EVERY WEEKDAY EVENING,TheJournal.ie brings you the five stories you need to know about before you head out the door…
1. #BAD PLANNING: The National Heritage organisation An Taisce has released a report today in which 34 city and county councils are rated on their planning systems – and the results are not pretty.
While none of the councils rated received above a ‘C’ grade, no less than nine of them were labelled with an ‘F’. Those branded as the “worst councils in Ireland’s planning system” were Donegal, Roscommon, Leitrim, Kerry, Mayo, Galway county, Cavan, Carlow and Waterford county.
An Taisce took a number of local authorities to task on bad planning decisions over the past ten years – saying that some of the most senseless zoning decisions had compounded the current economic woes.
2. #BREIVIK: In first session in the trial of Anders Behring Breivik, the man accused of killing 77 people last July, the 33-year-old Norwegian admitted to the violent massacre but said that he was acting in self-defence.
“I admit to the acts, but not criminal guilt,” he told the court, explaining that he believed his attacks were necessary to protect Norway from being taken over by Muslims.
3. #BOND YIELD: This morning, the yield on Spain’s ten-year bonds passed the 6 per cent mark as concerns mounted over the possibility of Spain eventually requiring a bailout.
The country has the highest level of unemployment in Europe at 4.75 million, however the government recently announced a further round of austerity cuts. Last week the country’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy commented “It’s not possible to rescue Spain.”
Spain is due to carry out its next debt auction tomorrow, followed by another sale later in the week.
4. #MUAMBA: Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba has been given the all-clear to return home from hospital following his sudden collapse last month. Today Muamba paid tribute to the men and women at the London Chest Hospital who saved his life, saying “I will forever be in their debt.”
Doctors said that Mumba, 24, was effectively dead for 78 minutes after he collapsed during Bolton’s FA Cup match against Tottenham Hotspur on 17 March.
5. #GAME OF THRONES: One of the stars of the hit HBO series Game of Thrones has become a Trinity scholar, joining a record number of new Fellows and Scholars at the University’s annual event.
Jack Gleeson, who plays the rather unpleasant boy-king Joffery Baratheon in the fantasy show, received a two subject Moderatorship in Philosophy and World Religions and Theology.
Meanwhile, President Michael D Higgins also received an Honorary Fellowship from the college in return for his “commitment to education throughout the course of his career”.
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