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Giovanni Trapattoni in his office at the Red Bull Salzburg training grounds in Austria after a press conference where he announced he had accepted the FAI's offer to manage the Republic of Ireland.

Photograph: Photograph: David Maher/Sportsfile

Fianna Fáil TDs accuse HSE over treatment of chemists
Significant divisions have opened up between the Government and Fianna Fáil backbenchers over the worsening row between the Health Service Executive and 1,600 pharmacists over the HSE's bid to cut €100 million from its drugs bill.
FAI lands big kahuna with a little help from a new friend
It was too late for the chaotic scenes of carnevale which have attended recent managerial appointments by the Football Association of Ireland but yesterday's pleasingly sober announcement of the appointment of Giovanni Trapattoni as the next manager of the Irish soccer team was a timely exercise in confidence rather than hope.
Bacon to be questioned on Moriarty tribunal role
The Moriarty (Payments to Politicians) tribunal, which last sat in June 2007 and was thought to have concluded its public hearings, is to hear evidence from a new witness.

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World

Fingerprinting part of proposed EU security plan
EU: The European Commission has proposed fingerprinting all non-EU citizens visiting the 24 European states in the Schengen border-free zone to tackle illegal immigration. p
Yushchenko vows not to allow Nato bases on Ukraine soil
UKRAINE: President Viktor Yushchenko vowed yesterday that Ukraine would never host Nato bases on its territory, after his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, warned that such a move could prompt Moscow to train its missiles on the country. p
Chinese media ignore Spielberg games walkout
CHINA: China's Olympic coverage on state broadcaster CCTV yesterday evening focused on athletes preparing for the games in August and neither the TV channel, which boasts one billion viewers, nor any other domestic media, gave any space to Steven Spielberg's decision to quit as artistic adviser to the 2008 games over China's inaction on Darfur. p

Ireland

Gardaí explore republican links to man's murder
Gardaí are investigating the murder of a man in Co Donegal and possible links to dissident republican activity in nearby Co Tyrone. p
Weapons haul intended for gang, court told
An arsenal of weapons, including rocket launchers, assault rifles, submachine guns and semi- automatic pistols, was intended for use by a Limerick organised crime gang to wage war on their enemies in the city, a court heard yesterday. p
O'Rourke makes appeal on ABA
Former minister for education Mary O'Rourke has called for the removal of "whatever lingering animosity" and "blockage" there is to the "full-blooded provision" of applied behavioural analysis (ABA) within the Department of Education and Science. p
Traffic congestion ideas vital - Ahern
The "city fathers" of Dublin and Cork are facing difficult decisions in the coming years over how to deal with traffic congestion, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said yesterday. p
Rebels in Chad pose unforeseenthreats - O'Dea
Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea has said rebel armies in Chad, where Irish troops are about to be deployed, are better equipped, more organised and more capable fighters than previously thought. p
Basi goes large as Farhi shows a feminine side
The Garden Room of the Royal Opera House in London was the setting for Nicole Farhi's lovely winter collection, a stone's throw from her flagship store in Covent Garden. One of the few sightings of a black trouser suit, increasingly rare in the season's collections, made an appearance in the shape of a winning crossover jacket with stiff high collar and a sharp pair of narrow pants. p
Irish duo arrested after drugs raid
Two Irish people were last night being quizzed by detectives who smashed a €130 million drugs trafficking operation in Britain. p
Key McKevitt witness a 'life-long criminal'
FBI agent David Rupert, the key witness for the prosecution in the trial of the first person in the State to be jailed for directing terrorist activities, was "a life-long criminal", the Supreme Court was told yesterday. p
New jury to be selected in Kearney murder case
The jury selected to hear the trial of a Dublin man charged with murdering his wife has been discharged after it emerged one of the jurors worked for an alarm company who installed a security alarm in the victim's home. p
Pharmacist fee cuts to start in March - Ahern
Plans by the Health Service Executive (HSE) to introduce reduced payments to pharmacists for drugs dispensed to medical card holders will go ahead on March 1st, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has signalled. p

Finance

Smurfit shares retreat on cautious outlook
Shares in Smurfit Kappa dropped 4 per cent to €8.85 yesterday after the packaging giant trimmed back its guidance for "continued" growth in earnings this year to forecast "modest" earnings growth if current conditions prevail. p
O'Connor to re-enter renewable energy market
Eddie O'Connor, the Airtricity founder who netted €50 million from the group's sale, is lining up for another tilt at the alternative energy market. p
IBF mortgage figures highlight downturn in property market
The number of residential mortgages issued last year fell by 22.5 per cent compared with 2006, while the value of those loans declined by 15 per cent to €33.8 billion, according to figures published yesterday by the Irish Banking Federation (IBF). p

Sport

Trapattoni turns to Tardelli
SOCCER: Republic of Ireland managerial appointment Giovanni Trapattoni has turned to World Cup winner Marco Tardelli to help him transform the fortunes of the Irish team, the former World Cup winner having informed his former boss that he will tell him by the end of this week whether he will become his assistant in the new, somewhat improved, national team set-up officially unveiled by the FAI yesterday. p
Cork team play for time over arbitration
GAELIC GAMES: After the Cork County Board agreed to the option of binding arbitration on Tuesday night, the Cork player representatives have sought more time and clarification before rejecting or accepting the proposal from the Labour Relations Commission chief executive Kieran Mulvey. p
Everton made to toil for result
SOCCER: Uefa Cup SK Brann 0, Everton 2 It was difficult to judge who looked the more astonished. The Norwegian stewards as a 10-year-old Evertonian leapt over an advertising hoarding to spark a mini-pitch invasion on the final whistle or the Norwegian supporters as Brann suffered a potentially calamitous result from a largely lifeless Everton display. p