EACH DAY, TheJournal.ie brings you nine things you should know with your morning cup of coffee.
1. #BROKE: Property developer Seán Dunnce could now be declared bankrupt in two countries as a Connecticut court granted a motion sought by Ulster Bank for proceedings to be brought in Ireland, as well as the US.
2. #GOOD LUCK: Unsurprisingly, the sun is shining this morning as almost 54,000 students sit down for their first Leaving Cert exam of the year. A further 60,000 pupils are sitting their first ever State exam – Junior Cert English. Education Minister Ruairí Quinn has told them it is an “opportunity to show all they have learned over the last few years”.
3. #UNREST: Despite an apology from the country’s deputy prime minister, police in Turkey used tear gas and water cannon against protesters in a fifth night of anti-government demonstrations. Fresh clashes erupted again this morning.
4. #SYRIA: France and Britain say they can prove that Bashar Assad’s regime used deadly sarin gas in Syria’s civil war. On the ground today, State television is reporting that the President’s army has overrun the strategic town of Qusayr, a site of fierce fighting over the past two weeks.
5. #TOLLS: A spokesperson for Transport Minister Leo Varadkar has told Newstalk that there will be no new tolls implemented on Irish roads, dismissing reports of proposed charges of up to €6.50 for the M50. The Irish Independent, citing an NRA study, says five tolling points were recommended for the motorway to reduce the number of motorists making short trips.
6. #CRUELTY: Two eight-week-old puppies are recovering at a vet’s surgery in county Laois after a horrific ordeal. Alfie and Lexi were beaten, thrown over a 10-foot high wall and abandoned without food for at least four days before being rescued by local residents.
7. #PROTEST: Two homeless women protesting the lack of suitable accommodation in Bray have resumed their sit-in at the town council’s offices as no agreement was reached at a meeting yesterday afternoon.
8. #TREASURE ISLAND: Supermarket chain Tesco has blamed the introduction of the property tax for its falling sales in Ireland. Like-for-like figures showed a drop of 3 per cent in the 13 weeks to the end of May.
9. #GOOD NEWS: A team from the Irish Coast Guard rescued a stranded baby porpoise on Portmarnock beach in Dublin yesterday afternoon. The operation involved the dolphin-like creature being carried in the arms of one of the crew before being placed back into the open water. Watch it all unfold here:
(YouTube: Howthcoastguard)
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