Dublin News

A fresh call for Ireland to ramp up its austerity drive heaped pressure on Prime Minister Enda Kenny’s coalition government on Friday as he brokered negotiations for his administration’s first budget under an EU-IMF bailout.

Fissures have emerged in Kenny’s cabinet over whether Dublin needs to make adjustments above 3.6 billion euros ($4.9 billion) next year to get the deficit, currently the worst in the industrialised world, down to 8.6 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from an estimated 10 percent this year.

Around 40,000 homes and businesses in north Dublin face water restrictions this weekend because of emergency works on the supply network.

Areas affected will include Swords, Santry, Coolock, Artane, Belmayne, Kilbarrack and Howth.

Work to repair a serious leak at the intersection of three large watermains will begin 6am on Saturday and is scheduled to finish at midnight on Sunday.

ANTHONY DALY is “99.9%” certain he will be in charge of the Dublin senior hurling team in 2012.

Daly was quizzed on his intentions at a Vodafone function in Dublin yesterday and revealed he is almost certainto take up the option of the second year of a two-year term with the National League champions.

He said last night: “There are a couple of little things to be cleared up with the backroom staff. I’m waiting for those things to be confirmed. Hopefully, all will be in place over the next two or three weeks and we’ll drive on from there. There are couple of i’s to be dotted and t’s to be crossed but we’re committed to giving it a rattle again.”

Salma Khan to stay with her son for a month and tend to him as he recovers from surgery, while shooting for Ek Tha Tiger

Salman Khan is back in action after surgery. Khan resumed shooting for Yash Raj Films’s Ek Tha Tiger about 15 days ago in Dublin after a successful operation for his painful nerve condition, trigeminal neuralgia, on August 31. More >

Salma Khan to stay with her son for a month and tend to him as he recovers from surgery, while shooting for Ek Tha Tiger

Salman Khan is back in action after surgery. Khan resumed shooting for Yash Raj Films’s Ek Tha Tiger about 15 days ago in Dublin after a successful operation for his painful nerve condition, trigeminal neuralgia, on August 31.

Ireland’s government will decide by the end of November what type of investor it would like to see buy a minority stake in the country’s electricity utility, ESB, a sale it authorised as part of its EU-IMF bailout package.

“The process that we have established (is) between now and the 30th of November to take whatever professional advice we need and to settle on the most compatible investor we can get in the company,” Energy Minister Pat Rabbitte told state broadcaster RTE.

Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar said the country is in receivership and it is by no means certain that any of the major transport projects for Dublin will be built in the next five years.

He said the Government is considering the different transport options for the capital – including Metro North, DART Underground, the Luas Connector, and the DART link to Dublin Airport.

He says each is being assessed on affordability grounds, on the transport and economic benefit it would have for the city, and how many jobs it would create and hopes that one of the projects can be funded.

TIME IS TICKING down. All the tickets are sold. 20,000 Donegal supporters are ironing their yellow and green jerseys in anticipation of Sunday’s All-Ireland SFC semi-final at Croker.

In the capital, the bunting is up and expectations are at the seasonal high. On Sunday it’s winner takes all.

DUBLIN’S HURLING momentum at underage quickened last weekend with the minors reaching a first All-Ireland final in 28 years. This afternoon’s Bórd Gáis All-Ireland under-21 semi-final gives the county a great chance of reaching a second final this season.

Dublin’s relatively untroubled path through Leinster – Kilkenny having been beaten by Wexford – featured some impressive displays, especially the second half of the provincial final when they turned a tight contest with Wexford into a rout.

By all accounts Antrim have put a big effort into this year after last year’s destruction by eventual champions Tipperary.

ALL-IRELAND CHAMPIONS Tipperary have named the same team that overwhelmed Waterford in the Munster final for Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final against Dublin.

That means Brendan Maher, last season’s young hurler of the year, is again held in reserve despite recovering from a fractured ankle. More >