Shell seeks talks on new gas route Mon, 12 Feb 2007Irish Times Subscription Shell E&P Ireland has sought preliminary discussions with An Bord Pleanála on its modified route for the Corrib gas onshore pipeline. The request has been made on behalf of the Corrib gas partners under the new Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Act - legislation which came into force at the end of January to speed up planning approval for major projects ...

Should illegal drugs be decriminalised? Mon, 12 Feb 2007Irish Times Subscription Recorded drugs offences were up 14.5 per cent last year. Illegal drugs are now available in virtually every Irish community and there is little sign that current policies are reducing drug use ...

McDowell in begging letter to fat-cat donors Mon, 12 Feb 2007Irish Independent TANAISTE Michael McDowell was accused last night of "compromising" himself after it emerged he is asking rich people to give the Progressive Democrats €5,000 each, writes Fionnan Sheahan. To build up a €2m general election war chest, the PD leader has written to several hundred wealthy individuals seeking large donations. He also guarantees the donors anonymity and points out that they will not have to declare they made the payments to the party ...

EU to discuss Palestinian boycott Mon, 12 Feb 2007BBC EU foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels to discuss the new deal on a Palestinian national unity government, and how they should respond to it. For more than a year, the EU, with the US and Russia, has kept up an economic boycott of the Palestinian government. This followed the election of an administration dominated by the Islamic militant group Hamas, which refuses to recognise Israel. Leading EU nations have so far reacted to the deal in different ways ...

Israel denies the excavations threaten the al-Aqsa mosque Mon, 12 Feb 2007BBC Controversial construction work near one of the holiest sites in Jerusalem is to be suspended, officials say. The city's mayor, Uri Lupolianski, said the decision was taken in order to allow the general public to review plans and express any opposition. Violence flared last week over digging work near the al-Aqsa mosque, Islam's third holiest site. The compound containing the mosque is also revered by Jews as the site of their biblical temples ...

Robert Fisk: Conspiracy of silence in the Arab world Sat, 10 Feb 2007Independent Could Rifaat al-Assad's day in court be growing closer? Yes, Rifaat - or Uncle Rifaat to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria - the man whose brother Hafez hurled him from Damascus after he tried to use his special forces troops to stage a coup ...