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Some of the Santas who gathered at the Guildhall in Derry City yesterday to break the world record for the amount of Father Christmases in one place. The event raised funds for four local charities.

Photograph: Niall Carson/PA

Harney hints at delay in Ministers' pay rises
Minister for Health Mary Harney intervened in the controversy over Cabinet salary increases when she said last night there was "a lot of merit" in the idea of a moratorium.
Climate summit gets down to real business
Frank McDonald in Bali The UN climate change summit moves into high gear today with the arrival of environment ministers, prime ministers and heads of state to agree on a mandate for negotiating a successor to the Kyoto Protocol by 2009 at the latest.
Darwins in jail as wife returns to face fraud questions
John and Anne Darwin, the couple at the centre of the back-from-the-dead canoeist case, spent last night in separate cells in the northeast of England as police prepared to question her on suspicion of fraud and put him before the courts.

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World

EU gridlock fears are unfounded, says report
EU: European Union leaders fly to Lisbon on Thursday to sign a treaty that most describe as essential to modernise the bloc's institutions after its enlargement in May 2004 from 15 countries to 27. p
Oprah 'steps out of the box' to support Obama
US: It was, if you stopped to think about it, a rather incredible event. A woman born in Mississippi to a poor, unmarried mother who rose to huge fame and fortune, standing on stage beside a fellow African-American who was largely unknown a year ago but is now vying to become the 44th president of the United States. p
Sharif party to contest election as boycott pact fails
PAKISTAN: The party of former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif will take part in a January general election after failing to arrange a boycott pact with his rival, Benazir Bhutto, a spokesman said yesterday. p
Two gods called to the dock in Indian property dispute
INDIA: Two Hindu gods have been summoned by a judge in India's eastern Jharkhand state in a two- decade old property dispute. p

Ireland

Adams concedes need to alter SF message
President's address Sinn Féin must fundamentally reshape its message in the Republic if it is to succeed in future elections, the party's president, Gerry Adams, has conceded following poor results in May's general election. p
Woman found dead in bath had been assaulted
A woman found dead in a bath in a Limerick hotel at the weekend was the victim of an assault, it has emerged. p
Irish exploration yacht rescues French sailors in Atlantic
The Irish polar exploration yacht Northabout saved two French sailors in a difficult mid-Atlantic rescue yesterday. p
Boy (15) abducts care staff member at knife-point
A 15-year-old youth terrorised workers at a specialist care unit in Limerick at the weekend when, at knife-point, he abducted one staff member and demanded to be driven to Dublin. p
Funeral of Katy French in Enniskerry today
The funeral of model and socialite Katy French will take place in her home village of Enniskerry, Co Wicklow, this afternoon. p
Car firms defend Christmas hike
Car hire firms have defended increases of up to 240 per cent in rental charges over the Christmas period. p
Dublin must wait as Ikea set to open in Belfast
Retail furniture giant Ikea opens its first Irish store in Belfast this week but plans for an early opening of its Dublin store remain stalled. p
Rise in departments' PR spending queried
The Dáil Public Accounts Committee is to be asked to investigate increases in press office spending by 10 government departments, coinciding with the run-up to this year's general election. p
Archbishop 'unaware' of challenge to Mater choice
The Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, who is chairman of the board of Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin, says he is unaware of it having examined "any specific project" to challenge legally the planned development of a new national children's hospital. p

Finance

Managers at Parc buy recruiting division
Management at the recruitment and HR outsourcing division of the Parc Group has bought out the business from the group in a deal worth around €10 million. p
Building sector continues to slow
The construction sector experienced another sharp fall in activity in November, the latest building industry index shows. p
Nationwide's commercial loans sample sought by bank
Icelandic bank Landsbanki has asked for a representative sample of Irish Nationwide's commercial property loans so it can assess the quality of its loan book before progressing with a bid for the building society. p

Sport

Arsenal lose way far from home
SOCCER/Middlesbrough 2 Arsenal 1: Are Arsenal about to implode? Was Arsène Wenger wrong to offload Jeremie Aliadiere? Is Gareth Southgate launching a late challenge for the England job? While the answers almost certainly remain resounding "noes", all three briefly seemed legitimate questions yesterday as Wenger's side surrendered their unbeaten league record to a seemingly reborn Middlesbrough without a win in 11 games. p
Hype, hysteria and Hatton no match for Mayweather
BOXING: Has ever a fight drawn more coverage in the British media than Floyd Mayweather versus Ricky Hatton? Having worked on both Frank Bruno-Mike Tyson heavyweight title fights I can say they did not outrank it, and Lennox Lewis-Tyson certainly didn't. Nor did the hype surrounding the Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn confrontations equal that promoting the skirmish here in Las Vegas. p
Munster's big strides in Stradey
RUGBY: Drivers in south Wales were advised not to take their cars on to the roads yesterday morning amid warnings of flooded roads and a mudslide. After getting down and dirty at Stradey Park on a sodden Saturday night, Munster made off with the four points on to their charter flight, touching down in Cork and Limerick either side of 1am with two buffeted and singularly quiet landings. They hope to thaw out by the time the teams meet again next Sunday lunchtime. The pool of sharks indeed. p
Another twist in Fallon tale
The former champion jockey Kieren Fallon is once again facing a potentially crippling blow to his career after a positive drugs test in France earlier this year. p