JUSTICE MINISTER Dermot Ahern said he was in favour of introducing body scanners at Irish airports in the wake of the attempted bombing of a US-bound aircraft on Christmas Day.

Justice Minister Dermot Ahern today backed the introduction of ’naked’ body scanners in Irish airports to expose hidden weapons or explosives.

POPE Benedict XVI named a first batch of cardinals to elect his successor yesterday, sending strong political messages with nominations in Hong Kong and Venezuela and promoting two Americans with experience in the Church sex abuse scandal.