ireland.com - The Irish Times

Donations to members of FF exceed €500,000
FIANNA FÁIL TDs, Senators and MEPs disclosed donations of over €500,000 during 2007, more than the combined total of all other political parties. p

Dublin to have directly elected mayor in plan
A PLAN for local government reform published by Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, yesterdaywas described by the Opposition as "disappointing", due to the limited number of concrete proposals. p

President visits course on day of firsts for racing gala
IT WAS a day of "firsts" yesterday in Punchestown at the opening of the Irish National Hunt Festival, an event which transforms this part the country. p

Forged letters found in Lynn's files
DOCUMENTS IN the files of the practice of the solicitor Michael Lynn included forged letters, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal was told yesterday. p

Other Stories

Penalty points for polluters urged
THE INTRODUCTION of a penalty points system to punish environmental offenders and the development of a system of corporate responsibility for environmental damage are among the chief recommendations included in a new report released last night. p
Government plan aims to restrict sale of alcohol
THE GOVERNMENT will today launch a two-pronged strategy that will lead to restrictions in the availability of alcohol and stricter rules relating to sponsorship and advertising by drink companies. p
Gardaí examine child’s death on plane
PASSENGERS WERE questioned and doctors were brought in yesterday as gardaí investigated the death of a 2½-year-old child on board a transatlantic jet after apparently becoming ill on board. p
Galway prepares for literary feast as festival gets under way
US COMMENTATOR Samantha Power, former adviser to US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, and Norwegian journalist Asne Seierstad are among participants at this year's Cúirt International Festival of Literature, which opened in Galway last night. p
Launch of full-time Christian radio station
IRELAND’S FIRST fully-licensed, full-time Christian radio station was officially launched yesterday. p
Convoluted house purchase left solicitor with €6.3m surplus
BACKGROUND: When buying his €5.5m home, Lynn borrowed €11.7m from three financial institutions p
Conference on Dublin told of chance to redesign
THE FIRST chance to redesign Dublin city since the 18th century would preserve the Georgian squares and streetscapes while allowing “a small number of high-rise buildings in a small number of areas of the city”, a conference on the future of the capital heard yesterday. p
EPA urged to withhold licence for incinerator
THE GREEN Party has called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to withdraw its proposed decision to grant a waste licence for an incinerator at Poolbeg in Dublin. p
16 Irish heritage sites feature in ‘must-see’ book Before you die: catch these
Blarney Castle, Co Cork p
Aim of process is to provide for greater local role
THE GREEN Paper on local government, Stronger Local Democracy: Options for Change, published yesterday, is designed to begin the process of reshaping local government in a way that will provide for a greater role for local, democratic leadership, according to Minister for the Environment John Gormley. p
FG calls suspension of respite care scandalous
FINE GAEL has described as “scandalous” the apparent suspension of respite care services at Leopardstown Park Hospital, in south Dublin. p
Compulsory registration of land extended
COMPULSORY REGISTRATION of land ownership has been extended to six further counties by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Brian Lenihan. p
Embryonic stem cells still the ‘gold standard’
Irish Council for Bioethics: stem cell report: EMBRYONIC STEM cells remain the "gold standard" of human cells for research purposes, an Irish Council for Bioethics (IBC) report to be published today argues. p
Techniques hold promise but there are no guarantees they will deliver
ANALYSIS: DICK AHLSTROM/Science Editor Few issues in scientific research have attracted the attention given to stem cells but why are they so controversial? p
The Irish Council for Bioethics: who’s who
The Irish Council for Bioethics was established in 2002 as an independent, autonomous body to consider the ethical issues raised by developments in science and medicine. p
Stricter rules on drinks sponsorship Government plan aims to restrict sale of alcohol
THE GOVERNMENT will today launch a two-pronged strategy that will lead to restrictions in the availability of alcohol and stricter rules relating to sponsorship and advertising by drink companies. p
Pharmacists see cut in HSE price
THE IRISH Pharmacy Union (IPU) has said that its members are now experiencing reductions in payments from the Health Service Executive (HSE) as a result of controversial new pricing reforms introduced last month. p
FG says image of drinking as ‘glamorous’ must end
THE IMAGE of alcohol consumption as a “glamorous pastime” must be ended in an effort to combat Ireland’s drinking culture, Fine Gael said yesterday. p
Ahern ‘upset’ by hesitation to publicly debate faith
A GROWING hesitation to refer to issues of faith and belief in public debate "upsets me and irritates me", Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said last night. p
All-party talks on code of conduct for TD letters
WHIPS FROM all the political parties will meet this evening to consider the introduction of a code of conduct governing reference letters written by TDs and senators. p

In the Dáil

Ahern urged to act on health service in his ‘final hours’
THE HEALTH Service Executive (HSE) should be directed to produce a plan rejecting front-line cuts in the health services, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said. p
Shortage of beds for brain injury patients criticised
ACQUIRED BRAIN injury is a “silent epidemic” in Ireland and patients are no longer even being offered the choice of Boston or Berlin for health care but Bucharest or Bulawayo, in Zimbabwe, the Dáil has heard. p
Young people urged to vote Yes in Lisbon poll
TÁNAISTE BRIAN Cowen appealed to young people to vote “Yes” in the Lisbon Treaty referendum in June. p
Government jet has most flying hours, Ahern says
A GOVERNMENT jet has more flying hours than any other aircraft in the world, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern told the Dáil. p
Eleven years of ruling the roost comes to an end today
DÁIL SKETCH: TODAY IS the last day. Eleven years of mangled explanations. Eleven years of frustrating oppositions. Eleven years of that self-deprecating grin and helpless shrug. Eleven years of ruling the roost. It ends today. p
Role for Dáil committees in State appointments
PROPOSALS ARE to be introduced to involve Dáil committees in the appointment of chairpersons and chief executives to State boards, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern revealed. “Some of my colleagues will try to bring forward proposals in this regard.’’ p
FF member asked to leave House over claim about tribunals Seanad Report
A FIANNA Fáil member was asked to leave the Chamber after refusing to withdraw a claim that the chairmen of some tribunals had acted as shop stewards in regard to legal fees. p

In the Courts

Court told accused’s car key claim is flawed
A CAR key given to gardaí by a Waterford man on trial for the murder of his wife was not a spare, as he had claimed before a Central Criminal Court jury, according to evidence yesterday. p
Garda ‘squared up’ on street, court hears
A MAN who claims he was one of three people beaten in a Garda station following an incident outside a Dublin city fast-food restaurant has told the High Court he was trying to avoid a confrontation when a garda “squared up” to him in O’Connell Street. p
Driver in fatal crash seemed ‘asleep’
WITNESSES TO a fatal crash in Co Louth in which a Donegal man was killed and two other people were seriously injured have said the driver of a van appeared to be sleeping as he overtook other cars. p
Court hears man drowned due to defective lifejacket
A 64-YEAR-OLD man drowned after a defective lifejacket failed to inflate properly and forced his head under water. The accident was witnessed by his wife on the shore, the High Court in Cork was told yesterday at the opening an action for damages. p
Murder accused ‘couldn’t believe what he’d done’
A YOUNG Dublin man accused of murder told a friend he “couldn’t believe what he’d done”, the Central Criminal Court heard yesterday. Mark Green (20), Tritonville Road, Sandymount, Dublin 4, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Alan Young (19), George Reynolds House, Ringsend, at or near Brennan Road, Irishtown, on March 11th last year. p
Teenagers at centre of constitutional challenge against age of consent law
TWO TEENAGERS from a remote area of Co Donegal are at the centre of a major constitutional challenge being mounted against a controversial sex law. A boy accused of having sex with a girl when she was 14 and he was 15 is claiming the two-year-old law is discriminating against him. p
Court orders council not to interfere with shop
THE OWNER of the "Pink Panther" grocery shop, which has operated from a container in Ballymun for some 30 years, has secured an interim court order restraining interference with the shop by Ballymun Regeneration Ltd (BRL). p
Mother objects to blood transfusion for twins
A WOMAN who is 32 weeks pregnant with twins who are severely anaemic and at risk has objected to the babies receiving a vital blood transfusion after they are born, the High Court heard yesterday. p
Employment appeal award reversed
The High Court has granted a judicial review of a decision of the Employment Appeals Tribunal concerning a Louth-based furniture importing company known as Furniture Link International, writes Carol Coulter. p

Regional News

Gardai inquiry on GAA cash €142,000 reported missing from Waterford board
GARDAÍ IN Waterford have launched an investigation after a complaint from the local GAA county board that more than €142,000 from ticket sales for last year’s championship has been misappropriated by a former member of the board. p
Child porn images on council computer
A 31-YEAR-OLD man who admitted downloading almost 100 pornographic images of children on to a work computer while he was employed by Mayo County Council was given a 12-month suspended prison term at the Circuit Criminal Court in Castlebar yesterday. p
€380m project could create 800 jobs
UP TO 800 jobs could be created in connection with the construction of a 32-storey €380 million mixed-use urban development in Waterford city, which is expected to be completed by 2014. p
Man jailed over drugs-related offence
A 34-YEAR-OLD Cork man, described by gardaí as “a professional gambler”, has been jailed for six years after he pleaded guilty to a drugs-related offence and two counts of laundering over €60,000 in crime-related cash. p
Lifeboat crew rescues men from stolen trawler
A LIFEBOAT rescue turned into a Garda investigation yesterday when it was discovered a fishing boat had been stolen before it ran aground. p
Ministers write to Hanafin over school application
TAOISEACH BERTIE Ahern and four senior Fianna Fáil Ministers, including Brian Cowen, made representations to Minister for Education Mary Hanafin concerning a contentious application by a Co Clare Steiner school for State recognition. p
Dingle nurses seek bonus for using Irish
Nurses in a Kerry Gaeltacht are seeking payment of a 7.5 per cent allowance, worth about €3,400 a year, for being able to speak in Irish to patients in the Dingle District Hospital. p

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