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Green councillor questions party stance on Ahern
THE GREEN Party's refusal to comment on Taoiseach Bertie Ahern's
personal finances until the Mahon tribunal report is published will
be queried at its national conference next month. p
RTÉ to give free and half-price radios to needy after station changes wavebands
RTÉ IS to give away free radios to the most needy and
half-price radios to those who request them following the closure
of its medium wave service. p
Children waiting months for psychiatric assessment
THOUSANDS OF children with mental health problems are waiting months or years for vital psychiatric assessments as a result of severe staff and bed shortages, according to an internal Health Service Executive (HSE) report. p
Other Stories
Nobody heard the echo coming as O'Leary's 33/1 shot springs surprise
Hear the Echo's unexpected victory in the Irish Grand National
at Fairyhouse yesterday brought together old foes Michael O'Leary
and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern,
SEÁN MacCONNELL reports pPoker winner takes €800,000 but there's no bluffing overworked ATM
THE WORLD of poker is governed by one thing and one thing only -
money. pSurvey finds huge support for lowering drink limit
THERE IS overwhelming public support for a sharp reduction in the legal blood alcohol limit for drivers, according to a campaign group which said it conducted a national survey on the issue. pPedestrian among three killed on roads
A 22-year-old pedestrian was killed in Athlone on Sunday night after being struck by a car driven by an 18-year-old man. pPrint museum expands programme
DESPITE THE growth of the internet and an increasingly paperless world, the National Print Museum in Dublin has seen a significant increase in young visitors in recent years. As a result, for the first time this summer, it will have a full-time education officer to co-ordinate events with schools. pDisability convention not yet ratified
ALMOST ONE year after Ireland signed a United Nations convention on the rights of people with disabilities, the convention has yet to be ratified by the Government. pMore bus routes for wheelchair users
DUBLIN BUS is to introduce 22 new wheelchair-accessible routes as part of its plan to have all of its buses wheelchair-friendly by 2012. pUS media firm to set up Dublin base
MORE THAN 30 jobs are to be created in Dublin after a leading US media firm announced that it plans to locate its European operation in the capital. pCampaign hopes to attract 190,000 British tourists
A CAMPAIGN to attract up to 190,000 tourists from Britain who will be encouraged to spend as much as €66.5 million in 2008, has been launched by Tourism Ireland in conjunction with Ireland West Airport Knock. pNoel Ahern defends brother against 'shabby' tribunal
BERTIE AHERN'S brother, Noel Ahern, defended the Taoiseach yesterday against criticisms made following the appearance of his former constituency secretary, Gráinne Carruth, at the Mahon tribunal. pRoche accuses Libertas of 'new low' on Lisbon Treaty
MINISTER FOR European Affairs Dick Roche has accused anti-Lisbon
Treaty group Libertas of plumbing "a new low" in Irish referendum
campaigning with its tactic of putting up billboards attacking
politicians in their own constituencies. pMcDonald presses Minister for public debate on treaty
SINN FÉIN MEP Mary Lou McDonald has challenged Minister for European Affairs Dick Roche to a public debate on the implications of the Lisbon Treaty for Ireland. pTeenager due to have chin reconstruction operation
TEENAGER ALAN Doherty is set to undergo a further 10-hour operation today in the United States which is one more step in the surgical construction of a new chin. pMajor industry players expected in Galway for media festival
GALWAY CITY is set to welcome filmmakers, programme-makers, broadcasters and media students from the Republic, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall and Brittany for a major international media festival next month. pBishops urge action over Zimbabwe
THE GOVERNMENT must adopt a clear position in relation to this weekend's elections in Zimbabwe and should exert its influence at EU and UN level to encourage comprehensive monitoring of the polls, the Irish bishops' Commission for Justice and Social Affairs (ICJSA) and Trócaire have said in a joint statement. pIn Short
A round up of today's other stories in brief... p
Failure to tackle poverty condemned
Planning for Progress and Fairness: ALMOST 750,000 people are living on incomes which are below the poverty line and 30 per cent of all households at risk of poverty are headed by a person with a job - those termed the "working poor" - according to Fr Seán Healy, the director of Cori Justice. PATSY McGARRY , Religious Affairs Correspondent reports pCall for State to prioritise tackling inequality
AS ECONOMIC growth slows it is imperative that the Government gives priority to rectifying Ireland's serious deficits in infrastructure and social provision, Fr Seán Healy has said. p'More rights' needed in Constitution
THE SOCIAL, economic and cultural rights of Irish people should be recognised in the Constitution, Cori Justice director Fr Seán Healy has said. p
Hanafin urged to emulate O'Malley in tackling overcrowded classrooms
INTO PRESIDENT Angela Dunne has called on Mary Hanafin to
emulate former minister for education Donogh O'Malley and stand up
to Brian Cowen, the Minister for Finance, on the issue of
overcrowded classes in primary schools.
SEÁN FLYNN , Education Editor, in Kilkenny pSchools refusing to enrol pupils with special needs, says teachers union
SEVERAL SCHOOLS, including many in the fee-paying sector, are refusing to enrol pupils with special needs, the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) said yesterday. p
Ahern to honour Blair for role in NI peace deal
FORMER BRITISH prime minister Tony Blair will be honoured by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern at a special gala dinner in Dublin to mark the 10th anniversary of the Belfast Agreement. pFerris says SF against visit by the queen
THE QUEEN of England would not be welcome on a state visit to the Republic of Ireland, Sinn Féin TD Martin Ferris said yesterday at an Easter commemoration in Ardmore, Co Waterford. pLoyalist marching season gets off to peaceful start
THE OPENING of the North's marching season passed off quietly
yesterday, raising hopes that the summer parades will prove
peaceful. pPolice question man about murder in Dungannon
POLICE WERE yesterday questioning a 21-year-old man about the murder of shop manager Seán Fitzpatrick (32), from Dungannon, Co Tyrone, who was battered around the head and dumped in an alleyway in the town. p
National water commissioner sought
THE SHANNON Protection Alliance, which includes boating enthusiasts, anglers and farmers, has called for the appointment of a national water commissioner to deal with controversial plans to pipe supplies to a reservoir for the Dublin region. pRural homes 'denied access to affordable broadband'
SOME 75 per cent of rural homes cannot access an affordable broadband service, according to the Irish Farmers' Association. pÚdarás plans Pearse visitor facility
ÚDARÁS NA Gaeltachta is planning to develop a cultural and visitor facility adjacent to the Pearse Cottage at Ros Muc, Co Galway. pLaytown club concerned at continuing coastal erosion
COUNTLESS GOLF balls have been lost to the sea at golf courses
along the coast, but in Co Meath the members of one club have a far
more serious problem because they are losing part of their course
to the sea. pClare council asked to report on unfinished bypass
CLARE COUNTY Council was yesterday called on to provide a full report in relation to the €200 million Ennis bypass scheme, where work is still ongoing one year after the project was due to be completed. pRemoval of woman killed in Rome
HUNDREDS OF mourners converged on a Co Limerick village yesterday for the removal of Elizabeth Gubbins who was killed on St Patrick's weekend in Rome. p
