METRO Wednesday, December 9, 2009 D Garda chief warns staff not to strike Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy has warned officers could face legal action if they strike over pay cuts. Meeting Garda representative association chiefs yesterday, Mr Murphy outlined penalties they could face for striking, which is illegal for garda including a 50,000 fine and/or five years jail. MENU THE Home Digest 4 Guilty Pleasures Celebrity gossip 6 World Digest 10 MetroLife Arts & entertainment 12-13 60 Second Interview John Hurt 14 Puzzles & Letters 16-17 TV 14-15 Classifieds 18-20 Sport 21-24 Help keep Dublin clean and tidy for everyone by taking your Metro with you and recycling it Mary Cullen In our edition of 16th September 2009 concerning tax defaulting, we erroneously referred to Mary Cullen as the wife of convicted murderer John Cullen. Metro accepts that Mary Cullen is not the wife of the said John Cullen, is not related to the said John Cullen nor is she acquainted with the said John Cullen. Metro wishes to apologise for this inaccuracy. deal once it looked likely. It was stu- pid and it was short-sighted... it is something that I believe we will all regret next year, he added. Mr Gilmore said a deal that would have made the savings needed, re- formed the public sector and secured industrial peace, had been within touching distance. rubbishing the claim, Mr Cowen said the pair had stood shoulderto shoulder during the talks which col- lapsed dramatically on Friday. Mr Lenihan was last night putting the final touches to the Budget to be unveiled today. Hundreds of thousands of public and civil servants are expecting pay cuts of four per cent on the lowest wages and up to 20 per cent for top earners. Cuts to social welfare, including un- employment and child benefits, as well as reduced spending on health and education are also expected. The Government has already signalled it will not make many changes to taxes, apart from the introduction of a car- bon tax expected to raise the price of petrol, coal and peat briquettes. Transport Minister noel dempsey again warned no one would escape unscathed from the cutbacks. Everybody has to take a hit, he said. Its a tough Budget, its going to be difficult. We have tried to be as fair as we possibly can to everybody but I think a bit like last year its those who can afford most, will pay most. Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny claimed that half of the required sav- ings for the crisis Budget 2billion could be found if social welfare fraud was properly tackled. But Mr Cowen defended the cutbacks as necessary to protect future social welfare recipients, adding they come after years of benefits rises against dropping prices. Cowen is warned of Lenihan coupTaOISEaCH Brian Cowen was last night warned of alleged attempts to overthrow him as the country began the countdown to its most feared Budget in living memory. as Mr Cowen faces up to a 4billion cost-cutting plan, Labour leader Ea- mon Gilmore sensationally claimed Finance Minister Brian Lenihan was hatching a planned coup. Mr Gilmore said a near deal with public sector unions on 1.3billion of the cutbacks was purposely scuppered last week as part of a behind-the- scenes plot against Mr Cowen. The bottom line, Taoiseach, is that you have a Minister for Finance who is now so anxious to get his hands on your job that he was prepared to sink this agreement, he said. In an outburst that drew gasps in the dil, Mr Gilmore accused Mr Leni- han of lacking political loyalty, claim- ing he had dispatched allies onto the airwaves to jettison the chances of a By Brian hutton New Luas Docklands line opens TranSpOrT Minister noel dempsey yesterday hailed a new Luas extension as a shining example of the countrys can-do attitude. The 90million project takes the existing red Line through the heart of dublins docklands to The O2 venue. Boarding the first tram to make the journey, Mr dempsey said the Luas project showed how much dublin had developed in recent decades. While we will face and continue to face difficult times, I think we should remember our capabilities, remember as a nation what were capable of and that can-do spirit that we have, he said. The new 1.5km line, which takes in four new stops at Georges dock, Mayor Square, Spencer dock and The point, is expected to bring an extra 1.8million passenger journeys a year. right between the lines: ten-year-old Dion Piggott stands on the new Luas Docklands extension which opened yesterday and will run from Busaras to the Point Village Picture: PA toDay: Showers getting heavier; breezy. Max: 11C toMorroW: Dry and bright, with sunny spells. Max: 8C METRO Weather Wife used hammer to kill husband A 56-yeAr-old woman killed her husband by hitting him on the head with a hammer while he slept, a court heard yesterday. Anne Burke, from Ballybrittas in Co laois, had a row with her husband Patrick when he came home drunk at 4.45am, after which he fell asleep. Burke then struck him 23 times on the head with a hammer, but claims she was suffering from a mental disorder at the time, diminishing her responsibility for the killing. She told garda she did it because she couldnt stand the abuse any more. After she had killed her husband, she cut her wrists. However, she was found by her youngest son who then found his fathers body. Burke told garda: I killed my husband. Send me where they put people who do that. The jury must decide if Burke was suffering from a mental disorder and will hear medical evidence today. Beer ingredient may stop cancer MEn now have a great excuse to go down the pub thanks to new research suggesting a compound in beer may prevent prostate cancer. Tests at the German Cancer research Centre showed that xanthohumol, which is derived from hops, blocked a biological pathway that allows prostate cancer to develop. index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html