Enda Kenny passes by Dáil Usher Colm O'Rourke yesterday. Photograph: Eric Luke

FG to meet over Lee fallout10:10Fine Gael leader pledges to improve performance after receiving unanimous support

• Cancer Society to expand service11:30Organisation plans to set up up at least five Daffodil Centres in hospitals this year
• Thalidomide group urges action10:40Thalidomide Association seeks compensation as £1m package unveiled in North
• Union vows to fight plan to shut down Halifax branches10:18Unite says it will consider industrial action to protect 750 banking staff facing redundancy
• Gardaí seize drugs in Tallaght08:56Two men questioned as heroin worth an estimated €1.2 million found in west Dublin
• Fisherman airlifted to Sligo07:32Man taken from a Dutch vessel after suffering a partially severed hand
• Man shot in west Belfast07:31Victim suffers ankle injuries last night in suspected paramilitary-style attack

• Draft law to elect Dublin mayor approved THE GOVERNMENT approved draft legislation for a directly-elected mayor of Dublin with “strong executive powers”  at a Cabinet meeting yesterday.

Other Stories

• London Eye, Empire State Building and Opera House give green light to Irish tourism push TOURIST ATTRACTIONS such as the Sydney Opera House, the London Eye and the Empire State Building will turn green to mark St Patrick’s Day, Tourism Ireland said yesterday.
• Cycling road event for Clare in August IRELAND IS set to become home to an annual international cycling event which organisers say could attract thousands of participants and visitors and bring in as much as €10 million in revenue.
• Processing of over-70s medical cards criticised THE NEW centralised system for the processing of medical card applications for those aged over 70 years was yesterday described as “completely and utterly dysfunctional” at a meeting of the Oireachtas health committee.
• Tuition fees must be addressed, says NUIG head THE ISSUE of student tuition fees will have to be addressed in the near future despite the Government’s expressed opposition to them, Dr Jim Browne, the president of NUI Galway, has said.
• Portrane chosen as site for Central Mental Hospital A SITE has been chosen for the relocation of the State’s Central Mental Hospital.
• Moves to tackle stigma of using mental health service PROVIDING ALL the money in the world for the development of mental health services will be useless unless the fear people have of accessing these services can be addressed, Minister of State with responsibility for mental health John Moloney said yesterday.
• Thalidomide survivors to share £1.1m NORTHERN IRELAND’S 18 surviving thalidomide sufferers are to receive £1.1 million in compensation, the North’s Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey, has announced.
• Cabinet issues statement backing Gormley on waste THE GOVERNMENT has formally backed Minister for the Environment John Gormley’s stance on incineration, saying the Green Party leader has its full confidence to develop proposals on waste management.
• Tender process for Dart Underground begins THE PROPOSED “Dart Underground” line linking Heuston Station with Spencer Dock took a step closer to reality yesterday when Iarnród Éireann flagged it in the EU’s Official Journal.
• Economy key in Lisbon Treaty vote, says Martin A PERCEIVED link between Ireland’s economic prospects and a Yes vote on the Lisbon Treaty was a major factor in the second referendum, according to research commissioned by the Government.
• Ex-Guantánamo man thanks Ireland THE GOVERNMENT has acted as a “beacon of light” in Europe for taking in two inmates from Guantánamo Bay, a former inmate turned human rights activist has said.
• 11,500 new homes approved by council beside Adamstown THE FIRST phase of a new town of 11,500 homes at Clonburris, Co Dublin, less than 1km from Adamstown, has been granted planning permission by South Dublin County Council.
• Gormley sets out position on 'puppy farms' FIANNA FÁIL TDs and Senators seeking to amend proposed legislation that would regulate so-called “puppy farms” said they were satisfied with the outcome of a meeting last night with Minister for the Environment John Gormley.
• Graduates to be offered work experience nationwide GRADUATES WHO completed their studies last year will be offered the opportunity of work experience in companies around the country under an initiative launched by employers’ group Ibec yesterday.
• Appointment to President's office THE CURRENT director general of the Anglo-Irish division in the Department of Foreign Affairs has been appointed as secretary general to President Mary McAleese. Adrian O’Neill’s appointment was announced yesterday and he will take up his duties in March.
• Recycled phones to fund scholarships Recycled mobile phones are to fund nursing scholarships for students from disadvantaged backgrounds at Dublin City University (DCU).
• PSNI arrests three over murder Two men and a woman have been arrested in Co Armagh over the murder of PSNI constable Stephen Carroll, who was killed by the Continuity IRA on March 9th last year.
• Call to publish anti-torture group findings The Government is being asked to make public the findings of a European anti-torture group that visited Ireland last week.
• Apology to first-class passengers over lack of carriage IARNRÓD ÉIREANN has apologised to passengers who bought first-class tickets for the Dublin to Galway train last Saturday morning, which did not have any first-class carriage.

George Lee resignation

• Kenny vows to lead Fine Gael from the front FINE GAEL leader Enda Kenny said he accepted some people did not like him but he was going to “speak out from my heart” and lead his party from the front.
• FG chief must 'come out of his corner fighting', says Bruton PARTY SUPPORT: ENDA KENNY has to come out “fighting” following the resignation of George Lee from the party, a senior party frontbencher has said.
• Senior colleagues critical of Kenny performance but leadership secure PARTY MEETING: FINE GAEL leader Enda Kenny faced “implicit criticism” from senior colleagues over poor public performances recently but the issue of his leadership was not directly broached during the course of yesterday’s meeting of the party’s front bench.
• Dublin South byelection date to be decided TAOISEACH Brian Cowen told the Dáil yesterday that the byelection in Dublin South to replace George Lee would be held “in due course”.

Dail Report

• Finance Bill measures 'lack ambition', says Bruton MEASURES to facilitate the development of Islamic finance in Ireland are included in the Finance Bill introduced in the Dáil by Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan.
• Lenihan says debate on U-turn on pay cuts for civil servants 'begrudgery' MINISTER FOR Finance Brian Lenihan has described much of the debate about his controversial U-turn on pay cuts for higher level civil servants as showing a “great deal of populism and begrudgery”.
• FG embraces new, post-Georgian beginning DÁIL REPORT: Baby Bruton faces the media with the fluency his boss pledged to master, writes MIRIAM LORD
• Halifax closure will not hurt BoSI clients - Cowen BANK OF Scotland Ireland customers would not be affected by the closure of its Irish Halifax operation, Taoiseach Brian Cowen told the Dáil.
• North deal may help to settle parades issue, says Martin THE AGREEMENT between Northern parties to move forward on an agreed basis had the potential to lift the stresses and pressure on communities arising from parades, Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin told the Dáil.
• Call for outline on lord mayor proposal LABOUR LEADER Eamon Gilmore has asked the Government to provide Opposition parties with the outline of legislation which would pave the way for the election of a lord mayor of Dublin.
• Minister should come to chamber and explain Nama discrepancy - FG SEANAD REPORT: IT WAS a very serious matter that the Oireachtas had been misled by the Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance on the issue of the projected €54 billion National Asset Management Agency, Eugene Regan (FG) said.
• Protection of data on travellers between EU states being examined EUROPEAN AFFAIRS: THE EXCHANGE of data on travellers between EU member states and other countries was one of the issues examined by an EU agency, the Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs was told yesterday. This led to controls on the exchange of such data.

Regional News

• Concern over end of trauma services at Navan hospital THE IRISH Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has expressed its “serious concerns” about the end of major trauma services at Navan hospital from this weekend.
• Gardaí in Cork seize guns and cash GARDAÍ IN Cork have seized more than €90,000 in cash, a handful of imitation firearms and a small quantity of cannabis during a series of raids targeting the activities of dissident republicans in the city and county.
• Site in Ballydoyle dispute fails to sell A SIGNIFICANT agricultural property in the heart of Tipperary’s racehorse country failed to sell at auction yesterday.
• Meteorite fragments unlikely - astronomer DIRECTOR OF Armagh Observatory Prof Mark Bailey has said it is “highly unlikely” any fragments from a fireball seen by thousands of people last week will be found.
• Coroner warns over DIY motor care after car collapses on man A CORONER has warned against people carrying out repairs under their cars using only jacks to support the vehicle following the death of a father of two.
• Fungus strain puts potato crop at risk THE POTATO crop is under severe threat once again from blight with the emergence of a new strain of the fungus Blue 13 which has arrived here from Britain where it was first detected in 2005.
• Shell to Sea protesters lose their appeals A LEADING Shell to Sea campaigner lost his appeal at the Circuit Criminal Court sitting in Castlebar yesterday against a conviction for assaulting a garda at Glengad beach, Co Mayo, where gas from the Corrib field will be brought ashore.

In the Courts

• Birth disability case settled with €500,000 payout A SETTLEMENT of €500,000, plus legal costs, has been approved by the High Court against consultant psychiatrist Prof Patricia Casey and consultant obstetrician Dr Mary Holohan in the case of a child born with disabilities allegedly caused by prescription drugs taken by her psychiatrically ill mother during pregnancy.
• Jarveys challenge attempts to have dung-catchers imposed A GROUP of jarveys have opened their High Court challenge to a ban on their driving through Killarney National Park unless they agree to attach dung-catchers to their horse-drawn carriages.
• Family settles action over death THE FAMILY of a woman who died after surgery at St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin, has settled its High Court action over her death.
• Financial controller given suspended sentence AN AUSTRALIAN woman who defrauded her lover’s company of €77,000 after she was appointed as financial controller has been given a suspended sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
• Woman on indecent assault charges A WOMAN charged with 87 counts of indecently assaulting a number of girls may face further charges.
• €100,000 judgment over sex abuse A WOMAN has obtained judgment for €100,000 and an apology from a neighbour over sexual abuse of her as a child.
• 150,000 fine over exposure to asbestos A developer and a demolition company have been collectively fined €150,000 at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for allowing workers to be exposed to asbestos.

In the North

• Robinson says deal will fail if SF reneges on parades FIRST MINISTER Peter Robinson told the Northern Assembly yesterday he would walk away from the Hillsborough Castle agreement if Sinn Féin did not meet its commitments on parading.