EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you the nine things you need to know as you begin your day.
1. #BAILOUT: The EU-IMF Troika has recommended that Ireland be given seven years more to repay its European loans under the bailout – following a formal request from Portugal, which would also be given a seven-year extension. Reuters reports that a proposal prepared by the European Commission, European Central Bank and IMF is to be put to the Eurozone’s finance ministers when they meet in Dublin this weekend.
2. #SAVITA: The inquest into the death of 31-year-old dentist Savita Halappanavar, who died in October, will resume today. Further details will be heard regarding comments by a midwife who cared for Savita, who claimed that some additions or changes were made to the her medical notes by the hospital’s internal investigation team after her death.
3. #CHILDREN: Ireland is among the top 10 best places in the world to be a child according to Unicef, which examined research that spanned 10 years (2001-2010). Among 29 OECD countries, Ireland placed 10th with 86 per cent of children saying they are happy with their lives, with the country having a relatively low child poverty rate of 8.5 per cent. However, those who do fall below the poverty line fall harder than in other countries – giving Ireland one of the largest child poverty gaps.
4. #GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENT: Today marks the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. British Prime Minister David Cameron has today paid tribute to “the architects” of the historic accord, saying it ushered a new beginning for the region.
Writing in TheJournal.ie this morning, Ben English warns that, while the region has come a long way, the peace that now exists should not be taken for granted.
5. #FORECAST: The Nevin Economic Research Institute has forecast low growth and high unemployment for the next three years, predicting GDP growth of between 1 – 2 per cent. The think-tank expects a further contraction of employment figures this year, with stagnation over the following two years.
6. #FRACKING: New British research has found that the controversial method for extracting natural gas, known as ‘fracking’, is not a significant cause of earthquakes. The Energy Institute at Durham University, which carried out the study, said that while the technique does have the power to ‘reawaken’ dormant fault lines, fracking was an insignificant source of earthquakes when compared to activities like mining or filling reservoirs.
7. #NORTH KOREA: South Korea has increased surveillance on its neighbour following North Korea moving at least one long-range missile, RTÉ News reports. A US official has suggested that two missiles may be being prepared for a launch.
8. #THATCHER: UK parliamentarians will gather today to pay tribute to former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, who died earlier this week. The death of the controversial public figure has provoked mixed response in the UK and Ireland, with a debate currently under way on whether a statue should be erected in her honour on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square.
9. #DEATH PENALTY: Twenty-one countries carried out executions last year, the same as in 2011, latest figures from Amnesty International have shown. The figures show that, while the number of executions carried out by these countries were up by two on the previous year (682 compared with 680), the number of new death sentences dropped from 1,923 sentences in 63 countries to 1,722 sentences in 58 countries.
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