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Taoiseach Bertie Ahern speaking to reporters at Blanchardstown shopping centre in Dublin yesterday about his statement concerning financial transactions relating to his Drumcondra home.

Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill

Prayers said for return of missing British girl (4)
A Portuguese magistrate is today expected to begin interviewing friends of the family of the British child Madeleine McCann, who went missing on the Algarve 11 days ago, writes Giles Tremlett in Praia da Luz.

Ahern denies tax payment contradicts Dáil statement
The Taoiseach yesterday issued a lengthy statement detailing the complex series of financial transactions surrounding his Drumcondra home during the 1990s, write Stephen Collins and Liam Reid .
Work to rule by nurses bites as over 300 cancellations likely today
More than 300 outpatient appointments and medical procedures scheduled to take place in hospitals today have been cancelled as a result of work stoppages by nurses, writes Martin Wall , Industry Correspondent.

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Ireland

ROAD DEATHS: Seven killed, North and South, at weekend
Four motorcylists were among the seven people who died in road crashes over the weekend, with four of the deaths in Northern Ireland. p
Sinn Féin to join NI policing board in June
Sinn Féin's ard chomhairle has cleared the way for three members of the party to take seats on the Northern Ireland Policing Board. p
Corrib activist to attend Shell agm
North Mayo farmer Willie Corduff, Ireland's first winner of the international Goldman Environmental Award, plans to attend Royal Dutch Shell plc's annual general meeting in Holland tomorrow. p
Belarussian woman one of 48 to start with Garda Reserve
A Belarussian woman living in Limerick is one of 48 new members of the Garda Reserve who will begin service at locations throughout the State this week. p
Activists to walk from Dublin to London
An international group of 15 anti-nuclear activists are walking from Dublin to London to highlight their concerns about the nuclear industry and to campaign for the closure of facilities such as the Sellafield plant in Britain. p
Christians support European unity
European Christians must have the courage to promote a common European sentiment, Prof Andrea Riccardi, founder of the St Egidio Community, told a conference on Europe at the weekend. It should be able "to attract and engage other Europeans in a sense of common destiny", he said. p
No stopping the slide as Ireland hits all-time low at Eurovision
Ireland made history at Saturday night's Eurovision Song Contest - for all the wrong reasons. For the first time since entering the competition in 1965, Ireland finished last, receiving only five points from Albania. p

World

Low-caste woman elected to power in key Indian state
INDIA: A low-caste woman, one of millions of India's "untouchables" or Dalits, was yesterday sworn in as leader of the country's most populous state in a move that promises to politically empower the dispossessed. p
£1.5m reward offer as search for Madeleine continues
PORTUGAL: British celebrities and business leaders have put up a £1.5 million (€2.20 million) reward to help find Madeleine McCann, the four-year-old who disappeared from a Portuguese holiday resort 10 days ago. p
Four killed in Gaza as faction fight erupts
MIDDLE EAST: Four Palestinians were killed in Gaza yesterday and Hamas said 15 supporters were abducted, in the deadliest outbreak of factional fighting in the coastal strip in months, Palestinian officials said. p
Massive search as al-Qaeda holds US soldiers
IRAQ: Thousands of US troops, supported by helicopters and planes, were last night searching for three soldiers captured by al-Qaeda near Baghdad as violence again hit dozens of ordinary Iraqis across the country. p

Finance

Growth in building industry falls
Big decline in house-building results in lowest construction growth in 3½ years p
Bancroft family split on meeting Murdoch
Some Bancroft family members want to meet Rupert Murdoch to discuss his $5 billion (€3.7 billion) offer for Dow Jones - but they face stiff opposition from relatives. p
Perlico set to enter personal finance market
Telephony and broadband provider Perlico, in which businessman Michael Smurfit owns an 18 per cent stake, is planning a major push into the personal finance market and intends to offer a range of products to consumers from September, including lending and credit cards. p
Action urged on Dublin projects
Business lobby Ibec has called for "leadership and the will to progress major infrastructure projects" if Dublin is to continue to be considered a major European business capital. p

Sport

Oddest of starts, even in Cavan
Gaelic Games : Betting on the first round of the championship has never been a sound investment for gamblers. Death and taxes may be holding their certainty but when it comes to the championship, as Longford reminded us all yesterday, anything can happen. p
Sheffield left seething as Tevez attains goal
Premiership/ Ups and downs : Sheffield United were relegated from the Premiership yesterday due to an inferior goal difference of one, but the controversial circumstances of their fall and West Ham United's Carlos Tevez-inspired survival mean the season is not finished yet. p