By J. P. Anderson

At London’s Heathrow Airport within the past hour or so, a fire has been reported in a car. Scotland Yard has denied that there has been an explosion at Heathrow Airport.

Earlier at about 3pm today, a four-wheel-drive vehicle rammed into Glasgow airport's main terminal on Saturday and exploded in flames in what police described as an attack, a day after a twin car-bomb plot was foiled in London.

A Glasgow police spokeswoman said two people were arrested following the incident. Witnesses described those arrested as Asian men and said one of them was badly burnt.

Scottish police said they were not immediately connecting the attack to the foiled car bombs in London.

However, Prime Minister Gordon Brown's office said he would chair a meeting of Britain's top security committee later on Saturday to discuss events in Glasgow. The committee was also convened on Friday following the thwarted London plot.

In Kennebunkport, Maine, the United States announced it was boosting security at airports nationwide, although the overall U.S. terrorism threat level would remain the same.

From Glasgow, witnesses told the BBC the vehicle, a Land Rover or a Jeep Cherokee, exploded shortly after crashing into the glass front doors of the terminal, and said there was a heavy stench of petrol.

"It raced across the central reservation and went straight into the building," said taxi driver Ian Crosby outside the terminal.

Crosby said a stocky Asian man had got out of the car and was quickly wrestled to the ground by bystanders.

"It would appear to me to have been a deliberate attack. I think this was a terrorist attack," Crosby said.

Another witness said the occupants of the car had got out of the vehicle after they rammed it into the building and taken out cans of petrol that they then used to douse the car, before it went up in flames.

The airport was shut down following the incident.

In London, police scoured hours of CCTV footage and extra squads were deployed on the streets, particularly around landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament after Friday's failed car bomb attacks in the centre of the city.

An intensive counter-terrorism investigation was launched after the discovery in the early hours of Friday of a metallic green Mercedes packed with up to 60 litres of fuel, several gas canisters and a large quantity of nails.

A mobile phone, which security experts believed might have been a detonation device, was left inside the fume-filled car.

A second Mercedes packed with gas and nails was later found to have been parked just a few hundred yards from the first.

Police said the two vehicles were clearly linked. Both bombs were quickly defused but, had they gone off, would have caused significant injuries and deaths, police said.

JULY 2005 ATTACKS

The foiled plot came to light two years after a coordinated attack by suicide bombers on London's transport system killed 52 commuters. It appeared to have similarities to an earlier plot in which an al Qaeda militant planned to blow up gas-filled bombs inside limousines in London.

Plans for policing of public events in the coming 10 days were reviewed to ensure public security, including a Gay Pride parade in London on Saturday, the Wimbledon tennis tournament and a concert for Princess Diana on Sunday.

"Appropriate policing will be in place for all events," a police spokeswoman said. "Safety and security is our number one priority."

Despite the continuing threat, tourists were stoical.

"You could be safe anywhere or you could be safe nowhere. It hasn't put me off travelling here," said Ivonne Geller, 49, a tourist from Mexico strolling outside the Tiger Tiger club.

"I just feel angry about the methods of these people who try to harm innocent people."

Intelligence sources believe there is a growing probability the London plot was hatched by an al Qaeda-style group.

"The feeling it is Islamist, rather than the other possibilities, is very quietly growing stronger," a source said.

The area of London where the car bombs were left, known as Haymarket, is one of the busiest in the capital and one of the most intensely monitored by CCTV surveillance.

The recent intra-Palestinian violence in the Gaza Strip left many young people shaken and unable to carry out their daily activities.

Clashes between Hamas and Fatah killed more than 110 people and injured another 500 earlier this month. Children and adolescents were left with nothing to do but wait and hope, disappointed over the cancellation of summer plans, the disruption of critically important final exams and the uncertain future they face.

“They were continuously shooting for five days,” recalled Julie, 17, one of several Palestinian youths who spoke to UNICEF Radio. “The situation was really bad. Nobody was able to get out of the house, not even able to get near a window.”

In the aftermath of the internal violence – and amid the continuing Israeli-Palestinian conflict – UNICEF and its partners have been working to provide medical supplies, safe water and psychosocial counselling for children and families in the affected areas.

In the aftermath of the internal violence – and amid the continuing Israeli-Palestinian conflict – UNICEF and its partners have been working to provide medical supplies, safe water and psychosocial counselling for children and families in the affected areas.

By J. P. Anderson

The ban against junk food ads shown during programmes watched by under-15s will not go far enough, a consumer group has warned.

The new rules state that adverts for food and drink high in fat, salt or sugar cannot contain anything which would appeal to or mislead under-15s.

But consumer group Which? said the controls would not be as effective because many shows with lots of child viewers had slipped through the net.

These include Coronation Street, Emmerdale, The Bill, This is Your Life, Heartbeat and Trinny and Susannah Undress.

Which? chief policy adviser Sue Davies said: "The new controls will clearly fail children as none of the programmes with the highest viewing figures for four to 15 year olds are covered.

"This leaves food companies free to broadcast adverts for foods high in fat, salt and sugar at the times when they know the most children will be watching."

The group is calling for a post-9pm ban on ads for junk food.

An Ofcom spokeswoman said: "Given that between 6pm and 9pm there are nine adults watching the commercial public service channels for every child under 16, a 9pm watershed ban would clearly have an effect on many more adults than children."

By J. P. Anderson

Speaking on Thursday 27^th June, at the National Forum on the Future of Europe-

Sinn Féin’s Dublin Spokesperson on European Affairs, Cllr. Daithí Doolan has challenged the Irish government to stop attempting to opt-out of their commitment to the EU Human Rights Charter contained within the Reformed Treaty.
Speaking from Dublin Castle Cllr. Doolan said:

“There can be no EU opt - out on human rights“.

“The rights of the Irish people are not to be bargained away by the Taoiseach. It is totally unacceptable to Sinn Féin that the Taoiseach is attempting to negotiate an opt-out clause of the Charter of Fundamental Rights contained within the controversial Reformed Treaty.

The Rights Charter is the only progressive element of this Treaty and it is disgrace that the Taoiseach wants to dump it“.
“The opt-out clause will have serious consequences for the rights of Irish citizens; particularly the trade union movement as opting out of the Charter will remove workers right to strike.

This is brought into focus with the recent industrial action taken by the Irish Nurses Organisation and Psychiatric Nurses Association. The Taoiseach’s actions can only be seen as a cynical anti-union strategy in preparation for what he has termed the economic slow down.”
Cllr. Doolan continued
“This news comes as we gather today to debate a Social Model for Europe.
Sinn Féin’s wants to work with others in developing a Social Model to meet the demands of people in a 21st Century Europe.

Our vision of that model is based on the promotion of human rights, solidarity, conflict resolution and an economy servicing the people and their needs.

Currently what is on offer is a repackaged EU Constitution promoting militarism, unbridled free market capitalism and self interest.”

Update:

Spanish police have arrested an Italian man and questioned a woman of unknown nationality in connection with the suspected kidnapping of British four-year-old Madeleine McCann, officials said Thursday.
A police spokesman told AFP the arrest was made near the southern Spanish port of Algeciras after the French authorities issued an international arrest warrant for the man.

"Police are examining the possibility of a link" with the Madeleine case, the spokesman said.

Spanish broadcaster Telecinco reported that police had detained a married couple, an Italian man and a Portuguese woman, near the town of Sotogrande, which is not far from Algeciras.

"The woman was questioned but that doesn't mean she was arrested," the police spokesman told AFP without confirming her nationality.

He also said the arrest of the man was on the basis of the international arrest warrant, which reports said could be to do with a paedophile network and not the Madeleine case.

Spanish broadcaster CNN+ reported the man could have been detained for trying to extort money from the toddler's family by attempting to offer information on her whereabouts.

Madeleine disappeared in Portugal on May 3 from the hotel room where she and her two-year-old twin siblings were sleeping in the southern resort town of Praia da Luz while her parents were out dining nearby.

Spanish newspaper El Pais meanwhile reported on its website that an Italian had been arrested near Algeciras in the early hours of Thursday "for his possible implication" in the Madeleine case.

Quoting police sources, the paper added a specialist police unit had staked out a house in the area prior to the arrest.

The disappearance of "Madeleine" has been given widespread coverage worldwide with her parents heading an international campaign to keep the case in the public eye and locate her.

Her parents have visited several countries to keep up their quest and also set up a website, findmadeleine.com, which has received millions of hits.

Intense efforts by Portuguese authorities to turn up a trace of the youngster have not turned up any leads, despite more than 100 people being interviewed and dozens of searches of flats near where the family where staying.

In recent weeks there have been reported sightings of Madeleine in Greece and Morocco.

British citizen Robert Murat, 33, who lives in Praia da Luz near the hotel complex where Madeleine disappeared, was questioned on May 15 but released for lack of evidence without being remanded.

On June 11, Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported Madeleine's body had been located near Praia da Luz, but the lead was rapidly revealed to be a hoax, while searches in Morocco have also come to nothing.

Some 200 officers, including from Interpol, Europol and British and Portuguese police, are working on the Madeleine case while Spain is also providing support as she disappeared barely 100 kilometres (65 miles) from the border.

A man and a woman have been arrested in Spain over the suspected kidnapping of Madeleine McCann, according to a Spanish news website.

Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa, from Portuguese police, said he had heard the report from Spanish newspaper El Pais and was trying to verify it.

He added: "I have heard about this and I am trying to check this information with my director."

Madeleine's great uncle, Brian Kennedy, said: "We are trying not to get our hopes up too much because they so frequently get dashed."

The family had been cautioned to be "very careful" about reading too much into reports about Madeleine, he added.

But he said they were still welcome because it meant people were still keeping a look out for her and that they had not forgotten about her plight.

It is now 56 days since Madeleine, from Rothley, Leicestershire, went missing from her hotel room in the Portuguese resort Praia da Luz while her parents, Gerry and Kate, were eating in a restaurant just 100 yards away.

Her parents Gerry and Kate McCann have stayed in Portugal since she disappeared, insisting they will not leave until she is found.

People across Europe should call the international Crimestoppers line on 0044 188 373 1336 or if they are inside the UK 0800 555 111 if they have information.

Thousands of teenage pupils binge drink at least once a week and more than half admit they have been violent when drunk, according to a poll.

Children are knocking back five or more units at a time, the Trading Standards Institute warned, following the survey of 12,000 youngsters.

Just over half (51%) of the regular "binge drinkers" said they'd been violent when drinking.

While 22% of them regretted having sex while drunk, another 15% had been passengers in cars driven by someone who had been drinking.

Nearly half (44%) of the 14 to 17-year-old pupils surveyed drank alcohol at least once a week, the Trading Standards survey found.

Overall, the proportion of youngsters who drank sometimes was 83% while 17% never drank. Nearly a third (29%) of those who sometimes drank were regular binge drinkers, the poll revealed.

The proportion of 14 to 17-year-olds drinking booze at least once a week has dropped from 50% to 44% over the past two years. And the volume of schoolchildren buying their own alcohol has decreased from 40% to 28% over the same period.

But one in 14 youngsters surveyed carried a form of fake ID - many of them bought over the internet.

The poll of nearly 12,000 schoolchildren was commissioned by the Trading Standards North West under-age sales strategy group.

Its findings will be sent to Government to help inform the next national alcohol harm reduction strategy.

Around 150,000 gay pupils have been targeted by school bullies with some even receiving death threats, a survey has found.

Equality organisation Stonewall said two-thirds of lesbian and gay pupils have experienced homophobic bullying, ranging from verbal abuse to violence with some pupils claiming that their teachers even joined in with the abuse.

The study of 1,145 gay, lesbian and bisexual young people found that 41 per cent had experienced physical abuse, 17 per cent had received death threats and 12 per cent had been sexually assaulted.

And the study claimed around 50 per cent of teachers failed to intervene when children used homophobic language like "dyke" or "queer".

Stonewall chief executive Ben Summerskill said the figures suggested about 156,000 pupils had suffered homophobic bullying in Britain's schools.

He continued: "These deeply disturbing figures should serve as a wake-up call to everyone working in education. This is a damning legacy of Section 28, which deterred schools from tackling anti-gay bullying for so long."

Mr Summerskill added: "This remains one of the few sorts of bullying about which too many schools still take no action. It blights the lives not just of gay children but of thousands of pupils perceived to be lesbian or gay too."

Almost all the pupils surveyed said they heard derogatory phrases in school, such as "poof", or "that's so gay", the report said.

Stonewall said three-quarters of gay pupils in faith schools were bullied over their sexuality while around 70 per cent of victims said homophobic bullying affected their school work.

A Department for Education spokesman said: "All forms of bullying are unacceptable. We are pleased that Stonewall have highlighted this important issue and we look forward to continuing to work with them in the future.

"It is important that pupils tell someone when they are being bullied and that teachers take firm action. That is why we have given new powers to teachers to ensure they can do so. No pupil should suffer the torment of bullying."

James Bond actor Daniel Craig has become the voice of a charity campaign launched on Tuesday to change attitudes towards troubled children.

The 39-year-old Casino Royale star has recorded radio slots for children's charity Barnardo's urging people not to give up on difficult youngsters.

The charity says fears about uncontrollable and "feral" children are exaggerated.

It found in a survey that a quarter of adults thought that disruptive or antisocial children were already beyond help by the time they were just 13.

The poll of more than 1,000 adults also found that two-thirds believed that children are more criminal than ever.

Barnardo's said that youth crime had actually fallen substantially since 1995, according to the government's British Crime Survey.

"How did it happen that we have become so dismissive of children" said Barnardo's Chief Executive Martin Narey.

"Some children's behaviour is unacceptable and it has to be challenged. But we must not use that as an excuse to write off a generation."

The charity's campaign, "Believe in Children", says all young people could be helped, no matter how difficult, unpleasant or uncooperative.

"The alternative is to dismiss an underclass of children who have nothing to lose and who face nothing more than permanent unemployment, non-achievement and almost inevitably a life of crime," the charity said.

Last year Prime Minister Tony Blair stirred up controversy when he said the state should possibly intervene even before birth to stop the children of problem families growing up into troublemakers.

By J. P. Anderson

Sinn Féin's Dublin Spokesperson on the Environment, Cllr. Daithí Doolan, has today expressed deep disappointment at this afternoon’s statement by Dublin City Council management to push ahead with the proposed incinerator for Poolbeg Peninsula.

Speaking this afternoon from City Hall Cllr. Daithí Doolan said, "Today’s statement will be greeted by the residents & environmental campaigners here in Dublin South East with both anger and disappointment. The officials of this City Council must remember that Councillors have continued to vote against this incinerator. The proposed incinerator is unworkable as much as it is unwanted.

Girls as young as 12 could be vaccinated against cervical cancer from as early as autumn next year, the Government has announced.

The jabs would revolutionise the approach to beating cervical cancer, which kills more than 1,000 women in the UK each year.

Girls aged 12 to 13 would receive the vaccine in three doses over a six-month period at a cost of £300 per full course, the Department of Health said.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended the use of jabs to protect against the sexually transmitted infection human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes most cases of cervical cancer.

The Department of Health said it had agreed "in principle" to accept the JCVI's advice, subject to an independent review of the costs to the NHS. The jabs would not be compulsory but would be offered to girls in all parts of the UK.

At present, there are two jabs designed to be used in a vaccination programme. One, Gardasil, is made by Merck and Sanofi Pasteur and was introduced into the UK last year, although not approved by government for use on the NHS. It has been approved in dozens of other countries, including the US, Canada and Australia. Cervarix, made by GlaxoSmithKline, is expected to receive its EU licence later this year.

Public Health Minister Caroline Flint said on Wednesday: "In the UK alone, the lifetime risk of developing cervical cancer is one in 116.

"It is great news that vaccines have been developed that protect women against this form of cancer and I am delighted to announce that we intend, in principle, to introduce a HPV vaccine into the national immunisation programme.

"A significant amount of planning is required before we can introduce the immunisation into our programme. We are still working on the details and logistics, and will work closely with the NHS to ensure the vaccination can be delivered effectively. However, we are hoping that girls will start being vaccinated from as early as 2008."

The Department said smear testing would continue after the vaccine is introduced. This is because of the gap between the age of vaccination and age of first screening, and because the jab does not protect against all HPV types that may cause the cancer.

By J. P. Anderson

One in ten children have a mental health disorder to a "clinically significant" level, new research suggests.

Studies carried out by leading children's charity NCH found a 100 per cent increase in the prevalence of emotional problems and conduct disorders among young people since the 1930s.

The charity defines an "emotionally well" child as one which demonstrates empathy, self awareness, an ability to manage their feelings, motivation and good social skills.

Clare Tickell, chief executive of NCH, said: "The lack of emotional wellbeing amongst our children and young people is undermining the foundations of any social policy to combat social exclusion, deprivation or lack of social mobility.

"We urge Gordon Brown and his new cabinet to commit to tackling this hidden and fast growing problem.

"The emphasis must change from social class to social skills, self esteem and resilience if we are to give the next generation the chance they deserve."

The final findings of the studies will be published in the autumn, when the charity will launch their major new campaign, Growing Strong.

Children's Minister Beverley Hughes said that figures issued by the Office of National Statistics in 2005 do not support NCH claims that incidences of childhood depression are rising.

She said: "In fact, they show that the prevalence of mental disorders among five to 16-year-olds in 2004 have remained broadly unchanged from the previous survey in 1999.

"Investment in child and adolescent mental health services increased by over £145 million between 2002 and 2005.

"We will, of course, continue our work to build awareness of mental health and well-being issues and pursue continuing improvements to services.

"Child and adolescent mental health services, for example, are now working increasingly closely with our schools, colleges and early years settings to help build knowledge further.

"In many areas, social care, health and education support are also joining up more effectively to meet children's mental health needs."

( See Previous articles Posted on This Page).

By J. P. Anderson

Helplines: www.Samaritans.org

A tiny Northern Irish village is in shock after the deaths of three schoolboy friends’ just weeks apart.

Parents and teachers in Laurelvale, Co Armagh have been warned to be vigilant amid fears of further tragedies and rumours that vulnerable youngsters had entered into a suicide pact.

Lee Walker, 15, was the third teenager to be buried after apparently taking his own life on Friday.

Two of his classmates at Craigavon Senior High School - Wayne Browne and James Topley - are also understood to have hanged themselves.

As grief and anxiety consumed Laurelvale, a tight-knit community of around 600 people, authorities tried to play down rumours of a suicide pact.

A source close to the school said: "Parents are in a state of fear, but are trying not to panic their kids either.

"It's a tightrope between making it clear to young people how suicide is final, there's nothing glamorous about it, and not destabilising anyone."

The deaths have prompted renewed calls for any young people with emotional problems to seek urgent support.

Samaritans' director for Ireland Suzanne Costello stressed that finding help as soon as possible was critical.

"The three boys who have died went to the same school but it's not helpful to link together individual incidents and start rumours of a series beginning and suggestions of pacts without evidence," she said.

"What is far more important is to concentrate on the need for support within the community for the young and encourage people to talk about issues they have."

Ms Costello added: "It's been said there may be an internet involvement to these deaths.

"Samaritans has its own internet presence at www.Samaritans.org where there is plenty of information on issues affecting today's teenagers which I'd encourage young people and parents to make use of."

Meanwhile a minister in the Northern Ireland Executive today called on teenage website providers to outline what they were doing to dissuade young people from suicide pacts.

Health Minister Michael McGimpsey said he wanted to talk to the companies behind networking sites such as Bebo and MySpace about their strategy for dealing with vulnerable teenagers.

The release of the report on Leas Cross, by Professor Des O' Neill, on 10 November has finally revealed the levels of complacency operating around the placing of older people into that Nursing Home and the consequent scandalous death rate that subsequently occurred. The fact that the Tanaiste feels confident in challenging Professor O'Neill's assessment that further Leas Cross scenario's are unlikely, reinforces the message that the Government are either not in control of the situation, or feel able to ignore it. Either way, Leas Cross must be seen as a turning point for Ireland. The myth that all older people live in comfort and safety has been shattered in a most distressing manner.
In the first weeks of launching our helpline in Ireland in excess of 1800 people tried to access our support to express concern, support or disgust for what had occurred at Leas Cross. Ultimately, there were 33 cases that we felt should be forwarded to the HSE for further investigation. However, despite repeated contacted and attempts to elicit information we have been met with silence, or explanations for the delayed responses which border on the ridiculous (the latest being that a PowerPoint presentation containing their conclusions had been misplaced). In a recent media report the HSE claimed that they had investigated each and every one of these cases. If this is true, then they have yet to feed back to us their conclusions - and in this current situation some openness and transparency from that body would not go amiss.

Meanwhile, Professor O'Neill's report has now been handed over to the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and the HSE have indicated an intention to meet with patient advocacy groups and will hold a formal meeting with Age

Action, Patient Focus, the Irish Patients' Association and the Irish Hospice Foundation.

No doubt at some point they will get around to talking to AEA and our partners in Ireland, the REACHOUT group, who has been most vocal in expressing concerns about the inadequacy of HSE responses to date.
The fact is that the whole system is moving painfully slow, no organisation other than REACHOUT have demonstrated a willingness to grapple with the scale of the problem or an understanding of it.
Surely, we must have learned something from the child abuse scandals of the eighties and nineties?

New legislation will set up a strict inspection regime for nursing homes so a Leas Cross scandal will never happen again, Health Minster Mary Harney has said.
Speaking just before the launch of the report into Leas Cross, Mary Harney (the Then Tanaiste) said she believed its sub-standard care was the exception rather than the norm.
She said, “I think we all have a responsibility not to frighten older people and their families. In the vast, vast majority of cases, older people in residential care are very well looked after. Leas Cross is I believe the exception. Like the disability sector for many years, we’re playing catch-up here because there has been historic under funding and there has been a failure to establish a statutory inspection regime and we won’t have that until we have new legislation and the new Health Information Quality Authority legislation which will be published before Christmas.
However, as the report was delivered to the Gardaí and other regulatory bodies, the Health Service Executive (HSE) revealed it had moved to halt patient admissions to a number of other sub-standard homes.
Aidan Browne, speaking on behalf of the HSE, said a “small number” of homes were involved in the recent actions. “There are a number of nursing homes where there are still a number of problems,”
So who is right? The Government or the HSE? Or neither....!

A new group, the Leas Cross Deaths Relatives Action Group (LCDRAG) has accused the Health Services Executive (HSE) of putting patients into Leas Cross in 2003 despite being aware of the problems at the home when St ITA’s hospital in Portrane closed.

A spokesman for the group, Tony Mullins, is reported as saying, "There is ample evidence in writing that the HSE was aware of all the problems at Leas Cross, and the problems were of the most serious kind, i.e. were leading to the frequent premature deaths of patients in the care of the home. He has apparently said that none of the group had been questioned by the HSE when it was carrying out its investigations into Leas Cross. Many of the investigations into Leas cross since 1998 were triggered by complaints from relatives of residents there.

"Everything has been done except talking to the people who made the complaints. No one has asked us anything," said Michael Hegarty, the group's legal adviser.

This HSE report, written by Professor Des O'Neill, into the Leas Cross home stated that the level of care provided to residents constituted "institutional abuse". He said that there was a steady rise in the one-year mortality rate from 1998 to 2000 and that subsequently it stabilised at 38 to 39 per cent.

The LCDREG said they did not accept the HSE's view that the problems at Leas Cross were systematic and demanded that someone be held accountable. They also accused the HSE of lying to relatives of patients and that they had sent evidence of this to the Gardaí.

The row over smacking children was reopened today Friday as the Government announced a review of the law less than three years since MPs rejected an outright ban.

Children's minister Beverley Hughes said parents and professionals would be consulted this summer over how present rules were working.

Restrictions were toughened in 2004 to prevent anyone claiming they had administered a "reasonable punishment" if it left visible bruising.

But moves to outlaw any "hitting" of youngsters were rejected.

Last month Britain's four child commissioners called for a total ban, insisting there was "no room for compromise" on the issue.

But the most recent poll found parents believed smacking was an acceptable way to discipline children.

More than two thirds of parents surveyed said they did use it as a punishment and between 80% and 90% of both parents and adults without families were against a complete ban.

In a written statement, Ms Hughes said the review of Section 58 of the Children Act 2004 - which contains the controversial "reasonable punishment" test, would begin immediately.

The process, promised by her predecessor Margaret Hodge during the passage of the Bill, would involve a "parental income survey" this summer as well as consultation with professionals working with young people, she said.

A report would be published in the autumn but there were "no current plans to change the legislation", she added.

(See Previous Articles, this page).

By J. P. Anderson

Sinn Féin's Dublin Spokesperson on the Environment, Cllr. Daithí Doolan, has today expressed deep disappointment at the Fianna Fáil-Green Party Programme for Government's failure to exclude the proposed incinerator for Poolbeg Peninsula.

Speaking this afternoon from City Hall Cllr. Daithí Doolan said, "The Greens have now reneged on a vital commitment to the people of Dublin in allowing this incinerator go ahead. The fact that this incinerator is in Deputy John Gormley's very own constituency and that his opposition to it was one of his key promises during the campaign shows that this is truly an opportunity wasted by the Green Party. The programme for government only addresses the issue of levies for landfills and how the government will not give competitive advantage to incineration. This is a totally inadequate response to a major challenge facing the incoming government. Those of us involved in the long campaign against this incinerator had hoped a change of government would have brought a change of policy but unfortunately this is not to be."

Cllr Doolan continued
"Those of us still committed to winning the campaign must now redouble our efforts and ensure that An Bord Pleanála rule against the government plan.
This city faces a waste management crisis but to continue to bury and burn our waste is a deeply flawed and totally unacceptable policy. We must rule out the option of incineration and invest in a programme to reduce, reuse and recycle our waste."

Cllr. Doolan concluded by saying
"Sinn Féin will continue to stand by local communities and campaign with communities to implement a Zero Waste Strategy for Dublin. It has become the only credible and workable alternative to the failed government policy of burning and burying our waste."

A parish priest from County Kerry in Ireland has been jailed for five years for arranging the rape of a young girl from Liverpool.

Jeremiah McGrath gave more than £20,000 to his friend, convicted child rapist Billy Adams, to help groom the 12-year-old for sex in 2005.

Adams used the cash to shower the girl with treats and gifts and raped her repeatedly over a six-month period.

The 38-year-old was sentenced to life and ordered to serve a minimum term of seven-and-a-half years before he is considered for release.

During the trial at Liverpool Crown Court, McGrath insisted he had no idea Adams was abusing the girl and claimed the money was linked to his gambling habit.

But in sentencing the priest, Judge Brian Lewis said it was McGrath's standing in the community which had made him such a useful ally to Adams.

He said: "This is a grievous, serious offence and one of which you should be deeply ashamed."

During the trial, McGrath had admitted knowing that Adams, with whom he had a sexual relationship, was a convicted child rapist but said he believed his protestations of innocence.

The court heard the priest was "obsessed" with Adams and would do anything to keep him happy.

By J. P. Anderson

The Irish public were today warned by Gardai (Irish Police) to be on the lookout for an escaped killer from a UK mental hospital. Laszlo Varga (68), described as violent and dangerous, who was spotted in Dublin after he fled Britain.

Gardai today said that any sightings of the wanted man should be followed immediately by a 999 call to police.

Members of the public have been warned not to approach Varga who was serving a life sentence for murder at a mental health facility in Surrey. England before he disappeared.

He was spotted by a member of the public in Dublin on May 30 last and Gardai fear that he remains in the Capital.

He is serving a sentence for a murder committed in 1968, in which he stabbed the manager of an employment agency after a disagreement.

He suffers a number of side-effects when he doesn’t take his medication, including excessive salivation a violent shaking, which he tries to conceal by placing his hands in his pockets.

Laszlo Varga is 5 ft 8 INS in height, of slim build. He is clean shaven, with short receding hair that is grey at the sides and he has brown eyes.

He does not wear glasses, although his passport obtained in his Hungarian nationality - shows him wearing them.

He may be using the name Lou Grant, and may be booked into temporary accommodation in Dublin using this alias.

Varga is described as a “dangerous, convicted murderer” and police have warned that he has a mental health condition that makes him potentially violent when he hasn’t taken medication.

Visit J. P’s Photo Gallery at:

If you are a fan of my photographs you will be delighted to know that you can now buy many of my images online, as prints or as paintings in a variety of sizes and prices.

More pictures are being added to the gallery each day so you can now collect your favourite J. P. images of Ireland, no matter where you are in the world.

J. P. Anderson.