Iconic RTÉ reporter Charlie Bird has announced his retirement after 38 years on the airwaves — but insists he wants “new challenges” in an apparent push for bids from rival stations.

FINANCE Minister Brian Cowen yesterday said he will move in the Finance Bill to bring forward measures to punish those who facilitate white collar crime.

The Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigations has sent a file on the National Irish Bank scandal to the Director of Public Prosecutions, according to newspaper reports.

Tánaiste Mary Harney today called on former Fianna Fáil TD Beverley Flynn to resign her seat in the wake of the National Irish Bank scandal.