Previous Day
State can exempt schools from water bills
The Government can exempt schools from having to pay water charges, which are costing some of them up to €10,000 annually, the European Commission indicated last night. p
Le Pen to bring other far-right groups on Irish visit
Jean-Marie Le Pen plans to bring representatives from several European far-right groups with him to Ireland in February to campaign against the EU reform treaty, his party's deputy leader has told The Irish Times. p
Funding threat to childcare services Creche funding
Community childcare services in Ireland could collapse with the loss of thousands of childcare places if Government funding plans are not changed, it has been claimed. p
Other Stories
One-fifth of all penalty points prove pointless
More than one-fifth of all penalty points incurred since the
scheme began in October 2002 cannot be applied because the driver
either has no licence, will not produce a licence, or holds one
issued by a foreign state, it has emerged. pNRA rejects criticism of plan to increase M50 toll
The National Roads Authority (NRA) has rejected criticism of its plans to increase toll charges for many motorists using the M50 when barrier-free tolling is introduced next year. pHow it works
Two large gantries have been constructed across both carriageways of the M50. pGardaí seek information on murder
Gardaí hunting the attackers of a man stabbed to death on Monday night have issued a photograph of the victim in an appeal for information. pOver 2,000 phones seized in prisons
More than 2,000 mobile phones have been seized by prison authorities this year, according to Prison Service figures. pExpanded Nitelink service for Christmas
Dublin Bus's Nitelink service has been extended for the Christmas period to cater for late night revellers and others enjoying the festive season. pBrown Thomas to stop selling fur
Brown Thomas is to stop selling fur from next February, the company has announced. pInquest into deathin Garda custody
The inquest into the death of Dwayne Foster who died in Garda custody heard yesterday that a postmortem showed he died of methadone intoxication. p30% increase in children begging on streets - ISPCC
The growing numbers of Roma in Ireland is the major factor in a 30 per cent increase in the sightings of children begging, the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) has said. pCouncil fails to honour politician
A political row has broken out in Kilkenny following the failure of councillors to award the freedom of the city to the former ceann comhairle, Séamus Pattison. pBill soon for legal services ombudsman
The Bill providing for a legal services ombudsman is expected to be ready for the opening of the Dáil after Christmas, The Irish Times has learned. pStudy says State has 2.4bn trees in its forests
A national forestry inventory has established that there are 2.4 billion trees growing in forests in the Republic and they contain 30 million tonnes of carbon assets. pAbused children 'at risk' as adults
Almost 60 per cent of people who experienced childhood rape were abused before they turned 12, according to statistics released by the State's rape crisis centres. pRefunds for nursing home costs likely to be below €1bn
The final bill the State will have to meet for refunding illegal nursing home charges is now likely to be substantially less than the €1 billion originally estimated. pRevenue tackles taxing problem of car converters
Converting commercial vehicles back to passenger vehicles is a tactic at the centre of many Vehicle Registration Tax scams, writes Paddy Comyn pPreparation for centenary of Rising
The Government is to begin planning for the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising early next year, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said last night, as he launched a book recounting the events surrounding the 50th anniversary in 1966. pTribunal convenes for final session
Morris tribunal: The Morris tribunal of inquiry into allegations of Garda corruption against some gardaí in Co Donegal will convene for what is expected to be its final session today. pRecord entry to higher education as interest in computing slides
Record numbers of students are accepting places in higher education but new figures show a continuing drop in demand for computer courses. pIn Short
A round-up of today's other stories in brief... p
Taoiseach 'absolutely amazed' at £16,500 donation
Publican Dermot Carew told the Mahon tribunal yesterday that Bertie Ahern was "absolutely amazed" when he was presented with £16,500 in a pub in north Dublin in 1994. pSecond 'dig-out' unrelated to first
Bertie Ahern had savings of over £70,000 when he accepted a cash "dig-out" from some friends in the early 1990s, writes Colm Keena pReilly was not aware of earlier £22,500 dig-out
Paddy "the Plasterer" Reilly told the Mahon tribunal that he was not aware the Taoiseach had received a dig-out of £22,500 in 1993 when he contributed to another whip-around the following year. pBusinessman who gave £5,000 had only met Ahern a few times
A businessman told the tribunal he contributed £5,000 cash towards a collection to help Bertie Ahern even though he had only met the then minister for finance on three or four occasions at the time. pA few pints help the cash flow for Bertie's second dig-out
Bertie Ahern is a very proud man. He won't accept cheques. But cash, he can live more easily with cash. p
Extraordinary rendition claim rejected
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has dismissed claims by the Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) that the United States has used Irish airports for "extraordinary rendition" of terrorist suspects. pIncrease in school water charges denounced
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny claimed the Department of Education was "going to screw" schools because of huge increases in water charges. He told the Dáil it was unacceptable that parents were being forced to organise auctions, cake sales, raffles and golf outings to pay for the huge increases faced by schools in their water charges. pEU may back Chad mission
Defence Forces proposals for a peacekeeping mission to Chad could soon be back on track following a positive response from other EU member states for the necessary helicopters, tactical aircraft and medical support, the Dáil was told. pFG says Army should set fitness levels
The Defence Forces should set fitness levels for the rest of society, including students, Fine Gael spokesman Jimmy Deenihan said. pNursing home refunds to offset HSE's €255m deficit
The Health Service Executive has recorded a deficit of €255 million this year but most of this is to be offset by money set aside for nursing home refunds in 2007 which have not been claimed. pTD says sports stars should speak on road safety
Fianna Fáil backbencher Barry Andrews suggested sending sports stars as ambassadors to schools to encourage road safety. pHappy Hanafin lands in troubled waters
Dáil Sketch: It is perhaps not really the best title to have, to be called the "Minister for Happiness". pGovernment will challenge EU opponents - Roche
Seanad report: European Affairs Minister Dick Roche expressed disappointment "to put it mildly" at the decision of Eugene Regan (FG) to accuse the Taoiseach of perjury, within the chamber . p
Garda cleared of stealing from supermarket
A Co Louth garda inspector who faced a charge of stealing items from a Co Monaghan supermarket valued at €44.65 last March, was cleared of the alleged larceny offence at a special sitting of the District Court in Monaghan town yesterday. pCouple withdraw case over list of tax defaulters
An unidentified man and woman have withdrawn High Court proceedings aimed at stopping their names being published in a list of tax defaulters. pCourt hears stab victim took abouta line of cocaine
A man who was stabbed through the heart last New Year's Eve during a house party in Tralee had about "one line of cocaine" in his system as well as alcohol, the Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margot Anne Bolster told the Central Criminal Court in Tralee yesterday. pDispute over registration of stallion settled
A dispute between a couple and the Irish Horse Board over the registration of a Dutch-owned stallion worth €1 million has been settled, the High Court has been told. pMan jailed for five years for abusing boy (5)
A man who sexually abused a five-year-old boy 22 years ago has received a five-year sentence from Judge Katherine Delahunt at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. pDPP asks for more time in 'Slab' Murphy case
Prominent republican Thomas "Slab" Murphy is unlikely to go to trial in the Circuit Court before next April, it was stated in court yesterday. pTwo on trial on charges of INLA membership
The trial of two Waterford men accused of INLA membership has begun at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin. p
Inspection of children's centres urged
Ombudsman for Children Emily Logan has reiterated her call on the Government and health authorities to initiate independent inspections of residential facilities for children with intellectual disabilities. pFuneral takes place of mother found dead in hotel
Mourners were told yesterday that three communities had been plunged into darkness by the death of a mother of two young children. pMental health concerns among young
A suicide prevention project has uncovered serious mental health concerns among secondary school students, with findings of high levels of depression, coupled with drug and alcohol abuse, proving particularly worrying. pInvestment in Limerick city prejudiced, expert warns
Future inward investment in Limerick could be prejudiced by the absence of a vibrant city centre, an expert in the field of urban regeneration has warned. pCouncil to provide 20 Muslim graves
A campaign by Clare's best-known Muslim to source burial plots for his community looking towards Mecca has proved successful. pIn Short
A round-up of today's other stories in brief... p
Call to improve North's prison system
Improvements to the North's prisons are required immediately, while the separation of republican and loyalist prisoners should end, the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee in Westminster has recommended. pBrother tells of Omagh family's grief
The brother of Arthur McElhill, who died along with his partner Lorraine and five children in the Omagh fire tragedy in November, has spoken about how the tragedy crushed his family and left them broken-hearted. p
