The year in pictures

MARCH

The year in pictures

*Unfair broadcasts: The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland upheld a complaint made by former presidential candidate Seán Gallagher relating to The Frontline presidential debate, which was broadcast on RTÉ One on Oct 24, 2011, and the Today with Pat Kenny radio programme, which was broadcast the following day.

Mr Gallagher argued that the broadcast of a tweet from what had been erroneously described as the ‘Martin McGuinness for President Campaign’ was “indicative of a lack of objectivity and of partiality towards the candidate”.

*What’s in a name? Sportswear company Nike apologised for a controversy that arose over the name of its new runner — “The Black and Tan”.

Nike said the shoe “has been unofficially named by some using a phrase that can be viewed as inappropriate and insensitive”.

The nickname refers to a mixed-beer drink that is popular in the US.

For Irish people, however, it recalls the British auxiliaries who targeted civilians in the 1920s.

*Shattered: There was a break-in at the home of Justice Minister Alan Shatter while he was abroad.

A man broke into Mr Shatter’s home in south Dublin but an alarm went off and he fled on foot.

A man in his early 20s was arrested a short distance from the scene. Mr Shatter was in Australia at the time of the break-in.

Red faces: The Government was defeated in a vote taken at a meeting of the Oireachtas Finance Committee after numerous Fine Gael TDs went missing.

The motion, tabled by Peter Mathews, who was then forced to vote against it following threats from his colleagues, proposed that Central Bank governor Patrick Honohan be forced to appear before the committee by the end of the month.

*Bertie quits: Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern announced that he was resigning from Fianna Fáil after hearing of a motion to expel him from the party.

Fianna Fáil said it would seek to expel its former leader in the wake of the Mahon Tribunal which found that Mr Ahern failed to truthfully account for a number of financial transactions.

A party statement said the findings regarding Mr Ahern constituted “conduct unbecoming a member of Fianna Fáil”.

*Putin wins: Vladimir Putin won the presidential election in Russia, claiming 64% of the vote. Observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe challenged the election, saying Putin won because he had no competition and government spending at his disposal.

The US and EU called for an investigation into fraud allegations. Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Moscow and other cities in protest at the result.

APRIL

* Dissident wins seat: Burma’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi won a seat in parliament after an historic by-election that is testing the country’s nascent reform credentials and couldpersuade the West to end sanctions.

Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party claimed victories in at least 19 of the 45 available seats and announced to loud cheers that the Nobel Peace Prize laureate had won in Kawhmu, southwest of the commercial capital Yangon, raising the prospect of a sizeable political role following a two-decade struggle against military dictatorship.

* Mystery deaths: Healthauthorities began a major investigation into a cluster of six deaths among elderly people at a private nursing home over a 10-dayperiod.

A mystery respiratory illness, possibly a virulent strain of flu, was blamed for the deaths at Nazareth House in Buncrana, Co Donegal. A further 27 people, including members of staff, had to be treated for the respiratory type illness at the nursing home.

All six patients who died were aged over 80.

*Dissident flees: Chen Guangcheng, a blind lawyer and one of China’s most well-known dissidents, escaped from his rural home where he had been under house arrest since 2010.

Chen went to the American Embassy in Beijing where he asked US officials for help.

*Sanctuary: Furious anti-household charge protesters forced Environment Minister Phil Hogan to seek refuge in a cathedral.

The angry group had turned up for the minister’s planned launch of Carlow County Museum. Mr Hogan, who is TD for the Carlow/Kilkenny constituency, was due to make an open-air speech, but instead retreated to the cathedral as the group of up to 150 demonstrators heckled and shouted abuse.

*O’Reilly quits: Gavin O’Reilly, chief executive of media group Independent News & Media, resigned after a long-running dispute with the company’s biggest shareholder.

O’Reilly’s sudden departure followed an INM board meeting called at short notice and left journalists on the company’s papers, including the Irish Independent, fearing the move could lead to further upheavals.

His departure signals the end of a 40-year Irish newspaper family dynasty.

*Storm of protest: Protesters broke through Garda lines at a Labour Party conference.

Crowds of placard-waving campaigners broke through security lines to picket NUI Galway where the coalition party was holding its annual party meeting.

Just hours before the protest descended into chaos, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore sent a message to the protesters. “[I would tell them] to have a nice day,” he said.

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