METRO Wednesday, November 18, 2009 D Bus Gate opened to evening traffic CHANGES in the operating hours of the College Green Bus Corridor kick in today. Councillors decided to ease restrictions after calls from traders complained of losing trade. From today until January 15, the so-called Bus Gate will only be in operation for the morning peak period of 7am to 10am, and will be suspended for the evening peak traffic period. This means that from 7am to 10am Monday to Friday, only buses, taxis and cyclists will be able to pass through College Green but it will be open to all traffic later. MENU tHe Home Digest 4 Guilty Pleasures Celebrity gossip 6 World Digest 10 MetroLife Arts and entertainment 12-13 TV 14-15 Puzzles 16 Letters 17 Classifieds 18-20 Sport 21-24 Help keep Dublin clean and tidy for everyone by taking your Metro with you and recycling it TODAY: Overcast, wet and windy though mild. Max: 13C TOMORROW: Mild and windy with more heavy rain. Max: 13C METRO Weather healthcare maintenance have voted to join public sector workers on pickets next Tuesday. The group, made up of a variety of unions, called on the Government to target high earners for the proposed 4billion savings, rather than the mid- dle and low income workers. Members will join tens of thousands of nurses, teachers, top ranking civil servants and Siptus public sector members in the walk-out. Finbarr Maguire, of the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union, branded Government levies unjusti- fied and said there had been over- whelming support for next Tuesdays action. Mr Maguire, acting general secre- tary of the group of craftworker un- ions, said workers are available for talks on what emergency cover can be provided, adding that the group regrets the inconvenience to the pub- lic but our members cannot and will not endure any further reductions in their earnings. The 5,000 workers are employed in care and maintenance in councils, hospitals and other public facilities throughout the state. The unions health workers, council staff, fire service members, third-level employees and Government staff backed the strike with an average of 82 per cent in favour. strike action. If the Taoiseach is seri- ous about averting the strike, and I hope he is, though I didnt detect that from the tone of his answer... then he and his ministers needs to engage di- rectly in these talks rather than leav- ing them to officials, Mr Gilmore said. Meanwhile 5,000 council and feline festive... Jill the kitten is pictured at the launch of this years Dublin SPCA Santa Experience which kicks off on November 28 and runs every weekend until right before Christmas. The Santa Experience allows children and adults alike to join Santa for story time while hes surrounded by cute and furry friends. Go to www.dspca.ie for more Picture: Photocall 12million smuggled cigarettes are seizedCUSTOMS officials have had a very good week, with more than 12million smuggled cigarettes seized in two huge hauls. The tobacco, with a street value of 4.8million, was discovered in separate loads at Dublin Port. Half of the cigarettes had been labelled as hair extensions and arrived from Barcelona, Spain. Another load of 6million contraband Souvenir- branded cigarettes were seized in a haul that arrived from Vietnam. The operation involved surveillance and investigations by Customs in addition to support by An Garda Sochna, said a spokeswoman. The seizures follow the discovery of eight tonnes of tobacco leaf ready to be rolled into 12million cigarettes after customs searched a warehouse in Monaghan last week. Weve had a very good week, said Dublin Port customs official Ciaran Moulton. Its unusual to get three containers back-to- back. Meanwhile, more than 150,000 so-called party pills have been seized, garda said yesterday. The BZP or Benzylpiperazine tablets were found in a suitcase after a car was stopped and searched in Rathmines, south Dublin. A follow-up search of a flat recovered more of the illegal stimulants. Garda said the haul had a potential street value of more than 700,000. Three men, aged 25, 21 and 20, were arrested and one has been charged. The widely sold BZP pills were banned in March this year. Government accused of sleep-walking into strikeBY ED CARTY THE Government was last night accused of sleepwalking into next weeks one-day strike against public sector cuts. Labour leader Eamon Gilmore asked the Taoiseach what he was do- ing to avert the planned strike and urged him to call in the states indus- trial relations mechanisms to help resolve the impasse. Mr Cowen told the Dil he regret- ted the walkout was going ahead, considering the impact it would have and that it wasnt clear what the strike would achieve. I would ask that people would, even at this late stage, consider the position further and avoid the neces- sity of withdrawing from work on that day given the impact it would have society, Mr Cowen said. Mr Gilmore maintained the Cabinet was sleepwalking into a strike and said the appeal was meaningless, particularly as so many people backed Regretted the walkout: Cowen Appeal meaningless: Gilmore Quizzed: Price pictured in 1973 Bomber held over NI army base shooting OLD BAILEY bomber Marian Price was yesterday arrested by police investigating the murders of two soldiers outside a military barracks in Northern Ireland. Armed police raided her home in west Belfast and she was taken away for questioning about the Real IRA killings last March. Price, 55, was arrested along with a 39- year-old man, detained in Coalisland, Co Tyrone. The pair bring to 14 the number of people arrested over the murders of Sappers Patrick Azimkar, 21, and Mark Quinsey, 23. Two men have been charged over the murders prominent Co Armagh Republican Colin Duffy, 41, and Brian Shivers, 44, from Magherafelt, Co Derry. Price and her sister Dolores were among those convicted for a 1973 bombing outside the Old Bailey courts in London. index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html