EVERY DAY, THEJOURNAL.IE beings you nine things you should know with your morning cup of coffee.
1. #ABORTION: The Archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Sean O’Malley has said he will not attend an event where Enda Kenny is due to speak next week because the Taoiseach is “aggressively promoting abortion legislation”. The Cardinal had called on Boston College to withdraw the invitation to Kenny in light of his decision to legislate for the X Case.
2. #BUS EIREANN: Workers at Bus Éireann look set to go on strike at midnight tonight amid a dispute over planned changes to pay and conditions. The bus company says the changes are necessary in order for the company to remain viable but the workers argue they could lose between €3,000 and €4,000 per year.
3. #PAKISTAN: Historic elections are under way in Pakistan today but already they have been marred by violence as 11 people were killed in a Taliban attack on the country’s financial hub, Karachi. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is the frontrunner in the poll which marks the first transition from one civilian government to another in the country’s 66 year history.
4. #PROPERTY TAX: Over half of property owners say they are unhappy with Revenue’s assessment of their property tax liability according to a survey by MyHome.ie. But despite the tax being self-assessed, just two-in-five say they will go with their own, lower self-assessment than the estimate provided by Revenue.
5. #BRUTON: “Keynesian economics is completely unreal,” former Taoiseach John Bruton declared at an insurance event in Dublin yesterday where he strongly disagreed with President Michael D Higgins’ recent remarks about austerity. According to the Irish Independent, Bruton told an event that borrowing to stimulate growth was “immoral and anti-social”.
6. #PHIL LYNOTT: Two men arrested in connection with the damage caused to the famous Phil Lynott statue off Dublin’s Grafton Street on Thursday night have been released without charge. The monument has since been removed from its Harry Street location to undergo repairs.
7. #DUBLIN BIKES: The hugely successful Dublinbikes scheme is to be expanded in the coming months with the creation of 29 new jobs as a result. Over 5 million journeys have been made on the bikes which are dotted around Dublin city centre.
8. #REILLY: Health Minister James Reilly landed in hot water yesterday after he told a nurse singing at the INMO conference “don’t give up the day job”. The Minister later apologised to the nurse for the comment made after a speech to the conference where nurses voted on possible strike action.
9. #DARKNESS INTO LIGHT: Thousands of people across Ireland ran or walked a 5 kilometre route as dawn was breaking this morning as part of the Darkness into Light events which were being held at locations across the country in aid of suicide and self-harm crisis centre Pieta House. We’ve been asking for your pictures from the early morning event on Twitter. Feel free to send them into tips@thejournal.ie for a slideshow we’ll be posting later this morning.
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