The Front Pages
A sample of today’s front page stories include a Green Party member’s apology after announcing a colleague’s death on Twitter, figures have been released on last year’s mortgage repayment strugglers and Facebook are almost ready to introduce new privacy settings on the social network website.
Here’s the most notable headlines on some of the broadsheets this morning:
“Facebook to ensure its privacy rules are made for sharing” – The Irish Times.
“Home arrears ‘biggest legacy’ of crisis” – The Irish Examiner.
“Boyle apologises over death tweet” – The Irish Independent.
Facebook, the social network site with over 400 million users, is to introduce new privacy settings regarding the access to account holders information. The Irish Times tells us that the site has come under strong criticism from users, regulators and privacy advocacy groups who raised issues over the complex nature of the current privacy settings.
The report provides a list of new measures which will be taken by site founder Mark Zuckerberg to counteract the privacy problems. The changes will not affect the manner in which a user can search for another but the limitations on viewing access of other users’ profiles will be dramatically altered.
Just fewer than four in every 100 mortgage holders were unable to meet repayments at the end of last year in a report released by the Central Bank, and its details published in The Irish Examiner.
The Financial Regualtor, Matthew Elderfield, claims that mortgage arrears will be the “biggest legacy†of the financial crisis in the country.
Mr Elderfield has called for “realism†from homeowners who have not been keeping up with repayments and that excessive borrowing will not solve their problems. He continued by saying “his office was working on a number of recommendations to tackle the problem of mortgage arrears†but that effectively, it was up to borrowers to start “gritting their teeth and meeting their obligationsâ€.
How controversial the instant communication world can be. The Irish Independent reports on the public apology which has been issued by Green Party senator Dan Boyle for using Twitter to announce the death of a senate colleague.
The buffoon-type mistake came from Mr Boyle’s tweet yesterday morning when he revealed the death of Fianna Fail senator Kieran Phelan before it was officially announced.
RTE presenter Miriam O’Callaghan ended up in similar hot water last month when she made the same error of announcing the death of her colleague, Gerry Ryan, through the social network site.
According to the report Senator Phelan died of a massive heart attack after he collapsed at breakfast in the Grand Canal Hotel in Dublin yesterday morning.
Tales from the Tabs
Police are holding a man in connection with the ‘Yorkshire Ripper’ copycat murders in Bradford.
A university researcher, who has a PhD in psychology and is studying serial killers, was arrested on Monday and is now the primary suspect for the prostitute murders.
Stephen Griffiths, a 40-year-old serial killer fanatic, is being held for questioning over the horrific murders of three vice girls in the Bradford area – a territory which was targeted by Peter Sutclife, the ‘Yorkshire Ripper’, from 1975 to 1980.
The arrest was made following the recovery of CCTV footage which shows a victim being murdered outside Griffth’s home in Bradford. The headline in The Sun reads, “Chased, beaten and shot in head with a crossbow…All on CCTV”.
On a lighter note, The Daily Sun confirms that singer and X-Factor judge Cheryl Cole has filed for divorce from husband Ashley Cole.
The Girls Aloud singer has begun legal proceedings against the cheating Chelsea and England footballer after “months of speculationâ€.
Cheryl is not seeking any financial pay-off and is willing to allow Ashley to remain in their £6million home, according to the report. Lawyers representing Cheryl have filed for the divorce on the grounds of “unreasonable behaviourâ€.
The Sports Pages
Jose Mourinho had a tearful departure from Inter Milan before heading off to negotiate a deal to take over as the manager of Spanish giants Real Madrid.
Footage was revealed and displayed on Youtube which shows Mourinho hugging Marco Materazzi in an emotional farewell embrace. The Special One broke down in tears as he walked away to hop into his chauffeur-driven car after sobbing in the arms of the towering Inter defender.
The Sun also publishes the comment s of Real Madrid president Florention Perez who has made it clear that Mourinho is the man to replace Manuel Pellegrini at the Bernabeu.
“The board also agreed to contract Jose Mourinho as the new coach of Real Madrid once his contractual relationship with Inter Milan has been resolved.
“We believe he is a coach who will add a lot to this important squad,†Perez said.
Meanwhile, England manager Fabio Capello has been cited by the Champions League winners to succeed Mourinho, according to The Daily Star.
It is reported that the Serie A side are preparing a £9million offer to tempt the 63-year-old into a return to Italian football.
The English FA are determined to keep Capello in the England job for at least the final two years of his contract however an offer from the newly crowned European Champions may be too good to turn down.
