The French defense ministry announced Sunday that its air force is attacking the capital of ISIS in Raqqa, Syria. Twenty sites were struck France says, including a command post and training camp. The attack comes hours after it was reportedthat the Paris terrorists communicated with ISIS command in Syria and that the men were trained, not merely inspired, by ISIS. The news was first reported on the Twitter feed of “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently”, a local activist group. This attack was to get revenge on the ISIS after the attacks in Paris the capital of France on the 13th of November where over 125 people had been killed. But the question still lies on who are France really effecting by these bombs, the members of ISIS or is it the innocent people?
The French defense ministry announced Sunday that its air force is attacking the capital of ISIS in Raqqa, Syria. Twenty sites were struck France says, including a command post and training camp. The attack comes hours after it was reportedthat the Paris terrorists communicated with ISIS command in Syria and that the men were trained, not merely inspired, by ISIS. The news was first reported on the Twitter feed of “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently”, a local activist group. This attack was to get revenge on the ISIS after the attacks in Paris the capital of France on the 13th of November where over 125 people had been killed. But the question still lies on who are France really effecting by these bombs, the members of ISIS or is it the innocent people?
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Ballina mart becomes first in EU to go live online Anthony Walsh, 54, has been unable to stay longer than one hour in his local mart since he got surgery on his back.However, Mr Walsh was able to participate in the bidding at Mayo-Sligo mart last year from the comfort of his home where he used his lap-top to bid on and secure a Friesian store bullock. His son, Fiachra, helped him access the live stream from the ringside and place his bids. Ballina mart manager, Billy Loftus, said that they had over 400 viewers during the first auction, and 100 buyers have registered for the service in the space of a week. This shows that there is an interest in this type of purchasing and may be the way forward. It is especially of interest to people with injuries or disabilities who may not be physically able to stand at the ring for hours until they find the suitable animal for their herd. I believe that it will be common in the future for people to go in for a luck, find cattle there interested in in the pens and then go home. They’ll keep an eye out for them at their computer and then bid when they enter the ring. This will save time for many farmers because buying cattle takes up half a day which could be used for doing something back at the farm. Overall I can see this method of purchasing cattle being effective. PATRICK FANNON Pros & Cons of Social Media
Pros:
KEVIN MARTIN Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has a population of 21.6 million people. Ivory Coast's capital is Yamoussoukro, and its biggest city is the port of Abidjan. Its official language is French. Their motto is “unity – discipline – work “. Ivory Coast is located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean beside Ghana, Liberia and Mali. Language Ivory Coast is a multi-language country, meaning they speak a lot of languages. Most people in Ivory Coast speak French, because that’s the main language. Most men speak French than women. But there are more languages that are spoken in the Ivory Coast. So that means there are 78, or over those numbers that are spoken. The two extra major languages are “Malinke” and “Senufo”. “Agni” &“ Baoule” are the 2 most common languages spoken in the South, while “Mande” & “Senufo” are spoken in the South. Even though a lot of people understand English, but not a lot of people speak English. Most people in Ivory Coast speak French, but there are more languages that are spoken in the Ivory Coast. So that means there are 78, or over those numbers that are spoken. Some of the national languages are “Baoule, Senoufo, Yaconba, Agni, Attie, Guere, Bete, Dioula, Abe, Mahou, Wobe and Lobi”. There might be more languages spoken but the most popular ones spoken are the national ones. “Arabic is probably for Malay” people, but Arabic is also taught in some schools, which most common in the upper bit of Africa or Ivory Coast, whatever it is. Ok, I don’t really know which is which, but what I can tell you is that many Ivoirians understand English, because it is taught in high school, and the National University of Ivory Coast, or you can call it Cote d’Ivore, but mostly known by the “University of Abidjan”, but even know people know how to speak English, it’s not popular, even when they’ve been taught. Below is a map of all the tribes in Ivory Coast Weather The weather in the Ivory Coast is like, tropical along coast, semiarid in the far north of Ivory Coast.In CoteD'Ivoire there are three seasons, It's warm and dry in Novemberto March. The next season starts in March and ends in May and It's hot and dryat the time, and the other season is hot and wet and happens in June to October. 1. Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike 2. Hardwell 3. Martin Garrix 4. Armin Van Buuren 5. Tiësto 6. David Guetta 7. Avicii 8. Afrojack 9. Calvin Harris 10. Steve Aoki SHANE PURCELL Quebec is the only province of Canada whose sole official language is French. Today, 81.4 percent of Quebecers are first language francophone.About 95 percent of Quebecers speak French as either their first, second or even as their third language. However, many of the services the provincial government provides are available in English for the sizeable Anglophone population of the province (notably in Montreal). For native French speakers, Quebec French is noticeably different in pronunciation and vocabulary from the French of France, sometimes called Metropolitan French, but they are easily mutually intelligible in their formal varieties, and after moderate exposure, in most of their informal ones as well. The differences are primarily due to changes that have occurred in Quebec French and Parisian French since the 18th century, when Britain gained possession of Canada. Different regions of Quebec have their own varieties: Gaspé Peninsula, Côte-Nord, Quebec City, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Outaouais, and Abitibi-Témiscamingue have differences in pronunciation as well as in vocabulary. In Belgium, the French Community (French: Communauté française), also controversially called the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (French: Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles), refers to one of the three constituent constitutional linguistic communities. This ambiguous term refers to Francophone Belgians, and not to Frenchmen residing in Belgium. As such, the French Community of Belgium is sometimes rendered in English as "the French-speaking Community of Belgium" for clarity.
The Community has its own parliament, government, and administration. Its official flag is identical to the Walloon Flag, which is also the official flag of the Walloons of Wallonia. Wallonia is home to 80% of all Francophone Belgians, with the remaining 20% residing in Brussels, which is the seat of parliament of the French Community.The FrenchBelgium includes 4.5 million people, of whom:
The French Community of Belgium makes up about 41% of the total population of Belgium; 58% of the population belongs to theFlemish Community, and 1% to the German-speaking Community. Banks Levy to be reduced over six years and after that no longer apply to worldwide balance sheets. New 8% surcharge on profits. Insurance Insurance premium tax to be raised to 9.5%. Review to be conducted of regulation of claims management companies. Education Maintenance grants to end from 2016/17 replaced with loans repaid once salary reaches more than £20,000. Saving Green paper on reform of pensions. Dividends New tax-free allowance of £5,000. Investment allowance Set at £200,000 rather than falling to £25,000 at the end of the year. Corporation tax Cut to 19% in 2017 and 18% in 2020. Personal tax Personal allowance raised to £11,000 from next year. Higher rate tax threshold raised from £42,385 to £43,000 next year. 15 simple life hacks to make things easier on you.
The 1916 Easter Rising was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was the Irish (Irish Republicans) attempt to end British rule in Ireland and establish an independent Irish Republic, while the British where heavily included in world war 1. Organised by seven members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, the Rising began on Easter Monday (24 April 1916) and lasted for six days. Irish language activist and schoolmaster Patrick Pearse, joined by the smaller Irish Citizen Army of James Connolly, along with 200 members of CumannnamBan, captured key locations in Dublin and Formed the Irish Republic There were also actions in other parts of Ireland although significant but not as important,except for the attack on the Royal Irish Constabulary barracks at Ashbourne, County Meath. With big numbers, the British army quickly suppressed the Rising. The executed leaders of the Rising - ÉamonnCeannt,Thomas James Clarke, James Connolly, SeánMacDiarmada,Thomas MacDonagh, Patrick Pearse, Joseph Mary Plunket. PETER MCDERMOTT In no particular order!!
Kyran Rayner The Top 25 Richest Athletes In World Sport by Keelan Neary
The top two richest athletes in world sport are both boxers, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Both men took home huge amounts of money after Mayweather beat Pacquiao in their "superfight" earlier this year. In third and fourth are the worlds top two footballers, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Other footballers in the list include Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Gareth Bale and Neymar. Rounding off the top five is tennis star Roger Federer. Fellow tennis players to make the top 25 are Novak Djokovic (13) and Rafael Nadal (22). The highest paid golfer is Phil Mickelson, ahead of Tiger Woods and Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy. LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant are among the basketball players on the list, while Lewis Hamilton leads the Formula One drivers ahead of Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel. Ben Roethlisberger is the best paid American Football player while Jon Lester is the only baseball player on the list. The other sports star on the list is Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is number 24. Some of the crazy numbers on the list - Mayweather leads it by $140 million - go to show just how much money is involved in sport. Mayweather had just two fights in 2015 but is miles ahead of everyone in the rankings. There is an even spread of sports thereafter, those at the top of their field filling out the rankings,showing the power of money in sport. KEELAN NEARY Budget 2016
We have the main points of the Budget from the Dáil and from the press briefings giving more detail on Budget 2016. Tax cuts, welfare increases, a new childcare package and a freezing of the local property tax are among the main components of Budget 2016. *** Here are the headline changes in the Budget: * The top rate of USC will go from 7% to 5.5%, the middle will fall from 3.5% to 3% and the lower rate will stand down from 1.5% to 1%. * Children will be eligible for free childcare from age of 3 until the age of five-and-a-half or until they start school. * Two weeks’ paid paternity leave, from September 2016. * Child benefit will rise by €5 * Free GP care for under 12s * A €3 rise in pensions * Christmas bonus up by 75% for social welfare recipients * An extra 600 Gardaí and 2,260 teachers * Commercial motor tax rates to be cut with 20 rates being replaced by five ranging from €92 to €900, current maximum is €5,195. * A 50c rise in the minimum wage from €8.65 to €9.15 per hour. * The 9% VAT rate on the Hospitality Sector will be maintained. PRSI Employee PRSI A new weekly tapered PRSI credit of €12 is being introduced for employees insured at Class A whose earnings are between €352.01 and €424 in a week. A similar PRSI credit will apply to Class E and Class H employees with weekly earnings between €352.01 and €422 or €424, respectively. The maximum PRSI credit of €12 per week applies to gross weekly earnings of €352.01. A person earning €352.01 pays €14.08 PRSI (4%). After the €12 credit is deducted they will pay PRSI of €2.08. For people earning between €352.01 and €424, the credit of €12 is reduced by one-sixth of earnings over €352.01. For example, a person earning €377 would get a PRSI credit of €7.83 – this is one-sixth of the difference between €377 and €352.01 subtracted from the maximum credit of €12. There is no PRSI credit once earnings exceed €424 (January 2016). This provision will reduce the weekly PRSI bill for over 88,000 employees. Employer PRSI The lower 8.5% Class A rate of employer PRSI will apply to weekly earnings up to €376. This threshold will increase from the current €356 (January 2016). This provision will benefit 26,000 employers. These PRSI provisions will cost €21 million in 2016. Excise duties The excise duty on a packet of 20 cigarettes is increasing by 50 cent (including VAT) with a pro-rata increase on other tobacco products, with effect from midnight on 13 October 2015. The rate of Motor Tax is being reduced for all vehicles above 4,000kgs, with a new annual rate of €500 for vehicle between 4,000kgs and 12,000kgs and €900 for vehicles over 12,000kgs. España officially the Kingdom of Spain is a sovereign state located on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwest Europe. Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar, to the north and northeast by France, Andorra and the Bay of Biscay and to the west and northwest by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean. Along with France and Morocco, it is one of only three countries to have both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines. Extending to 1,214 km (754 mi), the Portugal-Spain border is the longest uninterrupted border within the European union.
9 Facts about Spain
If you and your family are looking for a vacation that offers lots of sightseeing, experiencing new things, and enjoying yourself head to New York City. There is so much there to do that relates to whatever tastes you have. If you want to see landmarks head over to the obvious Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building. If Art is your thing the go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art or if you enjoy sports visit the Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Hungry? There are hundreds of different restaurants to choose from on Manhattan Island alone, or if you fancy a simpler style of food there are many pizzerias in Brooklyn to eat at. But while you’re there make sure to visit the Brooklyn Bridge as well. Want to see how products are promoted in New York? Then go to Times Square it is one of the most colourful areas in the city at night due to its bright electronic billboards. Tired? NYC has you covered, go to central park on Manhattan Island to enjoy some well-earned relaxation. There are hundreds of hotels to choose from so depending on your budget you should find one to suit you. But before you call it a day see the most iconic thing NYC has to offer. It’s beautiful sunset skyline. So go on to NYC you will not regret it.
FARREN DOVE A Mayo man who stabbed Dublin GAA player Jonny Cooper hours after attacking a taxi driver has been given a seven-year sentence with the final two years suspended. The court heard 32-year-old Mark Lavelle was on the drug crystal meth when he carried out the unprovoked attack. Lavelle, originally from Swinford, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm to the Dublin and Na Fianna footballer at around 5am on September 20thlast year. He also admitted to assault causing harm to Thomas Smith at around 2am on the Saturday morning and to hijacking Mr Smith's car. Jonny received nine stab wounds to his forehead, eyelid and neck area and spent one night in hospital. He was fortunate to be released with no serious injuries. Cooper had no memory of the assault and Gardaí were called to the scene after a passing taxi driver noticed the footballer stumbling with his back covered in blood. Officers later followed a trail of blood from where they met Mr Cooper to a nearby takeaway and secured CCTV footage from the restaurant. Lawyers for Lavelle said he suffered from a mental disorder and had been with the State's psychiatric services since his mid-teens. His 62 previous convictions include assaults, criminal damage, possession of knives, possession of drugs, burglary, robbery, violent behaviour in a Garda station, trespass, public order and altering a prescription. Judge Martin Nolan ordered a seven year sentence for Mr Smith’s dangerous behaviour and he suspended the final two years with very strict conditions. By Patrick Fannon This may bore you if these type of architectural projects aren't your thing but ill continue. So far it is late finishing, the project was only supposed to be from Feb 2014-June 2015 but as we know it is definitely not done. So far this project's value is 13 million euro and was designed by ABK Architects. Stewart is the building company behind the project. Laboratory facilities and county council chambers are to be constructed inside.Construction of adjoining surface car parking.
FARREN DOVE Spanish is a Romance language that originated in the Castile region of Spain. More than 400 million people speak Spanish as a native language. It is the third language by total speakers behind English and Mandarin. Spanish is one of the six official languages of the United Nations, and it is used as an official language by the European Union, the Organization of American States, and the Union of South American Nations, among many other international organisations.
From its beginnings, Spanish vocabulary was influenced by its contact with Basque, as well as by other Ibero-Romance languages, and later it absorbed many Arabic words during the Muslim presence in the Iberian Peninsula. It also adopted words from non-Iberian languages, particularly the Romance languages Occitan, French, Italian and Sardinian, as well as from Nahuatl and other Indigenous languages of the Americas. In modern times, it has continued to add its own new words, and has increasingly borrowed from English. Spanish is the official or national language of 19 countries in the Americas, totalling at least 418 million native speakers in the Hemisphere. In the European Union, Spanish is the mother tongue of 8% of the population, with an additional 7% speaking it as a second language. Spanish is the most popular second language learned in the United States.
Airline (by passengers): As of 2015, American Airlines is the largest airline on the planet carrying 197 million passengers last year. That’s more than all people live in Russia! It became the largest airline when it merged with already huge airline US Airways in 2014. The airline also has the largest fleet of aircraft world-wide with 1,494 aircraft currently flying in American colours. Airline (by international passengers): The airline that hauls the most passengers over state borders is our very own Irish Ryanair. Carrying 86.4 million passengers in 2014 it is Europe’s single largest airline. Ryanair flies 19 times the population of Ireland every year! Not bad for a tiny airline that started at Waterford Airport with one 15-seater turboprop 30 years ago. Airport (by passenger numbers): The busiest airport in the world is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. In 2014, 96 million people passed through the airport. That equates to a quarter of a million people a day! Airplane (in service): The Antonov An-225 Mriya is the longest and heaviest airplane on the globe. It also has the longest wingspan of any aircraft in service. Built by Ukrainian company Antono the jet has 6 engines, weighs 640 tons (3 blue whales!), is 85 metres long and has a wingspan of 88 metres. However this jet is solely for cargo and is not built for passengers. Only one has ever been built. Airplane (in regular passenger service): The Airbus A380 is the largest passenger airplane ever. Built by European plane maker Airbus in 2005, it has a maximum capacity of 853 people! Many airlines do however chose the less cramped 525 passenger design. It is double decker and has 4 powerful engines that allow it to travel at 640 miles per hour, or 1030 kilometres per hour! 173 are currently gracing the skies with 144 more due for construction. Biggest Combat Plane: The Russian-built Tupolev Tu-160 (nicknamed the “White Swan”) is the largest combat aircraft ever built and also the largest supersonic jet ever built. Entering service in 1987, this behemoth was designed by the Soviets to carry nuclear missiles at twice the speed of sound. Capable of launching these warheads at any target and dropping bombs from its bay on enemies below, the 160 is a dangerous war machine that’s more than twice the length of Brachiosaurus! The double-decker A380 is the world’s largest passenger plane LUKE GLENNON
5 Useful Life Hacks
By Luke Glennon Born on the 8th October in Johannesburg, South Africa, Kevin Richardson is an animal behaviourist who specialises in the native animals of South Africa. From a young age he always had an un-dismissive love for animals.
Early Life As a young boy, Richardson spent his life in the neighbourhood of Orange Grove. He has one older brother and two twin sisters, his mother was born and raised in South Africa and his father was born in the United Kingdom. His father died when Richardson was thirteen years old. Even though he was sure he wasn’t going to be able to get a job working with animals, he went to college to study zoology and focused on marine biology rather than mammals. Life with Lions At the age of twenty-three, he was given the opportunity to work with two six month old lion cubs. He almost instantly fell in love with them and was hired for a part time job in a lion park near Johannesburg. To this day, he still works with the two grown lions, Tau and Napoleon, in his own Lion facility along with many other animals that he has known from birth. These include twenty-nine lions, several hyenas, jaguars and other African predators. Even though Richardson makes working with big cats look easy and fun, he stresses to everyone who plans to follow in his footsteps. Working with these dangerous beasts is a constant threat. At any moment, Richardson could be torn to pieces or mauled by any of his “tamed” cats. For example, when two 400 pound lions that were in a good mood, played a little too rough, and jumped on top of him, he emerged with two broken ribs and his right arm, scratched from shoulder to elbow. Every day, Kevin Richardson works to save and care for the near endangered big cats. His life is devoted to them and he stresses how much natural beauty the world would lose if they went extinct. KYRAN RAYNER The Syrian Civil War
Who is fighting who? Many people believe that there are only two groups fighting over territory in Syria; ISIS (The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) and the Syrian Government. However there are actually five main groups fighting in the war torn country: ISIS, The Syrian Government, The Rebels, The Kurds and Al Nusra(basically Al Qaeda). These five armed groups are fighting against each other and have caused the deaths of over 320,000 people and have left over 1.5 million severely injured since the war began in 2011. What is life like in Syria for civilians? Life in Syria is horrifying for the Syrian natives in what is the worst humanitarian disaster of our time. Basic essentials like water and electricity have been cut off from them and they are now forced to walk long distances carrying buckets of water for cooking, drinking and washing. Other necessities like medical care and sanitation are in short supply also. Bombs are destroying towns and cities leaving people homeless and human rights violations are widespread. Nearly 12 million people have been forced from their homes in Syria due to the fighting. Over half the population’s children are not in education also. Most of the population have lost their jobs so the natives resort to burglary and smuggling illegal drugs to put food on the table for their starving families. The families count there selves lucky if they manage to have one meal per day. These are just a few of the reasons why the many of the Syrian people are risking everything to cross the sea in search of a better life in Europe. Where are the Syrians going to? Due to the horrendous living conditions in their own country many of the Syrians opt to risk their lives fleeing the country hoping for a new start. An estimate of 9 million have fled their home since the outbreak of war in 2011. Over 3 million have fled to the immediate neighbours Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. Unfortunately many of the refugees are not welcomed in these countries. 5 million are internally displaced in the country of Syria. Some countries have agreed to take refugees such as Germany who have agreed to take in 800,000 refugees. However some countries have not accepted refugees in. Denmark for example put up an ad showing they would not accept any refugees. Luckily the attitude is turning more positive towards refugees in Europe. PATRICK FANNON Japan and China make no secret of the fact that they cannot stand each other’s presence. But when and why did this hatred start? Well, the history between these two Asian powerhouses is embroiled in military conflict, starting all the way back in 663AD. But the one war that solidified this tension was the 2nd Sino-Japanese War, which actually ran into World War 2. In the Japanese Empire’s conquering of Asia, China was an extremely important target. Two years before Hitler even set foot in Poland, Imperialist Japan invaded China and captured the then capital city of Nanking. But this was no normal invasion. During the invasion and 6 weeks of occupation, the Japanese soldiers murdered between 40,000 and 30,000 Chinese citizens. But what was even more atrocious was that the soldiers raped and sexually assaulted thousands of innocent women and even children. This led to it becoming known as the “Rape of Nanking”, one of the worst human rights abuses in human history.
However, Japan’s handling of the aftermath in the decades following caused tensions to reach a peak. Japan has never actually formally apologized to China for the massacre. What’s worse is that for years, Japanese officials either denied or downplayed the details of the massacre and school textbooks in Japanese schools either do not include or understate the severity of the attack. This has caused many Chinese citizens to hold a strong grudge to Japan. In a BBC 2014 World Service Poll, 73% of Japanese viewed China’s influence as negative with a whopping 90% of Chinese interviewed viewing Japan’s influence as negative. It does not help relations either that these two Asian economies are fundamentally different. China is a communist nation that has long sided with the Soviet Union and later Russia while Japan is a democratic free-market economy that is a loyal ally of the USA. But this conflict is not insignificant in any sense as China is the second-largest global economy with Japan just behind at third. Both of these powerful states are battling for influence over the region and want to become the dominant Asian power. The two are currently in a dangerous dispute over a group of islands in the East China Sea with both threatening war. Despite this, they remain trade partners and their respective economies are heavily reliant on trade with the other. Neither side wants to be the first to strike but if someone does lose their temper, you can guarantee it might get vicious. |
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January 2016
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