An Focal Five – News you need to know

Published on June 28, 2012 at 11:04 am by Darragh Roche, Editor

Thursday, 28 June

An Focal brings you the top five news stories you should know today.

 

1. Wettest June on record brings floods

HEAVY rain over night has caused flooding and some power cuts. Parts of Cork have been seriously effected by what is said to be the wettest month of June on record. Clonakilty town centre was heavily flooded and rendered inaccessible while in Douglas whole businesses have been completely flooded.

 

2. Kenny in Brussels for key summit

TAOISEACH Enda Kenny is in Brussels today to attend a major EU summit which some believe could be the first step towards the future of the EU. This comes a day after Mr Kenny came out in favour of debt mutualisation among Eurozone countries. Expectations are high for the summit, though German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that there can be no quick fix.

 

3. Scandal at Barclays may implicate other major banks

BRITISH bank Barclays will pay huge fines after revelations that it fixed inter-bank lending rates in contravention of regulations on both sides of the Atlantic. The bank has received a reduced fine because it co-operated with the investigation but it is believed several other major banks may be guilty of similar offences. Some British politicians are calling for a criminal investigation, resignations and arrests.

 

4. US Supreme Court to rule on Obamacare

THE US Supreme Court’s decision on President Barack Obama‘s healthcare reforms is expected in the next few hours. If the reforms are struck down, it will be a serious blow for Mr Obama in this election year. However, if the court finds that the individual mandate, the legislation’s main point of contention, is constitutional, it will be a major step in healthcare provision in the US.

 

5. Kofi Annan proposes unity government in Syria – without President Assad

FORMER UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who has been leading peace efforts in war torn Syria, has proposed a unity government to oversee a transition out of the crisis. Western nations insist this government must not include Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, who is widely regarded as a tyrant. A summit in Geneva today is intended to find a plan for Syria that the Russians will not veto.

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