World News

Bush offers help to the Lebanese Army to fight Hizbollah: head of army looks likely to head government.

BBC LINK

Chad has closed its border with Sudan.

BBC LINK

Bob Barr declares interest in standing as Libertarian candidate for US presidency on anti-immigration, anti Iraq war, economic self-sufficiency platform.

BBC LINK

Cowen threatens to expell Lisbon dissidents

INDO LINK

Nuala O'Faolain remembered.

INDO LINK

The Irish Times reports that Davy Stockbrokers are negotiation a payment to Irish Credit Unions who bought a bond product that has collapsed 40% in value.

LINK TO IT

Gas and ESB prices to go up substantially next year.

LINK TO IT

Please add stories and/or comments.

"Ireland must ratify important UN convention on disabilities" - good overview article by Gerard Quinn

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/opinion/2008/0513/1210579876666.html

Sharif quits Pakistan coalition over judges dispute - interesting reference to American preferences for Musharraf

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/13/pakistan

Irish Times

p3 - ESB to start testing low-energy system for street lights in Kilcormac Co. Offaly. Nothing on the ESB site or anywhere else about this yet as far as I looked but the bulbs are supposed to be 35 percent more efficient as street lighting. This is a pilot study but will probably expand if local authorities and developers take it up. Each local authority has its own electricity bill, hasn't it? A 35% drop in the cost of lighting a country might be worth looking into...

p10 - Dr. William Nuttall of the Uni of Cambridge was in the RDS last night talking about Nuclear Energy in Ireland - it's part of a series of lectures Ireland in 2030 and I was wondering how you would get to hear about all these lovely sciencey and other type events going on around the country... Is there an Event Finder or something? Anyhow he was plugging Nuclear saying it would be useful in liberating hydrogen which could be used as a transport fuel .. why don't we use wind?

p14 - Cigarette vending machines in Japan will have a camera which will only sell you the fags if it thinks you are over 20 - the legal age for doing it in Japan. This will be from July. Interesting.