ireland.com - The Irish Times

Proof of arson turns tragedy to a murder hunt
Last night the people of Omagh were coming to terms with the shocking confirmation that the fire that claimed the lives of the entire McElhill family was caused by arson, and that the PSNI had begun a murder investigation. p

Victim of gangland murder shot in bed
Gardaí believe the man killed in a gangland attack in Tallaght yesterday was shot in the head as he slept by a man who gained access to the victim's house through the back door. p

Siptu asks Ictu to back all-out picket of Aer Lingus
Siptu has applied to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) for an all-out picket at Aer Lingus. p

Other Stories

Ahern's pay and perks - and those of peers
The Taoiseach defended his acceptance of a €38,000 a year pay increase in the Dáil on Tuesday and challenged the media to look into the perks enjoyed by his counterparts in other countries. p
Clean up act or else, hospital managers are told
Hospital managers who do not clean up hospitals could be in danger of losing their jobs, Minister for Health Mary Harney signalled yesterday. p
Over 2,000 complaints against premium phone lines
Phone subscribers lodged more than 2,000 complaints last year over the operation of premium-rate services, while investigations uncovered 1,500 breaches of the sector's code of practice, according to the industry-funded regulator, Regtel. p
Fourth day of bus strike looms
Tens of thousands of Dublin Bus passengers face a fourth day without services as the strike by drivers at the Harristown garage continues. p
Complaints to Ombudsman have 'rocketed'
Hospital-related complaints to the Ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly, have "rocketed" since legislation changed in 2004, she said yesterday. She was now receiving two complaints per week since her remit was extended to voluntary hospitals and centres providing services to the HSE. p
Anti-racist group to report taxi website to Garda
The State's advisory body on racism is to report to the Garda a website aimed at taxi drivers for carrying racist and offensive material about immigrants in Ireland. The National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI) believes comments posted on a forum linked from the website www.taxi.ie are in breach of the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act. Dozens of offensive entries targeting black Africans and other ethnic minorities remained on the forum yesterday. p
Plan to shut airline websites rejected
Irish consumer authorities have rejected plans by the EU Commission to shut down airline websites if they fail to remove misleading information. p
Mentally ill need more support in workplace - report
The Government, employers and social partners are to examine ways of providing greater support in the workplace for people who suffer from mental illness, following recommendations outlined in a major report yesterday. p
Increase in number of trips abroad
An average of over 24,000 people a day travelled abroad from Ireland in September, according to figures released yesterday. p
Naughten urges criminal record query on form
Fine Gael spokesman on immigration and integration Denis Naughten has suggested the application form for PPS numbers should be amended to ask applicants if they hold a criminal conviction. Such a "screening mechanism" would help ensure that gardaí were aware of immigrants with serious criminal histories. p
Drives of used PCs retain vital data - survey
Irish people are unaware of the security risks involved in disposing of old computer equipment, according to a new survey. p
Progress in HSE 'light bulb dispute'
The dispute between electricians, fitters and plumbers and hospital management over the changing of light bulbs and other issues appears close to resolution. p
Bird flu prompts major cull in UK
Thousands more birds are to be slaughtered on four farms adjoining the Norfolk farm where the H5N1 strain of avian bird flu was identified by British scientists on Tuesday. p
Focus of single market 'needs to change'
The single European market can not continue to operate centrally from Brussels, commissioner for the internal market and services Charlie McCreevy told a forum on Europe last night. p
Court rejects organ retention damages claim
The Supreme Court has ruled a Dublin couple is not entitled to damages from the National Maternity Hospital for nervous shock over the retention in 1988 of some of the organs of their stillborn daughter. p
Andrews agonised over joining the PDs
The former Fianna Fáil minister, David Andrews, went to Paris for a weekend early in 1986 to agonise over whether or not to leave Fianna Fáil and join the fledgling Progressive Democrats. p
More to young than 'twixters' and 'kippers', says academic
They used to be known as slackers and are now called "twixters" (between adolescence and adulthood), boomerang kids or "kippers" (kids in parents' pockets eroding retirement savings). p
Paintings to pay bank debt
Several paintings from an important Irish art collection have been given to a bank to be sold to pay off a €2.5 million debt owed by former Bula mining company director Richard Wood, the High Court heard yesterday. p
McBrearty fails to attend scheduled hearing
Morris tribunal: The tribunal will consider immediately whether to ask the High Court to compel Raphoe man Frank McBrearty to give evidence, after the publican again failed to appear as scheduled yesterday morning to testify. p
Autochrome photos of Irish life in 1913 go on display
An exhibition of the first colour photographs taken in Ireland was launched last night in Dublin. p
In short
A round-up of today's other stories in brief p

In the Courts

Former garda traffic head gets four-year driving ban
The Garda superintendent who was appointed to head up a regional traffic division and was arrested on suspicion of drink driving just a few weeks later, was yesterday banned from driving for four years. p
Priest's dismissal of secretary justified
A parish secretary whom a psychiatrist claimed was infatuated with her priest and suffered from a condition called erotomania has been awarded €1,560 by an Employment Appeals Tribunal. p
Man's arm broken during arrest awarded €40,000
A Dublin man whose arm was broken after he was arrested by members of the Garda Emergency Response Unit on his return from Northern Ireland after buying fireworks has been awarded €40,000 damages by the High Court. p
Man jailed for forged notes
A man who claimed he found nearly half a million euro of "high-quality" counterfeit money in a laneway has been sentenced to three years in prison at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. p
Garda takes action for hearing loss
A member of the Garda Dogs Unit has brought a High Court action for damages over alleged hearing problems in both ears after being exposed to constant loud barking by dogs under his control in a Garda van. p
'Slab' Murphy remanded on bail
Thomas "Slab" Murphy has been further remanded on bail to appear again before Dundalk District Court next month. p

In the Dáil

Kenny questions increased cost of Harney's staff
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny questioned the staffing levels in the office of Minister for Health Mary Harney, as he renewed his criticism of Government salary increases. Mr Kenny said that since 2002, the cost of special advisers to Ms Harney had risen from €206,000 to €666,000. p
Garda says Quinn killing a criminal feud - Ahern
The murder in Monaghan last month of Paul Quinn "was not paramilitary but pertained to feuds about criminality that were taking place", the Taoiseach told the Dáil. Bertie Ahern said the Government had received a number of reports from both gardaí "and secondhand from the PSNI, and both of them match at this stage, that this action was due to criminality". p
Dempsey says Transport 21 to be fully delivered by 2015
Transport 21, the programme of transport projects announced in 2005, "will be delivered in its entirety" within the 10-year deadline, Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey has said in the Dáil. p
Electoral registers lacking consistency, says Gormley
Minister for the Environment John Gormley agreed that inconsistencies in the register of electors would have to be addressed. p
EU treaty referendum would fail if Ahern still in office, says FG
Seanad report: The referendum on the new European Union treaty would fail if the Taoiseach was still in office when it was held, Eugene Regan, Fine Gael spokesman on justice, warned. p
Short shrift for sunnier Bertie from heir apparent
Dáil Sketch: Maybe we've been too hard on Bertie, bringer of the peace and keeper of the Celtic Tigger. He doesn't know what's hit him since he swept back into power for an unprecedented third term, the most popular Taoiseach in the history of the universe. p

In the North

Man accused in Lords of murder link denies role
One of the men named in the House of Lords in connection with the murder of Paul Quinn yesterday challenged his accuser to repeat the claims in public. p

Regional News

€4bn needed to give required broadband access, conference told
The Government has been told that €4 billion is needed for a new, State-wide fibre optic network which would bring a range of services such as phone, television and fast internet access to individual homes. p
E-towns: what are they?
An e-town is a centre of about 1,000 people in which Shannon Development hopes to develop small clusters of units where the owner-occupier would live and work. p
Inquiry into sinking of trawler off south coast
The Marine Casualty Investigation Board is to carry out an inquiry into the sinking of an Irish-registered fishing vessel off the southeast coast. p
Man-made reef could fuel tourism growth
Ireland's first artificial reef could generate several million euro in marine tourism income, according to the Mayo-based backers of the project. p
Landfill breached conditions
The Environmental Protection Agency has found that a Greenstar-owned landfill in east Galway breached the conditions of its waste licence. p
Irish speakers 'discriminated against'
Irish speakers were discriminated against because they were given three weeks to assess the Irish translation of the environmental impact statement (EIS) of Galway city's outer bypass, while English speakers had six, An Bord Pleanála was told yesterday. p
Funeral of pensioner (73) killed in Cork
The brutal killing of a 73-year-old pensioner who was found tied up in his house on the northside of Cork city last week was a mindless act which had reduced us all as a community and a society, a priest told mourners at the man's funeral Mass yesterday. p

ScienceWeek

Maths plays starring role in film
Mathematics helps make the magic of movies by creating images and actors that don't otherwise exist. Yet while computer-generated images have improved greatly in the past decade, films will still always need actors and their voices. p
Science Week events
What's on: today and tomorrow p

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