Independent TD Michael Lowry has been elected in Tipperary North.

THE system used by Fianna Fáil to select candidates to run for elections has developed into “a farce”, a party councillor in north Tipperary has claimed.

THE son of former government minister Michael Smith is to challenge outgoing TD Máire Hoctor to run for Fianna Fáil in the general election in the North Tipperary constituency.

LAST ditch talks are scheduled for today to quell a protest movement among rural-based Government TDs against two pieces of legislation championed by Environment Minister John Gormley.

COALITION tension over the threat to cut state pensions spilled into the open last night as the Greens insisted they would vote against such a move, attacking the “confusion” surrounding the issue.

Patients who are stranded abroad and who are running low, or have run out, of medications, have been advised to contact their local pharmacy in Ireland for advice.

MANY Fianna Fáil backbenchers stayed away from their weekly parliamentary party meeting yesterday amid growing dissatisfaction with Brian Cowen’s reshuffle.

AFTER 11 days of sick patients making huge round trips just to get their medicine from temporary dispensing units, the pharmacists’ dispute finally appeared to be close to an end last night.

Pharmacists were tonight urged to call off a crippling 11-day stoppage and resume services across the country.

Health Minister Mary Harney is again appealing to pharmacists who have contracts with the HSE to provide full services to patients on the community drugs scheme.

REBEL pharmacists were warned last night they faced legal action for breaching their state contract to dispense drugs to the public.

PROTESTING pharmacists have warned of widespread medicine shortages and dispensing delays from tomorrow with hundreds of chemists either remaining closed or refusing to dispense medicines under the community drugs schemes.

Widespread medicine shortages and delays are being forecast by the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) following the withdrawal of as many as 800 pharmacists from the Drug Payment schemes.

Health chiefs were today warned patients‘ safety was at risk as hundreds of chemists are expected to stop dispensing prescriptions to medical card holders.

PHARMACISTS have accused the Health Service Executive of throwing up a smokescreen over a looming crisis in the supply of medicines under the State’s community schemes.

Pharmacists tonight hit out at State health chiefs claiming they were desperately trying to cover up a looming crisis in the supply of medicine.

MORE than 900 pharmacists have told the Health Service Executive they are withdrawing from the community drugs schemes.

Around one in 10 non-medical card holders are cutting back on vital medicine because of the recession, a new study has found.

Pharmacists passed a vote of no confidence in the Government’s health policies at their annual conference today.

FEARS that cuts being forced through by Government will threaten the viability of pharmacies will dominate the Irish Pharmacy Union’s AGM today.

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen has promised a symbolic cull of junior

FREE patient advice and services provided by pharmacists reduced GP visits by almost four million and unnecessary attendances at accident and emergency departments by more than 500,000 in 2007, a report claims.

Plans to end overnight A&E services at two hospitals in Nenagh and Ennis were today denounced as dangerous.

HIGH numbers of young people have friends who are in violent relationships, including schoolgirls.

A friend of a man who died from stab wounds following an altercation on the way home from a pub has told a jury that he saw the man accused of murder stab the deceased.

A friend of a man who died following an altercation on the way home from the pub has told a jury that he could see his friend's intestines protruding from a bad stab wound to his right side immediately after the incident.

PHARMACISTS say they are willing to help the Government reduce the cost of the state’s medicines bill.

THE Government was warned yesterday that it may never be forgiven for ending the automatic entitlement to a medical card for everyone over 70.

The Minister of State for Older People has admitted that there are still a number of issues to be ironed out in relation to the over-70s medical-card scheme.

Junior Minister Maire Hoctor is set to face questions about the over-70s medical card scheme at a meeting of older people in Dublin today.

LAST year Taoiseach Bertie Ahern appointed 20 junior ministers to an already bloated political plutocracy.

THE Health Service Executive has warned that medicine prices will rise by around 9% when it restores a controversial drugs payment scheme next month.

A THREE million euro Business and Technology Park was officially opened in Roscrea yesterday by Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children Máire Hoctor.

PHARMACISTS have warned the Government a row over plans to refuse to dispense drugs to medical card holders could flare up again because of the slow progress of talks with the Health Service Executive.

Fresh calls were made today for an increase in social welfare in the upcoming budget despite less people being at risk of poverty.

The Government is fully committed to improving all aspects of the lives of older people, a support group was told today.

A €3 MILLION Government grant, aimed at building a visitors’ centre in Nenagh Castle, remained secure — although the project will be temporarily halted due to archaeological excavations, which has led to the discovery of some important ruins.

ONE-IN-FIVE Irish patients are taking two or more medicines and almost one in four are worried they are not taking them properly.

One in five Irish patients are currently taking two or more medicines and 23% of those are concerned that they are not taking their medicines correctly.

Waterford IT 1-18 Cork IT 1-10

Limerick 1-19 Waterford IT 3-10

THE Mayor of Limerick last night issued a ‘shape up or ship out’ warning to the Industrial Development Agency (IDA) after Limerick and the mid-west drew a blank with new industrial jobs during 2005.