METRO Thursday, October 29, 2009 D LOTTO WEDNESDAYS DRAW 04 10 18 27 29 30 Bonus: 7 Plus 1: 07 09 10 30 37 40 Bonus: 15 Plus 2: 05 09 10 15 17 34 Bonus: 08 TODAY: A dull, wet and windy start, clearing later. Max: 16C TOMORROW: Windy with rain becoming heavier. Max: 15C METRO Weather MENU THE Home Digest 4 Guilty Pleasures Celebrity gossip 6 Letters 10 World Digest 11 MetroLife Arts and entertainment 12-13 60 Second Interview AC/DCs Brian Johnson 14 TV 14-15 Puzzles 16 Classifieds 17-20 Sport 21-24 Help keep Dublin clean and tidy for everyone by taking your Metro with you and recycling it Public strike likely after pay talks failA NATIONWIDE 24- hour strike has been agreed by public sector unions on November 24, subject to a ballot of members. The strike plans were discussed by the unions following talks with the finance department on how to achieve 1.3 billion in cuts in the public sector pay bill. Liam Doran, general secretary of the Irish Nurses Organisation, said while public sector unions had different priorities and different time-scales in their ballots on industrial action, if necessary, they would all be prepared to act as one to protect their members. Civil Public and Services Union, general secretary Blair Horan, said the Government should go back to its position of last April and consider additional taxation to bridge the gap in the public finances. One for all: Doran Joanna Rea, of Oxfam Ireland, with miniature tents in Dublin aimed at highlighting the impact of climate change yesterday Picture: Photocall BY BRIAN huTTON Green laws proposed as EU talks climate change NEW green laws would make Taoiseach Brian Cowen directly responsible for cutting Irelands emissions, under draft laws published yesterday. A special Oireachtas committee drew up the legislation which would shift the onus for tackling glo- bal warming onto the countrys leader. Labours Liz McManus, who was involved in drafting the proposals, said the move was necessary to ensure urgently-needed action across the board. One of the ob- stacles is the lack of co-operation between departments on the issue, she said. Mr Cowen and his successors would then be answera- ble to the Dil on what progress Ireland was making to slash its carbon emissions, Ms McManus added. The legislation was published as hundreds of miniature climate migration camps sprung up in Dublin, Brussels, London, Berlin, and Madrid yesterday to remind the Taoiseach and other EU leaders to offer a glimpse of the future if they should fail to agree a position on climate financing when they meet in Brussels today for a two- day summit. Oxfam called on Europe to commit 35billion in new finance every year to help developing countries cope with the impacts of climate change. This money needs to be additional to existing aid of 0.7 per cent GNI, the charity said. The EU climate talks are the last chance for leaders to decide, before UN climate talks in Copenhagen in December, how much money the EU will offer. According to Oxfam an estimated 26 million people have already been displaced as a direct result of climate stresses and each year a million more are displaced by weather-related events. Its time for Ireland and other EU member states to deliver on climate justice, Oxfam Irelands CEO Jim Clarken said. Right now, European leaders are acting as though climate change is not their problem but climate change knows no borders. Oxfam is also asking leaders to deliver a cut in emis- sions of at least 40 per cent on 1990 levels by 2020, to ensure global warming is kept below two degrees, and prevent even greater irreversible damage. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security called for the law to be passed ahead of the UN summit. The move would get around delays caused to long- term climate plans caused by the change of government every five years, it said. THREE quarters of Europeans believe that poverty is a widespread problem in their country and 89 per cent of them want urgent action by their government to tackle the problem. The Eurobarometer survey carried out ahead of next years European Year Against Poverty found perceived societal reasons for poverty were high unemployment (52 per cent), low wages (49 per cent), inadequate social benefits and pensions (29 per cent) and excessive cost of decent housing (26 per cent). Nearly 80 million people, or 16 per cent of the EU population, live below the poverty line. Bus gate may be lifted temporarily THE controversial bus gate at College Green looks set for a temporary reprieve, following complaints from city businesses. Dublin City Council is proposing that the bus gate be opened to private cars during the evening rush hour from the middle of November until the middle of January. The council also plans to make on-street parking free for the Christmas shopping period. However, the plan needs to be approved by councillors who will discuss it next Monday. Meanwhile, a group of city retailers are to go to the High Court in a bid to remove the bus gate permanently, following a 30 per cent drop in sales, blamed on the bus gate. index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html