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Dell announces 250 job cuts in Dublin and Limerick
COMPUTER MAKER Dell has moved to make 250 Irish staff redundant after a worldwide plan to cut costs and reduce staff numbers failed to meet its targets. p

Trend bucked as percentage of smokers increases
Health and lifestyle survey: THERE HAS been no reduction in smoking rates in the Republic over the past five years, according to the latest study on the health and lifestyle of the Irish population. p

IRA leadership did not sanction death of Quinn, says IMC
THE INDEPENDENT Monitoring Commission (IMC) is tomorrow expected to publicly state that the IRA leadership did not sanction the murder of Paul Quinn from Cullyhanna in south Armagh last October. p

Man gets 15 years for assaults on girls
A 62-YEAR-OLD man has been sentenced to 15 years, with three years suspended, after a court heard how he sexually assaulted eight girls as young as six. p

Other Stories

Union to rejoin national pay talks today
THE TRADE union Mandate, which represents about 44,000 staff in the retail and bar sector, is to return to the national pay talks today, two years after withdrawing from social partnership. p
Many with raised cholesterol are not on medication
HUGE PERCENTAGES of middle-aged and older men and women in the State have raised cholesterol levels and high blood pressure but are not on medication for it, according to a new survey published yesterday. p
Some staff fear to speak out on impact of job cuts
SOME WORKERS at Dell's Loughlinstown offices in south Dublin said they were too frightened of being penalised by their employer to speak publicly about yesterday's retrenchments. p
Gardaí interview 'huge number of people' over Flood family deaths
A SOMBRE mood still hung over Clonroche, Co Wexford, yesterday as Garda investigations into the deaths of the Flood family continued. p
Picket stops deliveries to Lansdowne stadium site in casualisation protest
DELIVERIES TO the building site for the new Lansdowne Road stadium in Dublin were abandoned yesterday after it was picketed in protest at the practice of hiring lower-paid contract workers throughout the construction industry. p
Gormley moves to resolve Dingle placename dispute
MINISTER FOR the Environment and Green Party leader, John Gormley, has moved to end the long-running controversy over what one of Ireland's most famous tourist destinations should be called. p
Film on Bobby Sands to be shown at Cannes
A POTENTIALLY controversial film on IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands will have its world premiere at next month's Cannes Film Festival. p
Engine problem forces Aer Arann flight to make emergency landing
A FLIGHT from Dublin to Galway was forced to make an emergency landing at Shannon airport yesterday after the pilot had to shut down one of the aircraft's two engines because of technical difficulties. p
Compromise explored in pharmacists' dispute
MOVES WILL continue today in a bid to find a resolution to the dispute over the controversial new pharmacy pricing system which could see hundreds of pharmacies withdraw from the community drug schemes. p
Mandelson denies he is preparing to sell out farmers in WTO talks
EU TRADE commissioner Peter Mandelson has rejected claims by Irish farmers that he is preparing to sell out agriculture by agreeing to an unfair World Trade Organisation (WTO) deal. p
Poet hears the bittern cry: artist nurses rare bird back to health
A RARE bird found dying on the Aran Islands has been nursed back to health by Co Galway artist Padraic Reaney. p
Ministers and TDs build up valuable teaching pensions to add to generous Dáil benefits
THREE SENIOR Government ministers have kept their teaching positions in their former school open, with full pension rights, despite being full-time politicians for between 11 and 21 years. p
Date set for major industrial action in health service
NEARLY 30,000 health service workers have served notice of industrial action from May 21st in a dispute over recruitment restrictions put in place by the Health Service Executive (HSE). p
Homeless campaigner calls for 'rethink' on society
A NATIONAL debate is needed on the importance of spending more time with people, the director of the homeless service Trust, Alice Leahy, said yesterday. p
Two held after €8m drug seizure
A MAN and a woman remain in Garda custody following the seizure of drugs with an estimated street value of €8 million in south Co Wexford. p
Two hanging baskets a parting gift to Ahern
TWO HANGING baskets were part of a farewell gift given by Government Ministers to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern yesterday as he chaired his final Cabinet meeting. p
Call on Europe to give more development aid
EUROPEAN GOVERNMENTS must increase spending on development aid if they are to meet poverty reduction targets they have set themselves, the director of Trócaire said yesterday. p
Priest defends decision to write reference for rapist
A CATHOLIC priest yesterday defended his decision to write a reference for a man who repeatedly raped a Polish woman in the grounds of a church. p
Nationalists criticise plan to abolish Parades Commission
PROPOSALS TO abolish the Parades Commission and to transfer powers relating to contested marches to the Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) have been formally released for consultation. p
Judge says developer's guard dogs must be destroyed
A COURT has ordered the destruction of two guard dogs owned by property developer Johnny Ronan, after they attacked a woman who was walking on his estate near Enniskerry, Co Wicklow. p
Seamus Pattison book launched
THE CAREER of former ceann comhairle of the Dáil and Labour TD Seamus Pattison had been "a fascinating journey of honour and service to his people and to his nation", according to his party colleague, Leas-Cheann Comhairle Brendan Howlin. p
In Short
A round-up of today's other stories in brief... p

Lisbon Treaty

Opposition warns on task faced by Yes campaign
THE BID to win a Yes vote in the Lisbon Treaty referendum campaign is facing serious difficulties, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny and Labour leader Eamon Gilmore both warned yesterday. p
Libertas founder rejects 'insulting' claim over US link
p
Concern at 'misleading' leaflets on Lisbon
LEAFLETS CLAIMING the Lisbon Treaty could change Ireland's laws on issues such as abortion, euthanasia and prostitution, and even restrict the size of Irish families, have been distributed in churches and households throughout the country, an Oireachtas committee meeting heard yesterday. p
Treaty a 'revolution' for EU democracy
ANY MOVE to introduce a form of majority rather than unanimous voting on key European Council decisions needs the approval of both the Dáil and Seanad Éireann under the terms of the forthcoming Lisbon Treaty referendum, Minister of State for European Affairs Dick Roche said yesterday. p

GRA Annual Conference

Garda chief rejects call for arming uniformed officers
THE GARDA Commissioner has rejected calls from some rank and file gardaí to arm uniformed officers. p
New president slates Garda watchdog's 'incompetence'
RELATIONS BETWEEN rank and file gardaí and the Garda Ombudsman Commission have deteriorated after the new president of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) launched a strong attack on the commission. p
Bill will let Garda use surveillance evidence
GARDAÍ WILL have the power to use surveillance photographs and videos of criminals planning and carrying out crimes as evidence when criminal cases go to the courts under planned legislative changes. p

In the Courts

Redmond told gardaí he received money after sale of land
A JURY in the corruption trial of former Dublin assistant county manager, George Redmond, has been told he admitted to gardaí that he received money in relation to a compulsory purchase order on land. p
Meg Walsh's husband altered story, court told
A MAN accused of murdering his wife told a friend a different account of the night his wife went missing to that which he told gardaí. p
School children awarded €62,500 over images
FIVE DUBLIN primary school children, whose images were unlawfully used in the award-winning documentary film, Deliver Us From Evil , about American paedophile priest Oliver O'Grady, have been awarded more than €60,000 damages. p
Relatives call for 'answers' on death
RELATIVES OF Edward Fitzmaurice (83) have claimed that they have been "effectively abandoned" by the authorities since his death and have called for "credible answers" to their questions about the killing. p
Ex-Waterford Crystal employee can proceed with pension claim
THE HIGH Court has cleared the way for a former Waterford Crystal worker, who has alleged fraud by the company in the operation of its pension scheme in the 1990s, to proceed with claims that the Irish Pensions Trust (IPT) fraudulently concealed his entitlement to seek a deferred pension when he was made redundant. p
Man found guilty of friend's manslaughter
A YOUNG Dublin man yesterday was found guilty of killing his friend during an argument in Irishtown last year. p
Robber sentenced for 'nightmare' knife attack on teenagers
A ROBBER whose attack on six teenage friends was described as “the quality of nightmares”, has been given five years’ detention by Judge Katherine Delahunt. p
In Short
A round-up of today's other court stories in brief... p

In the Dáil

Infections acquired in hospital 'an epidemic'- Gilmore
LABOUR LEADER Eamon Gilmore claimed that hospital infections had become "an epidemic" when challenging Tánaiste Brian Cowen on the demand for a consultant microbiologist in a Dublin hospital. p
Cowen insists party will have strong Yes campaign
TÁNAISTE BRIAN Cowen insisted his party would campaign vigorously for a Yes vote in the Lisbon Treaty referendum, which he described as an "important strategic decision for the Irish people". p
Hospital doctors might be suitable as GPs - Harney
NON-CONSULTANT hospital doctors might be suitable as general practitioners if they could access appropriate training, according to Minister for Health Mary Harney who conceded there was a shortage of GPs in the health system. p
Coveney censures record on online services for citizens
IRELAND'S PERFORMANCE in the provision of online services for its citizens was rated as poor, Fine Gael communications spokesman Simon Coveney told the Dáil. p
Interruptions come thick and fast during health debate
DÁIL SKETCH: IT WAS the penultimate dress rehearsal. Bertie Ahern was gone as Taoiseach from the hallowed Dáil chamber and incoming-but-still-not-quite-yet Taoiseach Brian Cowen stepped up to the plate for leaders' questions. p
Minister says he will look again at how separated children are treated in Immigration Bill
THE MINISTER for Justice, Brian Lenihan, will look again at how the issue of separated children is treated in the Immigration Bill and bring forward amendments, he told the Oireachtas Committee on Justice yesterday. p
Politicians urged to take lead role against racism
POLITICIANS HAVE a duty to show leadership to prevent the development of racism at a time of economic downturn, Independent TD Finian McGrath told a news conference in Leinster House yesterday. p

Mahon Tribunal

Quarryvale architect says he has no records of his meetings
THE ARCHITECT for the Quarryvale development had no records of meetings or correspondence with Cork developer Owen O'Callaghan, lobbyist Frank Dunlop or the late Liam Lawlor, the tribunal was told yesterday. p

Regional News

Bord Pleanála will consider new Corrib route proposal
AN BORD Pleanála has confirmed that it will accept applications for the Corrib gas project's modified onshore pipeline route under the Strategic Infrastructure Act which allows for fast-tracking certain projects. p
Council accused of burying its head in the sand over Rossbeigh coastal erosion
THE TWO-MILE beach on a sand spit at Rossbeigh, Co Kerry, is eroding at such a rate it is "a question of when, not if" it is entirely gone, a local resident and county councillor has warned. p
In Short
A round-up of today's other regional stories in breif... p

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