Hagel says China 'destabilising' South China Sea

Saturday 31 May 2014 15.53

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has accused China  of "destabilising actions" in the South China Sea.

He warned that Washington will not remain passive if the international order is threatened.

Stressing US commitments to allies and friends in Asia, Secretary Hagel called for a peaceful resolution of international disputes.

He issued a blunt message to China, which was represented by a high-level military delegation at the forum.

"In recent months, China has undertaken destabilising, unilateral actions asserting its claims in the South China Sea," Mr Hagel told fellow defense chiefs, military officials, diplomats and security experts attending the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

He accused China of restricting access by the Philippines to Scarborough Shoal, putting pressure on Manila's long-standing presence in Second Thomas Shoal, beginning land reclamation at various locations and moving an oil rig into disputed waters with Vietnam.

Mr Hagel said that while the United States does not take sides on rival claims, "we firmly oppose any nation's use of intimidation, coercion, or the threat of force to assert these claims".

"The United States will not look the other way when fundamental principles of the international order are being challenged," he said.

Tensions have flared up recently in the South China Sea, claimed almost entirely by China, which has lately taken bold steps to enforce what it says are its historical rights.

Four Southeast Asian states, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, claim parts of the sea, with Manila and Hanoi being the most vocal in opposing China's claims. Taiwan is the sixth claimant.

A Chinese military official has blasted the United States for making "threats".

The Chinese army's deputy chief of staff, Wang Guanzhong, described Secretary Hagel's comments at the Shangri-La Dialogue as baseless.

"Secretary Hagel's speech is full of threats and intimidating language.

"Secretary Hagel's speech is full of encouragement, incitement for the Asia region's instability giving rise to a disturbance," state broadcaster China Central Television quoted Mr Wang as telling reporters.

"Secretary Hagel, in this kind of public space with many people, openly criticised China without reason. This accusation is completely without basis," Mr Wang added. 

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Death sentence for Sudanese woman condemned

Saturday 31 May 2014 15.00

There has been widespread international condemnation of a death sentence handed down to a Christian woman in Sudan for refusing to abandon her faith.

Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag was condemned on 15 May under Islamic sharia law, which has been in force in Sudan since 1983 and outlaws conversions on pain of death.

The 27-year-old is being held at a women's prison in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman, where she gave birth on Tuesday.

Her husband said he had visited her in jail and that she and their daughter are well.

Daniel Wani, a US citizen originally from South Sudan, told AFP he had visited Ms Ishag and the baby on Thursday, after being denied access earlier in the week, and that they were both in "good health."

He said he had obtained permission from the authorities to see them two days a week.

He also disclosed that he had sought permission for his wife to be transferred to a hospital to give birth, but that this was refused.

"We were afraid, but God protected her," he said.

Ms Ishag already has a 20-month-old son, who is also incarcerated with her, rights activists say.

Ms Ishag was born to a Muslim father but told the court, before Judge Abbas Mohammed al-Khalifa passed the verdict against her: "I am a Christian and I never committed apostasy."

The judge said to her: "We gave you three days to recant but you insist on not returning to Islam. I sentence you to be hanged."

He also sentenced her to 100 lashes for "adultery."

Under Sudan's interpretation of sharia, a Muslim woman cannot marry a non-Muslim man, so any such relationship is regarded as adulterous.

Britain and Canada last week summoned the Sudanese envoys to their countries over Ms Ishag's case, which they say conflicts with Sudan's international human rights obligations.

United Nations rights experts have called the conviction "outrageous" and said it must be overturned.

An appeal has already been filed against the verdict, and one of Ms Ishag's defence lawyers, Mohannad Mustapha, said a hearing that was to have been held on Wednesday was postponed because the case file was incomplete.

Ms Ishag should be allowed to nurse her baby for two years before any death sentence is carried out, legal experts have said. 

If she is hanged, Ms Ishag will be the first person executed for apostasy under the 1991 penal code, said Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a British-based group working for religious freedom.

Gilmore describes death sentence as 'inhumane'

The Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has strongly condemned the inhumane death sentence handed down to Ms Ishaq.

A statement issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs, said the Irish Embassy in Cairo, which covers Sudan, continues to follow the case of Ms Ishaq closely. 

It said the Government along with the EU are completely opposed to the death penalty in all cases.  

The statement said the Government attached the utmost importance to combating all forms of discrimination based on religion or belief.

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Kenny to make medical card issue a priority

Saturday 31 May 2014 15.29

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said he will sit down with the new Labour Party leader when he or she is appointed and address the issue of medical cards as a matter of priority.

Mr Kenny was speaking on his arrival at the Bar Council's annual conference in Westport, Co Mayo.

He said he was very unhappy with letters sent out to people suffering from debilitating illnesses.

Mr Kenny also said he would not stand for that behaviour and repeated that he would fix the problem.

Meanwhile, Minister of State at the Department of Health, Alex White, has again acknowledged there was a massive problem in relation to the allocation of medical cards and said he accepted his share of the criticism.

On RTÉ's Saturday with Claire Byrne programme, Minister White said that some of what was reported in relation to the review of medical cards by the Health Service Executive did not happen.

He said there was a huge amount of misreporting in relation to some cases in which people were asked if their children still had conditions such as Down Syndrome.

Minister White said he would not get into individual cases but he knew there were some references in some reports that he read and checked and found that they were not true.

He said he accepted that the bureaucratic approach affects people.

He questioned if the regime is to be changed for the two million people in receipt of a medical card based on means.

He also asked if health resources should be allocated on the basis of need or should there be a universal health system.

Minister White said there should be a wider public debate on the allocation of resources.

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Man dies after attack in Blanchardstown

Saturday 31 May 2014 15.36

An investigation is underway following the suspicious death of a man in Blanchardstown in Dublin overnight.

A man's body was found at an apartment at Annaly Grove in Ongar at around 4am.

Detectives believe the 32-year-old man was attacked during a house party.

The scene has been preserved for a forensic examination and a post mortem examination will be carried out later today. 

Two women in their 30s were arrested at the scene. 

They are being detained at Blanchardstown Garda Station and can be questioned for up to 24 hours.

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Women dies in suspected hit-and-run in Dublin

Saturday 31 May 2014 15.47

An investigation is being carried out into the death of a woman who was struck by a car which failed to remain at the scene last night.

The suspected hit-and-run incident took place at Davitt Road in Drimnagh at about 10.30pm. 

The 40-year-old woman was crossing the road at Goldenbridge Luas stop when she was struck by a dark coloured car.

The woman was taken to St James's Hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

Witnesses described it as possibly a Ford Focus with either an 08 or 09 registration.

It left in the direction of the Naas Road.

Gardaí say the car would have damage to the front and to the windscreen.

Garda forensic collision investigators have examined the scene which has now reopened.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Sundrive Road Garda Station on 01 666 6600.

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Quinns deny allegations of hidden cash and gold

Saturday 31 May 2014 16.36

The family of Sean Quinn has described as "absolute, scurrilous lies" allegations made by the former Anglo Irish Bank in the Commercial Court yesterday.

In a statement, the family said allegations that it may be hiding €300m in gold and €200m in cash were denied by the family in the strongest possible terms.

The family said the revelations by the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation in court were based on illegally obtained information from unidentified informants with criminal backgrounds and marked a new low in this litigation.    

The family members say they are simply astonished that a State controlled entity would be party to such ethically and legally questionable actions.

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Three TDs running for Labour deputy leadership

Thursday 29 May 2014 14.54

Minister of State for Transport Alan Kelly, Environment Committee chairman Michael McCarthy and Minister of State for Research and Innovation Seán Sherlock have all declared their candidacies for the position of deputy leader of the Labour Party.

Speaking at Leinster House this morning, Mr Kelly said the party needs to be renewed and the deputy leader needed focus on structure and organisation.

He said he had a deep-rooted knowledge of the Labour Party and knew its membership extremely well.

He was proposed and seconded by TDs Willie Penrose and Robert Dowds.   

Mr Kelly was accompanied by a number of other TDs and Senators, including Ann Phelan, who yesterday proposed Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton for the leadership.  

She said she agreed that a Burton Kelly combination would represent a "dream ticket".

Mr Kelly himself said that Ms Burton would make a fantastic leader.

Mr McCarthy said the contest is not about Leinster House or the parliamentary party, but about membership of the party and reinvigorating and reconnecting with voters.

He also said Labour needs to refocus its efforts in Government and both parties need to set new targets.

Mr McCarthy told RTÉ's News at One that Ireland is no longer in a Troika arrangement and it is important to put money back in people's pockets.

Mr Sherlock said he wanted to part of the process of renewal and help rebuild the party.

Nominations for the leadership and deputy leadership of the party remain open until Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Minister of State at the Department of Health Alex White is expected to announce his intentions in the coming days.

When asked about Mr White, Mr Kelly said the Dublin TD had "huge capabilities".

Minister of State for Housing and Planning Jan O'Sullivan has said she will be supporting Mr Kelly's bid.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore announced on Monday that he was standing down as leader in the wake of big losses for the party in the European and Local Elections.

This morning, Labour TD Arthur Spring said he is considering putting his name forward for one of the positions.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Spring said "passion and energy" was needed for the role and he intended to do some soul searching to see what he can bring to the table.

The Kerry North-West TD said the party is under "no illusions" about the enormity of the problems facing Labour.

Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin has ruled himself out of the election.

Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte said he expects there will be a contest for the leadership because of the number of members of the parliamentary party who have said there should be. 

On his personal preference, he said as a former leader he has a license to keep quiet, and he would not predict who would win.

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Bausch + Lomb to cut 200 jobs, 900 more at risk

Thursday 29 May 2014 15.09

More than 1,100 jobs are at risk in Co Waterford after Bausch + Lomb announced plans to lay off 200 people and close the facility if agreement on pay cuts of 20% for the remaining staff is not reached.

The company employs nearly 1,200 people at its facility in Waterford, making it the county's biggest private employer.

The company makes contact lenses and other eye-care products and has been in Waterford for more than 30 years.

In a statement, the company said substantial cost reductions will be required to keep the plant open.

It said discussions with staff and union representatives will begin next Tuesday and the company hopes to reach a decision in principle by 17 June.

Bausch + Lomb said it wants to bring the cost base of the Irish plant closer to that in Rochester, New York, where wage rates are more than 30% lower.

The company added that the consultation process, which will begin immediately, follows a group-wide review of the contact lens business.

The company confirmed that next week's talks will focus on proposals for around 200 redundancies and a 20% cut in pay.

It said the Government and IDA Ireland have both been briefed on the situation "as it applies to the future viability of the Bausch + Lomb Waterford Plant".

Bausch + Lomb, which employs 11,000 worldwide, was taken over last year by Valeant, which is Canada's largest drugmaker.

Its Waterford site is one of only two contact lens manufacturing plants operated by the company.

Senior managers were called to a meeting this morning, while trade union and staff representatives were summoned to a meeting this afternoon.

The union representing workers at the company said the first they knew about the job losses was when a meeting was called this morning.

SIPTU organiser Allen Dillon said that workers were devastated at the news that 200 jobs are to go and that the remaining 900 jobs are under threat if pay cuts are not accepted.

Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, Mr Dillon said the employees were all still "raw".

He said claims by the company that salaries were too high and comparisons with its plant in New York were unfair, as it was not comparing like with like.

The terms and conditions of the Waterford employees had been negotiated "over a long number of years", he said, adding that their disposable income had dropped in recent years.

Mr Dillon said that €30,000-€40,000 was the average salary in the plant.

Independent TD for Waterford John Halligan said it is "deeply disturbing" that Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton knew jobs were on the line for a number of months and did not bring it to the attention of the Dáil.

Mr Halligan said that given Waterford has been one of the worst-hit areas in the country for job losses since 2008, Mr Bruton needed to bring information he had about potential redundancies and pay cuts to the attention of local politicians.

Speaking on the same programme, he said a 20% cut in pay would be "unsustainable" for most workers at the plant.

Vice President of Manufacturing Angelo Conti said the review showed that Waterford's cost base "is substantially out of line with other plants within the Bausch + Lomb infrastructure".

He said because the company is trailing its competitors in the global market with a "distant fourth place in market share, the status quo is not sustainable".

Mr Conti said the company is faced with a "stark choice" of either restructuring in Waterford and securing its future, "or see the plant close".

He said the preference would be to retain Waterford as a contact lens manufacturing hub, but "we need to reach a decision either way very soon".

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GSOC investigating fatal Dublin car crash

Thursday 29 May 2014 12.14

The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission is investigating a fatal car crash in Dublin after the incident was referred to it by gardaí.

A woman in her 20s died when the car she was travelling in hit a pole at Fairview at the junction of Malahide Road at 1.50am.

The 26-year-old driver was taken to Beaumont Hospital where his condition is described as critical.

A 20-year-old man who was also in the car is in a stable condition in St James's Hospital.

Gardaí had been following the vehicle before the crash.

Gardaí have appealed for witnesses to contact Clontarf Garda Station at 01-6664800, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800-666-111 or any garda station.

Several roads were closed earlier due to the collision. The Fairview Malahide road junction has now re-opened.

In a separate incident, a 21-year-old man was killed in a single vehicle crash on the N81 Blessington Road.

It happened on the Tallaght side of Brittas village at 2.40am.

Four other men in the car, aged between 19 and 22, were taken to Tallaght and St Vincent's hospitals, with non-life threatening injuries.

The N81 Dublin /Blessington Road is closed in both directions between Brittas and Citywest.

Diversions are in place.

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14 dead as Ukrainian helicopter shot down

Thursday 29 May 2014 13.17

Pro-Russian separatist have shot down a Ukrainian army helicopter, killing 14 soldiers including a general.

Government forces continue to press ahead with an offensive to crush rebellions in the east swiftly following the election of a new president.

Acting president Oleksander Turchynov said the helicopter, which had been carrying supplies in eastern Ukraine, had been brought down by anti-aircraft fire from near the town of Slaviansk.

It was one of the heaviest losses inflicted by the separatists on the army in two months of unrest in Ukraine's eastern regions.

Meanwhile, a rebel leader in Donetsk acknowledged that some of his fighters who died in the government offensive there had been "volunteers" from Russia.

He said their bodies were being returned home across the border.

His claim followed weeks of accusations from Kiev of Russian involvement in the uprising.

Around 50 rebels were killed earlier this week in a fierce assault by government forces in Donetsk.

Interior minister Arsen Avakov accused the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin of being behind the airport violence.

Weapons collected at the airport after the rebels were forced out by airstrikes and a paratroop assault had been brought in from Russia, he said.

"These are not our weapons - they were brought from Russia. Serial numbers, year of production, specific models ... I am publishing this photograph as proof of the aggression of the Putin regime," Mr Avakov wrote on his Facebook page.

The Ukrainian government has long asserted that Russia has fomented separatists rebellions in the east with a view to bringing about dismemberment of the country.

Russia denies this but they also allege that it is failing to stop Russian fighters from crossing the long land border into Ukraine together with truckloads of guns and live ammunition.

Defence Minister Mikhailo Koval said: "We have put all our forces and equipment into the anti-terrorist operation. We have covered the whole state border."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov yesterday accused the West of pushing Ukraine into "the abyss of fratricidal war", and reiterated his call for an end to Kiev's military offensive.

Four OSCE observers held in Slaviansk

The leader of pro-Russia rebels in Slaviansk has confirmed that his forces have detained four OSCE observers since Monday.

"The group of four people who went missing south of Donetsk - we know where they are, they are all fine.

"We had told them not to travel anywhere for a time but these four turned out to be very keen. Of course they were detained," said Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, the self-proclaimed "people's mayor" of Slaviansk, in comments to the Interfax news agency.

"No one arrested them. We detained them. Now we will work out who they are, where they were going and why, and we will let them go," Mr Ponomaryov said.

He suggested that the team could have been involved in espionage.

The observers from the Vienna-based Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, a Dane, an Estonian, a Turk and a Swiss national, went missing at a rebel roadblock outside Donetsk on Monday.

The Ukrainian authorities had already said yesterday that the four observers had been seized by pro-Russian rebels.

A second group of 11 observers was detained in the same region of Donetsk yesterday but the OSCE later said it had managed to re-establish contact with them.

Swiss President and OSCE chief Didier Burkhalter criticised the detention of observers as "acts of sabotage".

In a statement, Mr Burkhalter called for their "immediate and unconditional release".

Last month seven OSCE observers were detained by Pro-Russian activists in Slaviansk for eight days, before being released.

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Appeal court reserves decision on Lyons sentence

Thursday 29 May 2014 13.46

The Court of Criminal Appeal has reserved its decision on the appeal by the DPP against the leniency of the sentence imposed on businessman Anthony Lyons for sexual assault.

Lyons was found guilty of the assault of the young woman who had been walking on Griffith Avenue in Dublin in the early hours of 3 October 2010.

He was sentenced to six years in prison, but five-and-a-half years of that sentence were suspended by circuit court judge Desmond Hogan, who also ordered him to pay €75,000 in compensation.

The appeal was reheard today and presiding judge Mr Justice John Murray said the court would give its decision sometime in the next legal term, which begins in the middle of June.

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Govt to suspend discretionary medical card reviews

Thursday 29 May 2014 16.35

The review of discretionary medical cards is to be suspended, Minister of State for Primary Care Alex White told the Dáil this afternoon.

The decision was taken following a meeting of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Health this morning.

The Health Service Executive will now set up a panel of experts to look at developing a new system where cards could be allocated based on medical need, the minister said.

The controversial measure initially aimed at saving €113m was revealed in the Budget last year.

But the review was heavily criticised amid widespread reports of people with long-term medical conditions losing their cards.

It was one of the biggest issues on the doorstep for politicians in the lead up to the Local and European Elections last week.

The Health Service Executive earlier said the medical card scheme is based on the Health Act 1970, which provides for cards on the basis of financial means.

It said medical card eligibility is reviewed on a regular basis and 644,853 reviews were conducted last year.

The HSE said that at the end of February this year, assessments had been concluded in 482,866 cases and of this group 96.4% of people continued to hold their card.

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Commissioner says gardaí should not probe gardaí

Wednesday 28 May 2014 16.10

Acting Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan has said that gardaí should not investigate gardaí.

Commissioner O'Sullivan is appearing before the Oireachtas Justice Committee today.

She has said that all serious allegations against members of the gardaí should be investigated by the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) and not referred back to the gardaí to investigate, as occurs at present.

The last time Ms O'Sullivan appeared before an Oireachtas committee, she was sitting beside former garda commissioner Martin Callinan when he described the actions of the garda whistleblowers as "disgusting".

Today in her opening statement, she outlined her own support for more openness and accountability in the delivery of the policing service.

The acting commissioner welcomed the establishment of an independent police authority with responsibility for oversight of the gardaí.

Commissioner O'Sullivan said she supports constructive engagement with the Ombudsman Commission, but said GSOC should investigate all serious complaints and allegations against members of the force.

She also told the committee that the internal garda audit unit should be strengthened.

Department of Justice Secretary General Brian Purcell is also due to appear before the committee today to discuss the findings of the Guerin Report.

The report severely criticised the gardaí, the department and GSOC for the handling of complaints of malpractice by garda whistleblower Sergeant Maurice McCabe.

It found there was "sufficient basis for concern" about whether all appropriate steps were taken to "investigate and address" the complaints.

Events surrounding the decision of Mr Callinan to resign in March are also expected to be discussed.

Sinn Féin's justice spokesperson Pádraig Mac Lochlainn earlier said he hopes that Mr Purcell will not "stonewall" members today.

Mr Purcell has indicated that he may be precluded from answering certain questions that fall within the terms of reference of a Commission of Investigation set up by the Government.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Mac Lochlainn said the committee will be putting a number of questions to Mr Purcell, including why it took weeks to get what was very important correspondence to the attention of his line minister.

He said it will also ask Mr Purcell what he said to the garda commissioner on the night "whereby the commissioner retired/resigned/was sacked the next day".

Mr Mac Lochlainn said chapter 19 of the report was a damning indictment of the culture within the Department of Justice and Mr Purcell would have to go through all of that.

He said the public needs to know what happened in relation to the departure of Mr Callinan.

Asked about reports that Sgt McCabe continues to suffer harassment and abuse, Mr Mac Lochlainn said it is likely that Commissioner O'Sullivan will be asked about the issue.

He said members needed to get assurances that the issue was being dealt with.

It is important that a clear signal be sent to whistleblowers that if you speak out you will be protected, he added.

Martin calls for full account of Purcell-Callinan meeting

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has told the Dáil that the meeting between Mr Purcell and Mr Callinan in March is a serious issue.

He said he already outlined that the information he was given was of such a serious nature that Mr Callinan should be made aware of his concerns and anxiety arising from the information he had received as he would be talking to the Cabinet about it the next day.

He was responding to Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin.

Mr Martin said it was worrying and bizarre that Mr Purcell had set out conditions about what he could answer.

He said this was essentially gagging the committee.

Mr Martin said there was nothing stopping the Taoiseach from giving a full account to the committee or the Dáil about the meeting between Mr Purcell and Mr Callinan.

Mr Kenny said that his sole concern was that Mr Callinan should be made aware of the information he had received.

He said that there was nothing mysterious about the resignation of the former commissioner.

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Acute hospitals overspend budgets by over €63m

Wednesday 28 May 2014 14.20

New figures from the Health Service Executive show that acute hospitals have overspent their budgets by more than €63m in the first three months of the year.

They also show that inpatient and outpatient waiting lists are on the increase again.

The HSE said that overspending by major acute hospitals has been the main factor contributing to an overrun of €80 million in its budget to the end of March.

The number of adults and children waiting for an inpatient, or day case procedure, has increased by 1,390 to 50,537, compared with the February figures.

The number of people on the outpatient waiting list waiting to see a consultant is now at 331,281, up by more than 30,500 patients.

The number of patients waiting a year or more to be seen as outpatients has also increased from 4,000 at the end of last year, to more than 14,700.

The specialties with the longest waiting lists for outpatients are:
- Orthopaedics 42,275
- General surgery 37,400
- Ear, nose and throat 37,300
- Dermatology 26,300

The increase in waiting lists comes at a time when the HSE is planning to cut health agency staff and overtime.

It is also trying to impose a revised savings target on acute hospitals of around €56m.

At the end of last year, Minister for Health James Reilly said that no adult should be waiting longer than eight months for a planned operation and no child longer than 20 weeks.

The latest figures show there are 4,350 adults and 821 children waiting beyond those targets.

The hospitals with the biggest deficits are:
- University Hospital Limerick €6m
- Waterford Regional Hospital €4m
- Mater Hospital €3.8m
- University College Hospital Galway €3.3m
- Cork University Hospital €3m
- Sligo General €2.8m
- Beaumont Hospital €2.7m

The HSE's latest national performance assurance report for March said that the scale of the risk and challenge achieving financial breakeven by year end is "extremely significant" as predicted in its National Service Plan for 2014.

The executive said it is not flagging any new financial risks beyond those set out in the service plan, with the exception of a potential shortfall of €40m in acute hospital income.

The HSE said it had already commenced implementation of a robust performance assurance process with hospitals.  

It said this assurance process will enable full optimisation of cost containment and Haddington Road Agreement plans and will continue to be progressed over 2014.

Reilly says seasonal factors contributing to figures

Minister for Health James Reilly has said some waiting list figures are up due to seasonal factors.

He said that compared with March 2013, there were now 90,000 fewer people waiting to be seen for the first time at an outpatient department.

The minister said that the number of people waiting over eight months is down 10%.

He said the number of adults waiting for an inpatient treatment over eight months was down, but cases involving children are up by 300.

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NBRU rejects Iarnród Éireann cost savings measures

Wednesday 28 May 2014 14.22

Iarnród Éireann staff belonging to the National Bus and Rail Union have overwhelmingly rejected cost reduction measures, including pay cuts proposed by the Labour Court.

The proposals, which included pay cuts over the next two years and four months of up to 6.1%, were rejected by 75% on a turnout of 90%.

SIPTU, which represents 1,900 of the company's 3,767 employees, narrowly rejected the proposals last week by a margin of 51% to 49%.

SIPTU is currently balloting its members for industrial action or strike action in the event that the company moves unilaterally to introduce the cuts.

The Transport and Salaried Staff Association, which represents 324 clerical and administrative staff, voted to accept the proposals by a margin of 72%.

The 400 members of the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union also accepted the proposals, as did most of the members of Unite.

The compromise Labour Court proposals shortened the duration of pay cuts from three years to two years and four months, reducing the scale of savings that would be delivered to the company.

However, the Labour Court warned that the cuts were essential for the viability of the company.

It will now be a matter for the company to decide whether to unilaterally implement changes.

Earlier, Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar said delays in implementing cost savings at the company will not be allowed to continue indefinitely.

He said cost savings needed to be made to protect jobs at the company and to protect rail services for the public.

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Burton announces Labour leadership bid

Wednesday 28 May 2014 15.12

Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton has announced her intention to run for for the leadership of the Labour Party today.

In a statement, Ms Burton acknowledged that the party had had a difficult weekend and voters are unhappy with its performance in Government.

She said Ireland has "reached the limits of austerity as the main tool of economic policy" and people want to know when their own finances will repair and start to grow and when their communities will recover.

Ms Burton, who is the party's deputy leader, is considered a frontrunner to succeed Eamon Gilmore.

A number of ministers and TDs have also said they are considering running for the position.

Nominations opened for the position last night following a meeting of the party's executive board.

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin and junior ministers Alex White and Alan Kelly are considering whether they will run for the leadership.

Backbenchers Arthur Spring and Dominic Hannigan are also considering whether to run.

A number of TDs have also expressed an interest in becoming the deputy leader.

Nominations for both positions will close next Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the parliamentary party will meet later today for the first time since Labour's poor performance in the Local and European Elections, and since Mr Gilmore announced his intention to step down.

Eight members of the parliamentary party had put down a motion of no confidence in him on Monday, but Mr Gilmore said he had already decided to resign.

Mr Hannigan has said the Labour Party is at risk of being wiped out at the next election and consigned to the history books, if "tough and resolute" action is not taken now.  

The Meath East TD said voters gave the party its final warning in the Local and European Elections on Friday.

Mr Hannigan said he is considering whether to contest the leadership and he thinks the leader should come from "a new generation, with fresh thinking and resolve".

He called for a complete clearout of the front bench.

However, party colleagues have called for calm.

In response to Mr Hannigan's comments, Cork South West TD Michael McCarthy urged caution.

He said he would not agree with what he described was an ageist argument for clearing out the front bench. 

Mr McCarthy also said there was no desire for a consensus candidate.

Labour's Ann Phelan appealed for calm and for people to be mindful of all their party colleagues.

Parliamentary party chairman Jack Wall said the members would decide the outcome of the contest.

Earlier, Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar said the Coalition is stable and work will go on once Labour elects a new leader.

The Fine Gael TD said the Programme for Government would continue as planned to improve the economy.

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Court rules anorexic woman can be force fed

Wednesday 28 May 2014 15.53

The High Court has made an order allowing a young woman with severe anorexia nervosa to be fed through a tube against her wishes.

High Court President Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns made the order this afternoon after hearing that the woman's medical condition was life threatening.

The application to allow her to be tube fed was made by lawyers for the Health Service Executive on behalf of the doctors treating her.

Lawyers for the HSE said they were making the application as a last resort and were well aware of how serious it was to ask the court to intervene in a case like this.

The court heard the woman who is 26, weighs just over 27kg or around four stone at the moment and has a body mass index of around 11.

The court heard she was in grave danger of suffering from irreversible liver failure.

The court was told that while the young woman was intelligent and articulate, she had no insight into the severity of her condition.

She did not accept she needed to gain more weight and had clearly expressed the view that she did not wish to be fed through a tube.

She needed to take in around 1,800 to 1,900 calories a day but was taking in only half that amount.  

The court heard she did not accept the doctors' need to take appropriate action to prevent her death.

The court also heard that she was capable of understanding information and communicating her wishes but was incapable of weighing up the information. 

The court was told she was emaciated and she had a high level of denial about her condition, that there had been some limited weight gain but it was not enough to take her out of danger.

The court heard she had first been treated for an eating disorder at the age of 12.

Her father told the court she was his eldest child and they had had an ongoing struggle with her condition.

He said the family had not been aware the situation had become so serious until they read a report in a newspaper. 

He said his daughter was extremely bright and articulate but did not fully grasp the problem.

Mr Justice Kearns said unfortunately this was not the first such case he had had to deal with.

He made the order allowing the hospital to tube feed her and use appropriate restraint to do so.

The case will be mentioned again in court next Thursday.

He gave permission to lawyers acting on her behalf to have her independently medically assessed.

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State to pay costs in failed bilingual jury case

Wednesday 28 May 2014 16.21

The State has been ordered to pay the entire costs of a man's unsuccessful action to have his trial on assault charges heard by a bilingual jury.

Peadar Ó Maicín, a native Irish speaker, who lived in Rosmuc in Co Galway for most of his life but now lives in Lower Salthill, wanted his trial heard by a jury drawn from a specially designated area of south Connemara where most people speak Irish.

The High Court rejected his case and in February, the Supreme Court upheld that decision by a majority of four to one.

This morning, all five Supreme Court judges agreed that the case raised important constitutional issues relating to balancing language rights against the duty of the State to prosecute crimes before representative juries.   

The court granted an application by Mr Ó Maicín for his costs in the High and Supreme Courts against the State.

Mr Ó Maicín was charged with two offences alleged to have been committed in the Connemara Gaeltacht in May 2008.  

He was charged with assault causing harm to Martin Whelan, also from Connemara, and unlawfully producing a broken whiskey bottle during a fight.

The Supreme Court found that Mr Ó Maicín had a constitutional right to conduct official business fully in Irish and was entitled to have his trial conducted in Irish and heard by a jury aided by an interpreter.   

But four of the five judges ruled the right to conduct official business fully in Irish was not absolute.  

Mr Justice Frank Clarke found in the February judgment that in some circumstances, because significant numbers of people even in Gaeltacht areas would not be sufficiently competent in Irish, that right must give way to the need to respect the rights of others to use English as an official language and the competing constitutional imperative that juries be "truly representative".

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Labour TDs consider leadership position

Tuesday 27 May 2014 15.15

Several Labour party members are considering running for the leadership of the party following Eamon Gilmore's decision to resign.

Nominations for the position are expected to open following a meeting of the party's executive board this evening.

Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton is considered a strong contender for the leadership position.

Her Cabinet colleague Brendan Howlin said he will consider what role he has to play in the party's future over the next couple of days.

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform did not rule himself out of running for the Labour leadership.

He said the party had serious business ahead and it should remain at the heart of reform.

Mr Howlin said Labour needed to respond very strongly to the message from the ballot boxes.

Minister of State Alan Kelly has confirmed he will be putting his name forward for a leadership position in the party.

Mr Kelly said he had not yet decided if he would run for leader or deputy leader.

Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Seán O'Rourke, he said he felt "a generational change" was needed at leadership level.

He said senators, TDs and councillors had given him a lot of support in recent weeks.

There has also been attention on Minister of State Alex White, but Sean Sherlock and Willie Penrose have ruled out any leadership challenge.

Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn has criticised the seven TDs and one senator who submitted a motion of no confidence in Mr Gilmore.

Mr Gilmore had faced two motions of no confidence after the party's poor performance in the European and Local Elections.

He announced his resignation yesterday and said he would stand down in July when his successor is chosen.

Mr Quinn said Mr Gilmore deserved the courtesy, as Labour's most successful leader, to have one of the eight Labour members who supported the motion to pick up the phone and tell him.

He also said he would wait and see which candidates emerged before endorsing any particular person.

Party rules state that in the event of a vacancy in the leadership, the deputy leader becomes acting leader.

Conway defends no confidence motion

Labour TD Ciara Conway said some party members were not listened to in dealing with social and economic issues in recent months.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Ms Conway said she stands over her decision to support a motion of no-confidence in Mr Gilmore.

The Waterford TD said there was no indication that the Tánaiste was to step down prior to the "Group of Eight" putting forward the motion.

She said those who put down the motion had spoken to Mr White over the weekend and he had indicated that he would support the motion.

Ms Conway said the next party leader needs to be someone who will attack social issues with vigour.

She said there is talent in the party and reason to look to the younger generation in filling the leader and deputy leader roles.

Ms Conway and Labour TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin have said they would consider putting themselves forward as deputy leader.

Speaking on the same programme, Mr Ó Ríordáin said that there is "no rulebook" when it comes to deciding that a party leader has to go.

He said he regretted that some in the Labour Party had to come to the conclusion that a new leader was needed, but once it was decided "you do what you have to do", he said.

He said a lot of work to repair damaged relationships would have to be done over the next weeks, months and years.

Mr Ó Riordáin said the party was now "in a new space" and needed to move on to see the Labour Party return to what it believes in.

Dublin's Lord Mayor reacts to losing council seat

Earlier, Dublin's Lord Mayor said being a high profile Labour candidate in the local elections was a significant disadvantage.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Edition, after losing his council seat in last Friday's vote, Labour party member Oisin Quinn said candidates that were more well-known as Labour Party members were seen by voters as "official Labour standard bearers".

Mr Quinn said Labour played like a team in Government, which eventually led to them being punished by voters.

He said he was sad to see Mr Gilmore resign.

Mr Quinn added that the people who had made the decision to hold a motion of no-confidence made the decision among themselves.

He said he did not see Mr Gilmore's resignation as inevitable and would have preferred the Labour Party to refocus its efforts while retaining its leader.

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Four MEP seats yet to be filled in South & MNW

Tuesday 27 May 2014 16.11

Fine Gael's Mairead McGuinness has been elected on the fifth count in the European Midlands-North-West constituency.

Speaking afterwards, she said she had no desire to contest another Dáil election and ruled out a second attempt at securing her party's nomination to contest the Presidency.

She paid tribute to her running mate, Jim Higgins, whose elimination resulted in her reaching the quota.

Mr Higgins plans to retire from political life after he lost his seat earlier today. 

Sinn Féin's Matt Carthy is now less than 3,000 votes shy of the quota but his campaign team do not expect him to cross the line as a result of the sixth count, involving the distribution of a McGuinness surplus of 6,408. 

The battle for the fourth and final seat still looks like a tangle between outgoing MEPs - Independent Marian Harkin and Fianna Fáil's Pat The Cope Gallagher. 

The result of the sixth count is expected early this evening. 

Independent Luke 'Ming' Flanagan was elected yesterday in the four-seat constituency.

No one was elected on the ninth or tenth counts in the South constituency, where two of the four seats remain to be filled.

Grace O'Sullivan of the Green Party, Labour MEP Phil Prendergast and Independent Diarmuid O'Flynn have been excluded so far today.

Sinn Féin's Liadh Ní Riada and Fianna Fáil's Brian Crowley have been elected as MEPs.

Fine Gael's Seán Kelly remains on course to take the third seat.

A little over 2,000 votes separate Fine Gael's Simon Harris and Deirdre Clune and Fianna Fáil's Kieran Hartley for the fourth and final seat.

Sinn Féin's Lynn Boylan, Fine Gael's Brian Hayes and Independent Nessa Childers were elected in the three-seat Dublin Euro constituency.

Meanwhile, six of the 949 council seats available remain to be filled in the local authority elections.

A recount will be held tomorrow in the Dún Laoghaire electoral area.

There will be a re-vote in the Ballybay-Clones electoral area of Monaghan on 7 June following the death of councillor Owen Bannigan.

The counting of votes in Northern Ireland's three-seat constituency is continuing at King's Hall on the outskirts of Belfast.

Sinn Féin's Martina Anderson topped the poll and was elected on the first count yesterday.

Following the elimination of Alliance Party candidate Anna Lo, four candidates remain in the hunt for the two remaining seats.

It is expected that outgoing MEPs Diane Dodds and Jim Nicholson will retain their seats, seeing off the challenge of Jim Allister of the TUV and Alex Attwood of the SDLP.

The count is expected to conclude in the late afternoon.

Full breakdown of Local Election results so far

Full breakdown of European Elections results so far

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SAP, Ericsson and Wipro announce almost 500 jobs

Tuesday 27 May 2014 14.51

Almost 500 jobs are to be created across four counties by three multinational technology companies.

SAP is increasing the numbers it employs in Galway and Dublin by 260, while Ericsson is to create 120 jobs in Dublin and Athlone and Wipro is adding 100 new jobs in Shannon, Co Clare. 

Global business software firm SAP operates in 130 countries, including Ireland, where it already employs 1,200.

The company announced this morning that it is to add 60 research and development roles at its R&D centre in Citywest in Dublin.

It also expects to fill a further 200 technology support positions in Dublin and Galway this year, with recruitment already under way.

Elsewhere, the fifth largest software company in the world, Ericsson, is to add 120 jobs at its Dublin and Athlone operations.

The jobs are across a range of areas, including software development, programme management and consultancy.

Both investments are supported by the Department of Jobs through the IDA.

Meanwhile, an Indian IT, consulting and outsourcing company has announced it will increase its workforce in Shannon, creating 100 jobs over the next year. 

Wipro currently employs 200 people, who deliver IT and business process services to banks and financial service businesses across Ireland and the UK. 

The company said that Ireland offers a great talent pool and infrastructural support. Wipro first opened its Irish office in 2012.

Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton said ICT was a sector targeted by the Action Plan for Jobs and the announcements were a huge boost for the counties concerned and the country.

He said the Government had put in place measures to support growth in the ICT sector and he was determined to see further growth.

IDA Chief Executive Barry O'Leary said the R&D carried out by Ericsson in Ireland is at the cutting edge of technology, and helps attract other ICT firms.

On the SAP announcement, he said the company's decision to invest further in Ireland is a vote of confidence in Ireland's technological capabilities and strong track record in the sector.

Liam Ryan, Managing Director of SAP operations in Ireland, echoed Mr O'Leary's comments, saying the expansion is a vote of confidence in the ability of SAP's Irish-based operations to continue to attract talent that will be a source of innovation and support.

He also urged all stakeholders in the education and employment sectors in Ireland to work together to ensure a continued healthy pipeline of talent and skills to meet demands in the ICT sector.

Traoloch Collins, Managing Director of Ericsson in Ireland, said the country is now a major research and development hub for the company globally.

He said the business is seeking highly-skilled people who want to work in a dynamic and creative environment.

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Footballer ordered to do voluntary work

Tuesday 27 May 2014 16.11

Dublin football star Diarmuid Connolly has been ordered by a judge to spend 80 hours teaching GAA to children following an unprovoked attack on a man in a pub.

Connolly, 26, had pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Anthony Kelly at McGowan's pub in Phibsboro, Dublin, on 6 August 2012.

An unreserved apology, which was accepted by Mr Kelly - who suffered a fractured eye-socket in the assault - was issued by Connolly's lawyer during a hearing last year at Dublin District Court.

Mr Kelly had refused to accept compensation from him so the footballer gave €5,000 to Barnardos and the Rape Crisis Centre instead.

Connolly had also been ordered to complete an anger-management course and a probation report was sought by Judge Patrick Clyne who described the attack as unprovoked.

The judge has also pointed out that Connolly had donated to charities sums of money which were considerably greater than the maximum fine the district court could impose.

Today, Judge Clyne read the report as well as documentation in relation to the anger-management course.

Judge Clyne said he wanted Connolly to do "80 hours' voluntary service at GAA, dealing with children, over the summer months, teaching them, coaching them".

Defence solicitor Michael Hanahoe said his client was "happy to do it, proud to do it and willing to do it".

The case was adjourned until September but the judge, who said he wanted to "draw a line under it", added that the matter can be re-entered before then if the voluntary work is completed before the next court date.

Earlier, the All-Ireland winning forward's lawyer told the court that Connolly "apologises unreservedly to Mr Kelly".

Connolly had also shaken hands with the victim who had accepted his apology at an earlier stage in the case.

The attack happened less than two days after Dublin defeated Laois in a quarter-final of the 2012 All Ireland Senior Football Championship

Connolly, who also plays for St Vincent's, has no prior criminal convictions, and his offence carries a possible sentence of up to one year.

In an outline of the prosecution's evidence given earlier, the court had been told that the attack happened at 3.40am in McGowan's pub.

"It is alleged that the injured party was socialising with a friend, it would be alleged that the accused assaulted him in an unprovoked attack," Judge Clyne has heard.

Connolly, who has an address at Collins Park, Beaumont, north Dublin, "punched him in the face".

Mr Kelly, who is in his 30s, was knocked down and Connolly then "continued to punch him on the ground".

Mr Kelly suffered a fractured eye socket during the attack, but he has recovered, the district court has heard.

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50 killed in clashes in Donetsk

Tuesday 27 May 2014 16.20

More than 50 pro-Russian rebels were killed in an unprecedented assault by Ukrainian government forces, which raged into a second day today.

It comes after a newly-elected president vowed to crush their revolt in the east once and for all.

Reuters journalists counted 20 bodies in combat fatigues in one room of a city morgue in Donetsk.

Some of the bodies were missing limbs, signs that the government had brought to bear overwhelming firepower against the rebels for the first time.

"From our side, there are more than 50 (dead)," prime minister of the rebels' self-styled Donetsk People's Republic Alexander Borodai told Reuters.

The government said it suffered no losses in the assault, which began with air strikes hours after Ukrainians overwhelmingly voted to elect 48-year-old Petro Poroshenko as their new president.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has declared Moscow's right to intervene to protect Russian speakers in Ukraine, demanded an immediate halt to the offensive.

Moscow also said it would not consider a visit by Mr Poroshenko for any talks.

Until now, Ukrainian forces have largely avoided direct assaults on the separatists, in part out of what they say is fear of precipitating an invasion by tens of thousands of Russian troops massed on the border.

But the government in Kiev appears to have interpreted Mr Poroshenko's big election victory - he won more than 54% of the vote in a field of 21 candidates, against 13% for his closest challenger, as a mandate for decisive action.

After rebels seized the Donetsk airport yesterday, Ukrainian warplanes and helicopters strafed them from the air and paratroopers were flown in as part of the assault.

Shooting carried on through the night and today the road to the airport bore signs of fighting.

Heavy machine gunfire could be heard in the distance in mid-morning.

On the road to the airport, a truck, the kind that rebels have used to ferry dozens of fighters across the region, had been obliterated by machine gun fire.

Blood was sprayed across the road and splattered as far away as a billboard seven metres above.

"The airport is completely under control," Interior Minister Arsen Avakov told journalists in the capital Kiev.

"The adversary suffered heavy losses. We have no losses," he added.

"We'll continue the anti-terrorist operation until not a single terrorist remains on the territory of Ukraine," First Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Yarema said on the margins of a government meeting.

Mr Borodai also said the airport was now under government control.

A hockey stadium in the city had been set ablaze, but the fire later was put out.

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Quinn family case admitted to the High Court

Monday 26 May 2014 15.31

An action by Seán Quinn's wife and five children against the Central Bank, the Minister for Finance and a number of former directors of the former Anglo Irish Bank has been admitted to the High Court's Commercial Division.

Ciara, Colette, Brenda, Aoife, Seán Quinn Jr and their mother, Patricia are suing the bank, the minister and ten former executive and non-executive directors of the bank over loans advanced to the Quinn Group totalling around €2.3bn between September 2007 and July 2008.

The Quinns are seeking declarations that the defendants conspired to commit illegal acts through breaches of section 60 of the Companies Act 1963 and the Market Abuse Regulations 2005. 

And that they conspired to procure the then Anglo Irish Bank to commit the same illegal acts and that the directors' authorisation of the loan facilities was illegal and or wrongful.

They are seeking damages for conspiracy, negligence, breach of duty, fraudulent misrepresentation and the misuse of power by holders of public office.

They say the loans were given to fund margin calls on Sean Quinn's gamble on Anglo shares through Contracts for Difference and they say this artificially supported Anglo's share price.

They claim the Financial Regulator and the Minister for Finance knew of, participated, facilitated and compounded the wrongful acts perpetrated by Anglo and caused substantial loss and damage to the Quinn children's valuable shareholdings.

The matter will be back before the court on 20 October.

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Heavy fighting at airport in Ukraine

Monday 26 May 2014 15.00

Three Ukrainian helicopter gunships have mounted a heavy attack on the rebel-held international airport terminal at Donetsk.

They are firing rockets and cannon and throwing out decoy flares as militants shoot at them from the ground.

A battle for the airport has been under way for over three hours in a fierce and dramatic confrontation just a day after Ukraine elected a new president, Petro Poroshenko.

Mr Poroshenko, a billionaire chocolate manufacturer, claimed the presidency emphatically.

Counting continues in the elections, however a clear majority of voters have given Mr Poroshenko a mandate to steer the country towards stability following months of bloodshed and upheaval. 

The 48-year-old won 55% in exit polls on a first round ballot marred by millions unable to vote in troubled eastern regions.

He is expected to be declared the winner in the coming days. 

Runner-up Yulia Tymoshenko, on 13%, has made it clear she will concede, sparing the country a tense three weeks until a run-off round.

Preliminary results with almost 25% of votes counted gave Mr Poroshenko 54.1% and former premier Ms Tymoshenko 13.1%.

Mr Poroshenko is a veteran survivor of Ukraine's feuding political class who threw his weight and money behind the revolt that brought down his Moscow-backed predecessor Viktor Yanukovych three months ago. 

The incoming President, who is known as the "Chocolate King", has pledged to end the "war" with separatists in the Russian-speaking east, negotiate a stable new relationship with Russia and rescue an economy sapped by months of chaos and 23 years of post-Soviet mismanagement and chronic corruption.

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30 local council seats yet to be decided

Monday 26 May 2014 15.52

Only 30 of the 949 council seats available remain to be filled in the local authority elections.

Fianna Fáil have made significant gains in the election and now hold 260 seats across the country, having received 25.3% of first preference votes.

Independents and Others makes up the next largest grouping, holding 231 council seats following a first preference vote of 28.3%.

Fine Gael support is down by more than a third since the General Election, with the party currently holding 225 seats.

Sinn Féin has also experienced considerable growth and now holds 155 seats and is the largest party on the Dublin City and South Dublin Councils.

Labour has experienced a collapse in support to 7%, holding just 50 seats nationwide. The poor performance from the party has lead to calls from backbenchers for a discussion on party leadership.

Government sources have said that the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste are to meet later today to discuss election results and a possible Cabinet reshuffle.

A number of recounts began this morning around the country.

Turnout nationally stood at 51.6%.

The Labour Party in Kilkenny has conceded defeat in a re-count they had called in the Kilkenny City East electoral area.

Cllr Tommy Prendergast had called the recount last night after there were only five votes between himself and Jimmy Leahy of Fine Gael.

After checking of ballots this morning Mr Prendergast has now officially told the returning officer that the recount can be stopped.

He has conceded defeat. He had received 659 first preference votes. 

The count in the Kilkenny City East area will now re-commence with only two of the six seats there so far filled.

Recounts called in Adare-Rathkeale & Greystones LEAs

A full recount of the Adare-Rathkeale electoral area in Limerick has been ordered by one of the candidates.

There are three seats still to be filled in the 40-seat Limerick council.

Counting is continuing in the final electoral area, the six-seater Adare-Rathkeale area, where three candidates have already been elected.

However, non-party candidate Patrick Fitzgerald called for a recount after the seventh count when just ten votes separated him from the next nearest candidate, Rose Brennan of Fine Gael.

The recount is due to get under way at around 1.30pm.

Meanwhile, at the Wicklow count centre in Greystones, a recount is in progress for the Arklow electoral area.

The recounting of votes was requested by Independent candidate Tom Curran, who is the widower of right-to-die campaigner Marie Fleming.

Local Returning Officer Thomas Murphy announced the recount after the ninth count yesterday evening.

At that stage Tom Curran was fighting for the last seat with the Sinn Féin candidate Mary McDonald, with just 13 votes between the two - in favour of McDonald.

Representatives from both sides are monitoring the recount, including Sinn Féin Councillor John Brady (elected in the Bray election area) and Independent TD Stephen Donnelly - who has been supporting Tom Curran's election campaign.

It is expected the count will last until late afternoon at the earliest.

Before the recount was called for Arklow, Fianna Fáil had taken three seats, Fine Gael one seat and Independent candidate Miriam Murphy was well positioned to take the fifth of the six seats on offer.

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Luke Flanagan tops poll in Midlands North West

Monday 26 May 2014 16.05

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan topped the poll in the Midlands North West constituency with 124,063 votes, but failed to reach the quota, which was 129,290.

Sinn Féin's Matt Carthy was second on 114,727

The first candidate will likely be elected tonight. At this stage, it is anticipated that the count will continue until Tuesday. 

Fianna Fáil's Brian Crowley has been elected on the first count in the South Constituency.

He exceeded the quota with a total of 180,329.

Sinn Féin's Liadh Ní Riada is second on 125,309 votes and Fine Gael's Seán Kelly is currently third on 83,520 votes.

Meanwhile, a recount has been requested for the Dublin European Parliament constituency following the seventh count.

It had appeared Independent Nessa Childers and Fine Gael's Brian Hayes had taken the two remaining seats following the earlier election of Lynn Boylan of Sinn Féin. 

However, Eamon Ryan of the Green Party has requested a recount.

Entering the divisive seventh count Mr Hayes held a slender lead of 904 votes over Ms Childers, with Mr Ryan a further 504 behind.

The seventh count involved the division of Ms Boylan's surplus of 1,620 votes following the elimination of Fianna Fáil's Mary Fitzpatrick.

Following the seventh count, Mr Ryan was 1,149 votes behind Mr Hayes, who in turn was 193 votes behind Ms Childers.

The count has been adjourned until 2pm.

Earlier Lynn Boylan of Sinn Féin was the runaway leader, securing 83,264 first preference votes, sufficient to secure election after the third count.

Ms Boylan secured 23.6% of total first preference votes, ahead of Mr Hayes on 15.5% and Ms Fitzpatrick on 12.6%.

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Gilmore resigns as Labour leader

Monday 26 May 2014 16.32

Eamon Gilmore has resigned this afternoon as Labour Party leader.

Mr Gilmore said he informed the party secretary at 10.30am of his intention to stand down.

He said he deeply regrets the loss of good public representatives in the recent elections.

Party and Government must move on to a new phase, he said.

"We must act on the clear message we received last Friday", he told the press conference at Iveagh House.

A new Labour leader will be chosen before the end of the current Dáil term.

Mr Gilmore expressed no view on who the next leader should be, or whether there should be generational change.

However, the Labour Party has a better chance of renewal with a new leader, he said.

Mr Gilmore will stand for his Dáil seat at the next General Election.

He said he does not think his departure will destabilise the Government.

He met Cabinet colleagues and junior ministers this afternoon ahead of his statement.

The Labour leader faced "no confidence" motions at the party's next Central Council and Parliamentary Party meetings in the aftermath of the Local and European Elections.

A motion for the Parliamentary Party meeting was proposed by TDs Ciara Conway, Dominic Hannigan, Michael McNamara, Ged Nash, Derek Nolan, Aodhan Ó Riordan, Arthur Spring and Senator John Gilroy.

Separately a "no confidence" motion was submitted to the party's Central Council, which is made up of members of the National Executive, representatives from each constituency, and also TD and councillor representatives.

Labour Party rules state that in the event of a vacancy in the leadership, the deputy leader becomes acting leader.

All party members registered for at least 18 months have a vote in electing the new leader.

The timing of the election is up to the Executive Board, but cannot be more than 45 days after the close of nominations.

Read Mr Gilmore's resignation statement here

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Pope makes peace plea during Bethlehem visit

Sunday 25 May 2014 15.51

Pope Francis has made a plea for peace at the start of a pilgrimage to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, saying the prolonged Israel-Palestinian conflict had become unacceptable.

On the second leg of a three-day visit to the Middle East, Pope Francis referred directly to the "state of Palestine", giving support for its bid for full statehood recognition.

However Pope Francis, speaking at an official reception in the Palestinian-run city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, made clear that a negotiated accord was needed.

He called on leaders from both sides to show the necessary courage to forge a deal.

"The time has come for everyone to find the courage to be generous and creative in the service of the common good, the courage to forge a peace which rests on the acknowledgement by all of the right of two States to exist and to live in peace and security within internationally recognised borders," he said.

US-backed negotiations aimed at ending the conflict collapsed last month, with the Israelis accusing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of sabotaging the talks by agreeing a unity deal with Hamas Islamists who run Gaza.

Standing alongside Mr Abbas, Pope Francis pointedly referred to him as "a man of peace and a peacemaker" before heading to Bethlehem's Manger Square, close to where Christians believe Jesus was born, to celebrate an open-air Mass.

Pope Francis flew by helicopter to Bethlehem, becoming the first pontiff to travel directly to the West Bank rather than enter via Israel, in another nod to Palestinian statehood aspirations.

He is due to travel to Israel later in the day for several meetings, before returning home tomorrow.

8,000 police officers have been deployed in Jerusalem to guarantee his security. 

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McFadden and Coppinger win by-elections

Sunday 25 May 2014 10.56

Fine Gael's Gabrielle McFadden has been elected to the Dáil in the Longford-Westmeath by-election.

Ms McFadden won on the seventh count after Fianna Fáil's Aengus O'Rourke was eliminated.

Ms McFadden achieved a vote of 20,058 and was deemed to be elected without reaching the quota.

The by-election was called after sitting TD Nicky McFadden, a sister of Ms McFadden, passed away from Motor Neuron disease at the age of 51 in March 2014.

In the immediate aftermath of the death, it was not thought likely that the by-election would take place before the summer of this year.

However, in a move that surprised some observers, the Government decided instead to have the election - and the Dublin West by-election - on the same date as the Local and European Elections.

Ms McFadden is a Westmeath County Councillor based in Athlone and was elected Mayor of Athlone in 2013.

She was first elected in 2009, with 892 votes on the seventh count. 

She withdrew from the local elections to concentrate on the by-election campaign.

Her election means that Fine Gael have two seats in the constituency, with the other being held by James Bannon.

Labour's Willie Penrose and Fianna Fáil's Robert Troy hold the other seats in the four-seat constituency.

Coppinger wins Dublin West by-election

Socialist Party candidate Ruth Coppinger topped the poll in the Dublin West by-election with 20.6% of first preference votes.

Ms Coppinger won on the sixth count after Fianna Fáil's David McGuinness was eliminated.

Ms Coppinger had a vote of 12,334, shy of the quota of 14,478 but sufficient to secure victory in the four-seat constituency.

The by-election was called after Patrick Nulty resigned after sending inappropriate messages over Facebook, including one to a 17-year-old girl.

Mr Nulty had been elected in an October 2011 by-election held to replace the late Brian Lenihan.

Ms Coppinger also contested the 2011 election and has served as a member of Fingal County Council since 2011.

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European election counts are under way

Sunday 25 May 2014 12.56

Counts for the European Parliament elections began at 9am.

An RTÉ exit poll showed that Independents and Others lead the way in terms of national support for the European elections, with support standing at 27%.

The poll showed support for both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil was at 22%.

Sinn Féin support is estimated at 17%, while Labour has seen a collapse in support to 6%.

Green Party support is estimated at 6% and the Socialist Party and the People Before Profit Alliance have a combined support of 3%.

The opinion poll surveyed 3,000 people and has a 2% margin of error.

The poll for the Dublin constituency put Sinn Féin's Lynn Boylan in pole position to win a seat with 24% support, reflective of Sinn Féin support nationally.

The remaining two seats in the constituency appear to be between Fine Gael's Brian Hayes, former Green Party TD Eamon Ryan, Independent Nessa Childers and Mary Fitzpatrick of Fianna Fáil.

Labour's Emer Costello, a sitting MEP, was predicted to have support of 8%.

The poll also placed Independent Luke 'Ming' Flanagan on course for a seat in the Midlands North West constituency.

Fine Gael's Mairead McGuinness and Matt Carthy of Sinn Féin also appear likely to win seats, although they may be more reliant on transfers.

The final seat in the constituency appears to be between the Fianna Fáil pair of Pat the Cope Gallagher and Thomas Byrne and sitting Independent MEP Marian Harkin.

The South constituency is also a four-seater, with one of those seats likely to go to sitting Fianna Fáil MEP Brian Crowley.

Sinn Féin's Liadh Ní Riada appears likely to also win a seat, while Fine Gael's three candidates - sitting MEP Seán Kelly, Deirdre Clune and Simon Harris - all polled strongly, suggesting that they may take the remaining seats if transfers work as Fine Gael would hope.

All of the regional exit polls had a 3% margin of error and surveyed 1,000 people in each of the respective constituencies.

EU countries go to the polls

European elections culminate today with "Super Sunday" when the remainder of the EU's 28 countries go to the polls.

The vote is expected to confirm the dominance of pro-European Union centrists despite a rise in support for the far-right and left.

Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Poland are among the major EU member states voting today, representing the bulk of the 388 million Europeans eligible to cast ballots and elect the 751 deputies to sit in the European Parliament from 2014-2019.

After years of economic crisis, rising unemployment and poor growth, many Europeans have come to question the wisdom of ever-closer EU integration and are expected to vote for Eurosceptic parties on the right or left that promise radical change.

Opinion polls suggest at least a quarter of seats in the parliament will go to anti-EU or protest groups, but at least 70% will remain with the four mainstream, pro-EU blocs: the centre-left, centre-right, liberals and Greens.

Some of the earliest polls opened in Greece, where voting is compulsory. The last ballots will be cast in Italy, where polls will remain open until 10pm Irish time.

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DUP and Sinn Féin in Northern Ireland council wins

Sunday 25 May 2014 15.47

The Democratic Unionists and Sinn Féin have secured the lion's share of seats on Northern Ireland's new-look councils, as expected.

While the DUP won the most seats with 130, the party's 23.1% share of the vote was down around 4% on the last local election poll in 2011.

Sinn Féin came second in terms of seats with 105 but garnered the largest percentage of the overall vote.

The republican party's 24.1% share of first preferences was down slightly on its 24.8% in 2011.

The Ulster Unionists were the only one of the five main Stormont parties to increase the percentage, as smaller parties and independents scored some notable successes.

As well as the upswing in UUP fortunes, the drop in the DUP share of the vote was also due to a strong performance by the hardline Traditional Unionist Voice party, which won 13 seats and 4.5% of the vote - up from 2% in 2011.

The planned two-day count drifted into three, with the Ormiston district of Belfast the last to declare in the early hours of Sunday.

Of the 462 seats on offer, the UUP won 88 , the SDLP 66 and the Alliance Party 32.

With the number of councillors being cut by more than 100 in a major restructuring that sees the old 26-council model replaced by 11 beefed-up "super councils", the only useful comparator on the last local government election is percentage share of the vote.

The UUP, the once predominant unionist party that has been steadily eclipsed by the DUP in the last decade, has pointed to this election as proof of a mounting comeback.

Its 16.1% of first preferences was up almost 1% on the last council election. The SDLP's 13.6% was down 1.4% on 2011.

Going into the poll, interest surrounded the performance of the Alliance Party, which has been criticised by unionists over the last 18 months for its decision to support a vote in Belfast City Council to limit the flying of the Union flag at City Hall.

But speculation that Alliance's vote, particularly in Belfast, would collapse due to it losing supporters in working class loyalist areas turned out to be unfounded, with the party recording a solid showing.

Its 6.7% share of first preferences was down only 0.7% on 2011.

The Greens won four seats and the Progressive Unionist Party took three, as did UKIP.

Hardline republican Gary Donnelly, a critic of Sinn Féin, won a seat in Derry and Strabane. He was one of a number of independent successes across Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, the region's newest political party NI21 secured a solitary seat in Lisburn.

But the party's future remains in doubt after internal upheavals forced its leader Basil McCrea to deny allegations of sexual misconduct made by a former party worker, and saw its European candidate Tina McKenzie resign from frontline politics before that poll is even counted.

The local government poll took place on Thursday at the same time as the elections for the European Parliament but the Euro candidates hoping to book one of three tickets to Brussels will have to wait until Monday to find out their fate.

The new councils will operate in shadow form for a 10-month period, before officially replacing the current councils on 1 April next year.

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Over 500 local authority seats now filled

Sunday 25 May 2014 16.28

Over half of the local authority seats are filled as counting continues for a second day in the elections.

So far, 570 of the 949 seats have been filled.

The European Parliament election count is also under way.

Westmeath, Cork and Leitrim county councils are the only councils which have completed their counts.

Independents and Others hold 148 seats having received the highest overall first preference vote of 28.4%.

Fianna Fáil currently leads, with 152 seats so far, with a first preference vote of 24.8%.

Sinn Féin at present holds 119 seats nationwide, having received 15.5% of first preference votes.

Fine Gael holds 116 seats and Labour 35.

Fine Gael received the third-highest first preference vote of 23.8%, while Labour received 7.5% of first-preferences.

Turnout nationally stood at 50.8%.

At least four mayors have lost their seats so far - Mayor of Clare Joe Arkins of Fine Gael, and Lord Mayor of Cork Catherine Clancy of Labour.

Cork County Mayor Noel O'Connor of Fine Gael was also not re-elected.

This afternoon, former Limerick mayor and outgoing Fine Gael Councillor Diarmuid Scully was eliminated following the ninth count in the Limerick West electoral area.

Four former TDs have had successful local elections campaigns so far, with Mary Hanafin and Charlie O'Connor of Fianna Fáil, Ciaran Cuffe of the Green Party and Chris Andrews of Sinn Féin all being elected.

19 former TDs contested the election and a number of these look likely to also take seats,

Elsewhere, Independent candidate Margaret Gormley has topped the poll in Ballymote-Tubercurry, maintaining her record of topping every poll since 1991.

A number of parties have also seen fresh blood emerge, with 21-year-old Stephen Cunningham of Sinn Féin and 23-year-old Fintan Phelan of Fianna Fáil among the youngest candidates to be elected.

Former Mayor of Naas re-elected

Controversial former Mayor of Naas Darren Scully has also been re-elected.

Mr Scully lost the Fine Gael party whip after he made racist remarks about constituents in November 2011.

Speaking on local radio he said that he would no longer represent ''black Africans'' in his community because of ''aggression'' he received when dealing with them.

Mr Scully was restored to the party in November 2013 and tonight was elected on the fifth count in the Naas Electoral Area.

Boxer Kenneth Egan has been elected on the eighth count in the Clondalkin ward in South Dublin County Council.

Meanwhile, the first Anti-Austerity Alliance candidate in Limerick has been elected to the new local authority.

Cian Prendiville was elected following the ninth county in the Limerick City North electoral area where he secured 9% of first preference votes.

He has taken the third seat in the six-seater ward and came in behind Fine Gael Councillor Michael Hourigan who was also elected in the ninth count.

Speaking after his election, Mr Prendiville, a 24-year-old UL graduate, said: "I think it's clear that the people of Limerick and the people of Ireland have sent a clear anti-water tax and anti austerity message to this government.

 "If Labour refuse to hear it and keep on going with the water charges we will have to move from a protest vote to a protest movement," he warned.

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Paris Bakery staff stage second day of sit-in

Saturday 24 May 2014 15.15

A sit-in by employees of the Paris Bakery is continuing for a second day in Dublin city centre.

Workers at the Moore Street bakery, which closed suddenly on Tuesday, said they are owed wages and entitlements totalling around €55,000.

The workers are calling on Government intervention to ensure the workers are paid what they are owed.

It is understood the company, which previously employed up to 70 staff, has moved to a new location in Balbriggan.

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Exit polls show major boost for Independents

Saturday 24 May 2014 15.31

RTÉ exit polls show that Independent and other candidates appear to have won the highest percentage of the vote in yesterday's local elections, while Sinn Féin appears to be on course to win an MEP seat in Dublin.

The local election poll, which was carried out by Behaviour and Attitudes, took the views of more than 3,000 voters and has a national margin of error of less than 2%.

The poll found Independents and others received 27% of the national vote in the European elections and 28% in the locals.

The Labour Party vote appears to have slumped from 19% in the last General Election to 7% in the locals and 6% in the Europeans.

Fine Gael's 36% support in 2011 fell to 24% in the local elections and to 22% in the European contest, according to the poll.

Fianna Fáil has seen an increase of 5% on its General Election showing, with the party's support estimated at 22%, which is below what it won in these elections five years ago.

Sinn Féin's support is up since the General Election from 10% to 17% in the European Elections and 16% in the council ones.

The Green Party is estimated to be 3% in the locals and 6% in the European elections.

Support for the Socialist Party and the People Before Profit Alliance is at a combined 3%. 

The European election poll - also carried out by Behaviour and Attitudes - took the views of more than 1,000 voters in the Dublin constituency and it has a margin of error 3%.

This poll puts Sinn Féin's Lynn Boylan on 24%, just short of a quota.

Four candidates appear to be in contention for the other two seats in Dublin.

They are Fine Gael's Brian Hayes and the Green's Eamon Ryan who are both on 14%.

Also in the race are Mary Fitzpatrick of Fianna Fáil on 12% and Independent Nessa Childers on 11%.

Labour's Emer Costello is on 8%, Paul Murphy of the Socialist Party is on 7% and Brid Smith of People Before Profit is on 6%.

Flanagan on course to win seat in Midlands North West

The exit poll shows Independent Luke 'Ming' Flanagan is on course to win a seat in the Midlands North West constituency.

The poll also took the views of just under 1,000 voters in the constituency and has a margin of error of around 3%.

Mr Flanagan looks like he could be leaving Leinster House for Brussels very soon.

He is on 20% support which, if this were to translate into votes, would be enough to elect him.

Fine Gael's Mairead McGuinness is estimated to have 16% support  which suggests she will win a seat.

Matt Carthy of Sinn Féin has 13% support.

That puts him firmly in the reckoning for a seat but he will need transfers to get there, based on these poll findings.

The combined Fianna Fáil vote here is 21% but it is split almost evenly between two candidates.

Pat the Cope Gallagher is on 11% and Thomas Byrne 10%. This vote will have to transfer smoothly if one of them is to get elected.

Sitting Independent MEP Marian Harkin is on 11%.

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin has responded to early poll showings, saying people understand that the Government had to put in place the tough measures but did not like them.

Speaking to RTÉ, Mr Howlin said the poll showed people's reluctance to reward the Coalition coupled with an equal reluctance to switch their allegiance to the larger opposition parties.

The European Parliament Election votes will not be counted until tomorrow.

The final turnout for the elections, which closed at 10pm last night, is estimated at being somewhere around 50%.

The figure for the Euro South constituency finished just above that.

Turnout in the Midlands North West is expected to be somewhere between 55% and 60%, while the turnout in Dublin is likely to have been much lower.

The results of the two Dáil by-elections will be known later today, and many of the councillors are also expected to be elected by this evening.

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Seven killed in California shootings

Saturday 24 May 2014 14.12

Seven people were killed and seven others wounded in a shooting in Santa Barbara, California.

Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said the shooting in the town of Isla Vista, near the campus of the University of California at Santa Barbara, "appears to be a mass murder situation."

Police said the gunman was among the dead.

Driving a black BMW, the suspect opened fire on pedestrians from his vehicle at several locations in the town on a busy Friday night.

Police received their first emergency calls about the shooting around 9.30 pm Friday (5.30am Irish time Saturday).

Twice, the shooter exchanged gunfire with police from his car, and fled both times.

He then crashed into a parked vehicle.

When police approached him they "determined that the suspect ... was dead of an apparent gunshot wound to the head," Sheriff Brown said.

Police recovered a handgun from the suspect's vehicle.

Authorities believe that the shooter acted alone, and said they are investigating a threatening video posted by the alleged shooter on YouTube as evidence.

Police are "analysing both written and videotaped evidence that suggest this atrocity was a premeditated mass murder," Sheriff Brown told reporters.

Authorities have not yet released the suspect's name.

"We have identified nine separate crime scenes," Sheriff Brown said, describing the situation in the streets of the college town at an early morning press conference as "chaotic."
 

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Four dead in car bomb attack on Somalia parliament

Saturday 24 May 2014 15.13

At least four people have died after a car bomb went off near the Somali parliament in Mogadadshu.

"There is an attack near the parliament building. There was a car bomb explosion and gunfire broke out. We don't have details so far," police official Husein Ise said.

Witnesses said Al-Shabaab militants, the Al-Qaeda-linked group fighting to overthrow Somalia's internationally-backed government, appeared to be carrying out an attack on the complex while MPs were meeting inside.

It was not immediately clear if gunmen had managed to penetrate the parliament complex, and there were no immediate reports of casualties.

The attack appeared to be similar to a assault on February by Al-Shabaab against the heavily-fortified presidential palace, which saw a car bomb go off at the gates of the Villa Somalia followed by an attack by suicide gunmen which left at least 16 dead including the attackers.

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SF's Paul Donnelly tops poll in Dublin West

Saturday 24 May 2014 16.37

Sinn Féin's Paul Donnelly has topped the poll  Dublin West Dáil by-election.

He is closely followed by the Socialist Party's Ruth Coppinger, who is eight votes behind Mr Donnelly in Dublin West after the second count.

This is one more good result for Sinn Féin on a very good day for the party.

They are now in the fray to win a Dáil seat on the day the party's number of councillors is set to increase substantially.

Transfers will decide this contest later. Mr Donnelly got 6,066 first preferences. 

However, there was more bad news for the Labour Party.

It came seventh after the first count trailing the Green Party by around 300 votes.

Labour Party Deputy Leader Joan Burton has said today was a difficult day for the party but maintained she has confidence in the party leader Eamon Gilmore.

The first council seat of 949 has also been filled.

Independent Michael Kilcoyne was elected to Mayo Coounty Council in Castlebar LEA on the first count with 2,921 first preferences.

The quota was 1,711.

Andrew McGuinness, outgoing Fianna Fáil councillor and son of TD John, is expected to top the poll in the Kilkenny City East.

It has not been all bad news for the Labour Party, as Noel McCarthy has bucked the national trend and topped the tallies in the Fermoy electoral area with 20.8% of the vote.

Ireland's oldest Mayor Ian McGarvey looks set to retain his seat on on Donegal County Council.

According to first count tally figures. McGarvey is the seventh of 22 candidates in the ten seat Letterkenny.  

In Sligo, it appears that former Fianna Fáil TD Eamonn Scanlon did not poll as well as expected with tallies showing him getting just 7% of the vote. 

FG, SF will battle to lead next Govt - Varadkar

Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar has said what could potentially emerge from these elections is a battle between Fine Gael and Sinn Féin to lead the next Government.

He said as a result there has to be more focus on the alternative Sinn Féin presented.

Mr Varadkar said the people have sent the Government a message today.

He said it was clear that the electorate was not happy.

"They're hurting from many of the measures that have been introduced in recent years and they want us to do a better job," he said

The minister said there was strong element of a protest vote.

He said Sinn Féin and Independents were doing very well but the electorate had clearly not settled on an alternative government.

He added they were still giving the present Government a chance and they wanted it to "continue doing the things we have been doing to restore stability to the country."

The minister said he accepted that these results were not just a blip and there was going to be a battle for the next year or so between Sinn Féin and Fine Gael to lead the next government.

Government suffering from 'protest vote' - Fitzgerald

Meanwhile, Minister for Justice and Equality Frances Fitzgerald has said she always expected these elections to be difficult for Fine Gael. 

Speaking to RTÉ News at the Citywest count centre, she said the Government parties were suffering from a protest vote, which was 'predictable' given that the Government was pursuing policies that have never been tested.

"Quite clearly governments, generally speaking, do not do well in mid-term elections. There's a very big scope for a protest vote ... We're seeing that", she said.

"I recognise that this was always going to be a difficult election for Fine Gael and Labour", she added.

Labour Party has 'taken a shellacking' - Burton

Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton has admitted that "today is a difficult day for the Labour Party" but maintained she has confidence in party leader Eamon Gilmore.

Asked a number of times by reporters at Citywest if the leadership of the party was now an issue, she said, "I think the issues are far wider than one person ... Eamon Gilmore is the elected leader of the Labour Party  and of course I have confidence in him but it's much wider than that." 

She denied not giving Gilmore a "ringing endorsement", and said it was "a very direct endorsement" but that "we're still in the middle of the count" and that, "in the words of Barack Obama", the Labour Party had "taken a shellacking". 

'John the Baptist' would not have done better - Rabbitte

Pat Rabbitte has said he does not think if John the Baptist had led the Labour Party into this election it would have produced any better a result.

The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources said Eamon Gilmore should continue as leader of the Labour party.

He said he did not know if there will be a leadership challenge and he was not aware of any moves against Mr Gilmore.

Mr Rabbitte said Eamon Gilmore had in the past led the Labour Party to its best ever result.

He said it is very difficult to see Labour winning a European seat in this election. Labour has taken the brunt of the anger against the Government, he said.

Speaking on RTÉ's special election programme, he asked where would the country be now if it had voted for a mixture of Independents and Sinn Féin in 2011?

He said that while canvassing he found "there is a certain comfort now the country has drawn back from the precipice" and people want to show they have had enough of the tough measures the Government has had to implement.

Reacting to the Behaviour and Attitudes exit poll for RTÉ he said everyone knows the Government has had a couple of bad months and after six years people have run out of patience.

They are sending a message to the Government midway through its term, he said.

But, he added, it does not mean the next General Election will deliver a Government of Sinn Féin and Independents

Referring to recent controversies, Mr Rabbitte said if the people do not like a united Government taking tough decisions they like less a Government that is not communicating a united sense of purpose.

Cabinet reshuffle 'opportunity for renewal'

On the expected Cabinet reshuffle he said that there is an opportunity for renewal. On his own future in Cabinet he said he had no say "good, bad or indifferent" on that.

He said the Programme for Government has been largely achieved but it needs to be renewed as the questions the Government has to answer have changed from ones of survival to ones about housing and medical cards.

He said he does not expect a party conference on a new Programme for Government as other governments have refurbished programmes for government without party conferences.

"The Programme for Government has largely been accomplished because it's a product of the crises we faced in the winter of 2010 and 2011.

"Therefore it was focused on economic sovereignty, bidding farewell to the Troika and trying to initiate economic recovery.

"That's behind us. The questions have changed ... People feel a confidence now that they didn't feel in 2011", he said.

'We accept the verdicts of the people" - O'Dowd

Speaking at the count centre in Co Louth, Fine Gael's Fergus O'Dowd said that his party's vote is holding up very well. It is a mid-term election and in every mid-term election in the world the Government suffer some losses.

He acknowledged the clear increase in votes for Independents and Sinn Féin but said Fine Gael is hopefully holding its core vote in Co Louth.

The Minister of State said it was a very difficult campaign and all candidates are performing very well in the circumstances.

He added that the lift in the economy is not felt by everybody and we know that.

"We accept the verdicts of the people", he said.

Sinn Féin vote is a vote to change - McDonald

Elsewhere, Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald has said her party will work to challenge spending policies following its increased vote in all three elections.

Ms McDonald said that the vote for Sinn Féin is a vote to change.

The Sinn Féin Deputy Leader added it would be a big mistake for the Government parties to think that they can take their wallop today and that is the end of it

She said she thinks something much more profound has happened.

Fianna Fáil's Éamon Ó Cuív said the vote for Luke Ming Flanagan was a clear signal that people in the west of Ireland were fed up to the back teeth of "over-regulation from Europe".

He expressed disappointment about the early indicators for the Fianna Fáil vote, but said he was confident that the Fianna Fáil vote would hold up well in the end.

He said the surge in support for Sinn Féin and Independents did not take away from Fianna Fáil as the main party of Opposition.

He also said Micheál Martin would remain as party leader, that leadership is "collective" and Fianna Fáil needs to focus more on policies to serve the requirements of the people.

Follow our LIVE Elections Blog for the latest updates from the constituencies

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