No 1 – It costs between 427 and 729 euro per week to provide a standard of living for a family of two adults and two children.
That’s the finding of a new study part funded by the Department of Social Protection, which examined the mimimum wage required by a variety of different households including pensioners, single people and famillies with children.
The study found that famillies with either young babies or teenagers require more money to to get by and participate in society.
No 2 – The Health Minister’s again moved to reassure patients that their lives will not be put at risk as health sector workers retire.
Around 8 thousand public sector workers – many from the health service – will leave their jobs at the end of this month in order to claim better pension payments.
Dr. James Reilly admits that elective surgeries may have to be postponed as a result, but says the welfare of patients will not be put at risk.
No 3 – Gardai investigating the murder of a young boy in Dublin almost 12 years ago have arrested a 52 year old man.
12 year old Stephen Hughes-Connors died when a makeshift hut he was sleeping in close to his family home in Tallaght was set alight in September 2001.
Its understood new information on the case led to the arrest of the man at Mountjoy Prison this morning.
No 4 – America is closing its embassy in Syria due to the worsening security situation.
The move further isolates Damascus over President Bashar al-Assad’s bloody crackdown on anti-government protests.
Activists say at least 44 civilians have been killed today as forces step up their assault
No 5 – An Irish ultra runner has revealed a bottle of beer helped him become the only man on the planet to run seven marathons on seven continents in less than five days.
Richard Donovan broke his own record by completing his final run in Sydney in four days, 22 hours and three minutes.
The 45-year-old downed a beer before and after his final marathon – he says it was the first thing he’d kept down in days.
