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Tánaiste Brian Cowen acknowledges the applause of his supporters after being elected to replace Bertie Ahern as leader of Fianna Fáil at Leinster House yesterday. The Minister for Finance, who will take over as party leader and taoiseach on May 7th, pledged his support for embattled Minister for Health Mary Harney.
Photograph: Matt Kavanagh
Cowen 'excited if daunted' as he is elected leader of FF
BRIAN COWEN assumed the mantle of taoiseach-designate yesterday, pledging to devote all his energies to the role and to a reform of public services that will put the citizen at the centre of policy-making. Stephen Collins , Political Editor, reports.IMF says economy to grow by just 1.8% this year
IRISH ECONOMIC growth is set to decelerate from 5.3 per cent in 2007 to 1.8 per cent this year, before rebounding to 3 per cent in 2009, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts in its latest assessment of the global economic outlook, published yesterday. Paul Tansey , Economics Editor, reports.Gardaí say Livingstone entitled to 'full presumption of innocence'
JAMES LIVINGSTONE'S High Court action against the State over the conduct of the Garda investigation into his wife's murder was settled yesterday on its fifth day, write Alison Healy and Conor Lally.
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Ireland
Aer Lingus set Tuesday deadline for deal on work practices
AER LINGUS passengers face the possibility of further industrial relations trouble following a decision by management to set a deadline of Tuesday evening for 1,800 ground-operation staff to agree to operate controversial new work practices. pHSE's Ennis probe finds 15 died with superbug
A HEALTH Service Executive investigation into the deaths of 15 patients at Ennis General Hospital over a six-month period has revealed they all had the Clostridium difficile superbug when they died. pDUP absent from celebration of agreement
THE 10TH anniversary of the Belfast Agreement's signing will be marked in Belfast today by a symposium on the accord's legacy and by a conference on dispute mediation throughout Europe. pArchbishop apologises to ecumenics school founder
THE CATHOLIC Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, has apologised to the founder of the Irish School of Ecumenics (ISE), Fr Michael Hurley SJ, "for some misunderstandings on the part of my predecessors". pFlynn paid almost half of £50,000 donation in tax
FORMER EU commissioner Pádraig Flynn paid the Revenue
Commissioners in 1998 almost £23,000 in gift tax owed on the
£50,000 donation given to him in 1989 by Luton-based developer
Tom Gilmartin after it became public, the Mahon tribunal was told
yesterday.
Fiona Gartland reports. pPriest describes drive-by shooting as senseless
A PRIEST at the funeral of a gangland murder victim has appealed
to the women and men involved in violence in Ireland to "look into
their hearts" and realise the pain they are causing to
families. pDepartment criticised for failing to act on Barringtons
A FORMER patient of Barringtons' private hospital in Limerick whose breast cancer diagnosis was delayed for 18 months, has sharply criticised the Department of Health for failing to act for years on concerns raised about the standard of breast cancer services at the hospital. pBoy (4) had to be rescued from restaurant
A BOY, aged four, whose head became stuck in a hole in seating at a McDonald's fast food restaurant, had to be rescued by firemen. pVisit hospital to see plight of elderly, Kenny urges Ahern
ELDERLY PEOPLE were living in undignified and cramped conditions in a south Dublin hospital, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny claimed. p
Finance
Blackstone chief says Irish investors should now look beyond property to hedge funds
THE CHAIRMAN of global private equity giant Blackstone says
Irish investors have benefited from property but should consider
diversifying into other asset classes such as hedge funds and
managed fund-to-fund products. p'Bottlenecks' in grocery wholesale sector
"BOTTLENECKS" IN the grocery sector at wholesale level and in local markets will require continued monitoring, the Competition Authority said yesterday. pConsumer sentiment static
IRISH SHOPPERS may not radically curtail their spending this year, the results of a survey released yesterday indicate. pMurdoch's son Lachlan linked to possible bid for APN
LACHLAN MURDOCH, the son of media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, has been tipped in the Australian media as a possible bidder for APN, the Australian group 39 per cent owned by Independent News. p
World
Protesters gather in their thousands to oppose relay
US: CONFUSION SURROUNDED the start of the relay of
the Olympic torch through San Francisco yesterday, as thousands of
China supporters and protesters converged along the planned
route. p416 children feared at risk of abuse removed from polygamy sect
US: INTERVIEWS WITH hundreds of children removed from a polygamist sect in Texas have revealed that several underage girls were forced into "spiritual marriage" with much older men as soon as they reached puberty and were then made pregnant, according to investigators. pMoscow's minorities live in fear after surge in murders
RUSSIA: Attacks by neo-Nazis rise as authorities are accused of underplaying the issue, writes PETER FINN p
Sport
Tevez and United bid arrivederci to Roma
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Manchester Utd 1 AS Roma 0 (Man Utd win
3-0 on agg): MANCHESTER UNITED had, in effect, clinched a
Champions League semi-final against Barcelona with their decisive
victory in Rome last week. pISC say Bree warned of product's danger
IRISH SPORTS COUNCIL ANTI-DOPING UNIT'S ANNUAL REPORT: THE IRISH Sports Council (ISC) have expressed "surprise" and "disappointment" that Olympic-qualified swimmer Andrew Bree tested positive for a banned substance at last December's European Short Course Championships in Hungary. pCheika embracing Munster challenge
MAGNERS LEAGUE TEAM NEWS: NOT FOR the first time in their lives, Leinster were forced to adopt a watching brief last weekend as Munster hogged the Heineken Cup limelight, but they host them at a capacity RDS this weekend with an 11-point buffer over them atop the Magners League table. p
