Drop in demand for credit union loans

Demand for loans from the country's 386 credit unions has fallen for the second year, as households continue to resist taking on additional debt during the current harsh economic climate.

While many unions will be restructured this year they do hope to increase their services, including introducing online banking services within a year.

Over 2000 delegates are attending the AGM of the Irish League of Credit unions in Limerick this weekend, they now have 3.1 million customers, an increase of 36,000 last year.

Demand for loans was done 12%, down for a second year, as households curb their spending and debt.

But for many the credit unions remain the only place they can get a loan

Minister for Finance Michael Noonan said the Government had pledged €500m to help credit unions to restructure, to ensure they continued their important role in the community.

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Noonan hits out at pay increases for bank chiefs

Minister for Finance Michael Noonan has criticised pay increases received by bank chiefs during the financial crisis, while they were being funded by the taxpayer.

He said this was ridiculous when at the same time public servants were being asked to take pay cuts.

Mr Noonan said their overall position is that the taxpayers have invested a lot of money in the banks and the Government wants that investment protected.

However, he said while they want banks to be profitable to protect that taxpayers investment, they are suffering huge losses because their cost base is too high.

He said he had written to the banks seeking a reduction in payroll costs of between 6%-10%, and he hopes to hear from the banks on this issue by the end of April.

"It is ridiculous to have nurses and gardai taking paycuts, and bankers who are losing money all the time, to which the taxpayer has invested so much, are getting pay increases since the financial crisis started - that has to be sorted out," he said.

In relation to a strike threat by public servants Mr Noonan said nobody wanted them to strike because they play such a vital role in public life.

He said even if they had accepted Croke Park II, the savings envisaged under it would not come into play until July.

He said there is still some time left for Kieran Mulvey of the Labour Relations Commission and the unions to progress the issue, and he hoped advances could be made over the coming weeks.

In any event, Mr. Noonan said, the savings of €1bn over the next three years, including €300m this year, have to be found.

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First Dreamliner flights resume since grounding

Ethiopian Airlines has become the world's first carrier to resume flights with Boeing Dreamliner passenger jets three months after they were grounded over battery meltdowns.

US regulators approved a new battery design last week, clearing the way for installation and a resumption of Dreamliner flights by international carriers.

The fully booked flight arrived at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, with passengers giving the crew a round of applause upon landing.

The grounding of the Dreamliner fleet has cost Boeing an estimated $600 million, halted deliveries of the aircraft and forced some airlines to lease alternative planes.

The flight was the first since regulators grounded the worldwide Dreamliner fleet on 16 January after two lithium-ion battery meltdowns that occurred on two jets within two weeks that month.

The battery faults raised fears of a possible mid-air fire, drawing worldwide attention to Boeing and denting the reputation of its flagship plane.

"I'm always worried about flying and I'm an insurance worker so I'm apprehensive. But I'm sure they've checked and double checked so we'll be fine," said Eunice Mbogo minutes before boarding Ethiopia Airlines' Dreamliner flight to Nairobi.

The grounding of the Dreamliner fleet has cost Boeing an estimated $600m, halted deliveries and forced some airlines to lease alternative aircraft.

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Four held as Bangladesh death toll rises to 341

Two factory bosses and two engineers have been arrested in Bangladesh three days after the collapse of a building, as the death toll rose to 341.

As many as 900 people could still be missing, police said.

The owner of the eight-storey building that fell like a pack of cards around more than 3,000 workers was still on the run.

Police said several of his relatives were detained to compel him to hand himself in, and an alert had gone out to airport and border authorities to prevent him from fleeing the country.

Officials said Rana Plaza, on the outskirts of the capital, Dhaka, had been built without the correct permits, and the workers were allowed in on Wednesday despite warnings the previous day that it was structurally unsafe.

Two engineers involved in building the complex were also arrested at their homesy, Dhaka district police chief Habibur Rahman said.

He said they were arrested for dismissing a warning not to open the building after a jolt was felt and cracks were noticed on some pillars the previous day.

The owner and managing director of the largest of the five factories in the complex, New Wave Style, surrendered to the country's garment industry association during the night and they were handed over to police.

The factory, which listed many European and North American retailers as its customers, occupied upper floors of the building that officials said had been added illegally.

"Everyone involved - including the designer, engineer, and builders - will be arrested for putting up this defective building," said junior internal affairs minister Shamsul Huq.

An alliance of leftist parties which is part of the ruling coalition said it would call a national strike on 2 May if all those responsible for the disaster were not arrested by tomorrow.

Mr Rahman identified the owner of the building as Mohammed Sohel Rana, a leader of the ruling Awami League's youth front.

"People are asking for his head, which is quite natural," said HT Imam, an adviser to the prime minister.

Wednesday's collapse was the third major industrial incident in five months in Bangladesh, the second-largest exporter of garments in the world. In November, a fire at the Tazreen Fashion factory nearby the latest disaster killed 112 people.

Such incidents have raised serious questions about worker safety and low wages, and could taint the reputation of the poor South Asian country, which relies on garments for 80 percent of its exports.

Anger over the working conditions of Bangladesh's 3.6 million garment workers - most of whom are women - has grown since the disaster, triggering protests.

Hundreds were on the streets again on Saturday, smashing and burning cars and sparking more battles with police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. Eyewitnesses said dozens of people were injured in the latest clashes.

Remarkably, people were still being pulled alive from the precarious mound of rubble - 21 in all since dawn today.

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Fianna Fáil slams Government policies at Ard Fheis

The Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis in Dublin has heard criticism of Government policy on finance, education justice, and agriculture.

Delegates also heard a claim that this afternoon's debate on abortion is the most important of the weekend.

Fianna Fáil Justice Spokesman Niall Collins has said the damage done to garda morale by Minister for Justice Alan Shatter and the Government should be a cause for concern to everyone.

He said gardaí put their lives on the line to protect society and deserve more.

He accused Mr Shatter of forgetting the promises he made while in opposition when he said garda numbers should not be below 14,500.

He said the current strength of the force was hovering above 13,000 and this was a cause of celebration for criminals.

Fianna Fáil finance spokesman Michael McGrath said banks had been given too much power under the new insolvency service and he predicted a raft of house repossessions.

With one in four mortgages in distress, Mr McGrath proposed that a mortgage resolution officer would have the power to make binding decisions on how to resolve a borrower's mortgage arrears problem.

On property tax, he said families on very low income of less than €500 a week could not even get a deferral of the tax and he accused Fine Gael and Labour of breaking their promises not to introduce a tax on the family home.

He said his party accepted its responsibilities for the mistakes it had made while in office but said the Government must now accept responsibility for their period in office.

He said his party was supporting the Government when they are doing the right thing for the economy.

He cited the Fiscal Treaty Referendum and the liquidation of IBRC.

However, Mr McGrath said Fianna Fáil opposed the Government when it believed it was getting it wrong such as with recent budget choices, the handling of the mortgage arrears crisis and the property tax which he said was unfair.

Fianna Fáil's spokesman on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation likened the political focus and commitment needed to tackle the unemployment problem with that which was required to bring about the peace process.

Dara Calleary said creating employment is the kind of political and societal challenge in 2013 that bringing peace to our island was in 1993.

He lamented that there was not somebody like Albert Reynolds around today who could mobilise the full forces of Government to assist the more than 425,000 people seeking full-time employment.

Fianna Fáil spokesperson on agriculture, food and community Eamon Ó Cuív warned against the power of supermarkets and how it is affecting the price that is paid to farmers for products.

He said it is Fianna Fáil policy to protect the family farm.

He said the Government has an anti-rural bias and this has shown itself with the closure of small schools and garda stations.

Earlier, Fianna Fáil Senator Terry Leyden said that the debate surrounding abortion legislation was the big issue of the day.

During a panel discussion on education he queried what could more important than pre-schooling but the right to life, as without the right to life you have no schooling and no pre-schooling.

Delegates voted in favour of 22 out of 23 motions on education before moving on to the discussion on education issues which dealt with the cost of pre-school education.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin will be backing motions that give more power to ordinary party members.

He is due to give his televised leaders' address this evening.

Last night Mr Martin focussed on Minister for Health James Reilly's handling of the health service, claiming he was pushing hospitals to the edge of viability and presiding over mounting chaos in the sector.

He also committed Fianna Fáil to opposing the Government plans to abolish the Seanad, claiming the autumn referendum was nothing more than a blatant power grab.

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Man arrested in ricin letters investigation

US federal agents arrested a Mississippi martial arts instructor today as part of an investigation into ricin-laced letters sent to President Barack Obama and two other public officials.

Everett Dutschke, 41, was taken into custody by US marshals at his Tupelo home early this morning after his home and business were searched.

The arrest took place without incident, the city's police chief, Tony Carleton, said.

It was not immediately known if Mr Dutschke has been charged in the ricin investigation.

Agents from the FBI and the US Capitol Police, as well as members of an anti-terrorist response team from the Mississippi National Guard, had searched Mr Dutschke's home on Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as the premises of a former martial arts studio Mr Dutschke ran in the city.

Agents had Mr Dutschke's home under surveillance yesterday afternoon and evening and moved to arrest him about 1am local time (7am Irish time).

Prosecutors dropped charges on Tuesday against another Mississippi man, Elvis impersonator Paul Kevin Curtis, who was released from jail after a search of his home in nearby Corinth revealed no incriminating evidence.

Letters addressed to Senator Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, and Democratic President Barack Obama were retrieved last week at off-site mail facilities before reaching their intended victims.

The discovery added another layer of anxiety as authorities dealt with bombings at the Boston Marathon.

Ricin, which is made from castor beans, can be deadly to humans and is considered a potential terror weapon, particularly if refined into an aerosol form.

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Woman charged over 2009 Dublin murder

A 24-year-old woman has appeared in court charged in connection with the murder of a man in Dublin in 2009.

Siobhan Whittaker, with an address at Maida Vale in London, has been charged with impeding the apprehension of another person believed to have been involved in the murder of Maurice Martin.

The 21-year-old died after being stabbed at a house in Valeview Drive, Finglas on 12 June 2009

Detective Sergeant Tom Lynch told the court that when charged Ms Whittaker shook her head but made no comment.

Judge David McHugh granted her free legal aid. He refused bail and remanded her in custody to appear in court again next week.

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Bank staff warn of industrial action

Bank staff have threatened industrial action if further pay cuts are imposed.

However, the Irish Bank Officials' Association has given assurances that the public would not be hit.

It said the action, if approved by its members, would take the form of non-cooperation with proposed re-structuring plans within the banks.

IBOA members will debate a motion on industrial action at its biennial delegate conference which begins today.

Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, IBOA General Secretary Larry Broderick said further pay cuts would be a "bridge too far" for bank workers.

Mr Broderick said his members had taken "considerable pain" over the past four or five years, and they could take no more.

He also criticised the Government for effectively endorsing pay increases for high level bank executives, while "coming after" his members.

"It is absolutely outrageous to think the Government - a major shareholder right across the industry - sits on the benches and gives an acknowledgement to senior executives that they should have pay increases, and even have the temerity to suggest that our members should take a pay cut.

"I think anybody would see that as a nonsensical position."

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Sinn Féin urges Troika to move away from austerity

The Troika has said Ireland must stick to its plans to reduce the deficit, according to Sinn Féin.

After a meeting with Troika officials this afternoon, Sinn Féin Finance Spokesperson Pearse Doherty said he had made the case for changing course and moving away from austerity.

But he said the officials made it clear the Government must stick to the targets set in the bailout plan.

Mr Doherty also said they made it clear it was the Government, not the Troika, which set the target for €300m in savings on payroll from Croke Park II.

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Boston suspect moved from hospital to prison

Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been moved to a prison at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, from the hospital where he had been held since his arrest a week ago.

The 19-year-old ethnic Chechen had previously been held at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Some of the victims of the bombings were also being treated at the hospital.

Dzhokhar was badly wounded in an overnight shootout last week with police hours after authorities released pictures of him and his brother, Tamerlan.

Tamerlan, also a suspect, died in that shootout.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on Monday was charged with the 15 April bombing, which killed three and wounded 264 at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

Dzhokhar is also said to have told investigators of an alleged plan to attack New York Times Square.

New York City officials said that the brothers decided to drive to Manhattan and detonate more explosives in Times Square, after the FBI released photos of them.

The brothers' plan unravelled when they realised a vehicle they had hijacked on 18 April did not have enough fuel for the journey, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said.

At the time, the men still had six explosive devices, including a pressure-cooker bomb of the type used at the marathon and six pipe bombs, Commissioner Kelly said.

When they stopped to refuel, the driver of the vehicle escaped, he said.

The driver alerted authorities and set off a late-night chase and shootout in suburban Watertown, where police say the suspects threw improvised explosives at officers.

Hours earlier, the brothers had shot and killed a Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus police officer in Cambridge, authorities said.

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Civil servants union to ballot for action

The union representing lower paid civil servants has voted unanimously to ballot for industrial action if the Government imposes any cuts in pay and conditions.

The Civil Public and Services Union rejected the Croke Park II proposals last week.

At its annual conference in Galway, 350 delegates passed an emergency motion calling for a ballot for industrial action up to and including full strike action if the Government moves to introduce pay cuts or changes in terms and conditions through legislation or any form of other unilateral action.

The motion also opposes any attempt to "tweak" what it called the failed LRC proposals.

It also calls for further campaigning for higher taxes for the wealthy.

CPSU General Secretary Eoin Ronayne warned that the battle was only starting and that if the cuts are implemented, they will not be the last.

He said the CPSU would now hold further discussions with other unions opposing Croke Park II in order to build on the unity that is already there.

Mr Ronayne said they wanted to ensure that the CSPU was not "wrong-sided by others who would seek to get a couple of thousand to change their vote to cobble a deal together".

He said buying off interest groups was no way to solve problems.

Delegates voiced fury at the Government threat of cuts, and spoke in favour of industrial action.

Letterkenny delegate Maeve McGettigan warned that while 1913 is remembered for the Lock Out, 2013 will go down as the year of the Walk Out.

The CPSU has also voted to campaign to have salaries paid by cheque, postal order or cash to avoid bank charges payable on lodgements and withdrawal.

The motion from the Sligo branch said that depleted salaries can do without further loss through severe bank charges.

It states that what it calls "this indirect taxation" imposed by the banks is causing members unnecessary financial hardship and that they should have the option to receive their "meagre" salaries by other affordable means.

Delegates also voted to object to the imposition of monthly pay arrangements, instead of the present weekly or fortnightly arrangement.

Earlier, CPSU President Joan Byrne said they did not want to take industrial action but they had the strength, the means and the mettle to fight.

Ms Byrne told delegates that longer working hours would reduce their hourly pay rate, changes to flexible working would make it more difficult to combine work and family life, and new redeployment arrangements could force members out of the workplace.

The CPSU represents around 13,000 lower paid civil servants.

There is also a motion that the CPSU should urge all unions affiliated to Congress to sever links with the Labour Party.

It will also call for the Labour leader and former SIPTU official Eamon Gilmore not to be invited to the Congress biennial conference in July.

IMPACT in warning over changes

The IMPACT trade union has warned that it will have to "respond" if the Government imposes measures that go beyond that negotiated settlement that was accepted by their members.

IMPACT was one of five unions that voted to accept the Croke Park II proposals, though they were rejected by a majority of the Government's 290,000 employees.

In an update to members, General Secretary Shay Cody said it would be totally unacceptable if the existing package was changed in ways that worsen the situation for IMPACT members to accommodate other unions.

He said the union had met Labour Relations Commission Chief Executive Kieran Mulvey, who is trying to establish if there is any basis for a negotiated settlement.

Mr Cody said it would clearly be in the interests of all unions to secure the best outcome in any process the LRC recommends.

However, he told members it was difficult to see how the various positions of unions that had voted No could be reconciled.

He said that at this time, he does not think they can assume that the LRC will find scope to clarify or "finesse" the original package in ways that will both meet the employers' requirements and win acceptance by unions representing a majority of public servants.

Mr Mulvey is currently meeting each public service union and the management side separately to sound out their positions.

He is to report back to Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin within the next two weeks.

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Kenny attacks FF record at jobs plan review

The Government has claimed it has implemented 96% of the measures promised under the Action Plan for Jobs over the past quarter.

The latest quarterly update on the plan says 144 out of 150 measures have been implemented, including announcing plans for more manufacturing jobs, ICT graduates, and investment in research centres.

Six measures were not delivered in the period, including the planned publication of legislation on planning for foreshores, the launching of a new logo for the Local Enterprise Office, and holding a meeting on information security.

Speaking at the launch of the review, Taoiseach Enda Kenny strongly attacked Fianna Fáil's record in government.

Mr Kenny claimed that Fianna Fáil's failure to accept responsibility for the economic crisis was part of an "opportunistic and cynical" approach to politics.

He said the policies pursued during Micheál Martin's time in government led to Ireland's unemployment rate being twice that of Finland, Denmark or Sweden.

He said they had allowed the economy to go over the cliff, fuelled deliberately by Government action in increasing property speculation.

A spokesperson for the Fianna Fáil leader expressed surprise at Mr Kenny's comments, saying he took the opportunity at a jobs press conference "to resort to old style politics-as-usual".

The spokesperson said: "I think people will be surprised that the Taoiseach is focussed on the work of the Fianna Fáil party, rather than on his Government's increasingly chaotic approach to the major issues affecting the country today.

"Today, we had hoped to hear some acknowledgement that his Jobs Plan simply isn't working and that he has recognised the need for a change in direction."

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Sugary drinks linked to increased diabetes risk

Just one can of sugary soft drink raises the relative risk of diabetes by more than a fifth, a study has found.

Every extra can consumed a day increased the chances of having the disease by 22%, compared with drinking one can a month or less.

The increase in risk only fell slightly after adjusting the findings to take account of body mass index (BMI).

This suggests it was not simply being overweight that led to the trend, said the researchers.

Sugar-sweetened drinks appeared to have an effect on the body unrelated to obesity.

The results of the study conducted in the UK and eight other European countries broadly mirror previous findings from mostly American research.

A total of 350,000 individuals were questioned about their diet, including their consumption of sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened "lite" soft drinks and juices.

All were participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (Epic) study looking at links between diet and cancer.

Incidence of type 2 diabetes was compared with consumption of 340ml servings of sweetened drinks, equivalent to a normal-sized can of cola.

A statistically significant association was seen between high sugary drink consumption and type 2 diabetes risk.

The disease occurs when the body stops responding properly to the hormone insulin, leading to rising blood sugar levels.

Unlike type 1 diabetes, it is lifestyle-related and not an auto-immune condition.

Writing in the journal Diabetologia, the researchers said their study "corroborates the association between increased incidence of type 2 diabetes and high consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks in European adults".

An increased risk of diabetes was also linked to consumption of artificially sweetened soft drinks, but the association faded away when BMI was taken into account.

In this case, it looked as if body weight was responsible for the trend rather than the drink itself.

Fruit juice consumption was not associated with diabetes incidence.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, consultant endocrinologist and obesity expert Dr Donal O'Shea welcomed the study.

He said there were real long-term health risks from the over-consumption of fizzy drinks.

He said: "I think it is a landmark study because we've had up until now the association of sugar-sweetened drinks with diabetes.

"This says it's causal. And this says it's causal in what we would call a dose-dependent fashion, so the more you drink of these sugar-sweetened drinks, the more likely you are to get type 2 diabetes.

Dr O'Shea, who runs an obesity clinic in Dublin, said sugar-sweetened drinks should be seen as a treat and preferably only taken on special occasions, such as Christmas, Easter and parties.

He called on parents to take steps to stop children consuming fizzy drinks, which he described as "nutritionally empty".

Commenting on the results of the study, statistics expert Professor Patrick Wolfe, from University College London, stressed the importance of putting the results in perspective.

He pointed out that the absolute risk of type 1 diabetes was low at around 4% of the adult UK population.

"In and of themselves, sugary soft drinks are only part of the picture - they're just one of the potential risk factors for type 2 diabetes," he said.

"But since they are one we can easily eliminate - by switching to diet soft drinks or, even better, cutting them out of our diets altogether - it makes good sense to do so.

"The bottom line is that sugary soft drinks are not good for you - they have no nutritional value and there is evidence that drinking them every day can increase your relative risk for type 2 diabetes.

"But your overall likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes will depend on your individual risk factors - primary among them your weight and level of physical fitness."

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Death toll rises to 228 in Bangladesh collapse

The death toll from a building collapse in Bangladesh yesterday has risen to 228 and could climb higher, police said.

People remain trapped under the rubble of a complex that had housed garment factories supplying retailers in Europe and North America.

Yesterday, Irish clothing chain Penneys confirmed that one of its suppliers occupied part of the building.

Rescue workers have been digging through the rubble of the eight-storey Rana Plaza building in Savar, 30km outside the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.

More than 1,000 people were injured.

"The death toll could go up as many are still trapped under the rubble," Dhaka's district police chief said.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) president Mohammad Atiqul Islam said there were 3,122 workers in the factories yesterday.

He said there had been indications from Savar officials that cracks had been found in the building the day before.

"We asked the garment owners to keep it closed," Mr Islam said.

Rana Plaza's owner had told proprietors of the building's five garment factories that the cracks were not dangerous, Mr Islam added.

"After getting the green signal from the plaza owner all the garment factories opened," he said.

However, a police spokesman said factory owners appeared to have ignored a warning not to allow their workers into the building after a crack was detected on Tuesday.

News reports showed young women workers, some apparently semi-conscious, being pulled out of the rubble by firefighters and troops.

Doctors at Dhaka hospitals said they could not cope with the number of victims.

The collapse follows a November fire at the Tazreen Fashion factory on the outskirts of Dhaka that killed 112 people, and it has compounded concerns about worker safety and low wages in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh employs about 3.6 million people in the garment industry and is the world's second-largest apparel exporter.

Following the Tazreen fire, giant US retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc said it would take steps to alleviate safety concerns, while Gap Inc announced a four-step fire-safety programme.

Edward Hertzman, a sourcing agent based in New York who also publishes trade magazine Sourcing Journal, said pressure from US retailers to keep a lid on costs continues to foster unsafe conditions.

Mr Hertzman, whose trade publication has offices in Bangladesh, said New Wave Bottoms Ltd occupied the second floor, Phantom Apparels Ltd the third, Phantom Tack Ltd the fourth and Ethar Textile Ltd the fifth.

The New Wave website listed 27 main buyers, including firms from Ireland, Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, Canada and the United States.

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New eBay facility opens in Dundalk

Online auction and retail giant eBay has opened its new European operations centre in Dundalk.

The Co Louth facility will provide support for customers of eBay and its payment service subsidiary, PayPal, across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

It is ten years since eBay opened its first customer service centre in Ireland.

Since then the company, and its subsidiary PayPal, have grown steadily in tandem with the global growth of ecommerce.

The two businesses currently employ nearly 2,500 people in Ireland.

Last year, Paypal announced it would create 1,000 jobs at a new international operations centre in Dundalk.

In February, eBay said it would add 450 more.

Since then the companies have filled nearly a third of the vacancies, with the remainder to be in place by 2015.

The jobs are in areas such as customer support, operations, finance, sales and compliance. Many require proficiency in foreign languages.

The President of Paypal this morning said the broad set of skills available among Irish workers makes Ireland a very attractive place to do business.

David Marcus said 80% of PayPal's staff are Irish.

The remaining 20% are employed from all over Europe for their language skills.

PayPal has previously criticised the lack of foreign language proficiency in the Irish workforce, and has said that up to 500 of the new positions may have to be filled from abroad.

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Court finds in favour of Waterford Crystal workers

The European Court of Justice has found in favour of Waterford Crystal workers who took a case against the State for the loss of their pensions when the company went bankrupt.

In a ruling issued in Luxembourg this morning, the court found that under EU law the State had an obligation to protect the pension entitlements of workers in the event of a company becoming insolvent.

The protection is enshrined in the 2008 Insolvency Directive.

The court rejected the Government's argument that the State contributory pension should be taken into account in assessing how much of the lost pensions should be made up following the insolvency of Waterford Crystal and its pension fund in 2009.

At the time 1,500 workers were told they would receive only between 18% and 28% of their full pension entitlements.

The court also criticised the Government for not fulfilling obligations which were imposed following the judgment in favour of an English woman who brought a similar case against the UK in 2007, before the Insolvency Directive was introduced.

On that occasion the Luxembourg court ruled that the woman, Carol Robins, should have received more than 49% of her pension entitlements after a double insolvency - the bankruptcy of a company and its pension fund.

When transposing the 2008 Insolvency Directive member states were supposed to apply the findings of the Robins case.

Because the Government did not take account of the Robins case, the court ruled this morning, the State was "in serious breach" of its obligations.

The court also rejected the State's arguments that the economic situation in Ireland should be taken into account when assessing the State's liabilities under the Insolvency Directive.

The judges ruled that the economic situation of a member state "does not constitute an exceptional situation capable of justifying a lower level of protection" for employees.

Today's judgment was a preliminary finding as the issue was referred by the High Court to Luxembourg.

As such, the judges were not expected to spell out how much of their pension entitlements the Waterford employees should get.

That means that the case will now go back to the High Court since the points of European law have been addressed.

It will be up to the High Court to decide by how much the State will be liable for the lost pensions of the Waterford workers.

Following the Robins case, the UK government agreed to restore her pension to 90%.

As a result of today's judgment, the workers should expect to receive at the very least more than the 49% referred to in the Robins case.

The decision of costs for today's judgment will be made by the High Court.

Government urged to put funds in place

Unite Regional Secretary and former Waterford Glass employee Jimmy Kelly said it is a great day for former Waterford Crystal workers and for others who lost their pensions in similar situations.

Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Pat Kenny, Mr Kelly said the Court's decision was very clear - Waterford Crystal workers had won on all seven points.

He said: "It will be a great lift for people there. They've gone through the horrors of losing their jobs but losing the lifetime pension was adding insult to injury".

Mr Kelly added that the ruling will also be good news for workers across the country who find themselves in the same situation and who will now "have the benefit of this pension protection fund having to be in place."

He also urged the Government not to drag its heels and to put the funds in place.

He said making good the gap in the pension fund would be around €296m and the Government "should do the decent thing now and take this result as being something that has to be put into place" rather than dragging it out.

Meanwhile, Pensions Ombudsman Paul Kenny has said the ruling will have implications for other employees who suffered losses to their pensions in similar situations.

Speaking on the same programme, he said he believed the Government would have to find substantial sums of money to meet their liabilities, following today's decision. 

The solicitor representing Waterford Crystal workers said he is hopeful they could get up to 89% of their pension entitlements.

Gary Byrne said the workers' Wedgwood counterparts in Britain secured 89% of their pension entitlements, and is hopeful a similar arrangement will be secured for workers here.

Mr Byrne said they would not settle for the bare minimum.

"We have to get north of 50% which is a significant uptake, but 51%, we certainly wouldn't be happy", he said. 

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Bomb suspects' parents say 'sons were framed'

The father of two men suspected of carrying out the Boston bombings said he would travel from Russia to the United States to bury his elder son.

Anzor Tsarnaev and former wife Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, sitting side by side in the southern Russian city of Makhachkala, denied their sons had planted the bombs at the Boston Marathon.

The parents claim their sons have been framed.

Banging the table in front of him, Mr Tsarnaev said: "I am going to the United States. I want to say that I am going there to see my son, to bury the older one.

"I don't have any bad intentions. I don't plan to blow up anything.

"I am not angry at anyone. I want to go find out the truth," said Mr Tsarnaev who took off his sunglasses only when photographers asked him to.

He said he would go as soon as possible but that he had not yet bought a plane ticket.

Zubeidat Tsarnaeva criticised the US police for shooting dead Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, four days after the bombings.

Her other son Dzhokhar, 19, was wounded and captured after a manhunt.

He is in a fair condition in hospital and is charged with two crimes that carry a possible death penalty.

Three people were killed and 264 injured when two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on 15 April.

Police say the brothers planted and detonated the two pressure-cooker bombs.

Ms Tsarnaeva said: "I wanted to scream to the whole world, 'What did you do?' What have you done with my son? He was alive. Why did you need to kill him? Why didn't you send him to Guantanamo or whatever? Why? Why? Why did they have to kill him?

"They got him alive, he was in their hands," she shouted, her voice cracking.

"It is some kind of show, spectacle," she said.

She recounted how she had called Tamerlan after the bombings and he had told her not to worry.

"There is a lot that is unexplained," she said, adding that she was considering giving up her US citizenship.

The Tsarnaev family lived in Makhachkala, the capital of the Dagestan region in Russia's volatile north caucasus, more than a decade ago before emigrating to the United States.

Mr Tsarnaev and Ms Tsarnaeva later returned to Russia and their two sons remained in the United States, although Tamerlan came to Dagestan during a six-month stay in Russia last year.

Russian president calls for closer cooperation with US

Separately, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Boston bombings showed the need for Russia and the United States to work more closely on security matters.

Mr Putin also said the bombings prove that the West was wrong in supporting militants in Chechnya.

In his annual question-and-answer session, Mr Putin said: "If we truly join our efforts, we will not allow these strikes and suffer such losses."

He said the two ethnic Chechen brothers accused of staging the explosions, and who only briefly lived in Chechnya as children, have "proven the correctness of our thesis" about the need to pool efforts in the fight against terrorism.

The Russian leader criticised the West for refusing to declare Chechen militants terrorists and for offering them political and financial assistance in the past.

The US has urged the Kremlin to seek a political settlement in Chechnya and provided humanitarian aid to the region during the two separatist wars that began in 1994.

Questions have also been raised about the US government's handling of the case and how well law enforcement agencies share information and cooperate with one another.

US intelligence was alerted when Tamerlan travelled to southern Russia last year, US officials said yesterday.

His trip has come under scrutiny over whether he became involved with or was influenced by Chechen separatists or Islamic militants there, according to US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Russia, which tipped off the FBI in early 2011 with concerns that Tsarnaev may have been a radical Islamist, made a second, identical request to the CIA in late September of the same year, they said.

The FBI interviewed Tsarnaev following the first tip and found no serious threat.

The disclosure of the second warning from the Russians raised questions about whether the CIA and the FBI failed to share the information, even after reforms enacted to prevent information-hoarding following the 11 September 2001 attacks.

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Taoiseach - no referendum on abortion

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said he does not intend to have another referendum on the issue of abortion rights in Ireland.

Speaking in Dundalk this afternoon, Mr Kenny said the Government set out its formal decision on the issue in December, and its intention to deal with the ABC case by way of legislation and regulations.

Mr Kenny said he did not agree with claims that legislation was not possible.

He said the law on abortion is not being changed, but is being codified.

The law when clarified will deal strictly with the Constitution and stay within the existing law, he said.

It will deal with the X Case and will do so without bringing any new rights here, he added.

It is a complex matter and one that requires sensitivity and understanding, Mr Kenny said.

Asked about the emerging shape of the draft bill, Mr Kenny said that in the preparation of any piece of legislation there are numerous drafts that are prepared.

All of these are meaningless until the draft of a bill is presented to Government by the sponsoring minister and approved by Government, he said.

Asked how many party representatives he expected to lose over the issue, he said he wanted to assure everybody that they will have their opportunity to have their full say.

He said the new laws will clarify and confirm existing rights and ensure the life of the mother and the life of the unborn are given the status that they have under the Constitution.

No woman is entitled to have an abortion by choice, unless there is a real and substantial risk to her life as distinct to her health, he said.

Mr Kenny said the Government is now in the process of working to reach agreement on heads for the bill to be approved by the Government, and sent to committee for consideration and debate.

He said he would like to think that it can be dealt with and enacted before the House rises for the summer recess.

'Progress is being made drafting the heads of bill'

Earlier, Labour Minister of State at the Department of Health Alex White said ministers are making progress in drafting the heads of the proposed legislation on abortion.

The four Government ministers involved in talks on the legislation held a meeting this morning.

Mr White said the legislation that will eventually be brought in will be quite restrictive.

He said it will contain safeguards but not any kind of excessive obstacles to the exercise of a woman of her constitutional rights.

The minister said they need to make sure to get the heads completed and the intention is to bring them to Cabinet by next Tuesday.

He acknowledged there has been a delay but said it is still hoped to get the legislation in before summer.

Minister for Health James Reilly, Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald and Labour Ministers of State Kathleen Lynch and Mr White spent several hours discussing the proposals yesterday evening.

The issue was also raised at a Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting last night.

Several speakers criticised the Government timetable for proposed abortion legislation and expressed concern that backbenchers were being railroaded on the matter.

Meanwhile, Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar said that a lot of people have expressed strong views on the Government's attempts to legislate for the X Case without having seen the heads of the bill.

Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, Mr Varadkar said that he himself had not seen them and was not involved in the current discussions.

However, he said that the Government's objectives were clear - to protect the life of the mother and to protect doctors who are performing life-saving procedures.

Mr Varadkar said it was a difficult and emotive issue, especially when it came to the issue of suicide and that views differed even within parties.

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Enrico Letta asked to form government in Italy

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano has asked centre-left deputy leader Enrico Letta to form a new government.

It comes two months after an inconclusive general election in the eurozone's third largest economy.

The prime minister designate is expected to quickly select a group of ministers, mixed between politicians and technocrats, under the guidance of the president.

The new government could go to parliament for a vote of confidence by this weekend.

Accepting his mandate, Mr Letta, a former Christian Democrat from the right wing of his Democratic Party, said he was surprised by the nomination and felt the profound responsibility on his shoulders.

Italy faced a "difficult and fragile" situation that could not continue and the government must provide answers on jobs, poverty and the crisis facing small businesses in a deep recession, he said.

He added that European economic policies have been too focused on austerity instead of growth.

Mr Napolitano's re-election last weekend opened the way for an end to the crisis.

Mr Letta, 46, speaks fluent English and is an elected member of parliament.

He will be the second youngest prime minister in Italian history and as a staunch pro-European is likely to be welcomed by foreign governments and markets.

The new government will be backed primarily by Mr Letta's centre-left and the centre-right of Silvio Berlusconi, which had failed to cut a deal following inconclusive elections in late February.

Formation of a government after two months of turbulent political impasse will send a signal that Italy might at last be ready to make a start on much-needed reforms.

Investors have already reacted with relief to the prospect of an end to the intractable crisis, with Italy's borrowing costs tumbling to their lowest level since the start of European monetary union in 1999.

However, the country's problems are not over, with significant differences remaining between left and right over economic policy.

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Psychiatrists will not take part in abortion panel

Irish psychiatrists have said they will not participate in any compulsory assessment of pregnant women who have suicidal ideation and are seeking an abortion.

The College of Psychiatry in Ireland said today its members will not be the country's "social police".

The president of the representative body for psychiatrists said that forcing vulnerable women to undergo mandatory psychiatric assessments of up to 12 people was abusive.

Speaking to RTÉ News, Dr Anthony McCarthy said compelling psychiatrists to take part in such a system was abusing their profession, which is supposed to offer comfort, compassion and support to people in vulnerable situations.

Dr McCarthy said the Government has to deal with the abortion issue and legislate adequately for it, and should not pass the social control of a situation onto psychiatrists.

He said it was the position of the college that they would not take part in such panels of forced assessments.

Dr McCarthy said psychiatrists would be happy to continue to provide second opinions, as is normal professional practice, but would not "collude" in any process of formalised compulsory assessment panels.

Psychiatrists would not act as judges, tasked with assessing whether a woman was feeling suicidal, he said.

He said asking psychiatrists to test the truth of women's stories was extremely abusive.

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Unpaid property tax to be collected from June

The Revenue Commissioners will begin deducting estimates of property tax from payroll or social welfare payments of people who have refused to pay the charge at the end of June.

Self-assessed taxpayers who have not paid will be surcharged on their tax return from October.

That will have the effect of doubling the property tax.

The Revenue has said it had reached its target of sending out 1.66m letters to liable property owners.

However, Revenue chairman Josephine Feehily admitted that not everyone who was liable to pay had received a letter.

She estimated the numbers who failed to get a letter was "in the thousands".

But she stressed people who were liable and who had not received a letter had to contact Revenue and pay the tax.

Almost 220,000 property owners have filed returns telling the Revenue Commissioners how much they owe.

Homeowners have another five weeks before the filing deadline.

Ms Feehily described the reaction from the public to the tax as ''excellent''.

Separately, Revenue expects to collect an additional €65m in tax from retired people.

It follows a campaign last year to ensure that individuals in receipt of a private pension also declared if they had a State pension.

The tax authority said in three quarters of cases no issues arose.

However, it said 30,000 people who had a private pension never reported their Department of Social Welfare pension to Revenue.

Some 85,000 individuals under-reported their circumstances or their situation had changed since they had originally contacted Revenue.

The organisation refunded €1.1m to pensioners who paid too much tax.

In its annual report today, Revenue admitted its approach "did upset some people."

Last year, Revenue collected €36.7 billion in tax - an increase of 7% on the 2011 total and its audit activity raised €359m following 9,066 interventions.

One million litres of illegally laundered fuel was seized, while nearly 100 million illegal cigarettes valued at €45m were also seized.

Today's annual report said that the cost of running Revenue fell by €10.4m last year. Since 2008, annual running costs were reduced by over €103m (21%).

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Extra staff for fodder crisis helpline

The Department of Agriculture has announced an emergency telephone number for farmers who cannot feed their livestock.

The low cost number was already in use to access the Department's animal welfare fund but the decision has now been taken to publicise it more widely.

The lo-call number is 1850 21 19 90 and will be monitored until midnight, seven days a week for the duration of the crisis.

Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney said he has increased the number of operators who will staff the line to ensure that immediate help is available to any farmer with animals in dire need.

He also said that following a meeting with the heads of co-ops in the Department earlier today, the decision has been taken to immediately ramp up the importation of hay.

He said he anticipated lorry loads and even shipments of hay being brought into Ireland.

All agricultural inspectors have been instructed to deal sensitively with farmers during this difficult time and he said farmers will be given a couple of days notice prior to inspections.

Co-ops have also agreed to advance interest free credit to farmers to purchase fertiliser to encourage grass growth.

The minister said the €1m transport fund announced yesterday should pay for the transport of between 800 and 1,000 lorry loads of bales into Ireland.

He has asked all the banks to delay repayments from farmers until after the summer when their incomes will have improved from the proceeds of the harvest and direct payments.

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96 killed in Bangladesh building collapse

An eight-storey building housing factories and a shopping centre has collapsed on the outskirts of the Bangladeshi capital.

Authorities said 96 people have been killed and over 700 were injured.

Firefighters and army personnel worked at the Rana Plaza building in Savar, 30km outside Dhaka, to rescue people trapped inside.

One fireman said that about 2,000 people were in the building when the upper floors jolted down on top of each other.

Bangladesh's booming garment industry has been plagued by fires and other accidents for years, despite a drive to improve safety standards.

In November last year, 112 workers were killed in a blaze at a factory in an industrial suburb of Dhaka.

A local police spokesman said factory owners appeared to have ignored a warning not to allow their workers into the building after a crack was detected in the block yesterday.

Five garment factories - employing mostly women - were housed in the building, including Ether Tex Ltd, whose chairman told Reuters he was unaware of any warnings not to open the workshops.

One witness said it looked like an earthquake had struck the area.

A factory worker said she was at work on the third floor when "suddenly I heard a deafening sound, but couldn't understand what was happening. I ran and was hit by something on my head".

Buildings in the crowded city of Dhaka are sometimes erected without permission and many do not comply with construction regulations.

Dozens died when a garment factory collapsed in the same area eight years ago.

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Report highly critical of retired Clogher bishop

Retired bishop of Clogher Joseph Duffy consistently missed opportunities to prevent clergy from sexually abusing children, according to the Catholic Church's watchdog.

The National Board for Safeguarding Children has published audits of several dioceses.

It states that in one particular case in Clogher, there was an unacceptable delay in taking action against a priest and removing him from all ministry following receipt of a credible allegation.

Another priest suspected of multiple abuse was transferred to another parish and eventually was sent overseas for therapeutic help.

He was later extradited to the Republic from the United States but died before he could be brought before the courts.

But the audit also states that under the leadership of the present bishop, Dr Liam MacDaid, the issue of safeguarding children is effectively prioritised in the diocese which covers Co Monaghan and parts of Donegal, Louth, Cavan and Tyrone.

Bishop McDaid succeeded Dr Duffy in 2010.

Bishop Duffy was Bishop of Clogher for 31 years and was spokesman for the Catholic hierarchy for much of that time.

Bishop says steps taken to deal with abuse

Bishop of Galway Martin Drennan has said the report into his diocese refers to three priests against whom allegations have been made, who are still in ministry.

No priests are named in the report.

Speaking on Galway Bay FM, Bishop Drennan said the concerns expressed were not of a sufficient nature to warrant their removal from ministry.

He said the HSE and gardaí had advised the diocese that what had been done, in terms of monitoring, was sufficient.

The bishop said today's report gave an objective view of the steps that had been taken to deal with the problem of abuse.

He said it showed the Church knew where it was going, had clear policies in place and that people could "trust each other in working together in a way we couldn't for the last 20 years".

The bishop said it had taken so long for this to happen because of the learning curve involved in understanding the problem of abuse.

He said very little was known about child abuse until the late 1980s and early 1990s and that understanding perpetrators and the effects of abuse took time.

He also pointed to the work that had been done to work out policies to respond to the problem as effectively as possible.

The report encourages better records be kept for meetings, decision making, planning and other discussions.

Bishop Drennan said it was his view that such a move would be "one factor that would make for better procedures".

The bishop said he was satisfied that the report showed all cases had been dealt with promptly and fairly.

He said it was a great consolation to him that outsiders who looked at things objectively had come to the conclusion that cases had been handled properly.

The bishop said he dealt with one of the cases mentioned in the report between 1975 and 2010.

He said the Church had "lived with a lot of bad publicity" over the last 20 years, which had tested the trust of people.

Bishop Drennan said the main message from the report was that it was safe for children to participate in Church-related activities.

Elphin meets 47 out of 48 criteria

The NBSCCCI's review of practice in the Diocese of Elphin has concluded that of the 48 criteria set out, the diocese has fully met 47.

It partially met one of them, relating to the gathering of feedback on policy and procedures from parents and children.

The review examined complaints or concerns received relating to 16 priests between January 1975 and November 2012.

It found that the incidence of abuse allegations within the diocese was not unusually high, but that they contain a significant number of allegations "which upon investigation were shown to be unfounded".

During the period examined, the review notes that 19 allegations were reported to the gardaí but no priests of the diocese were convicted of having committed an offence against a child or young person.

The work undertaken by the diocese on policies and procedures was very impressive, according to the review.

It noted that in general, allegations were reported promptly to the statutory authorities.

It found that in cases of delay, these arose through a belief that the allegation had already been reported or through a misunderstanding that another Church authority had already done so.

Up to 21 allegations against priests in the Irish Province of the Society of African Missions

A review of child sex abuse safeguarding practices in the Irish Province of the Society of African Missions has revealed that allegations of abuse were made against 21 priests from the province between 1975 and the end of last year.

Ten of those priests were still alive at the time when the review was conducted last December.

Two have been laicised, and an application has been made for the laicisation of a third.

The review states that just one of the 21 priests against whom an allegation was made was convicted of a criminal offence.

The review states that three priests against whom concerns were raised remain in some form of ministry in mission countries.

Following an examination of their cases, the NBSCCCI was satisfied that there were no child safeguarding issues to be addressed.

The Irish Province of the SMA has 193 members, of whom approximately 140 are still working while the remaining members are retired.

The Irish Province is engaged in missionary work in seven African countries.

It also runs two parishes in Cork city and a large retreat and conference centre at Dromantine near Newry in Co Down.

The review is largely positive, showing that the Irish Province has met most of the standards set down for the management of abuse allegations made against members and the structures in place for dealing with them.

The review team paid tribute to the commitment of Fr Fachtna O'Driscoll, who is leader of the Irish Province.

In a statement, Fr O'Driscoll said guaranteeing the safety of children is an on-going priority for the Society of African Missions.

He said he found the process of the review a constructive one which brought greater clarity to the society's work in this area.

A spokesperson for the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore said the audit acknowledged the positive work being done there.

He said there are good systems and practices in place and Bishop William Lee was strongly commended for his personal commitment and leadership in keeping children safe.

He said that of the allegations made against 15 priests, none led to criminal convictions.

The spokesperson said three of the priests are back in ministry and the allegations against one of them was acknowledged by the complainant to be false.

He added that concerns relating to the other two were thoroughly investigated and the priests were deemed to be fit to continue in ministry.

Meanwhile, chief executive of the National Board for Safeguarding Children Ian Elliot said he hopes 35 audits will have been published by the end of the year, which will include all 26 dioceses.

Mr Eliot also confirmed that he will be leaving the organisation later this year when his contract expires.

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Two held over terrorist plot in Canada

Canadian police have charged two men with plotting to derail a Toronto-area passenger train in an operation they say was backed by al-Qaeda elements in Iran.

US officials said the attack would have targeted a rail line between New York and Toronto, a route that travels along the Hudson Valley and enters Canada near Niagara Falls.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said it had arrested Chiheb Esseghaier, 30, of Montreal, and Raed Jaser, 35, of Toronto in connection with the plot.

Neither suspect is a Canadian citizen, and police did not reveal their nationalities.

Two sources following the investigation said one was Tunisian.

A bail hearing for the two men is due to take place in Toronto today.

Authorities said the plot was not linked to last week's Boston Marathon bombings, which killed three people and injured nearly 200.

Canada's intelligence agency has long expressed concern about the possibility that disgruntled and radicalised Canadians could attack targets at home and abroad.

Mr Esseghaier has been a doctoral student at the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique near Montreal since 2010 and was about midway through his degree, the school said.

His PhD studies are in the field of energy and materials sciences.

Police said the suspects had received "support from al-Qaeda elements located in Iran".

However, they added that there was no sign that the conspiracy, which police described as the first known al Qaeda-backed plot on Canadian soil, had been sponsored by the Iranian state.

Canada last year severed diplomatic ties over what it said was Iran's support for terrorist groups, as well as its nuclear programme and its hostility towards Israel.

An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said al-Qaeda's beliefs were in no way consistent with the Islamic Republic, and that Iran opposed "any kind of violent action that endangers lives".

"In recent years, Canada's radical government has put in practice a project to harass Iran and it is clear that it has pursued these hostile actions," the spokesman added.

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Cabinet discusses draft abortion legislation

Ministers have been discussing draft abortion legislation at Cabinet, but a Government spokesman has indicated that agreement on the Heads of the Bill is unlikely today.

Elements of both Fine Gael and Labour have concerns about the legislation.

Minister for Health James Reilly and Minister for Justice Alan Shatter insisted yesterday that women in distress would not face a complex and intrusive interview process if they sought a termination.

But some on the Fine Gael backbenches feel any scheme must be a rigorous one to guard against any hint of abortion on demand.

Ministers were due to discuss the shape of the legislation, but a spokesman said this morning's meeting was only part of a process with no agreement expected today.

On his way into the Cabinet meeting this morning, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said he was hopeful the Government would have legislation that would allow for abortion in limited circumstances enacted before the summer recess.

Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn this morning said abortion is "not black and white" and that there are differences of opinion but these must be respected.

Earlier, Minister Shatter said the Government must ensure that "unreal barriers are not erected" in abortion legislation.

He said he would not like to see barriers preventing women whose lives were at risk from obtaining the medical treatment they require to save their lives.

Once agreed by the Government, the Heads of the Bill will have to go to the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children to be discussed before the Bill is finally drafted.

Abortion to be discussed at Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis

Meanwhile, four motions on abortion will be debated at the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis this weekend.

Two of the motions deal with suicide as a threat to the life of the mother.

One motion calls for a referendum before any legislation is introduced that allows a threat of suicide to be a ground for abortion.

The other seeks to commit Fianna Fáil to opposing any legislation that allows for abortion as a basis for suicide.

Frontbench spokesman Dara Calleary said that any motions passed by the Ard Fheis will guide the formation of policy, but they are not binding on the parliamentary party.

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€1.4m awarded to girl injured at birth

The High Court has approved an initial award of €1.4m for an eight-year-old girl seriously injured at birth.

Through her mother, Alex Butler sued the Health Service Executive and two consultants claiming negligence, breach of duty and breach of contract.

Alex is tetraplegic with cerebral palsy and is wheelchair-bound.

Mr Justice Sean Ryan approved the award and the family will return to court in two years for a decision on care packages for the future.

In a statement read to the court, the HSE said Waterford Regional Hospital wishes to say sorry to Alex for the injuries she received at her birth, which the hospital accepts should not have happened to her.

The hospital sincerely regrets the tragic consequences their failings have caused to both Alex and her parents, the court heard.

Alex was born in the hospital on 12 April 2005.

Sonya Butler's consultant was on leave and a locum consultant obstetrician delivered the baby.

Alex was limp and blue at birth and had seizures in her first few hours of life.

The actions against the two consultants were struck out today.

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Hospital apologises over baby's death

Temple Street Children's Hospital has apologised to the parents of a ten-month-old baby boy who died from a brain tumour after his diagnosis was delayed.

The High Court approved a settlement of €180,000 in a case taken by the mother of the baby boy for wrongful death and nervous shock.

Kate Costello from Santry in Dublin said the health service had failed her son who would still be with them today if he had received adequate treatment.

The High Court was told Kaiden Costello had an 80% chance of living to the age of five if he had received a timely diagnosis and the correct treatment.

Kaiden was born in September 2008 and was a healthy baby.

At around six months old he started to refuse food.

He was admitted to Temple Street in April 2009 where he was diagnosed as "failing to thrive" with no known cause.

The situation continued over a number of weeks with investigations showing zero findings.

Senior Counsel for the family John O'Mahony said the baby's parents had protested about the delay in diagnosing his condition and had expressed their concerns.

He told the court "eventually on June 24 2009 an MRI scan was carried out" which showed Kaiden had a brain tumour.

Along with the delayed diagnosis, the hospital also failed to give him the appropriate treatment, the court was told.

Mr O'Mahony said chemotherapy should have been used as a first line of attack to reduce the size of the tumour before operating but it was not given.

Instead he underwent surgery with catastrophic effects and later died.

The hospital did not admit liability until yesterday.

The case came before the court today for approval of a settlement totalling €180,00 for wrongful death and for nervous shock for Kaiden's mother Kate who was psychologically traumatised after her son's death.

In an apology read to the court Temple Street Hospital, CEO Mona Baker apologised to the family for the trauma arising out of Kaiden's death while in the care of the hospital.

Ms Baker said she understood "neither this apology nor any compensation can negate the continuing heartache that you and your family must fee everyday", adding "I appreciate that this continues to be a very difficult time for you."

In the witness box Kate Costello spoke of her devastation at her son's death.

"I feel in my heart Kaiden would still be here if he got proper care. I wish things had been done differently.

"I feel in my heart he would still be here if he was getting the best medical care. We have to live with this sentence for the rest of our lives."

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Government to attempt to restart Croke Park talks

The Government is to make another effort to reach agreement with unions on cuts to the public service pay and pensions bill.

Cabinet has agreed to ask the chief executive of the Labour Relations Commission to make contact with the parties in the coming days to establish if there is a basis for a negotiated agreement.

Speaking in the Dáil, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the Government expected a response from unions within two weeks.

The Government has reaffirmed its requirement for €300m of pay and pension savings in 2013, and €1bn by 2015.

The Croke Park II proposals were rejected by unions last week.

IBEC has welcomed the Government's decision to involve the LRC chief executive in the efforts to reach agreement on cuts in the public service pay bill.

Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, IBEC Director of Industrial Relations and Human Resource Services Brendan McGinty said the savings have to be found within the cost of the public service.

He said the Government needs to set out the cuts needed to make up the €1bn savings.

"The reality is that we are borrowing over €1bn a month to fund our public services. We already have a very high marginal tax rate of 52%, which is well above the OECD average of 36%, and we need to address that", he said.

Earlier, SIPTU President Jack O'Connor proposed that €1bn worth of savings could be achieved through the proceeds of the promissory note deal and increasing taxes on the wealthy.

In an editorial in a SIPTU magazine, Mr O'Connor said that his formula could be the basis for negotiating an agreement on securing savings from the public sector pay bill in two phases.

Mr O'Connor noted that the promissory note deal would save €1bn in 2014 and just over €1bn in 2015.

Deputy Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland Sean Murphy said Mr O'Connor is talking about spending money the country does not have.

Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Pat Kenny, Mr Murphy described the suggestion as "surreal" given Ireland still has one of the largest deficits in the EU.

He said: "We're borrowing €1.25bn a month and the Troika is in town for the next two weeks kicking the tyres and discussing what are we doing."

Mr Murphy said: "The promissory note deal was about helping us as a State to meet our commitments and those commitments are social welfare, pensions, public service pay, front-line services, the health sector, the health budget."

He said: "We're borrowing too much and that is the fundamental issue and this discussion is in many ways about arguing about money we don't have."

Speaking on the same programme, General Secretary of the Civil Public and Services Union Eoin Ronayne described Mr O'Connor's proposal as a "helpful interjection".

Mr Ronayne said: "What Jack is saying, and what Congress has been saying for a long time, is its now time to refloat the economy by an investment stimulus package and cutting €300m this year out of public servants pay, at the lower end, those who spend money, is not likely to help stimulate any economy."

He believes proper use of this funding, along with a "significant off balance sheet stimulus programme" and additional taxation of the wealthy could lessen the requirement for a cut in public service pay and pensions.

Mr O'Connor said that it could be used to fund job creation, alleviate hardship for working families and protect public services.

He said this coordinated approach could form the basis for negotiating a settlement on public service pay in two phases.

An interim term would apply until the end of 2013 to secure this year's €300m saving.

The SIPTU president said this would avoid what he calls an "unnecessary and mutually destructive confrontation".

Meanwhile, Minister for Finance Michael Noonan has said if there is spare cash after next year's budget, it will be used to grow the economy and create jobs.

On his way into Cabinet this morning, Mr Noonan said there is the possibility of "spare capacity" next year.

But he said the Government has to stick to the targets and cannot go on a "spending spree".

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France approves same-sex marriage and adoption

French parliament approved a law allowing same-sex couples to marry and to adopt children.

President Francois Hollande's "marriage for all" law is the biggest social reform in France since his predecessor Francois Mitterrand abolished the death penalty in 1981.

Politicians in the lower house National Assembly passed the bill by 331 votes for and 225 against, making France the 14th country in the world to allow same-sex couples to wed.

Mr Hollande's Socialists have an absolute majority in the lower house.

"Many French people will be proud this job is done," Justice Minister Christiane Taubira told parliament.

"Those protesting today will find themselves moved by the joy of the newly-weds."

Critics have said Mr Hollande should focus on fixing the moribund economy while opponents have demanded a referendum and protests against it descended into violence.

The debate is also blamed for fanning a spate of homophobic attacks, including the beating up of a 24-year-old in the southern city of Nice on Saturday.

Interior Minister Manuel Valls warned this week of "zero tolerance" for such violence.

Socialist and conservative lawmakers had come close to blows more than once during lengthy parliament debates on the law, which authorises adoption and marriage but will not let gay couples use medically assisted procreation.

France, a mainly Catholic country, follows 13 others including Canada, Denmark, Sweden and most recently Uruguay and New Zealand in letting gay and lesbian couples tie the knot.

In the United States, Washington DC and nine states have legalised same-sex marriage.

The gay community greeted the news with fanfare, with some rights groups dubbing 23 April the "Day of Love".

But opponents gathered outside parliament for a new demonstration.

The leader of the "anti" movement, a female comedian who goes by her stage name Frigide Barjot, has said protests will continue, however, and conservatives have vowed to appeal to the Constitutional Council to have it struck down.

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Gardaí investigate stolen goods smuggling ring

Eastern European criminal gangs are targeting Irish homes and businesses before smuggling the goods out of the country for sale abroad, according to gardaí.

The highly organised gangs are reported to have stolen millions of euro worth of mobile phones, clothes and jewellery.

Stolen property worth thousands of euro was recovered following a raid on a house on the North Circular Road in Dublin at the weekend.

Charges are expected to be made against a number of the 14 people arrested during the raid.

Gardaí say the gangs come into the country for short periods to carry out crime sprees before sealing and packing the stolen property into suitcases to be smuggled out and sold on the black market abroad

The gangs also use specially adapted shopping bags to steal from department stores.

Last year, almost 8,000 mobile phones worth over €4m were stolen in Dublin's south centre city, particularly in pubs and nightclubs and were sold on for around €1m.

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Reilly denies six-doctor abortion proposals

Minister for Health James Reilly has said pregnant women who feel suicidal will not have to face six doctors, following reports that planned abortion legislation would contain that measure.

Mr Reilly said he accepts there are differences of opinion both inside and outside of Government and he said the draft legislation will come before Cabinet tomorrow.

He said: "With respect, I think that some people may have formed the wrong impression. The heads of the bill are not finalised - they are still in process.

"It wouldn't be right for me to discuss what's in them until they have been discussed at the appropriate level and by that I mean Cabinet.

"But I do want to allay any misapprehension people have: It is not the case nor was it ever going to be the case that a woman who is in a distressed state with suicidal ideation would be subjected to an interview by six different medical people either simultaneously or individually.

"That was never going to be the case".

Mr Reilly said: "So I think you'll have to allow me the space and time now, with my colleagues in Government, to finalise this process to bring the heads of bill to Government and they will then go to the Committee of the Oireachtas on Health where the heads can be discussed, before the bill is finally drafted.

"What we have to do here is honour our obligation to bring clarity to the law, so that the women of this country know what's available in relation to the services that are there for them and that the medical people who have to provide these services are clear on what's legal and what is not.

"I want to reassure people that there will be no question of a woman who is in distress with suicidal ideation being put through the sort of interviewing process I think that we have heard about on the television and the radio in the last couple of days."

Proposals amounted to 'abuse' of women

Earlier, a leading perinatal psychiatrist said the proposal that a suicidal pregnant woman would have to be assessed by six consultants before an abortion could be allowed amounts to abuse of the woman.

Dr Anthony McCarthy, one of only three such psychiatrists in the country, said he thought it was "some sort of a sick joke" when he learned of the proposal.

The Government is currently considering draft legislation to allow doctors to perform terminations if they believe there is a substantial risk to the life of the mother, including suicide.

Dr McCarthy said that if the politicians were considering the proposal of assessment by six consultants, then they had learned nothing.

"If a woman is seriously distressed and depressed in pregnancy, and potentially suicidal or having suicidal ideas, the idea that you would bring her through a forum such as this - almost an inquisition - where she would have to tell her story in front of six different people, is frankly abusive. It's truly idiotic," he added.

He also said that the profession had spent years trying to de-stigmatise mental health and get people to talk.

"This idea would do everything to say 'don't talk'," he said.

Dr McCarthy added that the idea was completely "unworkable", and could only have been designed by people who did not understand how doctors work.

He said it was impractical to try to bring six doctors together, including four psychiatrists, to assess a patient who may need more than one interview.

Dr McCarthy said it would be a very small group of women who would be suicidal and want an abortion.

He questioned whether they would be able to speak to a number of psychiatrists and an appeals panel, and put themselves through such a process.

Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Pat Kenny, Senator Rónán Mullen said he believed that the reported proposals were a "political ruse" by the Government.

Mr Mullen said he believed it was unworkable.

He said: "This is the Government pretending that it's taking the concerns of pro life parliamentarians seriously.

"Two, six, nine psychiatrists assessing something for which there is no medical evidence anyway is not an acceptable approach to this problem," he said.

Elsewhere, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said the Government intended to keep to its deadline of having abortion legislation "dealt with" before the summer recess.

However, he added that it was important the Government got "the content of the legislation right" in order to "protect the lives of women and provide certainty".

Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn has said proposals for abortion legislation are not listed for tomorrow's Cabinet meeting.

He refused to be drawn about reports that six consultants would assess pregnant women who are suicidal under proposed legislation, but he said the Taoiseach and Tánaiste have said the Government will deal with this matter and legislation will be enacted by the end of this season in July.

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Gerry Adams gives evidence in brother's trial

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has been sworn in as a prosecution witness in the trial of his younger brother Liam Adams.

Liam Adams is on trial at Belfast Crown Court on ten charges of the rape and sexual abuse of his daughter Aine Adams when she was aged between four and ten years old.

Liam Adams, 57, of Bernagh Drive, west Belfast, has denied all the charges against him.

Aine Adams, who is now 40, has waived her right to anonymity.

Gerry Adams told the court he was the MP for west Belfast when the allegations against his brother first emerged in 1987.

He said he confronted his brother about the alleged child abuse during a meeting in Buncrana, Co Donegal.

He said: "I regret the meeting took place in the way that it did because Liam denied the assertion that he had interfered with Aine.

"When that concluded I spoke to Liam on my own and said to him that I was very aware of the situation that he needed to reflect on and needed to acknowledge what Aine was saying.

"Why should she make it up. There was no reason why she should make any of this up," he said.

Gerry Adams also told the jury about a meeting he said he had with Liam in Dundalk in 2000.

Gerry Adams said they had a long walk during which he said Liam had acknowledged that he had sexually abused Aine.

Gerry Adams said his brother also said the abuse had only happened once.

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1.6m Irish people now use smartphones - survey

A new survey has found that more than 1.6 million people now have a smartphone in Ireland.

The latest Eircom Household Sentiment Survey reveals that the proportion of people using smartphones has risen from 39% to 50% in the last six months.

The poll was carried out by Behaviour & Attitudes in February and March among a sample of 1,000 adults.

It found that the number of people who own a tablet computer has doubled since the last survey six months ago.

The authors estimate that based on people's buying intentions, there will be 1.2 million tablet owners by the end of this year.

People's love affair with technology and their need to be connected continues to grow, with the study revealing that 1m people admit to checking emails first thing in the morning, while over 250,000 now check work emails on holidays.

Over half of those surveyed revealed that they will not and cannot switch off their devices in the evening and at weekends.

Twice as many people perceive Irish men to be more tech savvy than Irish women, although female ownership of smartphones is higher than male.

Underlining the diverse range of places that smartphones are used, 71% said they use their smartphone sitting in their car, 51% on public transport, 33% in the bathroom, 78% in the bedroom and 27% while on the toilet.

As communication usage trends shift, three quarters of those aged 16-24 say they now prefer to send text messages rather than have a phone conversation.

However, there is growing evidence of social media fatigue, with a quarter of people surveyed saying they are growing tired of social media channels.

In a warning of the perils of technology, 19% of respondents admitted to having agreed to something without realising it while using a digital device.

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Call for unvaccinated teens to get MMR jab

The Health Service Executive has said any Irish teenagers who did not receive the MMR vaccine should get the jab now.

A public health campaign, highlighting the importance of childhood immunisation in preventing serious disease, is being launched in Ireland today to coincide with European Immunisation Week.

The campaign comes as authorities deal with a major outbreak of measles in South Wales.

Latest figures put the number of reported cases there at over 800.

Dr Brenda Corcoran of the HSE National Immunisation Office said it is vital that children are vaccinated and that a catch-up campaign is also under way in secondary schools.

"Measles is highly infectious, a child with measles can infect almost all the children they come in contact with if it is not protected," she said. 

"It can lead to serious pneumonias; it can lead to convulsions and unfortunately in some circumstances it can lead to death. When we had a very large outbreak in 2000, we had 1,600 cases and unfortunately three children died from measles."

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New EU agreement on mortgage rights expected

New rules on strengthening the rights of mortgage holders are expected to be agreed in Brussels today as negotiations under the Irish presidency of the European Union reach their conclusion.

Under the new mortgage credit directive, consumers would be afforded more transparency when seeking a mortgage.

However, there would also be tougher credit assessment rules for applicants.

The financial crisis has meant banks and credit institutions have become much stricter in approving mortgages.

However the new directive would see consumers enjoying more transparency.

There would also be greater harmonisation across the EU in ensuring that the principles underpinning the question of credit-worthiness are toughened.

The directive would see a new standardised EU-wide mortgage application.

It would deal with issues such as how a reflection period would work, the right for someone to withdraw from a mortgage offer, and what happens if a mortgage holder wants to pay off their debt early.

The new directive would not, however, be prescriptive in setting out how much an applicant would have to earn before a mortgage is approved.

Negotiations between the European Parliament, the Irish presidency and the European Commission on the directive are expected to conclude later today.

If member states approve the directive it will come into force in two years' time.

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No Coalition agreement on X Case legislation

Discussions are continuing between the Government parties on proposed legislation to deal with the X Case.

It is understood that an initial draft suggests that the opinions of six consultants will be required to certify a termination in cases where suicide poses a threat to the life of the mother.

However, it is understood that there is still no agreement on this proposal.

It had been planned to bring the draft legislation to Cabinet on Tuesday, but it is now unclear whether this will happen.

The Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar has acknowledged that there is a diversity of opinion within Government over the impending legislation.

Minister Varadkar said the differences are not just between the parties, but within them as well.

He said: "There are a number of sides to the debate, but the objective of the legislation is to make sure women know they are safe during pregnancy and that doctors know they can take the necessary decisions to protect the lives of the mother."

He said he has not seen the draft legislation.

Minister Varadkar said that he would not comment on the suggestion that six doctors would have to be consulted before an abortion can be carried out for a suicidal woman.

The minister said that at the moment the matter is not due to be discussed at Cabinet.

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Pat Rabbitte said earlier he hoped the Government would be able to legislate on the issue.

Speaking on The Week in Politics, Minister of State Jan O'Sullivan said she personally believes "the idea that you need six professionals seems entirely impractical".

However, she said the Government will make a "joint and unified decision".

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FBI waits to question Boston bombing suspect

The surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings is seriously wounded in a hospital in the city and has been unable to speak to police.

The FBI is waiting to speak to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as it tries to determine a motive for the attack and whether the two brothers accused of the attack acted alone.

The 19-year-old was captured late on Friday after a gunfight with police that ended a day-long manhunt and sent waves of relief and jubilation throughout Boston.

His brother, Tamerlan, 26, died on early Friday after a shootout with police.

Dzhokhar had been hiding in a boat parked in the backyard of a house in the suburb of Watertown.

He was captured after a resident spotted blood on the boat and called police.

Dzhokhar is being treated at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

He was shot in the throat and is unable to speak because of injuries to his tongue, said a source close to the investigation.

"It's serious ... he's not yet able to speak," Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick told reporters last night.

"We have a million questions and those questions need to be answered."

Investigators are trying to establish whether the pair had assistance leading up to the detonation of the two bombs, which killed three people and injured 176.

The devices were pressure cookers packed with ball bearings and nails.

Tamerlan travelled to Moscow in January 2012 and spent six months in the region, a law enforcement source told Reuters.

However, it was unclear what he did while he was there and if he could have had contact with militant Islamist groups in southern Russia's restive Caucasus region.

Early indications are the brothers acted alone, Watertown Police Chief Edward Deveau told CNN.

"From what I know right now, these two acted together and alone," he said. "But as far as this little ... group, I think we got our guys."

The FBI, who interviewed Tamerlan in 2011 after he was flagged by Russian authorities, believes the older brother was the leader of the pair.

However, investigators are checking on people who had contact with both brothers to see if anyone else was involved, a senior US law enforcement source said.

More details of the brother's lives are emerging.

Tamerlan was married to Katherine Russell, whose family lives in an upper middle-class neighbourhood in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The couple had a young child.

A statement on the door of the family's home read: "Our daughter has lost her husband today, the father of her child. We cannot begin to comprehend how this horrible tragedy occurred."

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Chinese rescuers struggle to reach quake survivors

Rescuers and relief teams have finally reached some of the more remote villages in China's southwestern Sichuan province after an earthquake left at least 200 people dead.

More than 11,000 people were injured in the quake, which was measured at 7.0 by the Chinese government and 6.6 by the US Geological Survey.

Numerous aftershocks prompted frightened survivors to spend a night in cars, tents and makeshift shelters.

China's Ministry of Civil Affairs said more than 1.5m people in Sichuan have been affected by the strong earthquake.

It triggered landslides that cut off roads and disrupted phone and power connections in mountainous Lushan county.

Villages further up the valleys were hardest hit, where farmers grow rice, vegetables and corn on terraced plots.

Rescuers hiked into Baoxing county after its roads were cut off and reached it overnight.

In Longmen village, authorities said nearly all the buildings had been destroyed in a frightening minute-long shaking by the quake.

Along the main roads, ambulances, fire engines and military trucks piled high with supplies waited in long lines, some turning back to try other routes when roads were impassable.

Rescuers were forced to dynamite boulders that had fallen across roads, with heavy rain overnight slowing rescue work.

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Man arrested after Kildare robbery

One man has been arrested and another is on the run after an armed robbery in Co Kildare this morning.

Two men armed with a firearm held up staff at a shop in Johnstown just after 8.15am. They escaped with a sum of cash.

One of the men was arrested near the scene a short time later. He is being held at Naas Garda Station.

Gardaí also recovered a handgun and a sum of cash.

The second man escaped in a car, which was later found by gardaí.

They have appealed for witnesses or anyone with information about the second man to contact them in Naas on 045-884300 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800666111.

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Martin ordination ceremony taking place in Armagh

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Extra police on duty at London Marathon

Hundreds of extra police officers were on duty at the London Marathon today following last week's bomb attack in Boston.

More than 35,000 runners took part in the race, with many wearing black ribbons.

A 30-second silence was held at the start line for the three people killed and more than 170 others injured in the Boston attack.

The Metropolitan Police said it was in close contact with the FBI and Boston Police and there was nothing to suggest any resulting threat to the London Marathon following the bomb attacks.

Extra security was in put in place around the bags of the runners, the race's baggage manager said this morning.

The bombs that went off in Boston are believed to have been placed in rucksacks placed on the route.

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Two held after €1.5m cannabis seizure in Meath

Two people have been arrested after cannabis with an estimated street value of €1.5m was seized in Kells in Co Meath.

A 53-year-old man and a 43-year-old woman were arrested when gardaí searched a business premises last night.

They are being questioned at Kells Garda Station.

Gardaí said a "large cannabis cultivation operation" was being operated at the site.

The Kells Garda Drug Unit was assisted in the operation by the Regional Support Unit.

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156 killed in China earthquake

A strong 6.6 magnitude earthquake has hit China's Sichuan province, killing at least 156 people and injuring about 5,500.

The epicentre is close to where a major earthquake killed almost 70,000 people in 2008.

The earthquake occurred at 8.02am (1.02am Irish time) in Lushan county near Ya'an city and the epicentre had a depth of 12km, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake was felt by residents in neighbouring provinces and in the provincial capital of Chengdu, causing many people to rush out of buildings.

State media said 156 people have been confirmed dead and about 5,500 have been injured, many of them seriously.

President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang said that all efforts must be put into rescuing victims to limit the death toll as much as possible.

Mr Li has arrived in the disaster zone and is surveying the damage.

"The current most urgent issue is grasping the first 24 hours since the quake's occurrence, the golden time for saving lives," Xinhua news agency quoted Mr Li as saying.

Xinhua said 6,000 troops were heading to the area to help with rescue efforts.

State television CCTV said only emergency vehicles were being allowed into Ya'an, although Chengdu airport has reopened.

Most of the deaths were concentrated in Lushan, where water and electricity were cut off.

Pictures on Chinese news sites showed collapsed buildings and people in bloodied bandages being treated in hospital.

Xinhua said rescuers had pulled 32 survivors out of rubble in Lushan, where almost all low-rise houses and buildings have collapsed.

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Tight security for Iraqi elections

Iraqi voters are casting ballots in regional elections amid tight security.

This marks the country's first vote since the US military withdrawal and a key test of its stability.

Government officials, including Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, cast their ballots at the Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone.

Voting is taking place at more than 5,300 polling centres for members of provincial councils who will serve in 12 of Iraq's 18 governorates.

Thousands of candidates from 50 electoral blocs are running for 378 positions.

As in past elections, officials have increased security precautions to thwart attempts by insurgents to disrupt the vote.

There were no reports of violence in the hours after voting got under way this morning.

Security cordons have been set up around polling places and only authorised vehicles are being allowed on the streets in major cities.

Voters dipped an index finger in ink after casting ballots to ensure each person voted only once.

The results of the elections will not directly affect the shape of Iraq's national government.

But the vote will be an important barometer of support for Iraq's various political groups heading into 2014 parliamentary elections.

The vote will also test the Iraqi army and police, who face a reviving al-Qaeda insurgency.

They are for the first time since the 2003 US-led invasion, securing an election on their own.

Militants have stepped up attacks in recent days.

Iraqis last elected members of provincial councils in January 2009.

Results are not expected for several days.

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