The EU is to fast-track trade sanctions against Iceland and the Faroe Islands as the mackerel war threatens to halve Ireland’s quota of its most valuable stock next year.

SOMETIMES sorry is insufficient. An apology has to be accepted to be complete.

MORE than 50 troops and three Air Corps helicopters were drafted in to help battle wild fires in the north-west.

THE last vestige of credibility evaporated from the Progressive Democrats from the moment Michael McDowell hoist the petard that the PDs were exiting government — only to subsequently change their minds.

Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty has won the Donegal South West by-election despite not reaching the quota of 17,213.

In a further blow to Fianna Fáil, the party's first preference votes would plunge to 19% – down a third from from 2007 – in Donegal South West if a General Election was called, according to a Red C survey.

THE rain fell and the tears flowed as the week started in tragedy.

The Government has offended the spirit of the Constitution by failing to hold the long-awaited Donegal South-West by-election, the High Court ruled today.

IT was a very merry go round with everybody’s favourite potty-mouth politico Green TD Paul Gogarty.

In the past it was generally assumed that by-elections should be held within six months of a Dáil seat being vacated.

Sinn Féin today accused the Government of running scared of voters and wasting taxpayers' money in a court fight to prevent the Donegal South West by-election.

THREE European supervisory authorities covering banking, stock markets and insurance should ensure such financial institutions can no longer gamble at the taxpayers’ expense, according to the European Parliament that voted through the reforms.

IT is incredible in a country that purports to be a modern democracy that a member of a political party has to take the Government to court to do something as basic, something as mundane as hold an election.

The Government was urged today to lower the voting age for Dáil elections by a year to 17.

I USED to be an inveterate funeral goer – several per week. I hadn’t been to one for the past two years until the unexpected death of newspaper man and former schoolmate, Alan Ruddock.

VOTERS could elect a replacement for George Lee as soon as June.

THE Government is to make a last-minute application for EU funds to help with the fallout from the recent flooding, but it can be spent only to compensate public authorities for their losses and work.

FIANNA FÁIL MEPs got a dressing down for voting with their old Berlusconi allies in the European Parliament and defeating a motion put forward by their own group.

INSULTS flew around the normally sedate European Parliament yesterday as MEPs debated the outcome of the Irish referendum and the hold-up by Czech president Vaclav Klaus to sign the Lisbon Treaty.

THE EU fisheries chief, Joe Borg, has proposed scrapping fish quotas and instead telling vessels how many days they can spend fishing.

A SIGNIFICANT meeting of fishermen will take place at Cork Airport tomorrow to plot a campaign to secure a no vote in the Lisbon referendum.

Politicians deeply abhor and detest general elections. All recoil at the personal horror of their own uncertainty. TDs are always in a constant state of denial about the prospects of a pending contest. The profound level of private insecurity has to be felt to be believed.

Counting was resuming today for the remaining eight seats in the European elections.

Counting begins in the European elections today with Fine Gael hoping to build on landmark victories which made it the largest party in the State for the first time.

The nation goes to the polls today – dubbed “Super Friday” – to elect two TDs, 12 MEPs and 1,627 councillors.

BOTH main parties are in danger of losing a seat in the Euro polls as Labour is set for a surge, it emerged last night.

SPECULATION over a post-election pact between Labour and Fianna Fáil has finally been killed off by Eamon Gilmore.

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen has insisted he is “absolutely” secure in his post even if Fianna Fáil takes an expected hammering from voters in the elections.

VALENTIA and Malin Head coastguard stations have been saved from threatened closure, it was revealed last night.

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen has given consolation prizes of almost €20,000 apiece to the three junior ministers he sacked last month.

BRIAN COWEN promoted five newcomers to junior ministerial posts last night as opposition parties accused him of indulging in “jobs for the boys” at taxpayers’ expense.

IF BRIAN COWEN was a sports coach and the junior ministerial line-up his team, yesterday’s changes would probably rank as fairly substantial. Three players were kicked off the panel and five faces brought in.

The Irish Road Haulage Association has said it is willing to resume talks with the Department of Transport over toll charges on the East Link in Dublin.

THE Government has urged Irish Ferries to hold off implementing its restructuring plan until it considered a report proposing additional tax breaks for the industry.

THE €9 million allocated by the Government to reduce the number of fishing boats because of a shortage of whitefish will have to be trebled, the Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO) warned yesterday.

FISHERY associations have given a guarded welcome to the fish quotas for 2005 agreed by the European Union after all-night talks.

FIANNA FÁIL’S European election candidates should pledge to serve their full five-year term and not substitute their position to run in the next general election, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said yesterday.

THE Taoiseach’s failure to stem internal revolt over the workplace smoking ban was highlighted again last night as another junior minister openly flouted the Government line.

THE small Roscommon village of Keadue has been named as the 2003 winner of the annual Tidy Towns competition.