Morning Ireland

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HSE extends recruitment freeze

Liam Doran, General Secretary of the INO, says the HSE should not have to apologise for treating more people than it should have

Martin McDonald, HSE's Director of Human Resources, says there will be a moderation of the recruitment freeze

Temporary preservation order in Tara valley

Richard Dowling, North-East Correspondent, reports that the order has been placed on the Rath Lugh national monument

Putin interested in prime minister role

Conor Sweeney, Moscow Correspondent for Reuters, says Vladimir Putin would be re-elected president if he were allowed to stand

New European policy group launched

Mark Leonard, Director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, says many countries punch below their weight

Spears loses custody battle

Steve Futterman in Los Angeles says a number of concerns were raised about Britney Spears by her former husband

GRA welcomes decision on Lusk inquest

John Healy, Deputy General Secretary of the GRA, says the Garda Ombudsman's application was unfair

Kieran Fitzgerald, Head of Communications at the Garda Ombudsman Commission, said the Lusk submission was the first case where the commission dealt with inappropriate lethal force

Drink aware campaign aimed at students

Cian McCormack speaks to students attending freshers week in Trinity College about their attitudes to alcohol

Special Olympics begin today in China

Margaret Ward, China Correspondent, reports that Chinese leader Hu Jintao will attend the opening ceremony

Inquest into Princess Diana's death opens

James Whitaker, former royal correspondent with the Daily Mirror, says the inquest will determine how and why Diana died