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Taoiseach Bertie Ahern leaving the Mahon tribunal at Dublin Castle yesterday after giving evidence about cash savings between 1987 and 1993.
Photograph: Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland
Ahern accuses tribunal of trying to 'stitch me up'
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern yesterday accused the Mahon tribunal of trying to "stitch me up" during an angry outburst while he was being questioned closely about his personal finances.Judge accuses police of 'deception' in Omagh case
The judge who yesterday freed the man charged with the Omagh bombing has accused the police of "deliberate and calculated deception".Gardaí looking for gang after foiled security van robbery
Gardaí are searching for a gang who forced a cash-in-transit driver to drive to Dublin and kidnapped his wife and two young children.
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Ireland
Supreme Court reverses residency decision
Ruling overturned: The Supreme Court has
unanimously overturned a High Court decision that the Minister for
Justice unlawfully breached the rights of several Irish-born
children in the way in which he refused their foreign national
parents' applications to remain here under a once-off and
"generous" scheme. pCost puts brakes on speed cameras contract
A much-delayed Government plan to outsource speed cameras has run into a new difficulty over cost. pMulhall sister pleads for sentence cut
The Court of Criminal Appeal will give its judgment next year on
an appeal by Dublin woman Linda Mulhall to have her 15-year
sentence for the manslaughter of her mother's boyfriend
reduced. pEPA to decide quickly if it will hold Poolbeg hearing
A new oral hearing into the Poolbeg incinerator could be conducted next year by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) following the receipt of objections to its proposal to grant a licence for the facility. pModest rise in retail trade predicted
Retailers say their Christmas trade has picked up over the last
week after a slow start earlier in the month. Most are predicting a
modest growth in turnover this Christmas, but nothing like the
double-digit growth seen in previous years. pSale of samurai swords not facing ban
Legislation already exists to prosecute people for using samurai swords, but there are no plans to ban their purchase, the Government said last night. pMedical assessment for accused
A man is to undergo psychiatric tests to determine if he is fit
to plead in connection with the murder of Michael Hughes in Dublin
at the weekend. pSinger Christie Hennessy laid to rest
Friends and family yesterday said farewell to the man who was the first to popularly chronicle the lives of Irish labourers and navvies in England in song, Christie Hennessy, who died of cancer in London last week. p€150 fine for Santa protester who kicked court door
A man who kicked in the door of a courtroom while dressed as
Santa Claus was fined €150 by a Cork judge yesterday and
ordered to keep the peace for two years. p
World
Border barriers come down all over Europe
Europe: From this morning it will be possible to
travel more than 4,000km from Tallinn in Estonia to Lisbon in
Portugal, without showing a passport once. pNew ANC leader denies crisis over election
South Africa: The newly elected president of South
Africa's ruling party has moved to reassure foreign investors that
he is not about to turn the country into a socialist state. pBush denies any prior knowledge of CIA tapes
United States: President George Bush will not judge whether the CIA was right or wrong to destroy hundreds of hours of videotapes showing the "harsh interrogation" of terrorism suspects until the conclusion of several inquiries. pFreed men now face extradition
Britain: Spain sought the extradition of two Arab
men for alleged al-Qaeda links yesterday, a day after the United
States freed them without charge from Guantánamo Bay and let
them fly to Britain. p
Finance
O'Connor targets wind farms
Airtricity founder Dr Eddie O'Connor is seeking financial support for a bid to take control of the company's European wind farms, which are on the market with a likely price of more than €1 billion. Una McCaffrey , Arthur Beesley and Barry O'Halloran report. pCathal Ryan (48), son of Ryanair founder, passes away
Cathal Ryan, the eldest son of the late entrepreneur Tony Ryan, passed away at his home in Celbridge, Co Kildare yesterday after a short battle with cancer. pO'Brien plans to offload Highland Radio
Denis O'Brien's Communicorp is preparing to sell Highland Radio in Donegal. It is understood that a number of parties have expressed an interest in the station, which is expected to fetch €10-12 million. Ciarán Hancock , Business Affairs Correspondent, reports. p
Sport
Crouch aims flak at 'diving' foreigners
Soccer News : Peter Crouch has courted fresh controversy after his dismissal at Chelsea by accusing Mikel John Obi of feigning injury and insisting the midfielder's theatrical reaction to a two-footed lunge was something an Englishman would not have done. pVaughan ensures Everton remain unbeaten
Uefa Cup Group stages/ AZ
Alkmaar 2 Everton 3 : Everton were left
saluting their bright young brigade last night as they ended AZ's
unbeaten home record in Europe stretching back over 32 matches. pKidney is not one for loose talk
News : Christmas cheer has so often been delivered
by Munster. This year is no exception as Declan Kidney's side look
towards their match against Connacht on December 27th with the
long-term view of facing Clermont Auvergne in January buried
somewhere under the surface. p
