- NEWS
Martin wades into abortion debateAs the Dáil committee hearings continue on the abortion bill, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has waded into the debate saying it is important that Christian believers "be, and seen to be, on the side of life, especially when life is most vulnerable".
Payment cuts see families pay rent shortfallLimits on rent supplement payments set by the Government are forcing thousands of families to make undeclared top-up payments to landlords to secure places to live.
- WORLD
Anger as North Korea launches another missileNorth Korea fired a short-range missile from its east coast, a day after launching three more of these missiles, a South Korean news agency said.
How Star Trek predicted the futureWHEN Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry first dreamed up the concept of a television show based in the unexplored universe of Outer Space in 1964, the world was a very different place.
- BUSINESS
Warnings over future of eurozoneThe eurozone is heading towards a break up unless there are moves towards much closer political and fiscal union, according to chief economist with State Street Global Advisers, Chris Probyn.
Bruton defends corporate tax rateIreland will be able to maintain its current corporation tax code in the face of international pressure to prevent multinational corporations avoid paying their fare share of tax, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton said yesterday.
- SPORT
Mayo’s statement of intentGalway 0-11 Mayo 4-16 Five minutes to go in Salthill yesterday and James Horan was still cajoling his men to sew it into Galway.
Wilkinson inspires Toulon to gloryASM Clermont Auvergne 15 Toulon 16 Not for the first time this season, a matchday performance and the result have made a mockery of the statistics.
- LIFESTYLE
What Lenny Abrahamson did nextLENNY Abrahamson has directed three feature films: Adam & Paul, Garage and What Richard Did.
Clothes maketh you madTrying on clothes, said Ewart, produced "sensations which bring deep peace and perfect contentment" to the female mind.
15-18C
Live Blogs
- We have no upcoming events at the moment. Please check 'Recent Events' tab for past events
Today's stories
ERC dismayed by Anglo-French threat
Premiership Rugby chief executive Mark McCafferty insists teams from the RaboDirect Pro12 are given a significant advantage in the Heineken Cup due to the method of qualification.
Between them Leinster and Munster have lifted five of the last seven titles, with Leinster winning three of the last four.
Since 2006 the only interruption to Irish dominance has come from Wasps in 2007 and Toulouse in 2010.
“ERC should know that we are serious. If it’s not resolved, we would go to an Anglo-French competition,” McCafferty told the Guardian.
McCafferty also complained at what he viewed as slow progress in resolving the issue.
ERC have responded by stating chairman Jean-Pierre Lux and chief executive Derek McGrath have spent the summer seeking proposals from stakeholders that will be tabled at the next meeting in Dublin on September 18.
They stress that the English and French clubs consented to the existing accord, agreed in 2007 and which has two more seasons to run.
The effective deadline for a new agreement is 2014 when the current accord expires, providing a potential two-year window for the posturing and brinkmanship to continue.
“We are dismayed and frustrated at the position that has been taken by Premier Rugby,” ERC spokesman Mark Jones said.
“This is a process that is laid down as part of the accord agreed in 2007. It’s not a bolt out of the blue. The current qualification process was agreed by ERC’s shareholders as part of the 2007 accord.
“This current process is expected and the way it should be. We welcome a full review of the tournament and we believe that at the end of the consultation process, European rugby will emerge stronger.
“All of our shareholders have said they want to see European rugby thrive and have agreed this consultation process. Our meeting on September 18 in Dublin is the second step in the process.”