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Changes to affect 20 constituencies
Constituency changes: Extensive changes to more than 20 Dáil constituency boundaries are contained in recommendations published by the Constituency Commission yesterday. p

Bank gets order against Dublin solicitor
IIB Bank has secured a temporary High Court order against a Dublin solicitor restraining him from reducing his assets below €9 million, and also freezing bank accounts in his name. p

Ahern warns of tough action on criminal gangs
The Government will consider the possibility of "draconian measures" including the use of the Special Criminal Court, if criminal gangs continue to break the law, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has told the Dáil. p

Other Stories

Union may picket Moneypoint station
A trade union has said it will place pickets at the ESB generating station at Moneypoint in Co Clare from tomorrow morning if there is no progress in talks in the dispute over the payment of wages and job security for around 200 Polish workers at the plant. p
Daly murder was well planned - gardaí
Gardaí believe the murder of Dublin criminal John Daly was a well-planned killing, organised from the time he was released from Portlaoise Prison two months ago. p
Roebuck director defends fee structure
The director of Roebuck Consulting Ltd, formerly the Roebuck Counselling centre, in Rathgar, Dublin, has defended its services after complaints by people unhappy about being asked for large sums of money upfront for counselling and life mentoring. p
Ramsay keeps cool for restaurant opening
Knives were expected to fly when Gordon Ramsay officially opened his new restaurant at Powerscourt in Co Wicklow yesterday. The Scottish chef, once voted TV's most terrifying celebrity, is famous for his fiery temper and expletive-ridden vocabulary. p
More tributes paid to columnist who 'fused art with science'
Further tributes were paid yesterday to the meteorologist and Irish Times columnist Brendan McWilliams, who died earlier this week. p
Referendums unlikely to be held on same day
The proposed referendums on children's rights and the new European treaty are unlikely to be held on the same day next year. p
Drivers' blood alcohol limit to be reviewed
An advisory group of medical professionals, senior gardaí and road safety experts established by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has been asked to recommend a new blood alcohol limit for motorists. p
Call for national policy on bereavement leave
The head of the Irish Hospice Foundation has called for legislation that will force employers to grant bereavement leave to workers. p
How organisations can help
How managers can support bereaved employees. p
Valentia rescue centre scales back
The Department of Transport confirmed last night that Valentia is to be scaled down as a major marine rescue co-ordination centre in the next five years. p
MEPs back restrictions on use of pesticides
MEPs voted yesterday to ban aerial spraying with pesticides and the use of pesticides in buffer zones around water courses. They also approved plans to ban or at least restrict the use of pesticides in parks and sports grounds. p

Electoral Boundary Changes

Seats shared out in accordance with Nice treaty
Dublin is to lose one seat to become a three-seat constituency in European Parliament elections, while Longford and Westmeath are to be transferred from the East to the North-West constituency. p
Biggest opposition comes from Leitrim
Changes to constituency boundaries announced yesterday provoked a mixed response from politicians and political parties yesterday. p
Boundary changes will not harm parties, just a few TDs
No party emerges a clear winner but Limerick is a loser, writes Stephen Collins , Political Editor. p
Louth, Meath East and Meath West
The political ramifications of the changes made to Louth, Meath East and Meath West will force several TDs to consider shifting their political base. p
Dublin West and North
Despite expectations in some quarters, the Constituency Commission has adopted a minimalist approach to change in Dublin, leaving most constituencies unchanged. p
Dublin South and Dún Laoghaire
Dublin South and Dún Laoghaire together have one too many TDs, the commission found, but it has decided that Dún Laoghaire should be the one to lose out. p
Limerick East and West
Limerick will lose one TD, and 14,000 voters in the west of the county are to be transferred into a new constituency dominated by Kerry North. p
Kerry North and South
Kerry North and South are over-represented to an "unacceptable" degree in the Dáil, but despite this the Constituency Commission did not follow some predictions that both would be abolished and replaced by a five-seater. p

Irish Times Judgment

'Irish Times' is told to face tribunal on source
High Court judgment: A three-judge High Court has ordered Irish Times Editor Geraldine Kennedy and Public Affairs correspondent Colm Keena to answer questions from the Mahon tribunal in relation to the source of an article about financial payments to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern when he was minister for finance in 1993. p
Tribunal 'has right to enforce confidentiality'
High Court judgment: The Mahon tribunal has a right to impose and enforce confidentiality over material assembled in its private investigative phase, including material that was the subject of an unauthorised "leak", the High Court ruled. That confidentiality affected all persons who come into the possession of such material. p
Case 'has serious implications for all journalists' - NUJ
Reaction: The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) expressed dismay at the High Court's decision in the case taken by the planning tribunal against The Irish Times . p
Protection of sources a central tenet of journalism
Analysis: The court has seriously undermined the media's claimed right to refuse to disclose sources, writes Paul Cullen . p

Mahon Tribunal

Dunlop 'bought €64,000 horse but never saw it'
Former government press secretary Frank Dunlop told the tribunal that he bought a horse or "a leg of a horse" for almost £64,000 in 1992, but he never saw the animal and it died the following year. p

In the Courts

Retrial for Omagh bomb suspect
The High Court has cleared the way for the retrial of a Co Louth man on a conspiracy charge connected to the 1998 Real IRA bombing in Omagh in which 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, died. p
Neighbours woke to gunshots on night of murder
Neighbours of Limerick nightclub security man Brian Fitzgerald have told the jury in the trial of four men accused of killing Mr Fitzgerald at the Central Criminal Court how they awoke on the night of the shooting to the sound of gunshots. p
Two years in jail for attacking partner
A man who tried to strangle his partner and stab two gardaí, and who then threatened to kill his young children, was yesterday jailed for two years. p
Family of drowned man settles action
The family of a fisherman who was swept overboard and drowned as an injured colleague was being airlifted from a fishing vessel during a rescue operation has settled its High Court action for €200,000 damages, plus costs. The settlement was without admission of liability. p
Wedding guests free to sue travel firms
More than 30 Irish guests at a wedding on a Mediterranean island can sue two holiday firms alleged to have spoiled their week-long trip, a judge said yesterday. p
Woman tells court of rape claim
A Cavan woman has claimed at the Central Criminal Court that she was raped and sexually assaulted by a Meath man when she was eight or nine years old. p
Teenager jailed for dangerous driving
A Limerick teenager who drove in a "highly dangerous" manner through a city housing estate while children were out playing has been jailed for three months. p
Man had military manuals, court told
Military manuals including weaponry and explosive information were found in the flat of a Carlow man accused of IRA membership, the Special Criminal Court heard yesterday. p
In short
More news from the courts in brief. p

In the North

Primate calls for co-operation with police over Quinn murder
Anyone with information about the murder of Paul Quinn at the weekend has a "duty before God" to pass it to the Garda or PSNI, the Catholic primate has said. p
Giant's Causeway builder denies close ties to Paisleys
The builder at the centre of a controversy over proposals to build a visitor centre at the Giant's Causeway in Co Antrim has insisted he has no special relationship with First Minister, the Rev Ian Paisley, and his junior Minister son, Ian jnr. p

In the Dáil

Cowen warns of lower growth in employment
Minister for Finance Brian Cowen warned it would be unwise "to ignore the signs that are there for all to see" when he spoke in a debate on pre-budget estimates. p
Taoiseach defends public servants who make errors
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said he always defended public servants who made administrative errors in Government departments. p
Minister says it is 'logical' for FF to operate in North
It is "quite logical" for Fianna Fáil to consider operating in the North because of the dramatically changed political landscape, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern has said. p
GM feed imports are 'inevitable'
It is practically inevitable that genetically modified (GM)crops are going to form a significant part of Irish feed material imports, the Dáil has been told. p
Bertie's babbling could be Beckett in a bin
Dáil Sketch / Miriam Lord: Enda Kenny is worried about efficiency in the public service, and whether the benchmarking of pay is improving matters. p

Morris tribunal

Senior garda tells of bomb threats
A senior Garda security expert experienced in handling bomb threats has told the Morris tribunal he had never come across a property owner who refused to clear his premises when told by gardaí that a warning had been received. p

Regional News

Midwest region must 'move on', says Ó Cuív
Minister for Community, Gaeltacht and Rural Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív yesterday told a midwest audience that "it is hard to expect people to invest money in a region that is seen by its own citizens as a loser". p
Cleric warns on key role of family
Market forces cannot be allowed cotninue to dictate in areas such as the family, handing over our children to be reared and our elderly to be cared for, Clare priest Fr Harry Bohan has said. p
Cork forum hears energy proposals
Light-rail systems and the use of sea transport to bring goods to small ports were among alternative suggestions for Cork transport discussed at a conference hosted by the Cork Environmental Forum last night. p
Eastern European woman dies in two-vehicle crash
A thirty-one-year-old woman believed to have been a hospital worker on her way to work, died early yesterday following a collision between her car and a truck on the Dublin to Waterford road in south Co Kilkenny. p
Developers urged to get locals more involved
Local people must be involved by developers before major planning applications are lodged if delays due to community opposition are to be avoided, according to the president of the Irish Planning Institute Andrew Hind. p

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