The scene of the accident on the N17 (Pic via @gardatraffic)

Gardai in Galway are investigating a two vehicle fatal road traffic collision that occurred on the N17 at Polkeen, Castlegar, Co. Galway at approximately 9.45pm last night.

A 52 year old male motorcyclist was fatally injured when he was involved in a collision with a car.

He was brought to University Hospital Galway where he was pronounced dead.

The driver of the car was uninjured.

This stretch of road is currently closed to facilitate an examination by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators which is scheduled to take place this morning.

Traffic travelling from Galway City on the N17 is being diverted at Parkmore.  

Traffic travelling from Tuam direction on the N17 is being diverted at Claregalway.  

Traffic from both side will be able to return to the N17 via Carnmore Cross. 

Witnesses are asked to contact Galway Garda Station on 091-538000, The Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.

The alleged incident took place in the days before Christmas

Gardai have confirmed that an internal investigation has been opened into an alleged incident where female gardai reportedly allowed a group of men to strip in the station to avoid a traffic offence.

A garda spokesperson told the Sunday World: 'An internal investigation into the alleged incident is ongoing, there have been no suspensions.

'As it is an ongoing investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment further.'

The story, which appeared on the front of today's Irish Daily Mirror, alleges that female gardai stopped a group of men driving in an untaxed car in Meath earlier this month.

The men, allegedly male strippers, were then allegedly offered the chance to dance their way out of a fine back at the station in what the paper describes as a 'bit of fun that got out of hand'.

The impromptu show allegedly began but one of the female officers fell and it is claimed she injured her back.

An increase in assaults as well as a rise in "high-level" stand-offs are seen as the main reasons behind the proposed strike

Staff at the country's only juvenile detention centre are threatening industrial action over safety concerns.

An increase in assaults as well as a rise in "high-level" stand-offs are seen as the main reasons behind the proposed strike by staff at the €64m Oberstown campus.

The most recent incident left a member of staff hospitalised after a young offender attacked several workers with the bracket of a TV frame.

Union correspondence circulated to staff said they intended to ballot for industrial action.

"Impact has sanctioned the IYJB (Irish Youth Justice Branch) to conduct a ballot of members (working at the Oberstown Campus) for industrial action up to and including the withdrawal of labour on the grounds of safety," the email read.

"It must be made clear that the IYJB are hugely concerned about the safety of staff in the workplace on the campus."

The Department of Children and Youth Affairs confirmed that management at Oberstown are aware of the threat of industrial action. A statement said a notice was received earlier this month in which staff signalled their intention to ballot for industrial action "based on a number of ongoing issues related to staffing levels and current care practices".

Fianna Fail children's spokesman Robert Troy said the situation at the youth facility "is getting increasingly worse" and claimed that the issue of safety on the campus grounds "has not been properly addressed" by minister for children James Reilly.

"I have brought this matter up on several occasions, and now we have reached the stage where strike action is imminent because the staff's concerns aren't being addressed," said Mr Troy.

"I have met with workers on the ground and the number of stand-off situations, in particular those of a high-level nature, has increased over the last number of months, as have assaults in the facility.

"One member of staff who has worked there for 30 years told me he has never seen the situation as bad."

The latest violent incident happened after a young offender returned to Oberstown from a court appearance.

He appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance and was placed under observation.

He collapsed the following morning and an ambulance was called.

However, he regained consciousness and attacked staff at the scene with the TV bracket. Paramedics believed the youth was too out of control and decided it was not safe to place him in the ambulance.

Experienced staff at the scene said it was one of the most violent assaults they had ever seen.

Via Herald.ie

'Auto brewery syndrome' led to women failing a drink driving test

A women in the United States has had a drink driving charge dismissed after it was found that she produces alcohol internally due a rare medical condition.

The Associated Press are reprting that the unnamed women was cleared of the charges of driving under the influence when her lawyer presented the details of the condition to the court.

The condition, known as 'auto brewery syndrome' causes the sufferer to produce an excess of yeast in the gut. This in turn produces ethanol, or what we know as drinking alcohol.

Sufferers can become randomly drunk at any time and the women in this case was proven to have had up to four times the legal limit in her blood without her ever touching a  drop of booze.

Only after her arrest was the condition diagnosed.

She has switched to a low-carb diet which now manages the condition.

Conor McGregor at the press conference after his fight in Las Vegas earlier this month

A YOUNG man applying for free legal aid in a drugs prosecution attended the recent Conor McGregor fight in Las Vegas, a court was told.

Gardai have queried how Darren Snee (26) could afford the trip after he told a court he was unemployed and on social welfare.

Judge David McHugh adjourned the matter for four weeks for Mr Snee to bring a vouched statement of means to court.

The judge said this was "a matter of concern".

The accused, of Old Court Close, Palmerstown, appeared before Blanchardstown District Court charged with possession of cannabis and cocaine as well as having cocaine for sale or supply.

The alleged incident took place at Old Court Close last June 4.

Sgt Maria Callaghan said it was alleged that Mr Snee discarded a package that contained cocaine with a street value of €963 and cannabis worth €55.

Judge McHugh accepted jurisdiction, meaning the matters remain in the district court.

Solicitor Simon Fleming applied for legal aid, saying that Mr Snee was unemployed and receiving social welfare.

A garda queried this, saying Mr Snee had travelled to Las Vegas just over a fortnight ago to attend the McGregor fight.

Cumiskey's pub sealed off after the shooting

The Dublin criminal shot dead outside a pub on Blackhorse Avenue in Dublin was sitting in a car with his wife when he was shot.

Darren Kearns was gunned down in the car park of Cumiskey's pub, right beside the Phoenix Park on Dublin's northside.

Kearns, who had only recently been released from prison, was shot a number of times, including in the head in the brutal attack that happened at 5.40pm at the busy licensed premises.

Members of the public were in the car park when the murder took place.

Customers at the Chinese restaurant above the premises were arriving for dinner when they heard the gunshots.

"We heard seven or eight shots as we arrived but we didn't see anything and thought it was just fireworks going off," said an eye-witness

"The shots were very close together. There were a lot of shots. But because we thought it was fireworks we went and began our meal at the restaurant. It was only when we went outside that we saw all the guards in the car park.

"No one inside the restaurant seemed to realise what had happened and they continued eating." 

The pub and restaurant were later closed as gardai began an investigation.

Gardai are trying to trace the movements of a light-coloured BMW Five Series, registration 04-D-35151. That car was found burnt out off Regal Park, not far from the scene.

Gardai also say that multiple lines of inquiry are being followed.

Kearns, from Ashington in Cabra, was jailed in March, 2012, after pleading guilty to the possession of cannabis herb with a street value of €1.76m in August 2010.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard Darren Kearns was spending €1,000-a-day on cocaine at the time of the offence and had built up a debt of €180,000.

He told gardai that he had been forced to transport the drugs to Newry to reduce his drugs debt by €2,000.

Simon Danczuk

Simon Danczuk's membership of the Labour Party has been suspended following allegations he sent sexually explicit messages to a 17-year-old girl, the party has announced.

The Rochdale MP is being investigated by the party's ruling body after claims he bombarded the teenager Sophena Houlihan with lewd texts after she contacted him about a job.

Mr Danczuk said the reports in The Sun were "not entirely accurate" but added they referred "to an extremely low point in my life".

A Labour Party spokesman said: "The General Secretary of the Labour Party has today suspended Simon Danczuk's membership of the party, pending an investigation into allegations published in the media today.

"A full investigation will now take place under the authority of the National Executive Committee, which will be responsible for determining any further action."

The teenager, who is now 18, said the 49-year-old MP sent her numerous messages, including one asking if she wanted a "spanking".

She told the newspaper: "When I first got in touch I never expected the messages to get so graphic. At the time I played along with it, but now I feel like he duped me.

"I was keen for a career in politics and he is a very high profile MP and I was in awe of him."

Mr Danczuk apologised "unreservedly" and admitted "there's no fool like an old fool".

He tweeted: "My behaviour was inappropriate & I apologise unreservedly to everyone I've let down. I was stupid & there's no fool like an old fool."

Mr Danczuk's personal life has repeatedly made the headlines over the past year following the collapse of his marriage to wife Karen, who was dubbed the selfie queen after posting numerous photographs of herself in low cut tops.

The MP said his campaign to expose child sex abuse had left him depressed and had helped to cause the split.

He later embarked on a very public relationship with a Labour councillor, Claire Hamilton, who tweeted after Christmas that she had "dumped" Mr Danczuk.

A man has appeared in court accused of leaving a crude home-made bomb in a shopping centre.

David Rutherford, 24, of Barry Avenue, Preston, was remanded into custody for 14 days after a brief appearance at Preston Magistrates' Court.

Rutherford, wearing a grey sweatshirt and flanked by two prison officers, nodded to confirm his name and date of birth.

He was arrested on Wednesday after an incendiary device was found in toilets at the Fishergate Shopping Centre in Preston at 9am on December 17.

The city centre shopping complex was evacuated by police.

The device had ignited but did not explode or cause damage or injury.

Rutherford is charged with unlawfully and maliciously making an explosive substance, an improvised incendiary device with intent to endanger life or cause serious damage to property or enable another to do so.

Martine Connah, prosecuting, said the case was "unusual" and asked JPs to remand the defendant in custody for two weeks as the charge requires approval by the Attorney General, the most senior government lawyer.

Paolo Passerini, defending, told the court he did not object to the defendant being remanded in custody but he was "duty bound" to inform magistrates there were "issues" over the defendant's mental health and his ability to understand proceedings and whether remand in prison was appropriate.

No pleas were entered and there was no application for bail.

There will be a further hearing by videolink on January 8, before Rutherford is brought back to court on January 14.

A 27-year-old man from Preston who was also arrested in connection with the investigation was released on police bail until January 28.

At this stage there is not thought to be any connection between the two men.

Joan Burton pictured as a boat capsized on the Quays in Thomastown Co. Kilkenny with Ann Phelan TD while being taken to Shem Caulfeilds flooded house. Shem is pulling the boat Picture Dylan Vaughan (Via Irish Independent)

The Tanaiste Joan Burton fell out of a boat while visiting a flood site this afternoon.

She fell out while visiting Thomastown in Co Kilkenny on her way to inspect a flooded house.

Afterwards she said "I'm grand and very fast on my feet" and added that most of the water landed on her boots.

It was a year of heartbreak.

The year that a nation grieved for a family and for Irish students abroad. 

Here are eight stories that rocked the country to its core  

15. The Water Rising

It was the issue that wouldn’t go away for Taoiseach Enda Kenny as the anger around water charges continued to pose the biggest threat to the Coalition’s chances of re-election.

While countries like Greece and Spain have been gripped with violent street protests, Ireland had remained trouble-free despite years of tax hikes and spending cuts. 

However, the government’s plan to charge for water – at an estimated cost of more than €1,000 a household – proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

The pressure finally told and the government were forced into a humiliating U-turn and dramatically reduced the proposed bill.

During 2015 the mass protests continued, as hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets.

In August, more than 80,000 people converged on Dublin City Centre.

Irish Water were forced to admit in September that a total of 500,000 people had yet to register with the company.

14. Rebirth of a Nation

After eight long years of austerity budgets, 2015 will be remembered as the year the economy finally roared back.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan loosened the purse strings in October’s budget with the first tax cuts and welfare rises since the banking collapse of 2008 brought the wider economy to a shuddering halt.

While the rising tide was slow to lift all boats, the big economic indicators were all pointing to the fact that Ireland Inc. was off life support and back from the dead.

Crucially, unemployment figures started to drop below the 10 percent barrier and are now headed towards the eight percent mark for 2016.

There were huge job announcements throughout the year, the biggest being Apple’s news that it would hire 1,000 people in Cork.

But alarmingly the rebirth of the economy was accompanied by a return to  spiralling house prices as the lack of properties built in the boom  began to hit home.

13. Gotcha!

In February, Chelsea football fans brought shame on their club and country when a video of them chanting racist slogans and pushing a black man off a French train went viral around the world.

The footage was caught just hours before the London team were due to play in the Champions League against Paris Saint German.

While police and football chiefs hunted those responsible, the Sunday World – in a world exclusive – was able to tell them that one of the men on the train was none other than former RUC cop turned human rights campaigner Richard Barklie, from Northern Ireland.

Despite claiming to be innocently trying to help the victim, Barklie was later banned from football matches for five years over the incident.

12. Fall of Fifa

It was the year that FIFA’s house of cards finally came tumbling down in dramatic fashion.

For years there have been rumours that senior members of football’s governing body had been accepting bribes from countries looking to host the World Cup.

But up until May 27, FIFA’s slippery chief Sepp Blatter and his cronies had managed to wriggle and bluster their way out of any trouble.

However, that all came to an end when 14 people were indicted following a series of raids by the FBI investigating alleged use of bribery, fraud and money laundering.

At the same time the raids in the U.S. were taking place, seven FIFA officials were arrested at the Hotel Baur au Lac in Zurich on May 27.

Blatter announced that he would call for elections to choose a new president of FIFA and that he would not stand – despite being re-elected weeks earlier.

Criminal proceedings were announced against Blatter by the Swiss Attorney General’s office on September 25, regarding “criminal mismanagement... and misappropriation”.

On October 8, Blatter and other top FIFA officials were suspended amid the investigation.

11. The New Homeless

While the economy rebounded, it brought back with it the ghosts of booms past. Having built few new homes in the last seven years, Ireland’s housing stock was in crisis in 2015.

Property prices soared and rents went back to levels not seen since before the end of the boom in 2008. The twin pressures created a new class of homeless families. 

It also meant those at the very bottom of the ladder were back in street doorways a year after action was pledged following the death of Jonathan Corrie. 

Housing is now set to be at the centre of the 2016 election campaign.

10. Halting Site Horror

When the nation woke up on the morning of October 10, they were greeted with news of the worst domestic fire in more than 30 years – with an extended family literally wiped out overnight in a horror blaze.

The fire, at a halting site in Carrickmines in South Dublin, spread rapidly, with flames tearing through a portacabin in seconds.

Willie Lynch (25), his pregnant partner Tara Gilbert (27) and their children Jodie (9) and Kelsey (4), were killed, as was Willie’s brother Jimmy Lynch (39).

Sylvia Connors, her husband Thomas and their three young children, Jim (5), Christy (3) and five month-old baby Mary Connors, also died in the blaze.

Following an extensive forensic investigation, Gardaí believe the horror blaze was caused by an unattended oven that was left switched on.

At the funeral Mass, John Lynch, a brother of Sylvia, Willie and Jimmy, and uncle to their children, told how they enjoyed “a lovely day” together the day before they died.

When he got the call the next morning, he said he did not believe it: “Then, in a moment, I realised all my family was gone.

“My brothers, my sister, my sister-in-law, my brother-in-law, my nephews and nieces. The whole lot gone, in one go.”

9. Tragedy in California

The J1 Visa programme has been a right of passage for thousands of Irish students.  But it will forever be overshadowed now by the tragic events that took place in Berkeley in the early hours of Tuesday June 16.

A group of friends had gathered in the university town to celebrate a 21st birthday when the water-rotted supports of the apartment balcony gave way, catapulting 13 young people to the ground 40 feet below.

Six died instantly, five 21 year-olds Eimear Walsh, Eoghan Culligan, Niccolai Schuster, Olivia Burke and Lorcan Miller, and 22 year-old  Ashley Donohue.

Seven more suffered life-changing injuries.   The families of Clodagh Cogley, Aoife Beary, Sean Fahey, Conor Flynn, Jack Halpin, Niall Murray, and Hannah Waters have now launched a lawsuit against 35 defendants they hold responsible for the rotting condition of the balcony that caused one of the greatest single losses of Irish life abroad.

Check back on New Year's Day for part two 

Patrick O Brien

THIS is evil father Patrick O’Brien being released from prison on Christmas Eve for a visit to hospital – as his victim is forced to endure months of agony on a hospital waiting list for a minor procedure to remove gallstones.

Looking 10 years younger than when he was jailed for the shocking abuse of daughter Fiona Doyle in January 2013, O’Brien was escorted by two prison officers for a visit to the Mater Hospital on Thursday.

O’Brien spent 30 minutes in the Mater – where he has been receiving the best medical treatment the taxpayer can fund for his emphysema – before being driven back to prison under escort.

Horrifically, while taxpayers’ money is being showered down on paedo O’Brien, his daughter Fiona has been told she must suffer months of agony before she will be called for an operation to have gallstones removed.

“Sickening,” is how Fiona yesterday described the treatment of her father, while she has been told she will wait at least three months before getting a hospital bed.

“It disgusts me that he is treated so well given what he has done,” Fiona told the Sunday World.

“Three years ago it was made out in court that he was almost dying – look at him now.

“He gets three square meals a day, a comfortable cell and the best medical treatment the taxpayer can buy.

“Meanwhile, I’ve been told I’ll have to wait at least three months to have gallstones removed. The whole system is a bit of a joke. But it shows again how criminals are treated far better than their victims.”

Fiona Doyle 

The Sunday World can also reveal that while O’Brien will next week begin serving the third year of a nine-year sentence for the sickening campaign of abuse against Fiona, the investigation into the role his wife Breda played in her daughter’s abuse has concluded and a file has now been sent to the DPP recommending she be charged.

Sources say that the long-running investigation – co-ordinated by Garda Darragh Phelan of Shankill Garda Station – was sent to the DPP’s office prior to Christmas recommending a number of charges against O’Brien.

Breda – who stood by Patrick O’Brien even after he was jailed on 16 counts of raping and indecently assaulting Fiona at Mackintosh Park, Pottery Road in Dun Laoghaire from 1973 to 1982 – was herself arrested last June.

She was quizzed for over five hours about her alleged role in the rape and abuse of Fiona.

Fiona has always insisted that her mother knew of the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father from the age of three and regularly called her “your father’s whore”.

She wrote to Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan last January asking her to consider investigating her mother’s role in what happened.

Within months she was informed that Breda, also known as Bridget, was under investigation for any crimes she may have committed by ignoring the rapes.

“It’s not just significant for me… it’s significant for all survivors of abuse,” Fiona told the Sunday World.

“More and more survivors are coming out saying that their mothers were complicit in the abuse perpetrated by their fathers in the family home and were complicit in it.

“In my case my mother could have stopped what was happening to me and there is evidence in files the Gardaí now have in their possession that proves she knew I was being abused.

“In a way, in my mind, her betrayal was as bad, if not worse, as my father’s. Even after my father admitted abusing me she chose to stand by him and kept visiting him in prison.

“She actively labelled me a liar to my relatives and encouraged my relatives to believe that he was innocent.

“I deserve to have the opportunity to face her down in court and I honestly believe she deserves to go to jail for what she did to me.

“As far back as I can remember, she knew. When I was little she would wake me up at night and pick me up and put me in his bed.

“Then she would go and get into my bed. I would have only been six or seven then. She delivered me to him.

“She would throw him out after a row and tell him ‘don’t forget your whore’.

“That’s how she referred to me – as my father’s ‘whore.’ She was very vocal about it to people and would tell them that I was ‘sleeping’ with my father.”

This week Fiona said she wished to praise the Gardaí, and in particular Garda Darragh Phelan, for their tireless efforts.

A direction from the DPP on whether or not Breda O’Brien will face charges in connection with her alleged role in her daughter’s abuse could take several months.

New Zealand, Australia, Japan and Thailand are among the countries to have welcomed in 2016.

But in Dubai, a major blaze broke out in a residential building near the city's massive fireworks display.

It was not immediately clear what caused the fire, which ran up at least 20 storeys of the building near the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest skyscraper at 828m (905 yards).

Burning debris rained down from the building as firefighters raced to the scene. It was not immediately clear if anyone was wounded in the blaze.

Earlier New Zealand counted down the seconds to midnight with a giant digital clock on Auckland's Sky Tower as it become the first nation with a sizeable population to welcome in the new year.

Horns blared and crowds cheered as the tower was then lit up with fireworks, with colours shifting from green to red to white.

In Australia, simultaneous fireworks displays erupted along Sydney's famed harbour, where people crowded onto balconies, into waterside parks and onto boats as they jockeyed for the best view, clinking glasses and whooping with joy as the first pyrotechnics exploded.

More than one million people were expected to watch the glittery display, featuring a multicoloured firework "waterfall" cascading off the Harbour Bridge and effects in the shapes of butterflies, octopuses and flowers.

Australian officials, struggling to contain the threat from home-grown extremists, encouraged revellers to enjoy the evening and assured them that thousands of extra police were patrolling major cities.

"Don't change your way of life," Melbourne lord mayor Robert Doyle urged residents of his city. "Don't let events from around the world challenge the way that we live."

New Year's Eve is Japan's biggest holiday, and millions crammed into trains to flee the cities for their home towns to slurp down bowls of noodles, symbolising longevity, while watching the annual Red and White NHK song competition.

Tokyo was on special alert for security issues this year, with posters in underground stations and other public spaces warning people to keep their eyes open for suspicious packages or activities.

South Koreans traditionally mark New Year's Eve with bell ringing ceremonies, fireworks and outdoor music and dance performances.

Thousands of people, including North Korean refugees, were expected to gather at a town near the border with rival North Korea to watch one of the ceremonies and wish for peaceful Korean unification.

North Korea was expected to mark the new year with a speech by leader Kim Jong Un, which outside observers use to pore over for insight on the reclusive country's policy direction.

Meanwhile China held an official New Year's Eve celebration near Beijing's Forbidden City.

For security reasons, Shanghai closed underground stations near the scenic waterfront Bund because of a stampede last New Year's Eve that killed 36 people and blemished the image of China's most prosperous and modern metropolis.

Security is a big concern in many cities around the world this New Year's Eve.

In the Thai capital Bangkok, police-flanked partygoers rang in the new year at the site of a deadly bombing that took place just months ago.

In Paris, residents recovering from their city's own deadly attacks will enjoy scaled-back celebrations.

And in the Belgian capital Brussels, 2016 will be rung in without the customary fireworks display and street party.

The festivities were cancelled by mayor Yvan Mayeur, who said on Wednesday evening it would have been impossible to administer adequate security checks to all of the 100,000 people expected to attend.

On Thursday morning, forklifts and trucks removed generators and other equipment from the Place de Brouckere, the broad square in central Brussels where the fireworks show was supposed to happen. Some people said they understood the cancellation, others called it knuckling under to the extremist threat.

"I think it is a good and wise decision," said Koen Vandaele, a Brussels resident. "There could be a lot of confusion if the fireworks started" and there was a fresh attack.

"I think it is backing down to the threat to terrorism," disagreed Ken Kinsella, another Brussels resident. "There is no point in running away from it so I think they should have gone ahead with it."

Gardai inspect the scene

A drug dealer who was shot dead in front of his wife after eating a Chinese meal had not even planned on going to the restaurant.

Detectives suspect the "professional hit team" who murdered Darren Kearns received a phone call from an associate who had been stalking him on Wednesday afternoon.

"This was a highly organised murder that involved the use of two cars at very short notice," a senior source said.

"It had not even been the couple's original plan to go to that Chinese, so that will show you how quick the killers were to act.

"They knew exactly what they were at, and their actions before and after the murder show that they had a strong degree of local knowledge."

It emerged yesterday that Kearns and his wife had been at the Rising Phoenix Chinese restaurant above Cumiskey's pub on Dublin's Blackhorse Avenue from around 4.30pm and left shortly before 5.40pm.He was with her in their car in the car park when he was gunned down as he sat in the passenger seat.

Gardaí said it was "just pure luck" that his traumatised wife was not injured.

Kearns was shot several times, including in the head, with a handgun before his killers sped off in a light-coloured BMW 5 series that was later found burned out on nearby Regal Park.

Gardaí are investigating Kearns' role as a bagman for a jailed Cabra criminal he had been collecting cash for since the gangster, aged in his late 30s, was locked up last year.

"This is being looked at, and what is not in absolutely doubt is that Kearns had been an active participant in organised crime since he got temporary release from prison last February.

"The suggestion is that he was left in charge of things after a number of major local criminals were sent to jail, so gardaí are looking at whether his new position of responsibility led to his downfall in terms of him maybe being on the take."

Kearns was technically still serving a six-year sentence for drug offences when he was shot dead, but he had been out of prison for 10 months with his sentence due to expire next month.

Described by prison sources as a "model inmate", Kearns served much of his time in the relatively cushy regimes of Loughan House Open Centre and Mountjoy Prison's Training Unit.

He was granted temporary release a full year ahead of his due date.

Gardaí are unaware of any incidents involving Kearns in recent weeks or months which could have led to his murder, and it is understood he had no idea that his life was under threat.

Ken Foy and Conor Feehan

Zachary, eight, and four year old Amon (right)

Sian Blake

Police are becoming "increasingly concerned" about a 43-year-old woman who has gone missing with her two small children.

Sian Blake, 43, went missing from Erith, Kent, with her children Zachary, eight, and Amon, four.

She was last seen on Sunday December 13 around Waltham Forest in east London, and police in Bexley, south east London, believe she is still in the London area.

The Metropolitan Police is now appealing to the public for help finding her.

A spokeswoman for the force said: "We are increasingly concerned about her and her children's wellbeing. We have exhausted all other lines of enquiry."

Ms Blake is described by police as a black woman, 5ft 2ins tall of slim build with short black hair. She wears glasses but does also wear contact lenses.

Anyone with any information is asked to call police on 101 or Missing People on 116000, quoting reference 15MIS050346.

Kieran Gibbons

Ireland's first baby born in 2016 was born at a Limerick Hospital, it is understood.

Little Kieran Patrick Gibbons was born at 11 seconds past midnight at University Maternity Hospital, Limerick.

It is thought that little Kieran, weighing 8lb 3oz, is Ireland's first baby of 2016.

His proud mother Jennifer told independent.ie: "It's fantastic. We're absolutely delighted with him."

Little Kieran arrived exactly on time, Jennifer from Dooradoyle Co. Limerick said.

"He was due on the first of the first and he arrived just on time. It's been a fantastic way to start the New Year"

Meanwhile, the second baby of 2016 was born at the National Maternity Hospital at Holles Street. Little Gabriella arrived at 21 seconds past midnight. In Dublin's Rotunda Hospital a baby boy was the first delivery of the new year and was born at three minutes past.

In Cork Maternity Hospital, the first baby of 2016 arrived at thirteen minutes past midnight, while the Coombe welcomed a baby girl fourteen minutes into the new year.

The arrival of the baby girl, who has yet to be named, was an exciting start to the new year for her parents Michelle and Kehinde Adeoye, who live in Dublin.

It's been a slow night for New Year's babies in Carlow/Kilkenny and Kerry General Hospital, who have yet to welcome the first arrival of 2016, while in Sligo the first baby of the year arrived four hours past midnight.

It was a busy night in Westmeath, as five babies were delivered between midnight and 9am in Midland Regional Hospital in Mullingar, the first of which was a baby boy who arrived at twenty past twelve.

In Waterford General Hospital, three babies have been born since the clock struck twelve, the first of which was a baby boy born at 22 minutes past midnight.

In Wexford, a baby girl weighing 3.4kg was the first baby born in the county this year, arriving 27 minutes into 2016.

Via Independent.ie

10859904-1.jpg

Munich train stations have reopened, as Bavaria's top security official said that the warning about Islamic State extremists intending to blow themselves up in the German city was no longer acute.

"We no longer have concrete indications for a terror threat today or tomorrow at a specific location," Bavarian interior minister Joachim Herrmann said. He warned, however, that the overall terror threat in Europe remained high.

Just shortly before the city rang in the new year, Munich police had evacuated the main train station and a station in the Pasing neighbourhood. Party-goers were asked to avoid crowds.

Mr Herrmann said a friendly foreign intelligence service had warned Germany of an imminent attack at midnight by between five and seven IS State militants from Syria and Iraq planning to blow themselves up at locations in Munich, including the two stations.

Authorities were investigating intensively on Friday, Mr Herrmann said, but so far had not made any arrests. He said they had received personal data for some of the attackers and were still in the process of investigating and verifying the information. He would not give any further details on the alleged attackers and could not confirm if they actually existed.

Mr Herrmann called on Munich residents to be cautious, but at the same time not to let terror threats interfere with their normal lives.

More than 500 police and special unit officers from all over the southern Bavaria region were called to Munich on Thursday night to help evacuate and secure the stations. At noon, some 100 extra officers were still present in the city.

German interior minister Thomas de Maiziere thanked all involved authorities for their "thoughtful, considerate and decisive" action in Munich on New Year's Eve.

"The situation in Europe and Germany continues to be serious in the new year," Mr de Maiziere said in a written statement. "Indeed we did get indications (for a planned attack) yesterday, which were evaluated by the Bavarian intelligence authorities and federal police."

Mr de Maiziere promised that in the future, German security officials would continue to analyse the situation thoroughly and act accordingly.

Despite police warnings to stay away from big crowds, thousands of people were on the streets of Munich at midnight to welcome the new year with fireworks.

Cities across Europe have been on edge since an attack in Paris in November that killed 130 people.

A few days after the Paris attack, a football stadium in Hannover in central Germany was evacuated after a threat against a friendly match between Germany and the Netherlands.

The authorities never reported any findings of explosives or concrete attack plans.

A TEENAGER is recovering in hospital after being shot in the early hours of this morning.

The young man, aged in his late teens, was targeted outside a house in the Piercetown area of Newbridge, Co Kildare shortly before 5am today.

A man approached the teenager and discharged a firearm, believed to be a shotgun, hitting the victim at once in the leg before subsequently fleeing the scene.

Emergency services were notified at 4.50am and gardai as well as paramedics rushed to the scene.

The teenager was transferred to Naas General Hospital where he is recovering from his non-life threatening injuries, while gardai sealed off the scene to allow for a technical examination to be carried out.

A spokesperson for the garda press office appealed for anyone with information to contact investigating officers at Naas garda station.

Ms Kinsella worked at a Tesco outlet in a town in Co Wexford (FILE PHOTO)

A Tesco worker sacked for eating eggs, beans, toast and sausages and not immediately paying for them has been awarded €41,000 by a tribunal.

The Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) ordered the Irish arm of the supermarket giant to pay Lisa Kinsella the money after finding that she was unfairly dismissed.

Ms Kinsella worked at a Tesco outlet in a town in Co Wexford.

She was one of four workers to be dismissed after CCTV footage captured them consuming food without immediately paying for the items at a café operated by Tesco.

In the case against Ms Kinsella, it was alleged that at 10.40am on May 22, 2013, she went to breakfast at the café, where she ate two eggs, beans, toast, a rasher, two sausages and a coffee and that no payment was made at the till.

The following day, CCTV footage also recorded Ms Kinsella getting food and, again, no payment being made at the till.

Ms Kinsella was suspended by Tesco on June 4, 2013, and she was dismissed on August 19.

She had worked for Tesco since 2001, and had an exemplary work record until her dismissal for gross misconduct through breaching Tesco's policy on honesty and staff purchases.

In her unfair dismissal action, Ms Kinsella said she had paid for the food at a later date and this had been common practice when a former café manager known as "TS" was employed between 1998 and 2002. In evidence, TS explained there was no strict policy and that food could be paid for by staff after consumption.

TS explained that staff in the canteen were not allowed to carry cash while working.

Ms Kinsella told the hearing - held over eight days between April and October 2015 - that all food consumed had been paid from the monies accumulated on the tip plate.

She said this was normal practice in the café.

Ms Kinsella also told the tribunal that had management informed her that what she was doing was against company policy, she would have ceased. She would not have wanted to lose her job because of it.

EH, a staff colleague who was also dismissed as a result of consuming food and not immediately paying for it, said that there could be €30/€40 in the tip plate on a busy day.

In its determination, the EAT found that there was a practice of paying later in respect of food consumed in the café.

The tribunal also found that this practice arose out of necessity in that Ms Kinsella could not have her purse with her while on duty in the café.

The EAT also said that Tesco's "Honesty Policy and Purchase Policy are not sufficiently clear when it comes to the consumption of food and are overridden by the existence of the practice of paying later for food".

The EAT also found that "there is no evidence that Ms Kinsella breached the honesty policy".

"The evidence is that she didn't pay at the time of purchase," it added.

Via Independent.ie

Flowers near the scene of the incident

A man has died after being attacked by his own dog.

The 22-year-old was bitten by the animal in Preston, Lancashire Police said.

He was treated by paramedics at the scene in Dundonald Street but subsequently died from his injuries.

The dog, which belonged to the man, has been put down by vets.

Detective Inspector Jane Webb, from Preston CID, said: "This is a tragic incident in which a man has sadly died.

"Inquiries are ongoing to establish the exact circumstances and my thoughts very much remain with his family, who are being supported by specially trained officers at this time."

Liam Hewitson, 22, of Preston, was mauled by his dog Trigger after suffering a fit when he was at home alone, police said.

He sustained significant injuries to his face and neck and died at the scene.

In a tribute his family said: "Liam was a happy lad who was always smiling and had lots of friends. He had a beautiful personality and he will be missed by his dad Phil, girlfriend Jess and sisters Melissa and Aleisha and brother Cordell."

Police have confirmed there will not be a criminal investigation and they are treating the incident as "a tragic accident".

The dog, which was a male pit bull cross and not a banned breed, is thought to have been around five or six years old and had belonged to Liam since its birth.

Sian Blake

Concern is growing for a woman who reportedly starred in EastEnders, after she disappeared with her two young children.

Sian Blake, 43, who is said to have played Frankie Pierre in the hit soap, went missing from Erith, Kent, with her children Zachary, eight, and Amon, four.

She was last seen on Sunday December 13 around Waltham Forest, east London, and police in Bexley, south-east London, believe she is still in the area.

According to website IMDb, the Frankie Pierre character featured in 56 episodes of the BBC soap opera between 1996 and 1997.

Ms Blake's neighbour Sandra Metzgen said her family was "worried".

"Sian has motor neurone disease and I think it has got worse," she told the Sun.

"No one knows where she is. She was looking very thin and frail and I think her mum was worried about that.

"She was in hospital for quite a while and whether her condition has progressed I don't know."

The Metropolitan Police is now appealing to the public for help finding her.

A spokeswoman for the force said: "We are increasingly concerned about her and her children's well-being. We have exhausted all other lines of inquiry."

Ms Blake is black, 5ft 2ins and slim with short black hair. She wears glasses but can also wear contact lenses.