ireland.com - The Irish Times

Cabinet to consider introducing 50mg limit for drivers
PROPOSALS TO reduce the blood alcohol limit for drivers are to be brought to Cabinet by Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey within a matter of weeks. p

Aer Lingus to reinstate €5 tickets - but in economy class
AER LINGUS has capitulated to widespread criticism and the threat of legal action by agreeing to reinstate hundreds of €5 tickets to the US it had earlier cancelled. p

Treaty won't alter Irish tax laws, says Barroso
MANY NEW EU members want to emulate Ireland's success, European Commission president José Manuel Barroso said yesterday, as he reassured voters that the Lisbon Treaty would not lead to any changes in the State's taxation laws. p

Other Stories

EU accused of 'suppressing' facts
THE EUROPEAN Commission is engaging in a "deliberate policy of information suppression" before the Lisbon Treaty referendum in Ireland, Libertas chairman Declan Ganley claimed in Galway yesterday. p
Strong Yes from farmers stressed
AS THE agriculture sector assessed the impact of its street protest in Dublin on Thursday, Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan stressed the need for a strong Yes vote from farmers. p
New cystic fibrosis register to help study and treatment
AN ACCURATE picture of the life expectancy of people with cystic fibrosis in the Republic will be available for the first time when data in relation to all those living with the condition is included on a national register. p
Miriam Lord's Week
Coalition parties; a dressing-down; Biffo is translated; Sargent's supper; Hillery hailed; Hanafin sees red; Treaty threat; José Who?; will Brian saddle up?; political pints p
Woman censures TD over writing to judge about rapist's reputable family
A YOUNG woman who was raped by her sister's ex-boyfriend yesterday criticised a Labour TD for writing to the sentencing judge in the case to say that the man came from a respectable family. p
Ireland races up EU road safety list
IRELAND HAS done well in emerging among the top 10 best performing countries in the EU in terms of road safety, but must lower alcohol limits and deploy speed cameras to maintain progress. p
Irish students differ by gender on aspects of science
NEW RESEARCH into Irish 15-year-old students has found that girls at that age appear to be better than boys at broad scientific understanding but boys are better at "knowledge of scientific facts". p
Teenagers suffer from lack of discussion at home
ONE-THIRD of Irish 15-year-old students never, or hardly ever, discuss political or social issues with their parents - and the lack of such discussion is harming their exam performance. p
€6m research institute will forensically examine past
A NEW €6 million institute at NUI Maynooth will use the most modern technologies to shed light on historical and cultural traditions dating back centuries. p
Trevor to be honoured for life's work
NOVELIST, PLAYWRIGHT and short-story writer William Trevor is to be honoured at this year's Irish Book Awards with the Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award in Irish Literature. p
HSE threatens pharmacists with legal action over dispensing
THE HEALTH Service Executive (HSE) has threatened to take legal action against pharmacists if they fail to dispense medicine under community drugs and medical card schemes in accordance with their contracts. p
HSE warns hospital consultants on contract
UNIONS REPRESENTING hospital consultants were warned last night that negotiations on a new contract for their members had reached the end of the road. p
Mutual distrust between academics and university heads 'at worst ever'
THERE HAS never been such mutual distrust between frontline academics and senior heads of universities, the general secretary of the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) will argue today. p
Kitt rejects claim that TDs 'sniggered' as plight of ailing woman discussed
THE GOVERNMENT chief whip Tom Kitt has rejected claims by Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore that Fianna Fáil backbenchers sniggered in the Dáil on Thursday when he spoke about the plight of a 76-year-old woman who had spent several days on a trolley at the Mater hospital after suffering a heart attack. p
M3 protesters focus on Gormley's Unesco plan
RENEWED CALLS to reroute the M3 motorway from the valleys of Tara and Skryne in Co Meath have been made in response to Minister for the Environment John Gormley's recent comments on the site. p
Expert warns of severe effects as climate change intensifies
PROPERTY PLANNING and flood plain development will become key issues as the effects of climate change become more pronounced, an expert in the subject told the annual Engineers Ireland Conference in Limerick yesterday. p
New book about 'Irish Times' launched
MINISTER FOR Integration Conor Lenihan yesterday launched a book which he said aimed to give an "alternative" history of The Irish Times. p
Cowen says FF talks with SDLP are not pointing to a merger
TÁNAISTE BRIAN Cowen cautioned against interpreting talks between Fianna Fáil and the SDLP as signs of a possible merger. Mr Cowen said that yesterday's breakfast meeting between Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and SDLP leader Mark Durkan was part of a Fianna Fáil consultation process on its future development. p
Douglas Gageby Fellowship
THE 2008 Douglas Gageby Fellowship has been awarded to Bryan Coll for his project "Out of the night - the emerging Northern Ireland" which begins as a weekly series today, and then runs each Thursday. p
In Short
A round-up of today's other stories in brief. p

In the Courts

Waterford woman may have been killed with lock
THE BODY of Waterford woman Meg Walsh was in the water for at least seven days before being pulled from the river Suir, the State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy told the Central Criminal Court yesterday. p
Two men jailed for brutal attack on tourist
TWO DUBLIN men whose horrific assault on a Norwegian tourist has left him with severe head injuries and a serious speech impediment have been jailed for seven and six years. p
Soldier injured in Lebanon loses claim for damages
A YOUNG soldier who was injured and suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after a no-warning mortar attack on an Irish peacekeeping post in Lebanon in which another soldier died has lost his High Court action for damages. p
€3m for boy in cerebral palsy negligence ruling
AN 11-YEAR-OLD boy with cerebral palsy is to receive €3 million in settlement of his High Court action over negligence regarding the circumstances of his birth at Monaghan General Hospital. p
Gardaí deny wrongful arrest and assault
THREE PEOPLE have taken a High Court action for damages over their alleged wrongful arrest and assault in a Garda station after an incident at a restaurant. p
Open verdict in case of garda found dead
A CORONER has recorded an open verdict in the case of a detective garda who was discovered lying dead at Garda Headquarters with a gunshot wound to his head, an inquest has heard. p
In Short
A round-up of today's other stories in brief. p

In the North

Sinn Féin and PSNI striving for 'engagement'
SINN FÉIN and the PSNI are striving to improve the "engagement" between republicans and police, chief constable Sir Hugh Orde and Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said yesterday. p
Violent street crime presents new threat to Belfast's credibility
A SLIGO man is fighting for his life in the Royal Victoria Hospital, a Chinese-American woman is traumatised after a rape, two men are recovering from serious injuries and a policeman has a slashed face. This is the aftermath of street violence in Belfast last weekend. Most of the perpetrators of these attacks are believed to be teenage boys. p
Paul Newton: a victim of crime in Belfast
PAUL NEWTON (43), originally from Roscommon but living in Sligo, is a performance coach and keen sportsman who was in Belfast for the Connacht-Ulster rugby match on Friday of last week. p
Incoming leaders will work well, says Paisley
NORTHERN IRELAND First Minister the Rev Ian Paisley yesterday expressed confidence that his successor, Peter Robinson, and taoiseach-elect Brian Cowen would work well together. p

Regional News

Iralco jobs secured for six months
THE WORKERS at troubled Westmeath factory Iralco are to go back to work on Monday after management, liquidators and union officials managed to secure jobs for the next six months. p
Mother says son's death was 'gross negligence'
THE MOTHER of a 10-year-old boy killed at a soccer camp when temporary goalposts fell on him has described the accident, which caused the death of her only child, as "gross negligence". p
Parent: 'This was not freak accident'
Since Andrew Fitzgerald's death his parents have lobbied the Government for improved safety relating to the use of temporary goalposts. p
METHODIST NOTES
THE CHURCH is no less subject to change than any other part of the community, and as lifestyles change the church has to adapt to meet new needs and challenges. p
CHURCH OF IRELAND NOTES
IN RECENT years the Columba Press has built up an impressive catalogue of clerical reminiscences, memoirs and biographies in which the Church of Ireland has been well represented. The latest example of this genre, Over My Shoulder: A Memoir by the Rev Norma McMaster, was published earlier this month. p

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