State move to borrow billions will test standing of economy
The first of many billions. We might get screwed on costs too.

8,000 Waterford pensions under threat from collapse
Pension scheme €111m in the red.

Child report dismissed by diocese committee
Apparently the diocese is prepared to sue over the report.

High-rise areas set out in latest draft plan
Planners will refine high-rise policy.

ESB to pay rebates on 100,000 overcharged bill
Shane Ross scores another victory. Why do I feel like ESB are still overcharging though?

More than half of litter fines unpaid
Council staff writing off fines.

FF not able to claim Flynn’s allowance
The allowance she says she is “entitled” to. Hearing that word a lot lately. FF can’t get their hands on it, but it should go to taxpayer. Flynn can feck off.

Elsewhere

In a Quiet Rebellion, Parishioners Keep the Faith
For 1,533 days, parishioners in Massachusetts have been guarding a church so that the archdiocese cannot sell it.

Prosecutors Want Madoff’s Bail Revoked
He apparently tried to mail $1m worth of jewellery to friends.

Twitter-Savvy Hackers Tweak the Twitterati
For anyone not on Twitter, the big news was the spammin’ and the hackin’ and the phishin’. Techcrunch was on it.

Senior civil servant offered to take €10,000 pay cut
But wanted to remain anonymous. Reminds me of this episode of CYE.

Law professor says Barr and Morris tribunals and reports a watershed
Not so sure about that myself.

Survey finds Cobh to be dirtiest town in Ireland
Ouch. And yes, I would tend to agree.

Dunne admits he could be insolvent
Irish Times follows up on the NYT story I blogged earlier.

In search of a husband missing in Georgia’s forgotten war
A good story from the WaPo. I was met with similar stories about the “air” in Abkhazia. My guide was a veteran of the 1993 war (and has two missing fingers to show for it), and he spoke lyrically about his love for Abkhazia, where the Caucasus mountains meet the Black Sea. It was he said, the most beautiful part of Georgia.

My only vantage point was looking at the foothills around Gali from a Russian military checkpoint just outside Zugdidi. In fact the bridge mentioned in the article is I believe the one I seen, although it was still standing when I was there. I really must write down some of the stories from Georgia…

Google Hopes to Open a Trove of Little-Seen Books
How Google Books helps the study of language. My best find so far is this.

Al Franken to be declared Senate victor in Minnesota
Well done Al

We must be ready when the global upturn comes
Coughlan talks an awful lot of shite

Haughey’s Irish solution to an Irish problem
Elaine Byrne on 1978

Lifting the tent flaps to reveal the warm air and half truths of Irish politics
Conor Lenihan sort of reviews a book on spin and Irish politics by Anton Savage. As ever Lenihan talks straight out of his arse:

This book is a tacit acknowledgment that our political system, far more up close and personal than that of the United States, is in good health and has withstood the assault of the politics of spin which reached its high point at the hands of Bill Clinton, George Bush and Tony Blair.

Government proposal to encourage working from home
Eh, maybe when we all get that thing called broadband, Noel. Weren’t we all supposed to have 5mb broadband 7 years ago?

Rail tunnel plan to go ahead – Dempsey
I’ll believe it when I see it.

Ahern and Martin at odds over Guantanamo
As ever, the Government talks out of both sides of the mouth.

Pressure on to speed up funds injection for banks

Ireland is on rebound from consumerism, says President

Failure of €37m e-government Reach project criticised by Labour

Memoirs of a Ganley rapporteur, albeit confidential
Elaine Byrne, on the contradictions in Government dealings with Ganley

Guardian

‘I was still holding my grandson’s hand – the rest was gone’
Second in the Afghan series

Telegraph

Royal Mail stake to be sold to private foreign firm in £3bn deal
A large stake in Royal Mail is to be sold to a foreign postal company under plans drawn up by ministers, the Daily Telegraph can disclose.

Britain faces worst recession in living memory, Cabinet minister Tessa Jowell admits
The British economy is facing the worst recession in living memory, Tessa Jowell has admitted.

Government to underpin banks with €10bn plan

Clare businessmen defy the gloom and sell firm for €25m

Harney says major health cutbacks likely next year

Chaos in busy stores as AIB card system fails
Frustrating times for shoppers

Barack Obama hotel plan for Moneygall
Another hotel? Is Liam Carroll mad?

Lax scrutiny’ putting credit unions at risk

Share price says the game is up for Anglo Irish Bank
Epic fail at Anglo.

British Times

Terrorism adviser to Met is on wanted list
A man wanted by Interpol for his links to an alleged terrorist organisation has been advising Scotland Yard on countering Muslim extremism, a Times investigation has discovered.

Guardian/Observer

Face to face with the Taliban

Treasury will not step in to prop up pound

Beamish brewery to close with loss of 120 jobs
Beamish to close, move to Heineken

Fás spent €750k on luxury flights in five years
Not just Florida

Parents face higher cervical vaccine cost as relief is cut
Change in tax relief to mean higher cost for vaccine.

Irish Times
Record ECB rate cut aims to boost economic activity
Rates down to 2.5%

Embarrassing defeat for Government in Seanad vote
Monumental cock up

€40,000 for family of man who died in Garda custody
Alleged overdose while in custody

Molloy took 16 trips in three years but had a ‘problem with flying’
Squandermania at FAS

Christian charity is better than hot air
John Waters attacks the “secular socialists”