Your Afternoon Headlines ‐ 04/12/2014
Good afternoon. Here are the headlines past midday.
1. No Confidence for Taoiseach
Sinn Fein has announced that they are to table a motion of no confidence on Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
Finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty announced the intent at a Right2Water press conference in Dublin today. The motion is planned to coincide with the anti‐water charges protest to occur next Wednesday.
Doherty encouraged people to come to the rally, saying that “FG and Labour are on the ropes”
Writer ‐ Leandro Pondoc
2. Mother’s Hospital
Yesterday the jury at the inquest into the death of mother-of-four Sally Rowlette returned a unanimous verdict of medical misadventure.
The 36-year-old had suffered a stroke after she gave birth in Sligo General Hospital in February last year. It was found that the hospital did not properly manage her HELLP Syndrome. She suffered a brain haemorrhage and died the day after she gave birth to her daughter.
Dr Peter Boylan from the National Maternity Hospital said this case represented a “structural, fundamental problem” in Irish health services, where temporary consultants are overused.
Writer ‐ Lisa Kirby
3. Gardai Collusion with IRA
Rogue Gardaí colluded with the IRA during the Troubles, according to a former director of intelligence in the IRA.
Kieran Conway, head of the intelligence gathering department in the 1970’s, claims member of the police also helped prevent members of the IRA army council for being arrested during a ceasefire.
Conway said IRA leaders received a tip-off from within An Garda Síochána that warned of Special Branch arrests in 1974. The former IRA intelligence officer made the claims to the Guardian newspaper.
Writer ‐ Hannah Moran
4. Teenage Pornography
Pictures of Irish girls from social media are being uploaded to pornography sites without their permission.
RTE Investigations Unit is to air a special report tonight showing how photographs of teenage girls are being taken and placed in hardcore pornography sites. Comments left under the photos are said to be of an abusive nature.
As part of their investigation, RTE created a CG image of a 14‐year old girl codenamed ‘Amy’ which accumulated over 1000 friends in 30 days and messages of a sexual nature from middle‐aged men.
Writer ‐ Leandro Pondoc
5. Fiona Pender Investigation
A press conference tomorrow is set to reveal Gardai’s progress in the investigation of Ofally woman Fiona Pender’s disappearance 18 years ago.
Reports had emerged in the past few months of officers making an arrest on the case. A search has been confirmed to take place somewhere in Portlaoise tomorrow morning.
A hairdresser, Fiona Pender disappeared at the age of 25 in August 1996 and has been presumed to have died. No trace of her or any suspect involved in her disappearance has appeared since.
Writer ‐ Leandro Pondoc
