Cork schoolgirl’s letter wings its way to Oval Office

A SCHOOLGIRL’S inspirational homework assignment is about to land on the desk of the most powerful man on the planet.

Cork teenager Niamh Burke has won an international award for a moving letter she wrote to President Barack Obama pleading for action on climate change. But because it is so good, the Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin has agreed to ensure the US president gets to read it himself.

It is expected to be passed to the Irish Embassy in Washington within days for delivery to the Oval Office.