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1. Nurses could be in line for special pay deal
Nurses may be in line for a special pay deal following an acceptance by Government that there are serious difficulties recruiting and retaining staff in the health service.
Agreeing there is a problem allows the new Public Service Pay Commission to inquire specifically into labour market shortages in nursing and could open the door to a special pay deal in the months ahead.
2. Trump’s tax cuts will not be a threat to Ireland, says Sean Spicer
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The White House has played down concerns about a possible adverse impact on Ireland from the Trump administration's plans to overhaul the US corporate tax system, insisting that greater competition would be good for both countries.
In an interview with The Irish Times, Sean Spicer, press secretary to president Donald Trump, praised Ireland's economic policies, holding them up as examples that the US administration should follow.
3. State risks missing out on huge savings from generic drugs
The Government risks losing out on hundreds of millions of euro in savings on its drug bill because of the failure to buy generic alternatives to expensive branded drugs.
The drug pricing agreement signed last year provided that companies would cut the price of their new generation branded biologic drugs by 30 per cent when a generic competitor, or biosimilar, entered the market.
4. Almost €200,000 donated to Home Sweet Home in six weeks
The Home Sweet Home coalition of housing activists and homeless people received almost €200,000 in donations over a six week-period, figures seen by The Irish Times show.
The group occupied a Nama-managed building in Dublin city centre for 28 days from mid-December to accommodate homeless people. Accounts show some €189,604.75 was donated to the group between 15th December and 27th January, the vast majority through crowd-funding website GoFundMe.
5. Super Bowl: New England Patriots secure stunning comeback win
The New England Patriots are the Super Bowl champions once again. They beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime amid a frenzied climax in Houston on Sunday. At one point New England had trailed 28-3.
For the Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, it was a stunning ending to a season that ended in redemption and possibly cemented his position as the greatest player of all time.