Man shot dead in west Belfast

Police in Northern Ireland have launched a murder investigation after a man was shot dead in west Belfast last night.

The victim, who was in his 20s, was shot when making a delivery in the Kennedy Way area at around 11pm.

He was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead there a short time later. 

A short time later, a car was found burnt out in the Andersonstown area, which is close to the murder scene.

The PSNI have appealed for information and the investigation is being co-ordinated by detectives at the Antrim Road police station.

The victim is believed to have been making a delivery from Domino's Pizza at about 11pm when he was targeted.

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Financial Services Ombudsman wants banks named

The Financial Services Ombudsman has said naming banks that are the subject of complaints to his office would create a "virtuous competition" in the institutions' behaviour towards customers.

Speaking to RTÉ's This Week, Bill Prasifka reiterated a call for his office to be granted powers to release details of complaints against individual banks.

He said making the complaints record of individual banks public would influence how they behave.

Mr Prasifka said the measure would be in the public interest, could be done at no cost to the exchequer, and should have been introduced a long time ago.

The Ombudsman was commenting on the conduct of banks in relation to complaints by tracker mortgage customers, in particular where borrowers had lost their tracker rates after opting to fix mortgages for a term.

He said there had been some improvement, and that some of the banks had now settled all or almost all of their tracker complaints according to guidelines and methodologies his office had set out.

But he said others were fighting each case.

A Fianna Fáil private members bill making provision for the Ombudsman to be allowed to name financial institutions in its reports went to committee stage in the Oireachtas last year, with the government expressing support for the overall principle of the bill.

However the measure has yet to be implemented.

Sinn Féin Finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty has said naming and shaming banks was one aspect of empowering consumers to be aware of what is happening in banks.

Speaking to RTÉ's This Week, he said legislation on the issue was "not before us yet".

Mr Doherty said legislation which related to protecting the consumer was always left on the long finger while other legislation was rushed through.

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Keaveney calls for Programme for Government review

Labour Party chairman Colm Keaveney has said a renegotiation of the Programme for Government is an immediate requirement for his party, in the wake of its poor performance in the Meath East by-election.

Mr Keaveney said Labour needed to demonstrate humility immediately with respect to the broken promises made prior to the last general election.

He said the buck for the party's failures stopped with the Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore and his ministers.

Mr Keaveney said Labour needed to explain why it had not fulfilled the commitments it made in key social areas, including disability, employment and the mortgage crisis.

Mr Keaveney said Labour needed to act decisively to restore its credibility with the electorate, and the party also needed to stop chasing numbers and instead attract support based on its values.

Mr Keaveney said in the Meath East by-election, and before the general election, Labour had focused too much on communication without substance.

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Dublin water restrictions extended

Water restrictions in the Dublin area are to be extended from this evening due to continuing low levels of treated drinking water in the Stillorgan reservoir.

Dublin City Council has announced it is extending water restrictions to 12 hours per day from 7pm to 7am until Tuesday at the earliest.

Previously, there were nightly restrictions from 10pm to between 7am and 9am.

In a statement, it said it should be stressed that there is no problem with the quality of treated drinking water or with storage levels of untreated water.

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Pope makes Easter plea for peace

Pope Francis has made an Easter Sunday peace plea, saying conflicts have lasted too long in Syria, and between the Israelis and Palestinians.

The former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina, who has made defence of nature an early hallmark of his pontificate, also condemned the "iniquitous exploitation of natural resources" and urged everyone to be "guardians" of creation.

Francis delivered his message from the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica - the same spot from where he first appeared to the world as pope after his election on 13 March - to a crowd estimated by the Vatican at at least 250,000 people.

"Peace in Asia, above all on the Korean peninsula: may disagreements be overcome and a renewed spirit of reconciliation grow," he said, speaking in Italian.

North Korea said it was entering a "state of war" with South Korea.

Tensions have been high since the North's new young leader Kim Jong-un ordered a third nuclear weapons test in February, breaching UN sanctions and ignoring warnings from North Korea's sole major ally, China, not to do so.

Francis, who has brought a more simple and personal style to the papacy, said the message of Easter is that faith can help people transform their lives by letting "those desert places in our hearts bloom".

"How many deserts, even today, do human beings need to cross! Above all, the desert within, when we have no love for God or neighbour, when we fail to realise that we are guardians of all that the creator has given us and continues to give us," he said.

Earlier, at a Mass in a square bedecked by more than 40,000 plants and flowers, the pope wore relatively simple white vestments, as opposed to his predecessor Benedict, who preferred more elaborate robes.

The huge crowd spilled out of St Peter's Square and into surrounding streets and included many who had come to see a pope they hope could give a new start to a Church that has been marred by scandals involving sexual abuse of children and allegations of corruption.

"It's a new pope and new beginning," said Tina Hughes, 67, who came to Rome with her family from Nottingham, England to see the pope. "I think he brings something special. He connects with people. I feel good about him."

Francis, who took his name in honour of St. Francis of Assisi, who is revered as a symbol of austerity and the importance of the natural world, said:

"Peace in the whole world, still divided by greed looking for easy gain, wounded by the selfishness which threatens human life and the family, selfishness that continues in human trafficking, the most extensive form of slavery in this 21st century.

"Peace to the whole world, torn apart by violence linked to drug trafficking and by the iniquitous exploitation of natural resources! Peace to this our Earth! May the risen Jesus bring comfort to the victims of natural disasters and make us responsible guardians of creation."

Easter Sunday, the day Christians believe Jesus was resurrected from the dead three days after his crucifixion, was the culmination of four hectic days of activity for the pope, during which he instituted several novelties.

On Holy Thursday, two women were included among the 12 people whose feet he washed and kissed during a traditional ceremony that had previously been open only to men.

Francis is still living in the same Vatican guesthouse where he stayed during the conclave that elected him the first non-European pope in 1,300 years, instead of moving into the regal papal apartments in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace.

He has also been inviting ordinary people to his morning Mass at the guesthouse, including Vatican street sweepers and gardeners.

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McGuinness warns about Peace Process complacency

Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness has warned the Irish and British Governments that they had become complacent and must not take the Good Friday Agreement and the Peace Process for granted.

Speaking at Sinn Féin's Easter Commemoration in Dublin, he said a meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron in London this week was "one of the least satisfactory engagements I have had with a British Prime Minister in the course of the Peace Process".

Mr McGuinness said recent events in the North demonstrated the need for increased dialogue and engagement between republicans and the wider unionist community in order to create trust between communities.

"The actions of those who have set their minds against change can be seen in the provocation created by the Orange Order's refusal to engage with residents, the antics of many of those involved in illegal union flag protests,

"[It can also be seen] in the actions of those anti-Peace Process militarists responsible for the bomb in Lurgan yesterday, and other recent armed activity."

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North Korea in 'state of war' with South

North Korea says it has entered a "state of war" with South Korea.

"From this time on, the North-South relations will be entering the state of war and all issues raised between the North and the South will be handled accordingly," a statement carried by the North's official KCNA news agency said.

The announcement is the latest in a continuing escalation of angry rhetoric directed at Seoul and Washington.

Responding to the North Korean move, Moscow urged restraint.

"We hope that all parties will exercise maximum responsibility and restraint and no-one will cross the point of no return," senior Russian Foreign Ministry official Grigory Logvinov told Interfax news agency.

A spokeswoman for the United States National Security Council, said the US was taking the threats seriously and remained in close contact with South Korea.

The two Koreas have been technically in a state of war for six decades under an armistice that ended their 1950-53 conflict.

KCNA said the statement was issued jointly by the North's government, ruling party and other organisations.

There was no sign of unusual activity in the North's military or anything to suggest an imminent aggression, a South Korean defence ministry official said.

North Korea has been threatening to attack the South and US military bases almost on a daily basis since the beginning of March, when US and South Korean militaries started routine drills.

But the North has kept a joint industrial zone with the South running.

The Kaesong zone is a source of hard currency for the impoverished state and hundreds of South Korean workers and vehicles enter daily after crossing the heavily armed border between the rivals.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Friday signed off on an order putting its missile units on standby to attack US military bases in the South and the Pacific, after the US flew two nuclear-capable stealth bombers over the Korean peninsula in a rare show of force.

US officials said the B2 bombers were on a diplomatic sortie aimed at reassuring allies South Korea and Japan and were also aimed at trying to nudge Pyongyang back to dialogue.

The South Korean government brushed off the North's latest statement, saying there was nothing fresh in it to cause greater alarm.

"North Korea's statement today is not a new threat but is the continuation of provocative threats," a ministry statement said.

The Defence Ministry urged the North to stop issuing threats, reiterating the position that annual military drills conducted jointly with US forces until the end of April were strictly defensive in nature.

The North's statement said it would respond "without mercy" to any action by the South that harmed its sovereignty.

In 2010, North Korea bombed a South Korean island close to the maritime border that Pyongyang disputes, killing two civilians and two soldiers and prompting the South to strike back with artillery and sharply elevating tensions.

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Archbishop Martin 'saddened' by Vatileaks scandal

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has said the "Vatileaks" scandal revealed last year saddened him.

Speaking on the Marian Finucane show on RTÉ Radio 1 today, Archbishop Martin said the whole affair had showed that "something rotten had got into the organisation".

"Any system which uses information to damage somebody else, then something rotten has got into an organisation like that" he said.

The "Vatileaks" affairs - where then Pope Benedict XVI's butler was caught stealing and leaking documents to the press, revealed infighting, nepotism and alleged corruption within the Curia, the church's governing body.

Archbishop Martin said during his time in the Vatican he met some great people but he also met some nasty people, some ambitious people, prepared to walk on others.

"This isn't the church" he said.

He said the Catholic Church in Ireland has reached what he called a "critical juncture".

He said the church has to "wake up" and realise where things are not going well and address them.

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83 workers buried in Tibet landslide

Rescue work is underway for 83 landslide-trapped workers in Tibet.

According to an official, the rescue is very difficult due to the lower temperatures.

The rescue team is attempting to clear two million cubic meters of mud, rock and debris and detecting four secondary disaster sites, according to reports.

The landslide happened at about 6am local time on Friday in Maizhokunggar County of Lhasa, the regional capital.

The victims, including two Tibetans, were workers from Tibet Huatailong Mining Development Co Ltd, a subsidiary of the China National Gold Group Corporation.

The affected area of the landslide, which has been classed as a natural disaster, is three kilometres long and contains about two million cubic meters of mud, rock and debris, according to the publicity department of the regional government.

More than 2,000 rescuers, including police, firefighters and medical personnel, are working at the site, which is at an altitude of 4,600 metres.

A mass of rolling rocks from the mountain top sliced a massive excavator in two, a witness said.

The broken boulders buried the workers' camp, which is two kilometres away from the mountain pass.

About 200 large vehicles, 15 sniffer dogs and 15 life-detector machines are being used in the rescue.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered that the exact cause of the disaster be determined and no effort be spared to find any survivors.

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Italian president rules out early exit plan

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano has ruled out standing down early to make way for new parliamentary elections, following the failure of attempts to form a government this week.

Mr Napolitano, whose term ends 15 May, spoke after news reports suggested he might resign to get around constitutional provisions which prevent a president dissolving parliament and calling elections in the final months of his mandate.

The 87-year-old told reporters he would continue his efforts to break the deadlock since inconclusive elections last month that left no group able to form a government.

"I will continue until the last day of my mandate to do as my sense of national responsibility suggests, without hiding from the country the difficulties that I am still facing," he told reporters at his Quirinale palace.

He said he would ask two small groups of experts to formulate proposals for institutional and social and economic reforms that could be supported by all political parties.

But he acknowledged that he had limited scope to force the divided parties to find a way out of political situation that he said was "frozen between irreconcilable positions".

Mr Napolitano met leaders of the main parties yesterday to try to find a way out of the stalemate, which has created deep uncertainty just as the Cyprus banking crisis has revived fears about the stability of the euro zone.

However with all of the three main groups in parliament clinging to entrenched positions that have prevented a majority being formed in parliament, hopes of a solution that would prevent the need to go back to the polls have faded.

Centre-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani, whose party controls the lower house but does not have a majority in the Senate, failed to win enough support to form a government from any of the other parties during a week of talks.

He rejected demands by centre-right leader Silvio Berlusconi for a cross-party coalition deal that would give the scandal-plagued former prime minister a share in power and the right to decide Napolitano's successor.

Both Mr Berlusconi's group and the populist 5-Star Movement led by ex-comic Beppe Grillo have also ruled out a new technocrat government like the one led by outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti, blocking what appears to be the only other option.

Italy has been in deep recession for more than a year, with record unemployment, especially among the young and a €2-trillion public debt that is dangerously exposed to swings on international bond markets.

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Irish jockey left paralysed after Cheltenham fall

The jockey JT McNamara has been left paralysed after falling from his horse at the Cheltenham Festival more than two weeks ago.

Mr McNamara, who is 37, has been receiving hospital treatment in Bristol since he fractured two vertebrae in his neck.

He is said to be in a "very positive" frame of mind.

Plans are being made to transfer him from hospital in Bristol to Dublin when he is well enough.

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Eight suspected dissidents have detention extended

Eight men who were arrested yesterday as part of an investigation into dissident republican activity have had their period of detention for questioning extended.

Gardaí recovered a loaded firearm during a search of a premises in Clondalkin as part of the inquiry.

A further ten searches have been carried out as part of the investigation.

The eight men are aged from their mid-20s to 50s and are being held under the provisions of Section 30 of the Offences Against The State Act at a number of garda stations in Dublin.

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Cyprus will not leave eurozone - president

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades has said Cyprus has no intention of leaving the eurozone.

He assured Cypriots the situation was "contained" in the wake of a tough bailout deal with the European Union.

Mr Anastasiades was speaking a day after banks reopened their doors following an almost two-week shutdown to prevent a run on deposits by panicked Cypriots and wealthy foreign depositors.

"We have no intention of leaving the euro," Mr Anastasiades told a conference of civil servants in the capital Nicosia.

"In no way will we experiment with the future of our country."

Mr Anastasiades, barely a month in the post, criticised Cyprus's partners in the 17-nation currency union, accusing them of making "unprecedented demands that forced Cyprus to become an experiment".

For the first time in Europe's handling of its debt crisis, bank depositors have been forced to bear some of the cost of a rescue plan intended to keep the country solvent and in the eurozone.

"We have averted the risk of bankruptcy," Mr Anastasiades said. "The situation, despite the tragedy of it all, is contained."

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Husband receives Savita Halappanavar draft report

The Health Service Executive has delivered a copy of its 108-page draft final report into the death of Savita Halappanavar to the family solicitor in Galway.

The report was given to Gerard O'Donnell this morning by Tony Canavan, the chief operating officer of the HSE's Galway-Roscommon Hospital Group.

Praveen Halappanavar was not present as he has declined the HSE's request to receive the report personally from the executive's representative.

Mr O'Donnell said Mr Halappanavar will review the findings and decide whether he wishes to meet the chairman of the inquiry team Professor Sabaratnam Arulkumaran.

Speaking after he handed over the report, Mr Canavan said he hoped Mr Halappanavar would have some input to the final report.

He said this would improve the process and mean it was better informed.

Mr Canavan also reiterated his sympathy and that of the hospital group to Mr Halappanavar and his family.

Minister for Health James Reilly has said he will bring the report to Cabinet before it is published.

Mrs Halappanavar, 31, was admitted to Galway University Hospital complaining of back pain on 21 October last year.

She was 17 weeks' pregnant with the couple's first child and died a week later at the hospital on 28 October.

The full inquest into her death will open in Galway on 8 April.

Mr O'Donnell said Mr Halappanavar was never involved in the clinical review and is unlikely to partake in it at this stage but he wants to ensure the final report is accurate and factual.

Mr Halappanavar did not look at coverage of the leaked draft report which emerged some weeks ago and his solicitor says he will be looking at the final draft with a "fresh mind".

He is likely to take the weekend to consider the findings and decide early next week on how he will respond to them.

No time constraints have been placed on Mr Halappanavar to respond.

When he has finished considering the findings, Mr O'Donnell expects the report will be finalised and presented to Mr Reilly.

Separately, the Health Information and Quality Authority is conducting a statutory investigation into matters surrounding the case.

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Gilmore vows to address collapse of Labour vote

Labour leader Eamon Gilmore has described the collapse of the Labour vote in the Meath East by-election as a disappointing result that the party intends to address.

The Tánaiste was speaking today for the first time since the results were announced yesterday.

The by-election was won by Fine Gael's Helen McEntee, with Labour candidate Eoin Holmes trailing in fifth place behind Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and Direct Democracy Ireland.

Mr Gilmore said: "I am disappointed with the result. It is a bad result for the Labour party. A result that I intend to address.

"Certainly, it's not something that we're going to ignore.

"I think we're going to have to do some reflection on the result and look at, you know, what the implications are and what we need to do in the period ahead."

Mr Gilmore dismissed suggestions any question arose about his leadership of the party following its poor showing.

He said Ireland had made progress with Labour in Government, but that this had not "penetrated" with the electorate.

The Tánaiste, who was joined by a number of Labour TDs for an event in Dublin city centre, said the "challenge" for Labour was to connect the work done in Government with what people were saying on the ground.

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North Korea puts missiles on standby

North Korea has put its missile units on standby to attack US military bases in South Korea and the Pacific.

The threat came after the US flew two nuclear-capable stealth bombers over the Korean peninsula in a rare show of force.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed off on the order at a meeting of top generals and "judged the time has come to settle accounts with the US imperialists in view of the prevailing situation", the official KCNA news agency said.

South Korea's Defence Ministry Spokesman Kim Min-seok also confirmed the meeting.

He said: "There was a report that at dawn today that North Korea's Kim Jong-un called an emergency military meeting and ordered missile units to standby.

"We see this as a continuing measure, after its army's supreme commander's announcement on 26 March that its army will take combat duty posture No 1."

The North has an arsenal of Soviet-era short-range Scud missiles that can hit South Korea and have been proven.

However, its longer-range Nodong and Musudan missiles that could in theory hit US Pacific bases are untested.

Mr Kim said that South Korea continues to monitor North Korean activities.

"This is seen as an extra measure in regards to its missiles. South Korean and US intelligence personnel are closely monitoring North Korea's readiness with its short, middle and long-range missiles such as Scud missile, Rodong missile and Musudan missile," he said.

The US yesterday flew two radar-evading B-2 Spirit bombers on practice runs over South Korea, responding to a series of North Korean threats.

They flew from the US and back in what appeared to be the first exercise of its kind, designed to show its ability to conduct long-range, precision strikes "quickly and at will", the US military said.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported there had been additional troop and vehicle movements at the North's mid and long-range missile sites, indicating they may be ready to fire.

It was impossible to verify the report, which did not specify a time frame, although South Korea's Defence Ministry said that it was watching shorter-range Scud missile sites, as well as Nodong and Musudan missile batteries.

Russia said that heightened military activity near North Korea was slipping into a "vicious cycle" that could get out of control.

Foreign Ministry Sergei Lavrov suggested that North Korea should cool down, calling on "all sides not to flex their military muscle" and avoid the danger of a belligerent response.

Russia supported new UN Security Council sanctions North Korea in early March, but Moscow has criticised actions taken outside the council, including US and South Korean military drills.

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Eight arrested in dissident republican inquiry

Eight men have been arrested in connection with an investigation into dissident republican activity.

Gardaí searched commercial premises in Clondalkin this afternoon as part of the inquiry.

The eight men are aged from their mid-20s to 50s and are being held at a number of garda stations in Dublin.

A garda spokesperson said no weapons or explosives were recovered during the search operation.

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Montenegrin jailed for 45 years for war crimes

A Montenegrin warlord has been given a 45-year jail sentence for the murder, rape and torture of non-Serb civilians in Sarajevo in the Bosnian war.

It is the longest sentence handed down so far by the Bosnian war crimes court.

Veselin Vlahovic, nicknamed Batko, was found guilty of the murders of 31 people, rapes of at least 13 women and torture and robbery of dozens of civilians in Grbavica and Vraca, Serb-occupied areas of Sarajevo, in 1992, said presiding judge Zoran Bozic.

44-year old Vlahovic, known by his victims as the "Monster of Grbavica" and "Master of Life and Death", carried out "horrid, cruel and manifold criminal acts", Justice Bozic said.

Prosecutors compiled a 66-count indictment against Vlahovic, the most extensive ever for crimes committed in the 1992-95 Bosnian war.

The 45-year sentence is the maximum that can be given for such crimes.

Justice Bozic said Vlahovic, a member of paramilitary group White Angels, which was allied to the Bosnian Serb army, often demanded ransoms of money or gold for his captives.

"Victims who could not pay for their lives would be typically taken to a recognisable location on Trebevic hill and shot in the head," Bozic added.

"In June 1992, he forced 13 members of the Pecar family out of their home and ordered three male relatives to run across a front line street planted with mines," he said.

He then ordered his soldiers to open fire knowing the act would provoke a return of fire from the combat lines. One woman died and three, including a minor girl, were wounded and left on the street.

"It was a typical pattern (of his) behaviour. Those who had nothing to offer in turn for their lives were typically killed by a shot in the forehead, mouth or temporal bone, according to forensic accounts," said Bozic.

He also described how Vlahovic raped a woman who was seven months pregnant in front of her young daughter in their Grbavica apartment, and in another incident raped a woman and then forced her to watch him rape her mother.

Vlahovic, dressed in a light blue shirt, showed no emotion throughout the proceedings.

The verdict drew loud applause from members of victims' associations in the heavily packed courtroom.

Bosnian Serbs, backed by the Serb-led Yugoslav army, launched an "ethnic cleansing" campaign in April 1992 in which thousands of Bosnian Muslims and Croats were killed, held captive or driven from their homes.

Within months Serb forces had captured almost three-quarters of Bosnia and encircled its capital Sarajevo, where more than 10,000 people died in a three-and-a-half year siege.

Vlahovic, 44, was detained in 2010 in Spain and delivered to the Bosnian court.

He had served a jail sentence after the Bosnian war for an armed robbery in Montenegro. He pleaded not guilty at the start of the trial and maintained his stance.

More than 100,000 people were killed in the course of the 1992-95 war.

The Bosnian war crimes court was set up in Sarajevo in 2005 to reduce the workload of the United Nations war crimes tribunal for former Yugoslavia in The Hague.

Montenegro, now independent, was still in union with Serbia during the Balkan wars and many Montenegrins sympathised with the Serb cause against Bosnian Muslims, Croats and Kosovo Albanians.

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Limits on transactions as Cyprus banks reopen

Cypriot banks reopened today for the first time since 16 March, although transactions are subject to certain limits.

The controls aim to prevent a run on the banks in the aftermath of a bailout deal for Cyprus that involves a loss on deposits in its two main banks.

There were long queues outside several banks in Nicosia before they opened for business.

Guards from a private security firm reinforced police outside some ATMs and banks in the city.

Technical difficulties resulted in the opening of Laiki bank branches being delayed for around 30 minutes.

Overall the situation remained calm, for the most part, with no obvious signs of a major run taking place.

Yiangos Demetriou, head of internal audit at the Cypriot Central Bank, said no cheque payments for any purpose will be allowed and account owners will not be able to withdraw more than €300 per day.

The decree will stay in place for four days, but this duration can be extended up to a month, depending on circumstances.

Banks opened for transactions between midday and 6pm local time, instead of the normal 8.30am to 1pm, giving employees time to be briefed on the new arrangements.

No limits will be placed on credit card transaction amounts, but wiring money between banks either locally or abroad will not be permitted except for commercial transactions of up to €5,000.

A special committee will be set up to examine applications for transactions of €5,000 through €200,000, which will be submitted collectively by each bank.

Applications for transactions of over €200,000 will be submitted and examined individually.

Mr Demetriou said that payments of salaries will be allowed in unlimited amounts, provided that they do not involve transferring money to other banks, while bill payments to banks through standing orders will be done normally.

Account owners will be allowed to make electronic bill payments and transfer money between accounts within the same bank.

Students abroad will be permitted to draw €3,000 every three months.

Mr Demetriou said he was confident that people have come to understand the critical situation the country is facing and that there is no point in withdrawing money just to stash it away at home.

Eurozone finance ministers approved a new bailout plan for Cyprus early on Monday, which would wind down the country's second largest bank, Laiki, and levy a tax on bank savings deposits over €100,000.

The deal is crucial for Cyprus to raise €5.8bn in order to secure a €10bn bailout from international lenders.

Cypriot Parliament Speaker Yiannakis Omirou said the country's banking sector was beginning to operate again.

He said: "The Central Bank decided on some limitations, so we are sure that slowly, slowly we are going back to functioning of the banks without serious problems.

"Some problems I'm sure will be created, but our people are ready to overcome the difficult moments we are passing."

However, the country's stock exchange will stay closed over Easter because the system of interbank payments throughout the European Union will not be working.

The last trading session of the exchange was on 15 March.

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CSO figures show increase in violent deaths

There was a substantial increase in murders and manslaughters last year, according to the CSO annual crime figures released this morning.

There were 60 murders and manslaughters last year, 15 more violent deaths than in 2011.

The figures showed 54 of the 60 people killed last year were murdered.

A third of the murders were gang-related, up significantly on the year before.

White collar crime, specifically fraud and deception, rape and explosives offences also increased last year.

However, there were declines in the 11 other major crime categories, including robbery, theft and drugs crime.

Gardaí seized €100m worth of drugs last year.

Minister for Justice Alan Shatter said he is concerned at the increase in violent deaths.

He said: "The increase recorded during the last six months of 2012 reflects the consequences of gang warfare and I am pleased that charges are now pending in respect of a number of individuals.

"We should also not lose sight of the fact that homicide numbers remain substantially lower than they were a number of years ago."

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New strategy aims to reduce road deaths

The Government aims to reduce road deaths by almost a quarter and serious injuries by 30% as part of its new road safety strategy, which will run to 2020.

Last year saw the lowest number of road deaths recorded in Ireland, but the rate of fatalities has increased this year.

Last year 162 people died on Irish roads. The Government aims to reduce this to 124 a year.

This year, 48 people have died to date, up 15 on the same period last year.

The Road Safety Authority estimates that 485 people were seriously injured in road traffic accidents last year, and the Government aims to reduce this to 330.

The strategy was launched at an EU road safety conference on serious injuries in Dublin today.

The new strategy consists of 144 measures, including proposals for the introduction for alcolocks to be fitted to vehicles to prevent motorists driving after consuming alcohol.

Other proposals include encouraging employers to consider implementing a policy of fitting devices to cars to prevent employees using a mobile unless their handbrake is activated.

Also being considered is the installation of devices in vehicles to sense tiredness; fixed charge notices, or fines, for cyclists; and extending traffic cameras to include offences other than speeding.

It would also see breakdown kits made compulsory.

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Minister has not seen Halappanavar draft report

Minister for Health James Reilly has said he has not seen the final draft HSE report into the death of Savita Halappanavar.

He said the draft will go to Ms Halappanavar's husband Praveen tomorrow, and he and his advisers will have time to consider it.

Minister Reilly said this was not the final report as Mr Halappanavar may wish to make observations to be incorporated into it.

An invitation to meet the chairman of the review will also be extended.

The minister said he would like to bring the final report to Cabinet.

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200 jobs to be created in Waterford

Nypro Healthcare is to create 200 jobs at a new medical device manufacturing facility in Waterford.

The company has been in Bray, Co Wicklow, since 1980 and employs 400 people there.

In 2001, the company promised 400 jobs in Waterford and delivered 250, but then circumstances changed and the company consolidated in Bray.

The new facility and the new jobs will be at the same location on the IDA industrial estate as their previous operation.

Nypro has operations in ten countries and a turnover of $1.1 billion (€859bn).

The company is investing €60 in the Waterford facility, with the jobs coming on stream over the next two years.

Nypro's new facility will make advanced respiratory and injectable devices for global healthcare and pharmaceutical customers.

The investment is being supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through IDA Ireland.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny said it is a significant boost for the southeast.

Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton said the southeast has suffered disproportionately from unemployment over the years, but he added that recently there has been a tripling of the number of site visits by IDA Ireland.

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Helen McEntee tops complete tally in Meath East

The daughter of the late Shane McEntee, whose sudden and tragic death resulted in the Meath East by-election, is almost certain to become the Dáil's newest member.

The completed tally shows the Fine Gael candidate, Helen McEntee, in the lead with over 38% of the vote.

She received 38.4% of the vote, with Fianna Fáil's Thomas Byrne second on 33.4%.

Sinn Féin's Darren O'Rourke got 12.9%.

The cross-party tally also indicates that the Labour candidate, Eoin Holmes, has been beaten into fifth position behind the newly formed Direct Democracy Ireland candidate, Ben Gilroy, who is on 6%.

The quota is expected to be around 12,000 votes.

Turnout around the constituency appeared to be low, with an overall figure expected to be about 38%.

Earlier, Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte conceded for Labour, saying the party had taken the brunt of voters' unhappiness with the economic situation.

He said Labour had been "singled out to bear the responsibility for the fact that so many people are hurting in the economy".

Mr Rabbitte said that Labour voters had stayed at home and made a protest vote.

Labour's Derek Nolan said the campaign had polarised very quickly between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin welcomed his party's result which he said showed an advance to a considerable degree.

He said the party had heard what people had to say on the doorsteps, and would bring that message to the floor of Dáil Éireann.

Fianna Fáil candidate Senator Thomas Byrne said people were sending a strong message that they were hurting, and a fresh approach was needed.

Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald said the party was happy with its performance.

Reacting to the performance by the Labour Party's candidate, Ms McDonald said public confidence and politics suffers when promises are made and broken.

Follow: @mcculld and @richardowling 

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Solicitor expects Halappanavar report on Friday

The final draft report of the Health Service Executive's clinical review into the death of Savita Halappanavar is expected to be given to her husband's solicitor on Friday.

Solicitor Gerard O'Donnell said that both he and Praveen Halappanavar will need to review the report over the weekend and decide if they wish to engage with the review process.

They also want to see if there are any factual inaccuracies in the report that may need to be corrected before it is published by the HSE.

Depending on what is contained in the report, they will then decide if they need to meet the inquiry chairman, Professor Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at St George's Hospital, University of London.

The HSE's clinical review started its work in mid-November last year.

Ms Halappanavar died on 28 October at Galway University Hospital having been admitted a week earlier complaining of back pain.

She was 17 weeks pregnant.

The full inquest into the case is due to begin on 8 April at Galway Courthouse.

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Kenny: No demand in insolvency rules to quit job

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has reiterated that no guidelines contained in the Personal Insolvency Arrangements would require anyone, man or woman, to give up work.

Mr Kenny said he wanted to make it perfectly clear to everyone in the country, in particular women, that there would be no condition that anyone would have to give up a job.

Earlier, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said the Government had demonstrated incoherence on the matter.

He said there was a need for independent oversight of personal insolvency arrangements struck with the banks.

Meanwhile, the National Women's Council has branded as "disgraceful" comments by Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar that childcare costs will have to be taken into account in insolvency arrangements if couples are unable to meet mortgage repayments.

Director of the NWC Orla O'Connor described the comments as "anti-women and anti-children".

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, she said that the Government needed to make a clear statement that childcare costs would remain outside of the new personal insolvency regime, which is aimed at helping families struggling with debt.

Details of the scheme are due to be published in the coming weeks.

Minister Varadkar is the first Cabinet member to say childcare costs would have to be considered in this way.

In the Dáil yesterday, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the new rules would in no way determine that a person would have to give up work.

However, Mr Varadkar insisted nobody would be asked to leave work, but conceded the new scheme would examine childminding bills in cases where such costs exceeded income.

Speaking in Dublin last night, he said it was a "legitimate" thing for women who are not earning big salaries to stay in work to maintain their career position.

But he said: "If you can't pay your mortgage as a result or you can't buy your groceries as a result, well then that's something that needs to be taken into account in any insolvency arrangement."

Ms O'Connor said the minister had caused stress and anxiety by his comments and said they "showed a lack of understanding" on his part of the struggle some families were facing.

She said: "Have we now reached a state in Ireland where saving our banks is more important than our children and the choices families are trying to make?

"Families every day in Ireland are making really difficult choices with regard to combining work and family life."

She said childcare costs in Ireland were among the highest in Europe and families were struggling to pay them.

Labour Senator Ivana Bacik has described as extremely short-sighted any suggestion that someone should give up a job if childcare costs exceeded their income.

Speaking on the same programme, she said childcare costs, which were to do with pre-school care, were short-term costs.

In response to the criticism, Mr Varadkar has said he did not say that women need to choose between their career or mortgage repayments if they enter a new insolvency scheme.

In a statement this morning, he said: "The headline in the Irish Examiner today is not what I said. That is a headline, not a quote, and it doesn't reflect my views.

"The quotes in the body of the article are accurate, however.

"They confirm that I did say that the new insolvency service guidelines will have to be fair and that no one should have to give up their job."

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Gardaí to be disciplined for conference walkout

Minister for Justice Alan Shatter has sanctioned disciplinary action to be taken against four garda sergeants who twice walked out of their association's annual conference this week.

The four staged walkouts before the minister's address and Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan's address to the meeting of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors in Sligo.

They also said they had no confidence in Commissioner Callinan, who was infuriated by the comments.

The delegates, who were representing sergeants and inspectors in Kilkenny and Carlow, said they were mandated to do so by their members.

The four are due to appear before an assistant commissioner later this week and a disciplinary board is expected to be set up.

They could face a range of sanctions including fines, suspension and a reduction in rank.

The AGSI today defended their actions, saying there was no point in having a representative association if delegates mandated by their members were unable to make a protest.

AGSI General Secretary John Redmond said there was nothing to investigate, but he accepted that expressions of no confidence in Commissioner Callinan were a step too far.

However, Commissioner Callinan said it should not have happened.

He said that showing disrespect to the minister for justice and the commissioner of the day was not on.

The AGSI held a closed session in conference this morning.

Callinan criticises AGSI comments on Donohoe death

The Garda Commissioner also strongly criticised comments made at the AGSI conference in relation to the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe.

Det Garda Donohoe was shot dead outside a credit union in Lordship in Co Louth in January.

Commissioner Callinan said that anyone equipped with the salient facts about the murder would quickly realise an Uzi submachine gun would not have made the slightest bit of difference.

He described the comments as inappropriate, particularly since the detective's family and colleagues were still grieving his loss.

Inspector Walter Kilcullen yesterday claimed that Det Garda Donohoe might still be alive if the Uzi submachine gun had not been withdrawn.

Separately, Commissioner Callinan said he was considering turning the Regional Support Units into permanently armed units, as there was a constant need for full-time armed gardaí in larger districts, such as Limerick.

He also warned the AGSI and the GRA not to send out circulars telling members not to report for duty, as it was the role of senior officers, not the representative associations, to direct gardaí.

Elsewhere, members of the Garda Representative Association will protest outside the Department of the Taoiseach today about proposed pay cuts.

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Cyprus set to impose capital controls - report

Cyprus is to impose a ban on cashing cheques and limit the amount of cash that can be taken out of the country under a series of measures to avert a run on the country's crippled banks, a Greek newspaper has reported.

The Kathimerini newspaper, citing a government decree, said the measures would remain in force for seven days.

They will allow Cypriot businesses to pay for imports if they provide authorities with the necessary documentation but limit the use of credit and debit cards outside Cyprus.

Officials at the Cypriot Central Bank and Finance Ministry said the newspaper report was based on draft proposals and a final version had yet to be adopted.

Earlier, Cypriot Central Bank Governor Panicos Demetriades said his institution was making "super-human efforts" to open the country's banks tomorrow.

The banks have been closed for almost two weeks during which talks took place on the controversial bailout for Cyprus, which was agreed with eurozone finance ministers at the weekend.

Mr Demetriades spoke alongside Cypriot Finance Minister Michalis Sarris as several hundred Bank of Cyprus workers protested outside the Central Bank building.

After the news conference, Mr Sarris said that he is confident the Cypriot banks will open tomorrow.

He said: "I think every day that they are not open creates more uncertainty and more difficulties for people.

"So we would like to do our utmost to make sure that this goal that we have said will work."

All except the country's two largest banks had been due to open yesterday morning after the country clinched a deal with the 17-nation eurozone and the International Monetary Fund to provide Cyprus with a bailout.

However, the central bank made a surprise reversal just before midnight, announcing all banks would remain closed until tomorrow while it and the banks finalise capital controls to limit the amount of money that can be withdrawn.

Under the deal for a €10bn rescue, Cyprus agreed to slash its oversized banking sector and inflict hefty losses on large depositors in troubled banks.

Mr Sarris said authorities hope to limit job losses to a "small number".

"We are looking to a much smaller banking system over time and more concentrated on its core business which is Cyprus and the international business units in Cyprus," he said.

The bulk of the bailout funds will be raised by forcing losses on accounts of more than €100,000 in the country's second-largest bank, Laiki, with the remainder coming from tax increases and privatisations.

The central bank has fired the chief executive of the Bank of Cyprus, an official at the country's largest commercial bank said today.

It follows the appointment of a special administrator to run the bank, which was saved from collapse this week.

The bank's chairman, Andreas Artemis, submitted his resignation yesterday.

An official at the bank, who declined to be named, said local media reports that chief executive Yiannis Kypri had been removed from the post were "valid".

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Concern over overcrowding at Limerick hospital

Calls have been made for urgent action to be taken to solve an overcrowding crisis at the emergency department at the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick.

The emergency department has 38 people waiting on trolleys for the second day in a row, which is the highest figure in the country.

Hospital authorities have again asked people not to attend the emergency department unless the emergency is genuine.

The hospital authorities cannot attribute the crisis to any particular illness in the community, high numbers of acutely unwell patients over 70 are presenting and they all require hospital admission.

It is the third time since last Friday that the hospital has asked people not to attend unless they have a genuine emergency.

Local INMO representative Mary Fogarty said the situation is completely unsafe for nurses and patients.

She said that cutbacks in community nursing services and home help services are now having an effect on the high numbers, particularly of elderly people, turning up at the emergency department in Limerick.

The hospital's chief executive, Ann Doherty, said the majority of people awaiting admission in the emergency department were medical patients.

Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, she said the hospital seemed to be experiencing a pressure point it had not seen before.

She said that while the rate of attendances at emergency departments is about the same year-on-year, the demand for patients who need to be admitted has increased over time.

Ms Doherty said the challenge of capacity across the midwest is being addressed.

She said there are plans to open new beds on the Dooradoyle site when the new critical care block is fully occupied.

Ms Doherty said six beds are already open on the Dooradoyle site and a full capacity of 21 beds will be available by the end of the year.

She also said there are ongoing talks about putting arrangements in place to open 20 beds in St John's Hospital over the coming days.

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Fresh weather warning for Leinster and Ulster

Fresh weather warnings have been issued as snow and ice persist in Leinster and Ulster.

Snow and ice warnings have been issued until 10am tomorrow morning.

Snow showers with accumulations of up to 5cm are forecast for counties Dublin, Kildare, Louth, Meath and Wicklow.

Accumulations of 3cm can be expected in counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Monaghan, Offaly, Westmeath and Wexford.

The outlook is for the unseasonably low temperatures to continue.

AA Roadwatch says that while there has been an improvement in conditions on some roads, motorists should still take great care particularly in sheltered areas.

Meanwhile, the Government has agreed to provide Air Corps assistance to farmers and rural residents affected by the cold weather in Northern Ireland.

The move comes as helicopters continue to be used to deliver animal feed to thousands of snowbound livestock stranded as a result of the severe weather.

The Air Corps says a helicopter is on standby at Casement Aerodrome at Baldonnel.

It follows discussions between Northern Ireland Agriculture Minister Michelle O'Neill and Minister for Justice Alan Shatter.

Speaking on RTÉ Morning Ireland, Irish Farmers' Association Deputy President Eddie Downey called for an urgent coordinated response to overcome unprecedented problems with fodder shortages and a lack of cash flow on farms.

Elsewhere, the Blackpool Action Group is due to meet Cork City Manager Tim Lucey this morning following last week's flooding.

A second delegation is travelling to Dublin to meet Minister Brian Hayes, who has responsibility for the Office of Public Works, which deals with flood works.

It has been 18 months since a flood action plan for the Lee Valley area was promised.

More than a dozen homes and business premises were badly damaged by flood water after a major culvert in the village was blocked by debris washed down river following heavy rain.

It is the second time in less than nine months that the village has been flooded.

Many of the premises are without flood insurance.

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Italian court orders retrial of Knox and Sollecito

Italy's top court has overturned the 2011 acquittal of American student Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito for the murder of Briton Meredith Kercher, and ordered a retrial.

The decision by the Court of Cassation adds a further twist to a long-running case whose initial handling was sharply criticised by independent forensic experts.

Prosecutors accused Ms Knox and Mr Sollecito of assaulting and killing Ms Kercher in 2007.

They were initially found guilty and sentenced to 26 and 25 years in prison respectively after a trial that grabbed headlines all over the world.

In 2011, their convictions were overturned and they were released after serving four years in prison.

Rudy Guede from the Ivory Coast was convicted of the killing in a separate case and is serving a 16-year sentence.

Ms Knox has said it is "painful" to have her acquittal overturned, but said she is confident in the truth.

She said any remaining questions about her case must now be examined by objective and capable prosecutors.

Ms Knox said the Perugia prosecutors' theory of her involvement in the murder is "completely unfounded and unfair".

She said: "No matter what happens, my family and I will face this continuing legal battle as we always have, confident in the truth and with our heads held high in the face of wrongful accusations and unreasonable adversity."

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Large Cypriot depositors may face 40% cut

Cyprus's Finance Minister Michael Sarris has said big depositors in Cypriot banks could lose about 40% of their deposits as part of a €10 billion international rescue plan.

"It could be in that neighbourhood but I do not want to anticipate it," Mr Sarris told BBC radio, adding the exact figure was yet to be decided. "But what I have seen suggests a number in that neighbourhood."

Mr Sarris also said that capital controls to prevent big outflows of cash from the island would probably last for "a matter of weeks."

Mr Sarris earlier ordered that all banks in the country remain closed until Thursday, according to the Cyprus Central Bank.

The move follows the striking of a bailout deal between Cyprus and the Troika in Brussels on Sunday night.

It is now 11 days since Cypriot banks closed in the face of a potential run on deposits.

It had been reported yesterday evening that some banks would reopen today, with the two largest, Bank of Cyprus and Laiki, likely to remain closed until capital controls were in place to prevent mass withdrawals.

But it emerged later the minister had ordered all banks in the country to remain closed for a further two days.

It is a decision likely to be greeted with annoyance by personal and business account holders alike, many of whom are only allowed withdraw €100 a day.

President Nicos Anastasiades said the central bank would impose some limits on bank transactions today, but did not specify what those limitations would be.

Mr Anastasiades said it was a "very temporary measure, which will gradually be relaxed".

He said: "We have an obligation to stand on our feet to escape the vicious cycle of recession.

"The government is committed to taking specific measures, to be at the side of everyone who will bear the painful consequences."

Mr Anastasiades said that the agreement was painful, but "under the circumstances, the best we could secure".

An initial plan that would seize up to 10% of people's bank accounts had angered depositors and was soundly rejected by parliament.

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Decision to destroy heel-prick tests reversed

The Health Service Executive has been instructed to reverse the decision to destroy blood samples taken from newborn babies, which are known as heel-prick tests.

Minister for Health James Reilly has said that more than one million samples should not be destroyed.

The Irish Heart Foundation said the cards could save the lives of extended family members of more than 1,000 young victims of Sudden Cardiac Death.

The decision to dispose of the samples had been made because of fears that their retention without consent breached data protection legislation.

The heel-prick tests are carried out on all babies shortly after birth to screen for genetic diseases.

Unclaimed samples taken from children between 1984 and 2002 were set to be destroyed shortly.

Samples taken before 1 July 2011 were deemed to be in breach of EU data protection legislation.

The minister has now instructed that an expert group discuss the matter and consider how the samples may be archived.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said it is important to find out how other countries have managed the situation.

Speaking on his way into Cabinet this morning, Mr Kenny said the samples could have real value in the future as a result of changes in technology and medical science.

The IHF, which launched the "Stop the Destruction Now" campaign, has welcomed the decision to retain the tests.

Its chief executive Barry Dempsey said: "The latest announcement means the estimated 1,400 families affected will not lose their last chance of a genetic diagnosis in the future nor will the last remaining DNA of their child be destroyed.

"Our charity welcomes the return to meaningful discussion through an expert group to protect these 1,400 samples and to ensure they are stored appropriately with proper consent.

"We look forward to open consultation to bring a positive resolution to this important issue."

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AGSI wants Uzi submachine guns reissued

Garda sergeants and inspectors have voted to seek to have the Uzi submachine gun, which was withdrawn, immediately reissued to detectives.

A member of the AGSI national executive claimed that the death of detective Garda Adrian Donohoe might have been prevented if he had been armed with the weapon.

Delegates at the association's annual conference have also rejected any further reductions in their pay and allowances and agreed to take action to oppose the cuts.

Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan is due to address the conference this afternoon.

More than a third of the motions at the association's annual conference oppose further cuts to pay and allowances or changes in their working conditions.

This morning all were voted through as the association now formulates its strategy to counteract Government policy.

However, policing issues are also on the agenda as delegates passed a motion calling on Commissioner Callinan to immediately re-issue the Uzi submachine gun to detectives, questioning the risk assessment surrounding the decision

A senior member of the executive, Inspector Walter Kilcullen, claimed that detective Garda Donohoe might still be alive today if the Uzi submachine gun had not been withdrawn.

The sergeants and inspectors agreed that the weapon acts as a deterrent because criminals and terrorists are afraid of it and the submachine gun is far more effective than the present standard issue.

Tighter controls for garda PULSE system

Mr Callinan is to introduce tighter controls on the garda PULSE computer system following the investigation into allegations concerning fixed penalty points.

The system holds details of crimes, traffic violations and criminal records.

The new measures will allow access to the system based on rank.

Higher ranks will gain access to more information, as well as an audit system to establish who is accessing the system and why.

Many sergeants and inspectors feel that Commissioner Callinan is more in tune with Government policy than the concerns of his frontline supervisors and managers.

Minister for Justice Alan Shatter said he expects to receive a report on the penalty points allegations by an assistant commissioner in the next few days, which he said he will publish.

However, Mr Shatter said it was important that individuals who have done no wrong do not have their privacy violated or reputation damaged by information appearing in the public domain.

It emerged late last year that thousands of fines and penalty points issued to motorists had been cancelled.

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Warning of widespread wintry weather

Met Éireann has issued a weather warning for most of the country, and has forecast sub-zero temperatures overnight.

The snow-ice warning covers Munster, Connacht, Leinster, Cavan and Monaghan.

Light snow showers and icy stretches on roads can be expected until at least 6am tomorrow.

Temperatures tonight are forecast to fall to between zero and -3C in some areas.

Tomorrow is also expected to be bitterly cold, with sleet and snow showers.

The cold weather is expected to continue for several days.

Met Éireann expects that over the Easter weekend outbreaks of rain, sleet and snow will become more widespread from the southwest.

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Man missing as car goes into sea off Arklow

A rescue operation is under way after a car went into the sea off the pier in Arklow, Co Wicklow.

The incident happened at around 6am.

A woman, who is in her mid-20s, is being treated in St Columcille's Hospital in Loughlinstown.

Gardaí are still searching for a man, who is in his 30s.

A crane is being used to try to recover the car from the River Avoca.

The area at the South Quay has been cordoned off and teams from the sub-aqua unit, as well as the coast guard, local gardaí and emergency services, are at the scene.

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AGSI seeks independent review of rationalisation

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors is seeking a review of Government policing policies under the current rationalisation programme.

The AGSI says station closures, increased workloads, fleet depletion and the moratorium on recruitment are damaging the force.

It wants the Garda Inspectorate or another independent body to carry out a cost-benefit analysis of the Government's policies.

It is also calling for Uzi submachine guns to be reissued to all detectives and has called for all plain-clothes officers in unmarked cars to be armed.

The AGSI, which is holding its annual conference in Sligo, opposes Government cutbacks in policing, pay and conditions.

Members are also seeking legislative change to ensure that anyone arrested must provide their PPS numbers.

They also said that when a suspect spends time waiting for or consulting with their solicitor in a garda station that this should not be counted as detention time.

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Trial date set for man accused of Meagher murder

The trial of the man accused of raping and murdering Louth woman Jill Meagher will start on 30 September.

Adrian Ernest Bayley, 41, appeared in Victoria Supreme Court via video link from a Melbourne prison for a brief hearing this morning.

He has pleaded guilty to raping Ms Meagher, but is fighting a murder charge and two other counts of rape.

Ms Meagher, who worked for Australian broadcaster ABC, went missing in the Brunswick area of Melbourne during a night out last September.

Mr Bayley allegedly raped and strangled the 29-year-old in a lane before going home to get his car, and then returning to place her body in the boot.

Her body was discovered six days later in a shallow grave on the outskirts of the city.

The trial is expected to run for between two and three weeks, with up to 25 witnesses to be called.

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Survey finds disparities in pharmacy drug prices

A survey conducted by the National Consumer Agency suggests that some pharmacies are charging double the price of other pharmacies for some drugs.

It shows huge differences in the cost of individual prescription medicines in local areas.

The nationwide survey of pharmacies found huge variations in the prices charged to private customers for 39 common prescription medicines.

The percentage differences in prices of individual prescription medicines ranged from 37% to 199%.

The largest price variation for an individual product within a local area was for a drug commonly used to treat stomach ulcers.

Prices ranged from €22 to €49 for the drug in pharmacies in Co Waterford.

In Dublin, across the 39 products surveyed, the minimum price difference for any individual product was 34%.

The National Consumer Agency is now urging customers to compare the costs of prescription medicines in their local area before choosing a pharmacy.

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Court rules in favour of Bewley's rent reduction

A High Court judge has ruled that the rent payable by Bewley's Oriental Café in Grafton Street, Dublin, to its landlord must be allowed to fall in line with the currently depressed open market rate.

The restaurant's landlord, Ickendel Limited, which is owned by Johnny Ronan's Treasury Holdings Group, had claimed it was entitled to a five-yearly upwards only rent review.

The decision of Mr Justice Peter Charleton will have significant repercussions for landlords who have been claiming upwards only reviews and will be widely welcomed by hard pressed shop tenants.

Judge Charleton said that to proceed towards ever-increasing sums in rent every five years, while deflation had decreased, was to substitute an unreal figure for the rent.

He said the existing lease between Bewley's and Ickendel clearly stipulated that the rent was never to fall below the initial agreement of 1987.

However, an open market clause in the agreement could only reasonably be construed so as to allow for a fall in rent, which had increased to €1.5m because of upwards only reviews since 1987.

The Bewley's rent agreement had a built in five-year review and the case was regarded as a test in the contentious area of upward rent review lease agreements.

Gavin Ralston, SC, counsel for Bewley's, had claimed the issue could not be of more vital importance to the company's financial survival and contended the lease allowed rents to fall as well as fluctuate up.

Ickendel Ltd, part of Treasury Holdings which is currently in NAMA, had argued the rent could not fall under the terms of the decades-old agreement.

The case hinged on the interpretation of a key clause in the lease agreement.

Mr Ralston argued that the court was entitled to ask if the 1987 agreement intended to trap the restaurant owner in such a serious position.

Judge Charleton said a review of the 1987 agreement had in 2007 fixed a rent of €1,463,964 and this figure, at least, was now being claimed by the landlord for the 2012 rent review.

"This is on the basis that the lease expressly provides that the rent cannot decrease on review," the judge said.

"That sum would not now be obtained for these premises on the open market. There has been a marked decrease in the rents obtainable for retail premises and food outlets."

He said the parties had bargained in 1987 so as to agree never to fall below the initially agreed rent but he could not see, from the lease, that they had bargained thereafter for anything other than a fair open market rent.

This could rise and it could fall.

Judge Charleton said the rent review clause could only reasonably be construed so as to allow for a fall in rent, but never below the rent initially agreed in 1987.

An ambiguity in the clause required a commercial construction and it was not in accordance with business sense that a rent appropriate to five years previously should govern a hospitality market markedly changed for the worse.

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Cyprus avoids bankruptcy in €10bn bailout deal

Cyprus has secured a deal with international lenders to shut down its second largest bank and inflict heavy losses on uninsured depositors, including wealthy Russians, in return for a €10bn bailout.

The agreement came hours before a deadline to avert a collapse of the banking system.

There were tense negotiations between President Nicos Anastasiades and heads of the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

The plan will spare the east Mediterranean island a financial meltdown.

The Popular Bank of Cyprus, also known as Laiki, will be wound down and deposits below €100,000 will be shifted to the Bank of Cyprus to create a "good bank".

Deposits above €100,000 in both banks, which are not guaranteed under EU law, will be frozen and used to resolve Laiki's debts and recapitalise Bank of Cyprus through a deposit/equity conversion.

Russia has reacted with anger to the bailout agreement.

"In my view, the stealing of what has already been stolen continues," Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was quoted by news agencies as telling a meeting of government officials.

Speaking in Brussels, Minister for Finance Michael Noonan said the new deal was better than the Cypriot plan rejected last week to levy small savers.

The raid on uninsured Laiki depositors is expected to raise €4.2bn.

Laiki will effectively be shuttered, with thousands of job losses.

Officials said senior bondholders in Laiki would be wiped out and those in Bank of Cyprus would have to make a contribution.

An EU spokesman said no across-the-board levy or tax would be imposed on deposits in Cypriot banks, although the hit on large account holders in the two biggest banks is likely to be far greater than initially planned.

A first attempt at a deal last week collapsed when the Cypriot parliament rejected a proposed levy on all deposits.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said politicians would not need to vote on the new scheme, since they had already enacted a law setting procedures for bank resolution.

A senior source in the talks said President Anastasiades, who is barely a month in office, threatened to resign at one stage yesterday if he was pushed too far.

He left EU headquarters without making any comment after he was forced to back down on his efforts to shield big account holders.

Diplomats said the president had fought hard to preserve the country's business model as an off-shore financial centre drawing huge sums from wealthy Russians and Britons, but had lost.

The EU and IMF required that Cyprus raise €5.8bn from its banking sector towards its own financial rescue in return for €10bn in international loans.

The head of the EU rescue fund said Cyprus should receive the first emergency funds in May.

IMF Chief Christine Lagarde said the agreement was "a comprehensive and credible plan" that addresses the core problem of the banking system.

"This agreement provides the basis for restoring trust in the banking system, which is key to supporting growth," she said in a statement.

With banks closed for the last week, the Central Bank of Cyprus imposed a €100 per day limit on withdrawals from cash machines at the two biggest banks to avert a run.

French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici rejected charges that the EU had brought Cypriots to their knees, saying it was the island's offshore business model that had failed.

"To all those who say that we are strangling an entire people ... Cyprus is a casino economy that was on the brink of bankruptcy," he said.

The euro gained against the dollar on the news in early Asian trading.

Analysts had said failure to clinch a deal could cause a financial market selloff.

However, some said the island's small size, which accounts for just 0.2% of the eurozone's economic output, meant contagion would be limited.

The abandoned plan for a levy on bank deposits had unsettled investors since it represented an unprecedented step in Europe's handling of a debt crisis that has spread from Greece, to Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy.

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EU suspends range of Zimbabwe sanctions

The European Union has suspended most sanctions on Zimbabwe after voters there approved a new constitution.

The decision paves the way for an election to decide whether President Robert Mugabe extends his 33-year rule.

The EU move is the most far-reaching step so far in its strategy of easing sanctions to encourage political and economic reform in Zimbabwe.

The southern African country has been governed by an uneasy coalition since Mr Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai were forced into a power-sharing deal after disputed 2008 elections.

"The EU...has today agreed to immediately suspend the application of measures against 81 individuals and eight entities," EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement.

Ten people, including Mr Mugabe, and two companies, including state-run diamond mining company the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC), remain on the sanctions list, restricted by asset freezes and travel bans, an EU source said.

A number of "key decision makers" would remain under EU sanctions until peaceful, transparent and credible elections had been held, Ms Ashton said.

Zimbabwe is expected to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in the second half of the year in what will be seen as a showdown between Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai.

The European Union first imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe in 2002, in protest against human rights abuses and violations of democracy under Mr Mugabe's rule. 

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Thousands still without electricity in North

Around 13,000 electricity customers are still cut off in the North because of bad weather.

Emergency repair crews worked into the night to restore power to thousands of homes.

Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) said the weather was improving but snow was still blocking roads.

Northern Ireland Water said about 500 homes still had problems with their water supply in south Antrim and west Belfast.

Julia Carson, NIE communications manager, said: "The weather does seem to be improving, wind speeds have dropped, but due to the extent of the damage across northern and eastern counties it may be a few days before customers are back on supply."

The situation has improved for many since yesterday morning, when 35,000 electricity customers were cut off and up to 1,000 homes were without water.

Weather warnings also still in place across much of Britain after two days of wintry conditions.

Two people are known to have died - one in Lancashire and one in Cornwall.

The body of a 27-year-old man was discovered in deep snow by a farmer near Burnley, Lancashire.

He had gone missing while walking home in freezing weather after a night with friends.

A woman died in Cornwall on Friday when her house in Looe, Cornwall, collapsed during a landslide following torrential rain.

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Berezovsky home swept by chemical hazard police

British police say experts in hazardous materials have searched a property after the death of exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky.

They have since given the all-clear and cordons around the property have now mostly been lifted. 

Police said a 67-year-old "believed to be" Berezovsky was found dead at the property in Ascot, a town 40km west of London yesterday.

Thames Valley police say his death is being treated as "unexplained".

Police said they have set up a cordon and that officers are conducting the search "as a precaution" and there is no risk to neighbours.

The BBC described the site as Berezovsky's home.

"It is important we take all necessary measures to ensure a full and thorough investigation can be carried out," Police Superintendant Stuart Greenfield said in a statement.

Mr Berezovsky - who had survived a number of assassination attempts - amassed a fortune through oil and automobiles during Russia's chaotic privatisation of state assets following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.

Once a member of Russian President Boris Yeltsin's inner circle, Mr Berezovsky fell out with Yeltsin's successor, Vladimir Putin, and fled Britain in the early 2000s to escape fraud charges that he said were politically motivated.

He became a strident and frequent critic of Mr Putin, accusing the leader of ushering in a dictatorship, and accused the security services of organizing the 1999 apartment house bombings in Moscow and two other Russian cities that became a pretext for Russian troops to sweep into Chechnya for the second war there in half a decade.

Russia repeatedly sought to extradite Mr Berezovksy on a wide variety of criminal charges, and the tycoon vehemently rejected allegations over the years that he was linked to several deaths, including that of slain journalist Anna Politkovskaya and ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko.

Last year, Mr Berezovsky lost a multibillion-pound High Court case against fellow Russian Roman Abramovich and was ordered to pay £35m in legal costs.

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Head of Syria opposition resigns

The head of Syria's main opposition group has resigned, saying he had taken the step so he could work with more freedom.

Moaz Alkhatib, a former imam of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, was picked to head the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces in November after leaving Syria due to President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown on rebels.

"I had promised the great Syrian people and promised God that I would resign if matters reached some red lines," Mr Alkhatib said in a statement on his official Facebook page, without explaining exactly what had prompted his resignation.

"Now I am fulfilling my promise and announcing my resignation from the National Coalition in order to be able to work with freedom that cannot be available within the official institutions," he said.

A spokesman for Mr Alkhatib confirmed his resignation.

Last week, the coalition chose Western-educated former businessman Ghassan Hitto as a provisional prime minister to form a government to fill a power vacuum in Syria arising from the two-year-old revolt that has killed more than 70,000 people.

Earlier this year, Mr Alkhatib floated an initiative for the opposition to talk to Assad's administration about a political transition, but said the Damascus government did not respond.

In his statement, Mr Alkhatib added: "We will follow the path with our brothers who aim for the freedom of our people."

He said official positions were "means to serve noble objectives" and not an aim in themselves.

Leaders of the coalition are due to attend an Arab League summit this week, Qatar said earlier on Sunday, looking for more support for their armed uprising.

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Minister admits communication 'mess' on tax

A Government junior minister has acknowledged failures in the way the decision to include large numbers of former ghost estates as being eligible for the property tax.

Speaking on RTÉ's The Week in Politics Junior Minister Sean Sherlock said the Government made a "mess" of communicating how the exemptions would work.

Mr Sherlock also rejected reports in today's Sunday Business Post that working mothers seeking deals with their banks over debt could be forced to give up work.

Mr Sherlock said he does not foresee mothers being forced to stay at home if their income fails to cover their childcare costs under the terms of the new Personal Insolvency Service.

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Pope Francis celebrates Palm Sunday Mass in Rome

Tens of thousands of people have gathered in St Peter's Square in Rome where Pope Francis is celebrating Palm Sunday Mass.

The new pontiff arrived in an uncovered vehicle to start Holy Week ceremonies, which lead up to Easter Sunday, which takes place next week.

Pope Francis wore bright red robes over a white cassock and presided over the Mass from an altar sheltered by a canopy on the steps of St Peter's Basilica.

Cardinals, many of them among the electors who on 13 March chose the Roman Catholic church's first Latin American pope, sat in rows for the ceremony held under hazy skies on a breezy day.

The run-up to Easter is considered the most important week in the calendar of the Roman Catholic Church.

After today's Mass, the Pope will lead six more liturgies during the week, culminating with the Easter Sunday Mass and Urbi et Orbi blessing.

Yesterday Pope Francis held a 45 minute private meeting with his predecessor Pope Emeritus Benedict, near Rome.

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Cypriot president in Brussels for crucial talks

A Cypriot delegation led by President Nicos Anastasiades has arrived in Brussels for last-minute talks with European Union politicians to avert a banking system collapse.

The delegation arrived at a military base just outside Brussels in a private jet sent by the EU Commission.

The group headed to the EU Council building for talks with leaders of the European Union, the European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund.

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde was seen at the Sofitel Hotel, where the Cypriot delegation is expected to stay, and will join the talks.

A meeting of eurozone finance ministers is scheduled for later this afternoon.

Cyprus' overgrown banking sector has been crippled by exposure to crisis-hit Greece.

The EU says the country must raise €5.8bn on its own before it can receive a €10bn bailout.

Without a deal by the end of Monday, the ECB says it will cut off emergency funds to Cypriot banks, spelling certain collapse and potentially pushing the country out of the eurozone.

It was reported last night that Cyprus is considering imposing a one-off tax of 20% on deposits over €100,000 at the country's largest bank, Bank of Cyprus.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble underlined that time was of the essence.

"Cyprus will go down a tough path - either way. But that's not the consequence of European stubbornness, but of a business model that no longer works," he said.

"Negotiations are at a very delicate phase," the Cypriot government said earlier in a statement.

"The situation is very difficult and the deadlines are very tight."

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35,000 still without power due to storms in North

Up to 35,000 homes in Northern Ireland are still without electricity following a second night of heavy snowfalls and strong winds.

A network fault last night meant the whole of Belfast was without power for several minutes.

Northern Ireland Electricity crews, assisted by ESB colleagues from over the border are working on the problem but it will take a number of days to clear the backlog.

Northern Ireland's World Cup qualifier against Russia has been called off due to the weather rendering the pitch at Windsor Park unplayable, the Irish FA has confirmed.

The runways at Aldergrove and Belfast City Airports have been cleared but air travellers are advised to check if their flights are running to schedule.

Motorists are being advised to make only essential journeys and to exercise caution due to ice and flooding, if travelling.

Garda warning

In the south of the country, gardaí are advising motorists to take extra care in areas that experienced flooding yesterday.

They say there is surface water on a number of roads in Leinster, including the M11 Dublin-Wexford road at Bray in Co Wicklow.

The quays in Enniscorthy remain closed to traffic after the River Slaney burst its banks yesterday.

They are expected to reopen later this morning.

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Ex-IMO boss claims €10,000 VHI entitlement

The former General Secretary of the Irish Medical Organisation George McNeice - who retired in his early 50s with a pension pot worth almost €10m - has claimed he is entitled to a further €10,000 for his VHI payments for the next year.

When Mr McNeice retired shortly before Christmas, it emerged that he had accumulated pension entitlements which could have reached €25m.

However, following negotiations, Mr. McNeice agreed to settle for a package worth €9.7m.

In recent legal correspondence with the IMO, Mr McNeice has sought almost €10,000 for his VHI payments for the next year, and has also claimed ownership of a painting at the IMO offices.

It is understood Mr. McNeice argues that the settlement agreement provides for payment of all salary and emoluments up to 31 March, and that this would include renewal of his VHI subscription.

He also argues that the painting was given to him by a former president of the IMO Cormac McNamara.

The IMO is holding an extraordinary general meeting in Dublin today to discuss the controversy - at which members are being informed of Mr McNeice's additional claims.

Sources said that the IMO has rejected Mr McNeice's claims.

It is understood that the IMO may be prepared to pay a VHI contribution for the remaining 10 days of his formal employment, but not a full year's subscription for Mr McNeice and his family.

The IMO has also asked Mr McNeice to prove ownership of the painting.

Two weeks ago, the IMO revealed the details of the settlement with Mr McNeice.

In addition to a pension fund of €4.5m, Mr McNeice will receive a termination payment of €1,495,850 as provided for in his contract.

He will also receive annual payments of "some €200,000" per year from 2016 to 2021, and €250,000 per year from 2021 to 2032.

However, the IMO said that no members' subscriptions would be required to fund the settlement with Mr McNeice.

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Viable explosive device found in abandoned car

Police in Northern Ireland have confirmed that a car found abandoned near Enniskillen in Co Fermanagh was carrying a viable device.

A security alert was raised when the vehicle was found on the Derrylin Road close to Thompsons Bridge yesterday morning.

A number of residents were removed from their homes during the alert which has now ended.

Police said it was fortunate that no-one was killed.

PSNI district commander Pauline Shields said: "Although investigations are at an early stage it is our assessment at present that this vehicle was destined for Lisnaskea PSNI station."

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Pope Francis meeting with predecessor in Rome

An historic meeting is currently taking place between Pope Francis and his predecessor Pope Emeritus Benedict near Rome.

There is no public record of any previous meeting between a Pope and his living predecessor.

Hundreds of people gathered today in the square of Castel Gandolfo outside Rome in advance of the meeting.

Benedict resigned last month citing ill health.

The meeting is the first time the two men have met since the election of the new Pontiff although the two have spoken briefly by phone.

Pope Francis took the 15-minute helicopter trip to Castel Gandolfo this afternoon.

Pope Emeritus Benedict is spending the first few months of his retirement at the summer retreat.

He will then return to the Vatican to live in a convent in the grounds of the city.

The Vatican stressed that the meeting will be a private one but said a brief statement will be issued after the event.

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France confirms death of al-Qaeda warlord

The al-Qaeda-linked North African warlord Abou Zeid has been killed in combat with French troops in Mali.

In a statement Saturday the office of French President Francois Hollande said the death was "definitively confirmed" and that Abou Zeid's death "marks an important step in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel."

Chad's president had said earlier this month that Chadian troops had killed Abou Zeid while fighting to dislodge an al-Qaeda affiliate in northern Mali.

French officials have maintained for weeks that Abou Zeid was "probably" dead but waited to conduct DNA tests to verify.

Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, thought to be 47, was a pillar of the southern realm of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, responsible for the death of at least two European hostages and a leader of the extremist takeover of northern Mali.

He was killed in operations in the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains in northern Mali in late February, the statement from Mr Hollande's office said.

The French military moved into Mali on 11 January to push back militants linked to Abou Zeid and other extremist groups who had imposed harsh Islamic rule and who are seen as an international terrorist threat.

Abou Zeid led one of the most violent brigades of al-Qaeda's North African franchise. He was believed to be holding four French nationals kidnapped two years ago at a uranium mine in Niger.

The fate of those hostages, working for French company Areva, is unclear.

Abou Zeid held a Frenchman released in February 2010, and another who was executed that July. He has also been linked to the execution of a British hostage in 2009.

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'Significant progress' in Cypriot bailout talks

Cyprus has said it is looking at seizing a quarter of the value of big deposits at its largest bank, as it races to raise the funds for a bailout from the European Union and avert financial collapse.

Finance Minister Michael Sarris said "significant progress" had been made in talks in Nicosia with officials from the European Union, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Mr Sarris confirmed discussions were centred on a possible levy of around 25% on holdings of over €100,000 at Bank of Cyprus.

He expressed hope that a package could be ready by the end of the day for approval by parliament.

Cyprus faces a Monday deadline to clinch a bailout deal with the EU or the European Central Bank says it will cut off emergency cash to the country's over-sized and stricken banks.

Amid signs of momentum, Cypriot and EU officials said Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades is expected in Brussels tomorrow to meet EU leaders.

These will include European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and Commission President José Manuel Barroso, as well as IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde and ECB President Mario Draghi.

Mr Van Rompuy and Mr Barroso cancelled a planned EU-Japan summit in Tokyo to tend to the Cyprus saga.

The 17 eurozone finance ministers will also meet in Brussels tomorrow evening to discuss the rescue package.

"Significant progress has been made in the direction of getting a deal, at least at the Troika level," Mr Sarris told reporters.

He said a number of issues were still outstanding, but that a package could be ready "late this afternoon or early evening" for approval by parliament.

Arriving at the troika talks, Andreas Artemi, chairman of Bank of Cyprus, was asked if a 25% haircut was being considered on uninsured deposits. He replied: "I don't know that yet."

A senior politician told Reuters earlier this morning that parliament was not expected to convene until after the meeting of eurozone finance ministers, taking the crisis right down to the wire.

The same legislature on Tuesday angrily threw out a proposed levy on bank deposits, designed to raise the €5.8bn the EU wants in return for a €10bn bailout.

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HIA report highlights community rating trends

A report on the private health insurance market has concluded that insurers are continuing to adopt strategies that undermine community rating.

The report to Minister for Health James Reilly showed a practice of segmenting and selecting profitable business, through different pricing to targeted groups.

The Health Insurance Authority said that between July 2011 and July 2012 the number of people aged 18-29 with private health insurance fell by 10%.

It said that this trend is threatening to undermine the intergenerational solidarity that supports community rating.

The authority has suggested two measures to mitigate this trend.

Insurers could be allowed to apply a loading on people over the age of 30 who take out cover for the first time.

They might also be allowed to offer discounts to people aged between 18 and 29.

The HIA said the approach by insurers has been to provide a large number of plans, offering similar benefits but with significant differences in pricing, with lower cost plans being marketed to lower risk groups.

It said that three of the four insurers also have lower cost products with reduced orthopaedic and ophthalmic benefits in private hospitals and few older people are on these plans.

For products that mainly cover public hospitals, there is less difference in price between long-established products and newer products, although products offering limited maternity cover are significantly lower-cost.

The report also showed that VHI has just over 59% of the market, but its share has consistently fallen since the sector was opened up to competition.

Consumers generally are also switching to lower-cost plans.

Aviva Health had a €12.5m profit before tax for the year ending 2011, while Quinn Healthcare, since renamed Laya Healthcare, made a pre-tax profit of €12.5m. 

VHI Healthcare had an €800,000 loss.

The VHI's loss of members has been mainly in the younger age groups and it has a much greater proportion of members in the age groups 70-74, but the difference is reducing.

The report said the main features of the market in the past year have been large price increases - over 20% in many cases - reduced benefits, corporate plans not marketed or offered to individual customers, penalties for stopping a policy during a year and special offers for children.

The report was submitted to Mr Reilly in November and is published on the Department of Health's website.

It provided advice on how risk equalisation credits, which vary by age, gender and level of cover, should be assigned under changes which come into effect from the end of this month.

The complex risk equalisation scheme - a cost neutral fund - is aimed at keeping prices affordable for older members, by levelling out the risk and compensating insurers who have more older and costlier subscribers.

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Former Christian Brother found guilty of sex abuse

A former Christian Brother has been found guilty of the sexual abuse of a boy at Letterfrack Industrial School in Co Galway in the 1960s.

Robert Doherty, 72, was found guilty of six counts of indecent assault by a jury at Galway Circuit Criminal Court this morning.

He had denied the offences, which took place on dates between August 1965 and April 1967.

Doherty, originally from the Falls Road in Belfast and with an address at Glenwood Estate, Dundalk in Co Louth, was recruited to the Christian Brothers at the age of 15.

In 1965, he began teaching at Letterfrack Industrial School at the age of 24.

He initially had only a teaching function but a year after his arrival, he was put in charge of the boys detained there.

He worked in Letterfrack until 1968 and left the Christian Brothers order in 1976.

The retired primary school teacher had denied six charges of indecently assaulting a young boy on dates between August 1965 and April 1967 in his bedroom beside a dormitory in Letterfrack Industrial School.

The victim, who is now 59, was sentenced to four years' detention in Letterfrack at the age of nine for taking a bike for a few hours before returning it to a garda station.

He said the facility was ruled by fear and he could only remember one Brother who did not abuse him during his time there.

The man said the abuse happened on a regular basis over a considerable period of time.

Doherty had denied all the allegations, stating that no boy had ever entered his room during his time at Letterfrack Industrial School.

After the jury resumed deliberations this morning, they returned majority guilty verdicts on all six counts.

The 72-year-old has been remanded on bail until 15 May when medical reports and a victim impact report will be presented to the court.

Speaking after the verdict, the victim thanked gardaí for the support they had given him since he first reported the abuse in 1999.

He said he had dreaded the legal process many times, but was glad that he had never given in and that he had never given up hope.

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