Every morning, TheJournal.ie brings you the nine things you need to know as you kick off your day…
1. #STANDARDS: Employers are generally satisfied with the standards of education of Irish graduates but have raised concerns over their writing skills and business awareness, according to the results of a Higher Education Authority survey. Furthermore, over 10 per cent of employers said self-motivation was lacking amongst recent graduates, the Irish Times reports.
2. #INTERNET: Online film and TV series streaming service Netflix has published data on Irish internet service providers (ISPs) regarding how they rank according to streaming speeds for Netflix content. Check out where your ISP ranks here.
3. #MISSING: An appeal has been issued for a man missing from a hospital in Northern Ireland since last Sunday. Alexander McKee was last seen at the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine in Derry on 23 December, and his family as well as police are said to be increasingly concerned for his welfare.
4. #WEATHER: Met Éireann has warned that high winds are set to hit parts of the country later today, with gale force winds set to strike southern coastal areas this morning. Strong gales are also expected to develop later in the evening across all coasts.
5. #COUNSELLING: Telephone conselling and support service Connect is to extend its hours over Christmas to open every evening until Sunday 6 January due to high demand. Connect Manager Theresa Merrigan said Christmas can be an emotional time for people and this creates a greater demand for counselling and support services. Similarly, Childline yesterday revealed it had received 1,212 calls, texts and messages from children and young people on Christmas Day.
6. #USA: The United States has been hit hard by a massive winter storm system, with blizzards and snow storms leading to more than 1,600 flights being cancelled. At least six people have been killed in tornadoes, while dangerous road conditions have led to several motorist deaths.
7. #BUSH: Former US president George HW Bush is in intensive care in a Texas hospital after suffering ‘a series of setbacks’, including a persistent fever. Bush has been in hospital since late November when he was admitted for treatment for bronchitis. He spent Christmas Day in the hospital with his family at his side.
8. #NEW DELHI: A young Indian woman who was gang-raped on a New Delhi bus has been transferred to Singapore for further treatment. The 23-year-old may require an organ transplant due to severe intestinal injuries sustained during her attack, the BBC reports. The incident has led to large-scale protests across the country by horrified citizens demanding better awareness of women’s rights and severe sentences for sex offenders.
9. #RECALLS: Toyota has agreed to pay about $1.1 billion – around €830 million – to settle a class action lawsuit launched by US vehicle owners affected by a series of mass recalls from the Japanese automaker. While not accepting any blame, Toyota agreed to compensate owners who argued that the value of about 16.3 million vehicles took a hit from dozens of deadly accidents allegedly caused by Toyota vehicles speeding out of control in 2009.
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