    Mute Tom kenny
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    Oct 30th 2021, 7:48 PM

    @Dave Byrne: do you know how hard these guys work? Wait a minute, politicians, not those guys.

    3
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    Mute
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    Oct 30th 2021, 8:57 PM

    @Dave Byrne: as bad as FF and FG are Sinn Feinn are the bottom of the barrel everyone knows that .

    12
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    Mute Valentine Kane
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    Nov 1st 2021, 12:18 PM

    Obviously not David, because they topped the red sea poll this week, just maybe (just maybe) you are slightly prejudice and need to vent a little

    1
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    Mute ianglen
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    Oct 30th 2021, 6:38 PM

    You will lose an hour of your life listening to people reminding you to put them back..

    32
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    Mute slfc21
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    Oct 30th 2021, 10:10 PM

    Excellent . Totally forgot. As I tuck into he for work in the morning . What a lil surprise.

    9
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    Mute slfc21
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    Oct 31st 2021, 2:29 AM

    @slfc21: bed*

    1
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    Mute Shelly Levine
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    Oct 30th 2021, 7:18 PM

    I’m alright Jack. Have me fux capacitor fired up and ready to go.

    12
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    Mute
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    Oct 31st 2021, 10:48 AM

    This is 2021 – a smartphone never forgets! :-)

    1
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    Mute Meril Barker
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    Oct 31st 2021, 6:58 AM

    If you work nights do you gain or lose an hours pay??

    1
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