Europe Intelligence Wire articles from March 2007

Europe Intelligence Wire archives from March 2007

Love and death in Saddam's shadow.
March 31, 2007... (From Yorkshire Post) Against the backdrop of Saddam's bloody regime, one Yorkshirewoman's monumental story of love and betrayal was played out. Michael Hickling reports Munem, the husband of Pauline Knowles-Samarraie, came to stand at...

Bramham promising even more thrills.
March 31, 2007... (From Yorkshire Post) Brilliant Bramham is getting ever closer. Advance tickets are now available for the Bramham International Horse Trials, which will take place from June 7-10. Bramham is the top equestrian event in the north...

WEEKLY ROUND-UP : Dublin ends on a shaky note in red.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) THE Irish equity market ended the week on a shaky note, following a helter-skelter day's movement. The ISEQ Overall index opened weaker and fell sharply during the morning session, at one stage extending the...

BUSINESS WEEK : ESRI report notes economic slowdown year.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) THE Irish economy will slow sharply over the next year, theEconomic and Social Research Institute(ESRI) warned on Thursday in its quarterly research. The ESRI forecasted that growth will fall from 5.4pc this...

BAA airports operator could face break-up.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) UK airports operator BAA came a step closer to being broken up yesterday after airlines won their battle for a full investigation into the dominant airports operator. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) referred...

Approaches could lead to a Mater Private offer.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) PRIVATE hospital group Mater Private has received a number of approaches from parties interested in acquiring the company over the past couple of weeks. The Irish Independent has learned that the approaches...

Mayo Power plant seeks planning.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) MAYO Power Ltd has lodged its application for planning permission with Mayo County Council to build a 140m electricity generating plant in north Mayo. The output from the plant will stabilise the transmission...

Providence books a drilling rig.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) EXPLORATION drilling offshore Ireland is set to resume this year with the news that Providence Resources has secured the drill rig Petrolia to test a Celtic Sea prospect called Hook Head. Providence said it...

Newcourt adds on healthcare recruiter.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) SUPPORT services group Newcourt has completed another bolt-on acquisition in the recruitment sector, where it is now one of the major players in Ireland. Through its subsidiary, Sigmar Group, it has bought...

Mortgage frenzy slowdown continues.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) Annual rate of growth in private sector credit slowest since August 2004 THE growth rate in mortgage borrowing fell back last month, while overall lending growth in the economy showed its lowest increase...

Exclusive room with a view to eat, drink and be merry.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) EXECUTIVE LIFESTYLES THE date is March 24 and the time is 2.30. The masses are thronging the streets outside Croke Park, desperately fighting their way to the top of the queue at a chip van. They're...

Corporate hospitality: what's on offer.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) GAELIC GAMES: Croke Park has about 2,000 spots spread over 87 corporate boxes, plus 8,500 premium-level seats. Corporate boxes can be bought for 5 to 10 years, for 145,000 to 267,000, while premium seats cost...

Unfit and drunk by the age of 12.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) Study of schoolchildren paints a worrying picture of out-of-shape teenagers OUR teenagers are unfit, unhealthy and suffering from adult afflictions such as high blood pressure because of their poor...

Eight-in-ten teens tried to lose weight over last year.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) EIGHT out of every 10 teenagers have tried to lose weight in the past year, a new report shows. There is no difference in the percentages of males and females who tried weight control - but there is a...

Parties must get together over Health.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) There are two essential requirements for a high-quality, value for money Health Service: political agreement on a clearly defined, long-term strategy and operational competence in implementing that strategy....

Who runs the City Council?
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) Do you remember the comedy series 'Yes Minister'? Well if you do, then you cannot fail to draw comparison with the goings-on currently taking place at City Hall. City Hall indeed. The city is apparently...

A different Patriot Game.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) Watching TG4's programme 'The Patriot Game' on Thursday night about the southern based IRA campaign in the 1950s, two points came to mind. One, This well intentioned, if doomed campaign did not engage in the...

Luas bedlam on match day.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) Having attended the wonderful occasion that was the Ireland v Slovakia match on Wednesday, I feel I must write about the shambolic LUAS operation on the night. Running every six minutes, according to the...

KISS ME AGAIN KATE.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) As Kate Winslet and Leo DiCaprio prepare for their first film reunion since the triumphant 'Titanic',LISE HAND wonders if they're good enough to join the pantheon of truly great screen couples Amazingly,...

A Dublin swansong.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) The bell has tolled and the end is sadly but inevitably nigh for the reliably popular Andrews Lane Theatre ( www.andrewslane.com). Much has already been written about the implications of the disappearance of this...

Haydn, the Shakespeare of music.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) Google Franz Joseph Haydn and you'll be presented with over 1.3 million places to go looking. Hardly a surprise - he was known in his time as the Shakespeare of music. Joseph Haydn, to give him his familiar...

Still waiting for the real Michael Colgan.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) It was yet another opening night at the Gate Theatre and Michael Colgan was moving towards the expectant throng at the bar. "I'm going to talk to my 300 closest friends," he quipped to the camera crew as he...

Going back to our Roots.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) As far as I know,Roots, the mini-series based on African-American author Alex Haley's bestselling novel about his slave ancestry, hasn't been repeated on television in this part of the world since its first...

When motorway crashes happen, God has nothing whatsoever to do with it.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) A simple nursery rhyme hung on the wall of Anglo-American HQ in London during World War II. The words were US founding father Benjamin Franklin's, the sentiment almost 700 years old. "For the want of a nail,...

COVER STORY : Did his visions of death transform Doctor No into Ireland's most unlikely yes man?
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) For decades his name was synonymous with intransigence, religious zealotry and a refusal to compromise. But Ian Paisley returned from his serious health scare a changed man. JOHN COONEY reports The Rev Ian...

A step too far for the church he built?
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) Edward McCann It might be surprising to some to know that St Patrick's Day has always been a significant date for Ian Paisley. It was on March 17 that a young Protestant firebrand set up the Free Presbyterian...

DAMNATION ONCE AGAIN.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) The Pope this week resurrected the concept of hell - so what's it like down there? Just a few months ago, he tried to abolish Limbo. Now Pope Benedict wants to bring back Hell. Eager to dispel the cushy...

What the Hell is it all about?
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre said it was "other people". TS Eliot thought it was "oneself". The puritan poet John Milton described Hell as a ruined Eden, ruled by a brutal Satan "chained on a burning...

Y-E-S! This patch really is the female Viagra . . .
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) But CAITRIONA PALMER warns men not to get too excited about the new treatment which was launched this week The refrain, 'Not tonight dear, I've got a headache', may soon be history thanks to a new female...

I'm stumped by this cricket mania.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) Suddenly cricket has become a big talking point as the Irish team take on the big boys in the World Cup in the Caribbean. Is this just a passing fancy - or the dawn of a new age? DARRAGH McMANUS, below, says it...

I say, old chap, it's actually jolly good fun!
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) 'Don't forget about the box." When I mention to the handful of cricket aficionados in the office that I will be attempting their sacred sport for the first time, they remind me about the box. It soon becomes...

Fine Gael's new stake a claim to.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) BLOGS, VIDEOS AND CHEEKY As Fine Gael holds its ard fheis, the party hopes its new breed of candidate will help it to regain power at the upcoming election. KIM BIELENBERG reports It is the first Irish...

young tigers generation Bebo.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) POSTERS OVER URINALS . . . ble, Phelan writes: "No one votes for up-their-own-ass unpleasent s.o.b.s so our politicians tend, at the very least, to be affable, pleasent and damm good company." Fine Gael might...

I'm a celebrity - vote for me.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) Frank McNamara, the former Late Late Show pianist, had a political baptism of fire this week when he announced his candidature in the general election. Having joined the Progressive Democrats on Monday, he...

It's fame, but not as we know it.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) By Catherine Elsworth in Los AngelesLast month, the world watched as Hollywood stars walked the red carpet to hear who had won a coveted Oscar. This week's showbiz awards were a little more low-key. But...

Big turnout for Norma's charity ball.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) No wonder Fergus Finlay had a broad smile on his face last Saturday night. As chief executive of the extremely hard-working Irish children's charity, Barnardos, Fergus and his wife Freda were guests at Norma...

Lisa reigns as fashion queen at 'VIP' awards.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) Was it all the hairspray in the air? Certainly, the gals were ultra-giddy on Thursday night at the annual Peter MarkVIP Style Awards in the Shelbourne Hotel. There was real razzle-dazzle on the night with...

The eternal sunburn of the witless Irish.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) There is a feeling abroad that spring has sprung, and that summer cannot be far behind. God, it seems, is in His heaven, and all is right with the world. However, I offer the following cautionary tales...

High fashion on the Cork quays.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) Over 350 ladies stepped out on Tuesday night in the new City Quarter on Lapps Quay, Cork, as Beth Haughton, owner of the fabulous BETH boutique, hosted a superb fashion show. Special guests included Anne...

Another taste of Dublin.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) Back to the Shelbourne again last night, this time for the launch of this year's Taste of Dublin. Fittingly it was was launched with great finesse at a gourmet gathering of chefs, restaurant owners and other...

1O TERRIBLE COUPLES.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman ( Bewitched): The only spellbinding thing about this turkey was the total lack of magic between the leading man and lady. Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck ( Gigli): 'Bennifer'...

Top garda resigns in drink-drive inquiry.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) Traffic chief was appointed to post only three weeks ago A SENIOR Garda traffic officer, who was arrested on suspicion of drink driving, has resigned from the force. Garda Supt James Fitzgerald (54) told...

EU orders Iran to let captives go.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) THE European Union yesterday demanded that Iran release 15 British sailors and marines immediately. Brussels also warned of undefined "appropriate measures" if Tehran does not comply. A statement from...

Good legal basis for not giving Cassidy report, insists DPP.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) THE Director of Public Prosecutions has defended his decision not to give State Pathologist Marie Cassidy her predecessor's report to consider in deciding on the cause of Brian Murphy's death. The statement...

Yard probe Woolmer death mystery.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) IRELAND'S valiant effort in the cricket World Cup was destined to end in failure against England last night. But the players had the consolation of claiming the scalp of fellow Irishman Ed Joyce who now plays...

Medical Council members 'should quit over ruling'.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) THE consultant who first challenged the findings of State Pathologist Marie Cassidy in the Brian Murphy case has praised her retraction of evidence. But Dr Bill Tormey has called on the Medical Council to...

REM to play four nights at Olympia in summer.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) IRISH fans of American rock legends REM will be the first audience in the world to hear their new album before it's even released. The band is to hold a week-long "working rehearsal" at Dublin's Olympia...

Nun 'cured' after prayer to Pope.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) A FRENCH nun yesterday recounted her 'miracle' cure from Parkinson's disease in testimony that could prompt the Catholic Church to make Pope John Paul II a saint. Sister Marie Simon-Pierre (above) explained...

Man accused of killing wife can stay at crime scene.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) THE husband of murdered young mother Rachel O'Reilly has been granted permission to spend weekends in the family home where his wife died. Joe O'Reilly will stand trial for the murder of his wife at Dublin's...

An Taisce in court bid to halt new motorway.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) A COURT challenge to the legality of the new M3 motorway near the Hill of Tara is to be brought by An Taisce. The heritage organisation will seek permission from the High Court next week to bring an action...

TV coup: Setanta scores with FA Cup deal.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) Irish broadcaster nets top tournament for 220m THEY began by showing football matches in Irish pubs in London during Italia 90. Now they have acquired the TV rights to the most prestigious tournament in...

Parents' group wins right to see documents.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) THE Parents for Justice Group is to get access to submissions made by the National Maternity Hospital to the Dunne Inquiry into the retention by hospitals of the organs of dead children. The move comes after...

RTE vs Setanta.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) RTE * Gaelic football and hurling championships * World Cup and European Championships * Olympic games * Irish home football qualifiers in Euro championships and World Cup * 15 Premiership...

House prices 15pc too high but market 'still not at risk'.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) HOUSE prices may be overvalued by 15pc . . . but this still doesn't mean we're heading for a fall in property prices this year, say leading economists. The ESRI warned earlier this week that property prices...

'Stroke' to begin jail term as his bail bid fails.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) GALWAY county councillor Michael 'Stroke' Fahy is to begin his one-year jail sentence for attempted theft and fraud offences next week. The former Fianna Fail councillor will begin the sentence on Tuesday...

Prisoner accused of murdering stalker found dead in cell.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) A PRISONER who was facing a charge of murdering an 80-year-old man was found dead in his prison cell yesterday. The 22-year-old inmate, named as Gerard Cullen Brady, had been serving a 15-month sentence for...

Council's delay may mean end of plan for marina.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) PLANS by Wicklow County Council to redevelop Greystones Harbour as a 230-berth marina and apartment complex could fall by the wayside, it was revealed last night. The Department of Finance has yet to sanction...

Contaminated tap water crisis likely to last for months.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) THE fiasco over Galway's contaminated water supply may not be resolved for months with government ministers and officials unable to say when safe supplies will be restored.Despite a PR charm offensive yesterday,...

Radical plan to clean up city's crime-ridden housing estates.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) A MINIMUM OF 100 extra gardai and the demolition of 1,000 houses are among recommendations made to try and tackle crime in some of Limerick's troubled housing estates. The report was compiled by former Dublin...

Sentence remand for man covicted of raping girl.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) A MAN has been convicted at the Central Criminal Court of raping a then 16-year-old girl in countryside outside Cork city. Keith Walsh, a 27-year-old plasterer of Ardcullen, Hollyhill, was found guilty on...

DJ put away for 10 years over abuse of girls in home.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) THE founder of pirate station Radio Dublin has been jailed for 10 years for sexually assaulting young girls at his home some 30 years ago. Eamonn 'Captain' Cooke (70), with addresses at Heatherview Avenue,...

A lifetime of torment from paedophile's cruel attacks.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) THE victim's voice wavered as she described her pain as "simply a drop in the ocean" of torment caused to other children by the founder of the illegal station Radio Dublin. The voices of the two victims - one...

Tribunal 'was not unfair' to property developer.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) THE Supreme Court yesterday cleared the way for the Mahon Planning Tribunal to further inquire into allegations made against Cork property developer Owen O'Callaghan. Inquiries into the Quarryvale Two module...

Court orders O'Gara to stop selling tiles from his 'showroom' in park on square.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) BUSINESSMAN Noel O'Gara has been ordered by a judge to stop selling tiles from Dartmouth Square Park and to remove a caravan he had parked there, writes Ray Managh. Judge Jacqueline Linnane, in the Circuit...

Kenny to put health 'crisis' at centre of election battle.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) FINE Gael leader Enda Kenny last night put health at the centre of the general-election battle and said it would be the "top priority" of the next government. He re-iterated his earlier promise that, over the...

Garda Commissioner says sorry to Shortt over wrongful conviction.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) THE Garda Commissioner has issued an unreserved apology to wrongly convicted Frank Shortt. Speaking for the first time since the Supreme Court increased his damages to 4.7m, the former nightclub owner also...

Kate's road death blamed on our 'rush-rush' culture.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) A PRIEST has blamed our "terrible culture of haste" for causing the death of a young mother in the M7 pile-up earlier this week. He was speaking at the removal last night of mother-of-one Kate Moyles (24),...

Scribblings of a revolutionary countess.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) A COPYBOOK containing plans for the 1916 Rising, handwritten by Countess Markievicz, has gone on display in a unique exhibition at her ancestral home. "Points of attack", "lines of defence", "assembly" are...

Victim of road accident named.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) A MAN killed in a two-car collision near Foxford, Co Mayo on Thursday night has been named as Paul Leonard (75), from Rathowen, Killala, Ballina. Mr Leonard was travelling alone when his car was involved in a...

Grim finale to a career clouded by series of controversies.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) JIM Fitzgerald, who resigned yesterday from the gardai after his arrest on suspicion of drink-driving, was regarded by colleagues as a very capable officer. Although his career had been marked by controversy,...

Arrest is 'embarrassing' for the force's traffic corps, says Gaybo.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) CHAIRMAN of the Road Safety Authority Gay Byrne has said the arrest of a garda superintendent for suspected drink driving was "extremely embarrassing" for the force's traffic corps. He said the arrest is "a...

Millions of shoppers warned over credit card fraud.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) IRISH shoppers are among millions of people worldwide at risk from what is believed to be the biggest case of credit card fraud ever. Customers of TK Maxx discount fashion stores have had credit card and...

Drugs mule may get community service.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) A COLLEGE dropout who was found transporting over 20,000 of ecstasy tablets in a borrowed car "as a favour", is to be assessed for community service in lieu of three years imprisonment. Claire Hanrahan (21)...

Sales contract with Sky TV boosts city jobs tally to 480 in the past week.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) CORK celebrated a job boost yesterday after a local firm secured a major contract from Sky TV. The 100-job expansion by Abtran brings to 480 the new jobs confirmed for Cork by investment projects over the...

Stones' gig sells out in single morning.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) THE Rolling Stones may have been around for years but tickets for their gig at Slane disappeared as soon as they were released yesterday. Some 60,000 tickets sold out in just 30 minutes as eager fans shelled...

Taste of Dublin Al fresco treats for 32,000.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) TWO top Irish chefs have unveiled a gourmet platter that can be sampled at a four-day food and drink festival this summer. Michelin Star veteran Kevin Thornton (above left) and Chapter One's Ross Lewis (above...

Gay rugby team tries to kick clubbing image into touch.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) THE captain of Ireland's only gay rugby team hopes his club will tackle gay stereotypes and become a role model for young homosexual sportsmen. A TG4 documentary, 'Queering the Pitch' (Wednesday 9.30pm),...

80,000 cigarettes taken after home barricaded.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) A TERRIFIED family were trapped in their home yesterday by a gang who stole more than 80,000 worth of cigarettes. A huge Garda manhunt has now been launched for the gang, who barricaded the family into their...

Sr Stan hits out at tax-cut plan for high earners.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) THE founder of homeless charity Focus Ireland has hit out at proposals to lower tax rates for people who "don't want or need" them. Social campaigner Sr Stanislaus Kennedy, said the money would be better...

Gardai hunt men in getaway chase after cocaine seizure.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) GARDAI are hunting for two men after a high-speed chase in Cork resulted in the seizure of more than 400,000 worth of cocaine adjacent to a city hospital. The chase began after the Cork Drug Squad directed a...

Company warns over scam fears.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) CUSTOMERS of TK Maxx who used credit or debit cards between 2003 and December 18, 2006, could be at risk of fraud - although the prime period of risk appears to be between January 2003 and June 2004. The...

'Irish charmer' conned women across world.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) A MAN nicknamed "The Lost Luggage Chancer" has been jailed for 12 months after duping women at airports across the world. Simon Smith (43) preyed on passengers waiting to board flights by falsely claiming his...

'King' Henry takes himself a queen.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) HE'S the leading light on his county's hurling team. But yesterday 'King' Henry Shefflin was outshone by his new bride. The Hurler-of-the-Year tied the knot with Deirdre O'Sullivan in her home town,...

13 years for robber who knifed hero garda during heist.
March 31, 2007... (From Irish Independent) A DRUG user who stabbed an off-duty garda who tackled him during a string of violent post office robberies in which he put knives to customers' throats has been jailed for 13 years. Dublin Circuit Criminal...