News Wednesday, January 13, 2010 D Exsqueeze me: Sisters Katherine, Roz and Jo McVeigh help launch the programme for Temple Bar TradFest 2010. Dublins biggest and best Irish music and culture festival runs from January 27-31. For details of the festival programme, log on to templebartrad.com Picture: Photocall Old tune revived to mark Robinson affair THE Simon and Garfunkel song Mrs Robinson from film The Graduate reached No. 23 in Amazon download charts yesterday after a Facebook campaign to push the tune to No. 1, in honour of Northern Irelands disgraced First Lady. The movie is about a college graduates affair with an older woman. The fallout from Iris Robinsons (pictured) affair with a toyboy lover, caused her husband First Minister Peter Robinson to temporarily step down from office. A SHOPKEEPER was subjected to a terrifying ordeal yesterday when a gang of four armed and masked men burst into his shop in Coolock and kidnapped him for several hours. According to reports, the gang believed the man was a distant relation of a member of the gang of criminal John Paul Joyce, who was found dead and frozen stiff in a ditch near Dublin Airport at the weekend with five gunshot wounds to the head, and were demanding money from his family. The shopkeeper was found unharmed last night in Clondalkin. Four masked men kidnap shopkeeper homedigest MILLIONS of annual leave days were left unused in Ireland and the UK last year. A survey by Hotels.com found that almost one in five workers had holidays left to take in the final month of 2009. Of those with days remaining, one in six still had five or more working days to take off about one- fifth of the average holiday allowance. One in six workers took less holidays in 2009 than in 2008, the study revealed. Alison Couper of Hotels.com said: Over a third of people surveyed were unable to carry their unused leave into the New Year, which just proves how important it is to use up entitled time off when you can. One in five does not take their days off and finally... A DOZY Welsh burglar tried to ditch his haul of stolen goods in a river not realising it was frozen solid. Police, who were chasing the 21-year-old, saw him stop on a bridge across the River Afan, in Port Talbot, where he dropped his haul, expecting it to land with a splash. Instead, it landed with a resounding thud on the 7cm-thick ice and was later retrieved by police. It is fair to say the freezing weather conditions were on our side, said one officer. 3 years for man who set fire to guesthouse A MAN who set fire to a guesthouse while his friends were in an upstairs bedroom has been sentenced to three years in jail, with one suspended, for arson. Craig McKeon, 22, set a spare mattress alight in the guesthouses lounge after an altercation with the owner about being rude and refusing to co-operate with the receptionist. McKeon, of Neilstown Gardens, Clondalkin, pleaded guilty at a Dublin court to arson at Palmerstown Guest House, Palmerstown in October 2008. FORMER pop star Shakin Stevens has been found guilty of hitting a press photographer with a microphone stand. The Cardiff-born singer, whose real name is Michael Barrett, was convicted of assaulting Hugo McNeice during a concert at the Tullyglass Hotel in Ballymena, Co Antrim, in December 2008. The 61- year-olds (pictured), who intends to appeal, maintains he is innocent of the charges brought against him. Stevens gets off to a shaky start to 2010 December live register increased by 10,090 UNEMPLOYMENT figures for last year show the number of people signing on increased by 10,090 to 423,595 between the months of November and December. Of these additions to the Live Register, 9,351 were Irish nationals, while 739 were non-Irish nationals. The largest increases were in the mid-west and mid- east while the smallest increase was in the Dublin region. Non-Irish nationals represented 18.3 per cent of all people on the register in December. THE retrial of a man charged over the Omagh bomb atrocity, which killed 29 people and left hundreds more injured, yesterday heard he provided two mobile phones used by terrorists plotting the Real IRA massacre. Colm Murphy, 57, was the only person to be convicted over the 1998 attack when the Special Criminal Court jailed him for 14 years for conspiracy to cause an explosion. Murphy (pictured) was freed on appeal four years ago. Murphy lent mobiles to Omagh bombers By Colm Kelpie Many without water as burst pipes thaw out WATER shortages continue to spread around Dublin and other counties face further restrictions as a result of low reservoir levels and thawing burst pipes. Authorities said the problem was widespread across the capital, particularly in Finglas, Terenure, Cabra, Killester, Rathgar, Rathmines and parts of the North Circular Road, with six water tankers deployed to the worst-hit areas. And the Department of Justice offices at St Stephens Green were forced to close after extensive damage was caused by pipes that burst in the cold. Elsewhere, parts of Clare, Cork, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Sligo, Tipperary and Wexford were among the worst affected as water chiefs turned off taps and re- duced flows to conserve critically low levels. Cork City Council said worst-hit areas would not see supplies return until today, with householders advised to boil water beforehand as a precautionary measure. In Co Clare, water chiefs said interruptions in supply would continue over the coming days. Limerick County Council also urged households to conserve supplies and warned taps could soon run dry. Almost 40 soldiers and six Army vehicles were de- ployed in Skibbereen to fill and distribute sandbags to help prevent a repeat of the devastating floods that struck in November. The Defence Forces said 20 troops were also working in Co Leitrim, helping to grit roads, as icy conditions remained in some midland and northern areas. Additionally, heavy rain mixed with melting slush and snow has caused flooding in the south of the country. Motorists were warned of dangerous driving conditions with the N22 Cork to Tralee Road barely passable. But Environment Minister John Gormley insisted the situation was improving but said he could give no time- frame for when usage could return to normal. It is changing for the better at the moment but it is still critical I would say, he said. Despite the water shortage, Met ireann said 44mm of rain fell in Valentia Observatory by midday yesterday. This is normal winter weather. This is what we ex- pect to see two or three times each winter, said fore- caster Gerald Fleming. A bad winter storm, strong winds, heavy rain. Its not pleasant but its nothing unusual in the context of Irish weather. Environment Minister John Gormley: Claims the situation is improving No cooperation with reforms, says union THE Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has decided to instruct its 40,000 members not to co- operate with any reform or transformation in the health service in protest at recent pay cuts. At a meeting yesterday, it was decided the first phase of the campaign would include non-cooperation with new work practices, primary care initiatives, redeployment or role expansion, with the campaign expected to escalate in the coming weeks. Boat users warned of toxic cargo SEVEN containers, one carrying toxic chemicals, were washed off a cargo boat yesterday in a severe storm off the south coast. The Coast Guard said the freight carrier had been hit by gale force ten winds and heavy seas as it travelled from Cork to Dublin. Officials warned fishermen and other boat users in the area to keep 100m from the 40ft (12.2m) containers. One is believed to contain hazardous sodium bromate used in dyes and the other six were carrying bird food, fire logs and medical equipment. The Waterford-based Coast Guard helicopter was called in to locate the blue and red containers 15miles (24km) south east of Mine Head and 16miles (26km) south of Tramore. index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html