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Morning top 5: Westminster set for 'no-deal' Brexit vote; Pell sentenced to six years; Varadkar in Washington

British MP's will today vote on whether to leave the EU without a deal. It comes after the Brexit...
Michael Staines
Michael Staines

06.54 13 Mar 2019


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Morning top 5: Westminster set...

Morning top 5: Westminster set for 'no-deal' Brexit vote; Pell sentenced to six years; Varadkar in Washington

Michael Staines
Michael Staines

06.54 13 Mar 2019


Share this article


British MP's will today vote on whether to leave the EU without a deal.

It comes after the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement was rejected by 149 votes in the House of Commons last night.

Political leaders around Europe reacted to the news with disappointment last night.

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European Council President Donald Tusk said the EU has done all it can to reach an agreement – while the EU's Chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said 'no-deal' preparations are now more important than ever.

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A former Vatican treasurer, Cardinal George Pell, has been sentenced to six years in prison for a string of sexual assaults on teenagers.

Cardinal Pell was found guilty of sexually abusing 13-year-old choir boys 22 years ago in the priests' sacristy of St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne, where he was archbishop at the time.

He was convicted of abusing two boys whom he had caught drinking sacramental wine in a rear room of the cathedral in late 1996.

He was also found guilty of assaulting one of the boys in a corridor more than a month later.

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A new report has found that people with mental health difficulties and their families aren't receiving appropriate supports.

The My Voice Matters report by Mental Health Reform, looked into the experiences of patients accessing HSE mental health services, as well as those of their family, friends and carers.

It found that over 40 percent of patients had a poor experience while almost 20 percent said they didn't feel like they were treated with dignity or respect.

Two thirds of family, friends and carers said they weren't happy with the information and advice they received, while the same amount said they got no information on what to do in the case of a crisis.

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The Taoiseach will use his annual St Patrick’s Day trip to Washington to sell Ireland as an ideal location for international business and investment.

Leo Varadkar has arrived in Washington to promote trade between the US and Ireland as part of the annual St. Patrick’s Day trip.

He will meet with US President Donald Trump tomorrow.

Government officials have said he will emphasise the strength of Irish-US ties, the important role of the US in supporting peace in Ireland and firmly outline Ireland’s position on Brexit.

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Representatives from Tusla and Scouting Ireland will be before the Children's Committee later.

They'll be questioned on matters of governance and the safeguarding practices that are in place for children at the scouting body.

It comes after a letter was sent from Tusla to Scouting Ireland last month raising 'serious concerns' over its child protection standards and calling for an immediate review of how children are supervised.

Committee chair Alan Farrell said this morning’s hearing will examine why the letter was sent and Scouting Ireland's response.


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