News Tuesday, January 12, 2010 D three hours and 50 minutes late. The train with 12 passengers onboard arrived in Tralee at 3.45am, four hours and 40 minutes late. SINN FIN councillor Killian Forde yesterday defected to the Labour Party, becoming the partys fourth local representative to quit in less than a year. The Dublin City Councillor (pictured) branded the party unresponsive and staid, saying Labour is the only left-leaning party which could help pull the country out of the economic crisis. SF has lost two members since June Christy Burke and Louise Minihan. Sinn Fin loses fourth defector Garda warning on bogus callers GARDA in Dublin have issued a warning to the public, especially the elderly, about a spate of incidents involving bogus callers. The callers present themselves as employees of local authorities claiming they need to check gas, power or water supplies, garda said. While the elderly person is diverted by the caller, a second person enters the house and steals property. People are urged to verify that callers are representing a real organisation. If in doubt, people should contact their local garda immediately. Irish rail sorry for 4-hr delay RAIL passengers who were delayed by more than four and a half hours on the Dublin to Tralee train on Sunday night have received an apology from Iarnrd ireann. Spokesman Barry Kenny said the train developed problems Leinster Rugby captain Leo Cullen and fellow forwards Nathan Hines and CJ Van der Linde were on hand to announce details of Volkswagens scrappage scheme, in addition to the State scheme for cars more than ten years old Picture: Fennells MOTORISTS are being urged to remain vigilant despite the thaw, with snow, slush and black ice still lingering. Road safety chiefs also warned drivers they could skid on grit residue by speeding up on seemingly clear roads. The Road Safety Authoritys Noel Brett (pictured) said: During the thaw, road users will face an additional set of challenges. He said there was a danger drivers could be lulled into a false sense of security. Drivers warned to stay vigilant Court hears of hammer horror A DRUG addict who broke into a young mothers home and hit her sleeping partner with a hammer while his accomplice held a knife to their toddler is to be sentenced for aggravated burglary. Keith Fay, 30, of Clonliffe Road, Dublin 3, struck Mr Phuong Nguyen on the knee with the hammer after he forced Ms Jennifer OLeary to show him the location of a safe in the master bedroom of their home in Clarehall in February 2008. Fay pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. and finally... A CHuRCH has blessed a heap of mobile phones on the altar of its church in London to remind the capitals office workers that Gods grace can reach them in many ways. Canon David Parrott said it was an update of a traditional back-to-work ceremony which saw villagers gather to bless a symbolic farming implement. close to Mallow leaving the station 50 minutes late. It stopped again between Millstreet and Rathmore for two hours arriving in Killarney homedigest Batt OKeeffe: Schools to open today U-turn on school snow closure irks Opposition EDUCATION minister Batt OKeeffe was last night accused of a humiliating U-turn after ordering a nationwide school closure only to reverse it on the first day of the shutdown. Many of the countrys 4,000 primary and secondary schools were making plans to re-open today after forecast snow did not fall and an unexpected thaw slowly took hold. Fine Gaels education spokesman Brian Hayes claimed the minister had been forced into an embarrassing climbdown. The reality on the ground is that schools have the capacity to re- open, Mr Hayes said. The ministers handling of this issue has been less than sure-footed and he snookered himself by taking a very inflexible position. This incident shows that on the rare occasion that anyone in government actually makes a decision, they cant even be trusted to make the right one. The minister defended his decision, saying Temperatures are unexpectedly rising so it makes sense to allow schools to reopen. Falls on ice see 70% rise in broken bones HOSPITALS have admitted up to 70 per cent more people with broken bones than usual in the past week because of falls on icy roads and footpaths. Emergency medicine consultants also reported that a high percentage of these fractures are complex, requiring surgery. Jump around: Tia, a four- year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier, bounds into the air as she plays in the snow. While the countrys infrastructure has been badly affected by the severe cold snap, people and animals alike have taken the opportunity to enjoy the fresh snowfalls Picture: AFP No reprieve as Cork and Kerry put on flood alert FIRST there were floods, then there were blinding blizzards now, almost unbelievably, its floods again. Things arent getting easier in the south west, where the weather is go- ing from worse to bad to worse. Before the snow had even begun to thaw out, Cork residents received the news that strong gales, hail and up to 5cm of rain were on the way. Despite this, Claire Nash, Cork Business Association said the region was trying to keep its head up. We all have been down, but its a matter of maintaining the jobs now and trying to keep our doors open, and just looking forward to a brighter February, she said. Forecasts of gale force winds and heavy rain came just as Cork Airport finally managed to reopen after being closed for 16 hours because of heavy snowfalls, affecting the travel plans of more than 5,000 air passengers. The record books show that the last serious snowfall was 1976, but noth- ing of this magnitude, said Cork Air- Gales, hail and up to 5cm of rain on its way By Ross McDonagh port marketing manager Kevin Cull- inane. In fact its unprecedented and historical in terms of Cork Airport. Throughout the big freeze, Cork was the port of call for Irelands be- leaguered salt supplies. Another haul was being unloaded off a ship last night, with its 3,500 tonnes of salt to be distributed to local authorities. Bus ireann said the vast majority of its services are operating, but there was still significant disruption to services in counties Cork, Kerry and Limerick. Although temperatures picked up yesterday and began to thaw the wide- spread snow and ice, motorists were warned against complacency, with black ice still lying in some areas. index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html