I have no doubt whatsoever. I don't think that anybody who is a student of Irish politics and Fianna Fáil's desire to be in government would doubt that for one minute. - Sinn Féin Deputy First Minister in the North, Martin McGuinness, says he has "no doubt" that the Taoiseach would seek Sinn Féin support to form a coalition government if the election resulted in a hung Dáil.
Sinn Féin Deputy First Minister in the North, Martin McGuinness, says he has "no doubt" that the Taoiseach would seek Sinn Féin support to form a coalition government if the election resulted in a hung Dáil.
Mr Ahern is known here as the Teflon Taoiseach (pronounced TEE-shak), an alliterative English-Irish word play on the official name of the prime minister's office, reflecting his ability to survive unscathed from personal and political controversies.
- New York Times take on the General Election.
The housing boom is over.
- The OECD comments on Ireland's property market in its latest Economic Review.
The property market has changed so much over the past year that it is only possible to continue a high-quailty service with increased fees.
- Mark FitzGerald, chief executive of Sherry FitzGerald, which has raised the commission it charges on house sales in Dublin.
The vice- president is pleased to be a grandfather for the sixth time.
- Megan McGinn, a spokeswoman for Dick Cheney, whose lesbian daughter, Mary, has given birth to a son.
We will put an end to the terrorist phenomenon without hesitation.
- Fuad Siniora, the Lebanese prime minister, says he will crush Islamic fighters holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon.
They are just terrorists in suits.
- Israeli deputy defence minister Ephraim Sneh after Israeli soldiers detained 33 Hamas officials, including two Palestinian mayors.
They told us we were hanging up immoral pictures . . . [ that] were not up to EU standards and could cause car accidents.
- Moris Eskenazi, whose company has been stopped by the Turkish government from placing ads involving women in bikinis.
I think he's proving to be increasingly irrelevant with these kinds of comments.
- White House spokesman Tony Fratto on Jimmy Carter after the former US president described the Bush administration as "the worst in history".
He is one of the people that is clearly being discussed.
- Joseph Stiglitz , a former senior vice-president of the World Bank, says Tony Blair is in the running to be the next president of the bank.
Obviously there can't be a new constitution. A simplified treaty is the only way forward.
- French president Nicolas Sarkozy outlines his future of the European Union.
We believe it is an absolutely harmful thing.
- Russian president Vladimir Putin voices his opposition to US plans for a missile "defence shield" in Europe.
The politics of fear is fuelling a downward spiral of human rights abuse in which no right is sacrosanct and no person safe.
- Irene Khan, of Amnesty International, whose new report says America's "war on terror" is causing more harm than good.
It's 5:37, it's about minus 30, it's cold, it's fantastic, the Himalayas are everywhere. It is amazing.
- Mountaineer Rod Baber makes the first mobile phone call from the peak of Mount Everest.