METRO Friday, December 18, 2009 D One card So many gift ideas Gifts, gift cards and the ghd styler. TODAY: Frosty and very cold but dry and bright. Max: 4C TOMORROW: Cold and bright with a chance of sleet. Max: 3C METRO Weather Cabin crew strike scrapped by court ONE million Christmas holiday- makers could breathe a sigh of relief last night after a 12-day strike by British Airways cabin crew was deemed unlawful by Londons High Court. Unions described the ruling as a disgraceful day for democracy. Merry Christmas Mary Christmas BOOKING a restaurant table during the festive season can pose problems for Mary Christmas. The 43-year-old from Swansea, Wales, who married Paul Christmas 12 years ago said: Once I booked a table for 20 under my name but they thought it was a joke so, when we arrived, we couldnt have dinner. Now I always book under my maiden name, McCarthy. MENU the Home Digest 4 Guilty Pleasures Celebrity gossip 6 World Digest 10 Letters 12 MetroLife Arts and entertainment 14-15 60 Second Interview Singer Tori Amos 16 TV 16-17 Puzzles 18 Classifieds 19-20 Sport 21-24 Help keep Dublin clean and tidy for everyone by taking your Metro with you and recycling it 450 jobs may go in three airports ABOUT 450 jobs could be cut at the countrys three main airports. A deal to be voted on between workers and Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), aims to save 38million and involves voluntary redundancies, non-renewal of 150 contracts at Dublin, Cork and Shannon Airports, pay cuts and changes to work practices. Staff earning more than 30,000 would face cuts of up to 12 per cent. DAA said the fall-off in passenger numbers has left it with a 70million shortfall. People hold candles at The Opera Square in Timisoara, one of the starting points of the1989 Romanian Revolution, as they take part in a rally. The crowd gathered in front of the towns Protestant church to recreate the protests that sparked the uprising against communist rule Picture: AFP A line of lights BY ChARleS j hAnleY Us pledge could save ailing talks THE US and China took steps yes- terday toward a broad agreement that could be sealed by President Barack Obama and Premier Wen Jiabao when they arrive at the flag- ging UN climate talks in Copenha- gen today. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced that the US would join others in raising $100bil- lion (69billion) a year by 2020 to help poorer nations cope with glo- bal warming. Thats a good first step, Chinas vice foreign minister, He Yafei, said. Mrs Clinton made the offer con- tingent on reaching a broader agree- ment at the 193-nation conference that covers transparency, a refer- ence to US insistence that China al- low some international review of its actions controlling emissions of carbon dioxide and other green- house gases. Going some way to meet US de- mands, the Chinese official told re- porters that Beijing was ready for dialogue and cooperation on its emissions actions that is not intru- sive, that does not infringe on Chi- nas sovereignty. The two weeks of talks ground to a near-halt on Wednesday as a chronic rich-poor divide flared into the open again, dimming the hopes of the Danish hosts for a compre- hensive deal which would result in a preliminary framework for a formal treaty next year on combating cli- mate change. Environment ministers, having taken over from lower-level negoti- ators, got down to the final hours of talks yesterday in the hope of pro- ducing partial agreements to put be- fore Mr Obama, Mr Wen and more than 110 other leaders at todays summit. Such accords might include the is- sues of long-term goals for financ- ing climate aid and monitoring of emissions controls raised by Mrs Clinton. Her offer represents the first time during the talks that the US government has publicly cited a figure in discussions over long-term financing. The money would be used to help poorer countries build sea walls against rising oceans, cope with unusual droughts and deal with other impacts of climate change, while also financing renewable en- ergy and similar projects. The $100billion, first suggested by British prime minister Gordon Brown, falls short of what experts say is needed. The World Bank and others estimate that the long-term climate costs for poorer nations would be a lot more, with China saying the target should be in the range of $350billion. 3yrs for high-speed car chaseA YOUNG Dublin alcoholic who led garda on a high-speed car chase while out of his brains has been jailed for three years, with one year suspended. Patrick Maughan, 25, reversed into a Garda patrol car when he was forced to stop his Ford Mondeo after a 20-minute chase through residential areas and a stretch of motorway between Tallaght and Dundrum, reaching a speed of 180kmh. Maughan, of Fettercairn, Tallaght, broke 11 sets of red traffic lights and managed to avoid a Garda stinger device before his car was eventually stopped, his driver door window smashed and the keys removed from the ignition. Sergeant Alan McDermott told the court that Maughan had refused to get out of the car, his eyes were bloodshot and there was white powder streaming from his nose. The father-of-two pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to three counts of dangerous driving, one count of damaging a Garda patrol vehicle and one count of endangering a Garda. Clinton: $100billion a year index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html