The Front Pages
Finance Minister Brian Lenihan has asked the European Commission to allow the State to guarantee large Anglo-Irish deposits as it embarks upon a wind-down of the bank’s, according to this morning’s Irish Times. The paper also reports that Irish patients could be under risk, as it has emerged that one third of HSE staff qualifications are not sufficiently verified.
The Irish Independent front page features a giant photo of the victorious returning Tipperary hurlers being greeted to a huge home county reception amidst heavy rain. As for the main news headline in the broadsheet, the dastardly Ivor Callely makes his regular front page appearance, as the embattled senator begins his legal challenge today over inquiries into his expenses.
Finally, if you really just buy broadsheets for the possibility of cut-out tokens then you’ll be extremely excited to hear that the Independent is advertising a competition to have your mortgage paid for a year on today’s front page – with tokens inside! We won’t spoil any more of the fun, you’ll have to buy a copy yourself.
Tales from the Tabs
‘The man with a forest in his garden: Fed-up resident demand action over neighbour’s 35ft leylandii cypress trees’
Civil engineer David Alvand has sparked fury among his Plymouth neighbours after allowing his three-bedroom semi to become an giant eyesore, with 35ft high leylandii trees covering his home in permanent darkness, reports the Daily Mail this morning.
Alvand allowed the trees to reach higher than the roof of his house after losing a long legal battle to enclose his property with a wall. Now irate neighbours have decided to lodge a formal complaint about his garden under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act.
Plymouth City Council has said that an investigation is under way, though Alvand claims he is being ‘victimised’, stating that his neighbours ‘have a vendetta against me’. ‘I am a law-abiding citizen and I have suffered for 20 years being chased over my walls and trees. It’s my land.’
The Sports Pages
The press is heaping further misery on Wayne Rooney this morning as the Daily Mirror claims Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has decided to scrap plans to make the striker his next club captain amid ongoing allegations regarding Rooney’s private life. Rooney leads the line tonight in England’s Euro 2012 Qualifier against Switzerland and is apparently ‘happy to play’.
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti today tells The Sun he is surprised ‘there is so much interest in the private life of a player. Ancelloti also reflected in the current vilification of England boss and fellow compatriot Fabio Capello, saying that the most popular term for Capello right now would roughly be the Italian term ‘testa di cazzo’. Testa means head and cazzo translates as a more intimate term of the male body which we’ll let you lot figure out for yourselves.
Finally, the rumours of Ryan Giggs joining the Wales coach set-up may not be as far-fetched as first imagined, as the Daily Mail reports that the Manchester United veteran will be speaking to the Wales FA about his possible involvement following the departure of current boss John Toshack.
