The front pages
’12 million affected in Pakistan as torrential rain forecast’ reads the headline in this morning’s Irish Times as the death toll continues to rise in the worst disaster in the state’s history.
“We’re forecasting widespread rains in the country, especially in the flood-affected areas,†said Qamar-uz –Zaman Chaudry, the director general of country’s meteorological department. According to Pakistani officials, more than 650,000 houses have been destroyed and approximately 1,600 people have been killed.
‘Hospital faces axe from crippled HSE’ is the lead story in the Irish Independent this morning, with the paper reporting that the closure of an entire hospital, 1,000 redundancies and axing of key services are among plans to cut costs in the West of Ireland region.
According to sources mentioned in the paper, Roscommon County Hospital is the most likely to close down, or at least face downsizing from its 24-hour a day, seven-day service. Services are also likely to be cut at Letterkenny General Hospital after a HSE report found that HSE West cannot realistically break even by the end of the year without immediate action.
‘Most jail terms last year were for minor offences’ is the headline on the front of today’s Irish Examiner, who report that over half of people jailed last year were penalised for road offences and non-payment of fines.
The annual report of the Irish Prison Services (IPS), which was published yesterday revealed that there were was a 90% increase in the number of committals for non-payment of fines last year compared to 2008 – a figure which had already increased by nearly 90% from 2007.
The Penal Reform Trust have branded the figures as ‘shocking’, in light of critical prisoner levels and a massively over-burdened prison system in this country.
Tales from the tabs
The Daily Mail are seething with anger this morning over the antics of Transport Minister Noel Dempsey and his flagrant use of the Government’s private jet last month.
‘Jet took Dempsey to dinner’ shouts the headline on the paper’s front page, with a report detailing how, after using the private jet to take him from Dublin to Derry, Dempsey then used the private jet to fly to London to attend a meeting at the Irish Embassy and stayed at a glitzy hotel in London’s Kensington district in a room that costs over €250 a night.
As well as using the jet, which costs €7,980 an hour, Dempsey also employed his chauffeur to drive from Dublin to Derry to meet him at the airport and drive him to Glenties in Donegal, where he made a speech on public accountability at the MacGill school. His chauffeur then drove Dempsey back to Derry airport where the minster flew on to London.
While Dempsey’s department insisted there was no other way he could have got to London in time for a vital meeting, Dempsey’s fellow TD’s and the tax-paying public are up in arms about the latest example of government misuse of taxpayer’s money.
On a lighter note, Irish supergroup U2 confounded their diva status by treating hungry fans to pizza during rehearsals for the band’s show at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin last night, according to this morning’s Irish Sun.
Never ones to turn down the opportunity of a good pun, the Sun went to town on the generous acts of Bono and company, who delivered multiple boxes of the good stuff to their fans in person and signed autographs and posed for pictures with their waiting fans.
‘Rattle and Yum’ goes the headline of the piece on page nine, which details how the band gave Italian supporters a PIZZA the action ahead of the gig. Apparently, they wanted to say a big GRAZIE to those who had queued for days – and to prevent their famished fan BASE from getting CRUSTY. The band also proved their not PASTA it by playing a two-hour gig for their adoring Italian public.
Pun-tastic I think you’ll agree.
The Sports pages
Now that Cesc Fabregas has very reluctantly pledged his future to Arsenal for another season, this morning’s papers all feature quotes from the statement the Spanish international released to the media yesterday, but the Irish Sun are claiming it as an exclusive all of their own.
‘Cesc exclusive: Barca dream is over’ goes the headline on the back page, relating to a story inside containing sprinkling of Fabregas’ brutally honest quotes about wanting to join his hometown club, but being denied that chance due to Arsenal’s determination to get the right price for their biggest star.
“I would be lying if I said that joining a club like Barcelona was not an attractive move for me,†said Fabregas.
The Barcelona deal is dead. It is gone now and I have to face up to that, to accept it. And I can do that. I will do that,†he added.
The future of Manchester City’s Stephen Ireland seems far more uncertain, with this morning’s Daily Star suggesting that the midfielder could be sold to Aston Villa as part of a deal to bring highly-rated midfielder James Milner to Eastlands.
‘Ireland and €22 million gets Milner’ is the headline on the back page, with a report suggesting that Ireland and his advisors are currently putting the final touches to a reported €80,000 a week deal over four years with the Birmingham club.
Closer to home, the big draw this weekend is the All-Ireland semi-final clash between Cork and Kilkenny, with the Leesiders attempting to stop the Cats’ bid for immortality by being the first team to win five All-Ireland titles on the trot.
The Irish Independent’s hurling analyst Cyril Farrell believes that the Rebels have absolutely nothing to lose and will push Brian Cody’s side all the way on Sunday afternoon.
“Cork are going into the game in the ideal situation,†writes Farrell.
“They are unfancied outside of their own camp do there’s no weight of expectation.
“And then there’s the historical dimension, which shows that that Cork-Kilkenny games can take on a life of their own, irrespective of the background.â€
