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EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you nine things you need to know before 9am…
1. #KEVIN CARDIFF: The government will today begin contemplating how to react to Kevin Cardiff’s rejection by the European Parliament’s committee on budgetary control, which yesterday opted not to recommend him – by a single vote – to the European Court of Auditors. Cardiff can still be approved by the parliament as a whole, but may withdraw his candidacy. Ireland’s current member Eoin O’Shea will today attend an Oireachtas committee to brief it on the court’s work.
2. #HEALTH: The Irish Daily Mail has obtained a document it says is being circulated among HSE managers – which outlines plans to close 840 beds and close 12 community hospitals and nursing homes. The document comes as HSE chief executive Cathal Magee prepares to go in front of an Oireachtas committee to update it on healthcare plans.
3. #DIRTY LAUNDRY: Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty has condemned the political expenses regime, after uncovering details of how ministers can claim a €3,500 tax rebate… for laundry expenses. Ministers from outside Dublin are entitled to claim an allowance for a ‘second residence’, which may be a hotel – and those claiming unvouched expenses can get a €3,500 rebate in respect of their laundry bills.
4. #LEAGUE TABLES: Michael Noonan might be preparing to wield the knife in the Budget but he’s been given a quick boost in advance – with the Financial Times releasing its latest league table of EU finance ministers. Noonan is ranked 10th out of 19, coming third in terms of his political clout – bettering Brian Lenihan who was bottom of the same table last year.
5. #COMBUSTION: State pathologist has poured cold water (sorry) on the theory of spontaneous human combustion – saying it’s a “myth”. Reports from Gareth Naughton carried in some of today’s broadsheets describe how Prof Cassidy rubbished the theory at Dublin Coroner’s Court yesterday, saying the theory hadn’t been valid for 500 years.
6. #EUROZONE: New Italian premier Mario Monti today holds his first meeting with Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy – in the aftermath of yesterday’s disastrous German bond auction. ‘Merkozy’ are expected to show strong support for Monti, who is in charge of bringing in tough economic reforms – but the meeting will likely also discuss the Eurobond proposal, which Monti backs but Merkel doesn’t.
7. #LEVESON: The ongoing inquiries in the UK today holds its most high-profile day of hearings so far – hearing testimony from author JK Rowling, actress Sienna Miller, and former motorsport chief Max Mosley. An unnamed party who has previously taken out a so-called ‘super-injunction’ will also give evidence.
8. #MORTGAGES: Fixed-rate mortgage holders have been advised to look closely at the fine print on their mortgage deals – because they may be entitled to switch to a tracker and save cash. MoneyCoach.ie says many people who took out mortgages at the height of the credit bubble are now exiting an initial 5-year window, after which they can switch to a tracker.
9. #THANKSGIVING: It’s Thanksgiving day in America – and to mark it, the UK arm of its public TV broadcaster PBS has held a survey charting the US’s top exports. The list, carried in the Daily Mirror, includes Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’, The Simpsons, Kellogg’s cereal and Levi’s jeans.
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He deserves a Nobel peace prize.
@brian boru: but in the land of make believe that will never happen….Trump on the other hand is a prime candidate….
@brian boru: and when he was leaking Clinton’s email Trump though he was his hero.
I shocked that the Trump regime would be after him after all the help he gave them.
Ecuador needs to get nukes now. Their embassy in London needs to be careful about any new hires, particularly in the kitchen. The Murderers are on their case
The worlds best investigative journalist, one of the dwindling few, and of course the tyrannical USA wants to kill him.
@methodical2020: indeed, I’m a regular Richie Allen listener too.
@james o reilly: they are going to plug the leak
@methodical2020: I like Ritchie and I enjoy his show, he interviews people mainstream media would not entertain and is not afraid to ask the right questions however is idolisation of David Icke annoys me, while I agree with what a lot of Icke has to say I feel Ritchie can be a bit of a lap dog.
did Trump really take a WikiLeak in a Russian hotel?
@alphanautica: i thought he took a data dump
Doesn’t he know that the US government released a leaker called Chelsea Manning and now he wants Assange arrested for the same thing, left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing if you ask me.
‘Merica
didn’t Assange promise to turn himself in if that happened?
@Dave O Keeffe: He promised to go and answer questions if they wanted. I wonder why they’ve not bothered after all this time?
@Linda: strange, they want to question him, he wants to be questioned, what’s the hold up? Oh yeah, he’s pretty much in prison already and at this point America isn’t directly responsible.
@Dave O Keeffe: Hmm no that doesn’t sound quite right. Probably more likely they know he’s done nothing wrong and they’ve nothing to charge him with. But they’re going to try really, really hard to find something!
@Dave O Keeffe:
Yes, but he didn’t believe it actually would happen…
He also said he had a huge amount of material compromising to Russia and said he was going to release it, but we’re still waiting for that too…
There’d be nothing to leak if they werent doing anything wrong
He’ll obviously be going after Hillary Clinton too?
Assange is a joke at this stage. Couldn’t care less about him.
The CIA calling Wikileaks a hostile intelligence agency is hilarious.
Trump probably more worries about what else he has on him / I’d imagine some hookers in a Russian hotel is way down the list
The hypocrisy of the US is astounding. Basically wants to turn every device in the world into a listening hub for their own benefit. Oh but if someone does it to them..
I think this is what you call a tidy up of loose ends.
Assange is a moron. He’s anti American & he has not leaked anything about Russia as there’s a serious threat to his life if he did. Playing a positive role with these leaks would be desirable but being anti American makes him just part of the consensus. Neither inspire any confidence in him.
@Mjhint: American running dog?
@Mjhint: So you didn’t read to the end of the article? The bit where Assange is reported to have professed overwhelming admiration for both America and the idea of America? And if you did, what – in your opinion – makes him a liar?
Go Trump! Choo-choo!
Very ungreatfulf of Trump to do this…..If it wasn’t for Assange Trump would not be president now….
@John003: yes.. but he has no use for him now
@John003: I agree with both you & Fergal..
I don’t like snake oil salesmen like tRump who only wanted to enrich himself and his ilk further…
Just use a cruise missle – sure what does it matter if a few knobs get in the way they still get their man!
Compromising someones political ambitions one thing but compromising national security is a far more serious matter. Democrats as usual have their priorities in reverse.
Are they stupid as ALL the leaks are coming from within the US?
If they were acting proper and not as a business and as a friend to businesses then there would be no leaks, all the leaks prove is how corrupt the US government are???
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