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Female North Korean traffic police officers gather in front of bronze statues of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il to pay their respects in Pyongyang, North Korea today. North Koreans turned out to commemorate what would have been the 71th birthday of Kim Jong Il who died on December 17, 2011. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)
THINGS WE LEARNED
#MAGDALENES Magdalene survivors met with Taoiseach Enda Kenny today. After their meeting, they said that they anticipated an apology from him on behalf of the State next Tuesday, when the Dáil will debate the issue. A vigil will take place that same night outside Dáil Eireann, organised by the Justice for Magdalenes group.
#PROTEST A protest took place outside the Camden Court Hotel in Dublin today against comments made by Donegal Councillor Sean McEniff. The protestors were critical of comments he made about Travellers, where he said they should be housed away from settled communities.
#HORSEMEAT The investigation into the horsemeat scandal has been focusing on a Naas company, QK Cold Stores, which said that beef trimmings it imported from Poland were positive for equine DNA – but none of the consignments in question were released onto the market. Meanwhile, Greencore, whose CEO is Patrick Coveney, brother of Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney, has said that Asda bolognese sauce made using its products contained 4.8 per cent equine DNA.
#PISTORIUS Oscar Pistorius is “numb with shock as well as grief”, his uncle Arnold Pistorius said today. He made the comments to media from his home in Pretoria, capital of South Africa. Pistorius’s family came out strongly against prosecutors seeking to upgrade the charge against the Olympic athlete to premeditated murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. A reality show featuring the late Steenkamp will be broadcast tonight on television.
#MURDER A 40-year-old man has been charged with the murder of Stephen Davidson, who was found dead at his home in Bangor last weekend. The accused appeared before court this afternoon. It is believed Davidson lived alone in the house where he was killed, but it is not known if he let his attackers into the house.
A model wears a design by Jasper Conran, during the autumn/ winter 2013 catwalk show as part of London Fashion Week at Somerset House, London. Pic: Matt Crossick/Matt Crossick/Empics Entertainment
THINGS WE LOVED
(LARBeditorial/YouTube)
THINGS WE SHARED
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A CE mark required for piece of weighted plastic and a ball bearing
FFS, where is all of this European crap going to bring us?
@Peter Hargan: it’d be interesting to see what the EU make of the 1970′s equivalent the clackers. Back then the Herald carried stories of kids losing an eye or getting repetitive strain injuries from clacking the nylon balls up and down too much.
@Peter Hargan: as said in the article a child had to have surgery to remove a piece lodged in his gullet- we need some regulations, as we know self regulation is no regulation
@Peter Hargan: Actually what is more interesting is that for items made in China then a CE mark stands for China Export and not a manufacturers declaration that the product complies with EU regulations.
Toys must comply with the Toy Safety Directive which I assume relate to safety and labelling and I would prefer to think that manufacturers of the toys I purchase will at least be declared compliant with the safety directives rather then anyone being allowed to make and sell whatever they like, safe or not, and give them to our children.
Without the CE mark we could be back to toys painted with lead laden paint – so I am in favour of at least some safety declaration.
I don’t understand how there can be such a thing as “Fake” fidget spinners since the patent ran out when the inventor couldn’t afford to pay.
The sub-title is misleading – these aren’t “fakes” they are dangerous ones.
@Ciarán FitzGerald: nope that story is bogus, her invention was nothing like what these spinners are
Where i live shops don’t call them “fidget spinners”……they call them “money spinners”
Meanwhile tonnes of heroin and cocaine enter the country under the noses of customs officials seen fidgeting with faulty fidget spinners
@Brian MacCarthaigh: LOL !
There’s a village near to where I live, there are countless residents there driving large Range Rovers, X-5s etc all with Northern registration plates. Customs staff, concentrate on the bigger picture, not on a few toys, toys which your colleagues if found to possess same while traveling through Dublin airport etc would be given nothing more than a nod and a wink.
Gardai are also reporting this but they’ve said..”2 fidget spinners siezed from children at a roadside checkpoint”
Fad Gadget.
@Blind Faith: ya think?
What a complete waste of effort – typing up and publishing this article and any associated comments.
Dead right, cause I remember there being ce marks on all the trees I played on growing up and the pebbles on the road always had small parts warnings
Or maybe people weren’t a bunch of overly controlled morons being told their every move by regulations.
nanny state,
have your say