Morning Ireland

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Hauliers defiant as fuel crisis deepens Amid reports of a further imminent increase in the price of diesel, hauliers held several meetings in venues throughout the country last night. Demanding immediate action, the hauliers now appear to be on a collision course with the Government which is striving to postpone any tax reductions until Budget day. A blockade of ports and fuel depots is still very possible.

Paschal Sheehy, Southern Editor, reports from a hauliers' meeting in Cork

Conor Mark Kavanagh gauges the mood of Dublin motorists and hauliers

Tom Noonan, Chief Executive of Maxol, discusses the possibility of a further price increase

Controversial theory links AIDS to contaminated polio vaccine A new theory which claims that a polio vaccine may have caused the AIDS epidemic has caused uproar in the scientific community. Edward Hooper has put forward the controversial theory that the virus was spread through a contaminated polio vaccine in the 1950s.

Edward Hooper discusses the controversial theory

Harry Potter first editions rocket in value The Harry Potter phenomenon shows no sign of abating with a film and three more books on the way. Now it seems that if you are lucky enough to own a first edition, first print of the first Harry Potter book, you could be sitting on a small fortune.

Ben Kelly discusses Harry Potter first editions with John Anderson, Pennsylvanian bookstore owner and Harry Potter expert

Dublin-Monaghan delegation to discuss bombings with Ingram Today the relatives of the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings will meet with the Northern Ireland Office Minister, Adam Ingram, to formally request that the British government co-operates with the Commission of Inquiry into the bombings headed up by Mr Justice Hamilton. 33 people were killed in the double bombings in May, 1974.

Tim Grace, whose wife Breda died in the Talbot Street bombing, discusses the meeting with Adam Ingram

Interim injunction granted to Joyce Estate in copyright case The James Joyce Estate has been granted an interim injunction preventing Cork University Press from publishing extracts of Ulysses in a new book called "Irish Writing In The 20th Century". It is the latest action by James Joyce's grandson, Stephen James Joyce, to protect copyright. James Joyce used the city of Dublin and Dublin people in his books so the arguments goes that the people should have a moral and cultural right to use James Joyce's material in different ways.

Medb Ruane of the Irish Times discusses the copyright issue

Fianna Fáil attempts to combat political apathy among youth Fianna Fáil is to make an attempt to attract more young people into politics. Later this month, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will launch The Dublin Forum, which he says will host political debate and create a new political arena for the capital. This drive comes as fewer and fewer people, especially young people, bother to vote at all.

Chris Flood, TD, discusses the Fianna Fáil plan

Sister Bernadette MacMahon, Co-ordinator of the Vincentian Partnership for Justice, discusses the partnership's efforts to encourage people to vote

Filipino nurses recruited for Dublin hospitals You've all heard by now about the shortage of nurses in the major hospitals particularly in Dublin and the efforts by the health managers to recruit and retain nurses. The crisis has led health managers to the Philippines and already a number of Filipino nurses have arrived here, recruited by the Mater Hospital in Dublin. Last week, the recruitment agency that brought them here went to Manila to recruit a further 100 nurses for Beaumont Hospital.

Aileen O'Meara, Health & Science Correspondent, travelled to Manila and discusses why Filipino nurses want to work in Ireland

Motorists face VAT charges on toll roads and bridges There is even more bad news for motorists this morning. Not only do they have to contend with rising fuel prices, the cost of using toll roads and bridges could also increase soon, following a ruling by the European Court of Justice this morning. The ruling says that VAT should be imposed on tolls.

Tommie Gorman, Europe Editor, discusses the ruling