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Actor Jeremy Irons with students Fiona Kirwan from Ballynacally and Maeve Harrison from Spanish Point, taking a fiddle class at the Willie Clancy Summer School, Milltown Malbay, Co Clare yesterday.
Photograph: Eamon Ward
Judge says social workers' caseloads 'impossibly large'
A judge specialising in childcare cases has said social workers in Ireland have "impossibly large caseloads", "scarce resources" and do not have the technology a modern agency requires.
Bush under pressure to announce withdrawal from Iraq
Amid a growing Republican revolt over Iraq at the start of a two-week Senate debate on the war, the White House has denied that President George Bush is considering a withdrawal of American troops "right now".O'Reilly jury told phone was close to home
The jury in the Rachel O'Reilly murder case was told yesterday that the mobile phone belonging to her husband Joe was in an area close to their home on the morning she was killed.
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Ireland
Fall in first-time buyers taking 100% mortgages
The uptake of 100 per cent mortgages is on the decline, a leading mortgage broker has said, despite new figures from the Department of the Environment showing that one-third of first-time buyers took 100 per cent loans last year. pGalway city water alert continues
Galway's "boil water" alert is expected to continue indefinitely for 70,000 city dwellers, extending right through the annual film fleadh, arts festival and race week. pHugely respected politician, teacher and footballer
John Wilson, who died yesterday, was a former Fianna Fáil tánaiste and long-serving minister. pGalway gardaí hold three over body in freezer
Three people were still being questioned by gardaí in Galway last night in relation to the discovery last month of a man's body in a city fishmonger's freezing unit. pBlair ultimatum to SF revealed - you're barred if IRA restarts war
Former British prime minister Tony Blair told Sinn Féin leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness if the IRA went "back to violence" he would not see them again. pDrift net claims life of basking shark
Monofilament drift-netting is thought to be responsible for the
stranding of a large basking shark, found dead on the shores of
Brandon Bay, Co Kerry, on Sunday evening. pBarrister gets jail threat over property purchase
A High Court judge has warned a barrister that he will go to jail in two weeks' time unless he meets all of his obligations under a contract of July 2005 for the sale of a central Dublin property. pOxegen's mud hinders the mass exodus
Thousands of weary, mud-splattered festival-goers began leaving Punchestown racecourse from the early hours of yesterday as Oxegen, the country's biggest music festival, wound up for another year. pO'Reilly admitted affair to detective
Joe O'Reilly told gardaí that he had an affair but that it
was over by the time his wife Rachel was found murdered at the
family home in north Dublin, a jury heard yesterday. p
World
Inspectors to verify N Korean nuclear shutdown
NORTH KOREA: The UN nuclear watchdog's governing body agreed yesterday to send monitors to North Korea to verify a shutdown of its atomic bomb programme, launching what is likely to be a long and arduous disarmament process. pBush uses privilege to block testimony
US: President George Bush has escalated a showdown
with Congress over presidential power by blocking the testimony of
two former White House aides about the controversial firing last
year of nine federal prosecutors. pPoland's coalition falls amid corruption claims
POLAND: Poland's fractious ruling coalition
collapsed for the second and apparently final time last night amid
claims of planning corruption, raising the prospect of autumn
elections. p
Finance
Level 3 to buy Irish internet firm in €30m deal
Irish internet broadcasting company Servecast is set to be sold to Nasdaq-quoted Level 3 Communications in a deal that values the company at just less than €30 million. pEircom workers vote in favour of industrial action
Workers at Eircom are likely to serve seven days' notice of
industrial action on the telecoms group today following an
overwhelming vote for such a move by members of the largest union
in the company. p
Sport
Clancy relishes low-key build-up
Leinster football final: The first Pádraig Clancy knew about last year's Dublin-Laois result was at tea-time in hospital. He had departed the match after the first quarter with the match relatively balanced. In his absence - and he disputes the cause and effect - Laois disintegrated. pKernan in no rush to decide on future
GAELIC GAMES/Ulster SFC: Joe Kernan won't be making
any decision on his future until next month but he hasn't ruled out
staying on for what would be a seventh year in charge and he
believes that the quality of new players coming through in the
county gives plenty of hope for the future. pFerguson confident of signing Tevez
SOCCER: The English Premier League champions Manchester United are confident Carlos Tevez will be in a position to sign a long-term contract once Argentina's Copa America campaign concludes at the weekend. p
