A mother mourns yesterday near the body of her teenager who was killed when a school building collapsed during an earthquake in the Ju Yuan county of Dujiangyan, Sichuan province. Rescuers are trying to get to remote areas and there are fears deaths could double.

• 3.75% yearly growth predicted in positive view of economy

  THE ECONOMY is heading towards a bright future with real economic growth averaging 3.75 per cent annually over the next decade, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) forecasts in its Medium-Term Review 2008-2015, published today. Paul Tansey reports.

• Aftershocks curb aid efforts as China death toll reaches 12,000

  RAIN TURNED the playground to mud as rescuers dragged the bodies of hundreds of schoolchildren out of the wreckage of the Ju Yuan middle school in earthquake-shattered Sichuan province, leaving the corpses to be identified by their grieving parents in a makeshift field mortuary in the basketball court, writes Clifford Coonan .

• Mansergh the big winner in junior ministerial reshuffle

  THE TAOISEACH dropped three long-serving Ministers of State and promoted five backbenchers to fill the available vacancies in his reshuffle of the junior ministerial posts. Mr Cowen followed the precedent set by Bertie Ahern last year and appointed 20 junior Ministers. Stephen Collins reports.

• ESRI predicts strong rebound in 2010

  Ireland's sluggish economy got a welcome boost this morning with predictions that it will grow by an average of 3.75 per cent a year over the next decade. The ESRI is also predicting 5 per cent growth in 2010.
• 12:13Mortgage lending falls 20% in Q1
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• 11:42Habitat UK reassures Irish customers
• 11:24Glanbia says profits meeting estimates

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  Finnan promises to return

  STEVE FINNAN has confirmed his willingness to return to the Irish fold according to Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni but the intentions of Andy O'Brien and Stephen Ireland remain far less certain in the wake of last week's round of meetings in Manchester.  p