News from Ireland - news from around the 32 counties

Michael Dwyer, who was 24 at the time of his death, was shot by police forces in his hotel room because, they claimed, he was part of a plot to kill Bolivian President Evo Morales.

However, numerous witnesses have stated that Mr Dwyer was unarmed when he was killed in Santa Cruz in April 2009.

Now the Oireachtas committee, led by Deputy Pat Breen, has backed calls for an independent international inquiry into the slaying.

And Cllr Morris, who welcomed the move, told the Tipperary Star he hoped the Bolivian government would comply with any requests made to it in relation to the incident.

“The Bolivian government should not be afraid of any independent inquiry. This needs to be done if the family are going to get any justice,” he said.“Michael Dwyer died in horrific circumstanecs. His family have suffered ever since and an inquiry would bring some small bit of relief to them.”
(Source: Tipperary Star)

Tyrone

Two masked men, one armed with a gun, hijacked a taxi in a County Tyrone town on Friday.
The incident, in Strabane's Fountain Terrace, took place at 20:00 BST.

Police said the men forced the driver from the vehicle, a blue Renault Traffic, before they drove it away.
It was later found burned out at Innisfree Gardens. The driver was uninjured.
(Source: Belfast Telegraph)

Waterford

Waterford has been dealt yet another major body blow on the jobs front, as it emerged last week that 130 jobs in Rigney Dolphin are in serious jeopardy.

The Waterford News & Star has learned that 130 call centre workers, on the city’s Industrial park, have been told that by December 3 they will have to relocate to Cork or claim redundancy.

It is also understood that the Chairman of Rigney Dolphin, Frank Dolphin is desperately trying to save the workers from the dole queue or having to relocate and he will continue to do everything in his power to fight for their jobs.

Earlier this year, Rigney Dolphin lost a lucrative Eircom account to another company based outside Ireland, First Source Solutions, and that has now put the 130 jobs in jeopardy.

A condition of the new contract was that First Source Solutions had to take the work to  Knocknaheany in Cork where Eircom already had an empty premises.

Now the Waterford workers have to decide between moving to Cork or claiming redundancy and losing their job.
(Source: Waterford News & Star)

Westmeath

A local man had a lucky escape last Sunday night after he was forced to make a crash-landing in Taughmaconnell as he travelled from Ballinasloe to his home in Castlesampson.

Michael Mannion from Castlesampson is understood to have been on his way home from the Ballinasloe Fair when he was forced to crash-land the helicopter, a Robinson R44, in a field in Taughmaconnell. Mr Mannion, who runs R&M Quarries, walked away uninjured following the incident but was reported to have been in shock.

Gardai preserved the scene and contacted the Air Accident Investigation Unit of the Department of Transport, which is currently carrying out an investigation into the incident.

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Nster.com