And TDs may have just a week to debate it before the first vote takes place.

Last night the Taoiseach again ruled out any free-vote for coalition Deputies - Fine Gael backbencher Peter Matthews tried to bring a motion to the parliamentary party to call for a vote on 'freedom of conscience'.

But he failed to get even one other member to second it and the Taoiseach Enda Kenny again stated there would be no free vote and the whip would be applied.

This morning the Dáil will begin debating the legislation for the first time.

The Taoiseach's promised as much time as necessary for every Deputy that wants to, to have a say on the legislation.

But that too may be limited as the first vote is pencilled in for this day week, with the legislation then being sent to committee.

It's not yet known how many Fine Gael TDs who'll go overboard on the legislation.

Pressure is growing for a deal on bank recovery and resolution legislation, ahead of next week's European Council meeting.

It comes after the Government secured one of its top priorities for the EU Presidency, by getting agreement on the €960-billion EU budget for the next 7 years. It came after 24 hours of negotiations.

The deal - which allows for greater transparency, flexibility and a review of spending in 2016 if needed - will be put to member states at the Council meeting next week.

Speaking from Brussels last night, the Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said it's a major step forward:

A spokesperson for the US television network HBO says the star died from a suspected heart attack.

He was 51 years old.

In a statement HBO calls the actor "a special man, a great talent, but more importantly a gentle and loving person."

Shock reaction

Actor Steve Van Zandt, who played Silvio alongside Gandolfini in the long-running series, and who also plays in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band tweeted:

I have lost a brother and a best friend. The world has lost one of the greatest actors of all time.

— Steven Van Zandt (@StevieVanZandt) June 20, 2013

Samuel L. Jackson and John Cusack have paid their respects too:

Massive blow to the acting community today... The passing of James Gandolfini. So talented. My heart goes out to his family!

— Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) June 20, 2013

RIP James Gandolfini - had the pleasure of working with him and knowing him a bit- always a truth teller- gent and all around class act-

— John Cusack (@johncusack) June 20, 2013

Other celebrities have been reacting too:

RIP James Gandolfini. Thank you for sharing your truly tremendous talent with us. #tooyoungtodie

— Rosario Dawson (@rosariodawson) June 20, 2013

Really though... This James Gandolfini passing is so sad. My heart goes out to his family in this time. RIP #takentoosoon

— Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) June 20, 2013

Such sad news about James Gandolfini... What an incredible actor... My thoughts are with his family.

— Lea Michele (@msleamichele) June 20, 2013

In this interview James Gandolfini spoke about his acting career

Today

Sunny spells in the east and southeast this morning otherwise mostly cloudy today with scattered outbreaks of rain. 

Mild and humid with highest temperatures 16 to 21 degrees.

Tonight

Mild and cloudy tonight with patches of rain, drizzle and fog. Lowest temperatures 10 to 14 degrees.

The Tánaiste has reached agreement with EU leaders on the 960 billion euro budget for the next 7 years, following more than 24 hours of intensive negotiations.

Speaking from Brussels, Eamon Gilmore, says talks have concluded with the European Parliament's Chief Negotiator and the new deal will be presented to EU member states next Tuesday.

The agreement follows ten rounds of intensive negotiations, and this budget allows for greater transparency, flexibility and a review of spending in 2016 if needed.

Reaching a deal on this budget has been a top priority for the Irish Presidency, which finishes at the end of the month.

Gardaí stopped and search a car close to an area known as Halfway in Ballinhassig outside of Cork city earlier today and recovered 25kg of cannabis resin with an estimated street value of 150,000 euro's.

The two occupants of the car, a local man in his early 40's and a man in his 30's from Dublin were arrested at the scene.

They are both been detained at Togher Garda station under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice Drug Trafficking Act and can be detained for up to seven days.

The union for Coillte workers is welcoming the decision not to sell it, saying it's a common sense approach.

The Agriculture Minister, Simon Coveney says the focus must instead be on restructuring Coillte - and working on a beneficial merger with Bord na Mona.

The Government was considering selling Coillte's forestry rights to the state's woodlands, to raise funds by the sale of state assets.

However, Niall Shanahan from the IMPACT trade union says the sale would have cost the state more than it would have generated.

The measures were due to come into place from 9am tomorrow until 3pm, and to be repeated on Friday.

But a spokeswoman for Dublin City Council told Newstalk these have been deferred until Sunday.

Earlier there was public outcry over the proposals with the Restaurant Association of Ireland (RAI) claiming that they would have resulted in a loss of an estimated €5-€10,000 of revenue per restaurant.

The Council say they acknowledge the concerns of businesses and consumers and are also conscious of the high footfall in the area.

They say the RAI has been informed of the decision and that they will be going door-to-door with an information leaflet drop tomorrow.

The Council add that while this work cannot be completed at night time due to noise concerns, they hope to start work early Sunday morning.

The restrictions will affect Merrion Row, St. Stephen's Green, Grafton Street to Ely Place, and the west side of Dawson Street to Molesworth Street.

It will be late this year or early 2014 before plants begin reopening, however, as currently idle plants will be subject to rigorous testing by the new authority before being granted permission to recommence operations.

Operators such as embattled TEPCO - the company responsible for the Fukushima plant, who received 1 trillion Yen (approximately €8 billion) in emergency Japanese state funding last year - will have to develop better tsunami & earthquake defences alongside more in-depth emergency response procedures. 

The announcement that the plants will be reopening comes just hours after reports that high levels of Strontium-90, a toxic and cancer-causing by-product of nuclear fission, were found in the groundwater at Fukushima. 

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other officials have been pushing to get Japan's nuclear reactors back in operation for commercial reasons and to relieve pressure on the electrical infrastructure. However, research has found around 3 out of 5 Japanese citizens are against recommencing nuclear operations. 

Experts have stressed the need to not rush the new guidelines and standards. Talking to the New York Times, Dr. Kazuhiko Kudo said "the guidelines certainly go much further in addressing nuclear safety. Still, the new regulator must show that it stands on the side of the public, not the nuclear operators, or it, too, will be discredited.”

(Image source)

Trevor Noone and Richard Dekker, from Whitestown Avenue in Blanchardstown deny killing the teenager who was in the care of the Health Service Executive, at Tolka Valley Park on February 26th 2010.

The trial opened this afternoon. The jury has heard after a night out with friends Daniel was last seen in Blanchardstown with the 2 accused men.

When arrested Trevor Noone told gardai that Richard Dekker had laughed as he stabbed the teenager who had pleaded 'Sorry, give me another chance'.

However Richard Dekker gave a different account to gardai claiming that he had been the bystander while Noone had attacked the teenager over some previous fight.

The jury heard there will be evidence both men identified an isolated spot in a park by the Tolka River as the murder scene.

The prosecution say the weapon used could have been part of a garden shears found discarded in the river.

The badly decomposed body of Daniel McAnaspie was found by a farmer in Co. Meath nearly 3 months after his disappearance.

They were found at their home in Langford Downs on Sunday night but Gardai now believe they may have been murdered between 2 and 6pm on Saturday. They had both been stabbed to death.

A special mass will be held at 7:30pm tonight at St. James Church in Killorglan. Pupils at Scoil Mhuire National School where Enrika was a student will take part in the mass.

Fr. Michael Fleming has been speaking to Radio Kerry.

The husband of Jolanta says he will bring their bodies home to Lithuania. Post-mortem examination results revealed yesterday confirm the pair died in violent circumstances.

Up to 50 national and local Gardaí are investigating the murders and officers are appealing to anyone with information to come forward.

The Mother and daughter were found by gardaí on Sunday night after a family friend tried to call on them but could not get any answer at the door.

Gardaí have said that because there was no sign of forced entry at the house, they think Jolanta knew her killer and let the person into her home not realising she was in danger.

The fund also says it will not support using any benefits from the promissory note deal to ease the budget next year. And it warns the taxpayer may yet face more bills for liquidating the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC).

The IMF warns the coalition to stick rigidly to the budget this year as the buffers are small. And it is demanding €3.1 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts next year saying staff would not support easing austerity by using any benefits from the pro-note deal.

And it warns that a sell-off of the assets of the IBRC could result in a compensation to NAMA that the taxpayer would have to foot. The fund warns the government and banks to deal with mortgage arrears as it is a drag on growth.

The economy will grow by 1% this year and 2% in 2014 it predicts.

Discussions on a bailout exit continued including what is called a "backstop" arrangement with the ESM, which would also require seeking support from the IMF if we cannot exit the bailout and return to the markets as planned later this year.

The men were rescued from the water a short time later by another fishing boat that was in the area.

Two life boats and a rescue helicopter were tasked as part of the rescue operation.

The men were air-lifted to Letterkenny General Hospital where all three are said to be fine.

Joe Joyce is a spokesman for the Lough Swilly Lifeboat which was involved in the rescue. He spoke to Highland Radio.

Ashland is just 60 miles south of Cleveland, where three missing women who had themselves allegedly been held captive were discovered recently. The FBI, who issued an indictment against the Ashland woman's alleged captors, said they threatened and abused her, and threatened the child with snakes.

Later, they allegedly forced the woman and child to sleep in a padlocked room with a "large iguana". The woman finally escaped by stealing sweets from a shop, prompting police to arrest her.

She told officers she would rather go to jail than go home as her housemates "were mean to her". Her alleged tormentors have been arrested on human trafficking charges.

Jordie Callahan, 26, Jessica Hunt, aged 31, and 33-year-old Daniel Brown were detained on Tuesday and charged by the FBI with forced labour. Callahan was also charged with an additional count of tampering with a witness. Callahan and Hunt are said to be in a relationship.

Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Cleveland Office, said "These defendants violated the victim's most basic civil right, freedom, by exploiting her most basic instinct, the protection of her child. The FBI continues to aggressively pursue and bring to justice those individuals who abuse and harm innocent members of our community."

The FBI said the alleged 'slavery' began in May 2011 and continued until October 2012, when the woman was arrested by police. They identified the woman only as S.E.

"Forced to sleep on a cement floor"

An FBI statement, outlining an affidavit which contained the allegations, said "Callahan and Hunt forced S.E. to clean the house, do laundry, walk to the store to do their shopping, and care for their numerous pit bulls and reptiles. S.E. was timed when she went to the store and was not allowed to bring her child with her. At various points, Callahan threatened S.E. with a gun. S.E. and her child initially were forced to sleep on a cement floor in the basement with no mattress".

"Later, they were moved to a room upstairs, again with no bed or mattress. Callahan and Hunt also repeatedly taunted and threatened S.E. and (her child) with injury from the couple's snakes, including a poisonous coral snake, a ball python, and a Burmese python that weighed 130 pounds" it added.

The affidavit said the three slammed a rock into the woman's hand on one occasion and injured her back on another so she could get medication for the pain, which they then used. When she fled, one of those who she lived with alleged that the woman had abused the child herself. Police investigated, but have taken no further action.

Andrew Hyde, who has represented Callahan, called the charges against his client ludicrous and said the woman moved in and out as she pleased.

Mr. Hyde said "There was never any forced labour, any forced co-habitation. She was never forced to do anything. She used this story to get out of trouble she was in," referring to the abuse she allegedly carried out on her child.

Mr. Hyde accused federal investigators of not looking at all the evidence before jumping to conclusions.

Callahan's mother, Becky Callahan of Ashland, told the Associated Press that the allegations were "all lies."

She said that the alleged victim was friends with her son and Hunt, her son's girlfriend, and that they tried to help the woman out by offering her a place to live because she didn't have a home.

A federal defence attorney for Hunt, Ed Bryan, said his client will plead not guilty and said there were credibility issues with the mother.

Pictured above are Jordie Callahan and Jessica Hunt

Alan Shatter was speaking at the Oireachtas Justice Committee this morning. He says the installation of in-cell sanitation will be completed in all wings in the coming months.

Slopping out is the emptying of buckets of human waste when the cells are unlocked in prisons in the morning. Inmates without a toilet in the cell have to use a bucket or chamber pot while locked in during the night.

Minister Shatter also says he is introducing measures to free up Prison Officers from administration duty. He says the move will deliver €3.5 million in annual pay bill savings.

The Justice Minister has also renewed his promise to resume Garda recruitment but there is no timeframe for the process.

Alan Shatter says he is in negotiations with the Public Expenditure and Reform Minister to hire new officers on a modest scale to ensure the force stays above 13,000.

The Minister delayed his plans for recruitment back in April, following the rejection of the Croke Park 2 deal.

He said the the rejection of the public sector pay deal meant he did not have the funds to pay recruits. But he denied at the time that he was reneging on a promise and that he was still committed to recruiting.

However he now says it is important to have a regular intake for the force.

The Court of Cassation also said the possibility that the British student was killed in a sex game that had got out of hand needs to be revisited. Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were initially found guilty of killing the 21-year-old Leeds University student, but both were cleared on appeal in 2011.

In March of this year, however, Italy's top court overturned the acquittals and ordered a re-trial. That court has only now issued its written reasoning for doing so. It picked apart the lower court's judgment freeing Knox, saying it contained "shortcomings, contradictions and inconsistencies" and "openly collides with objective facts of the case".

The High Court's 74-page document also said the judges who freed Knox undervalued the fact that the American had initially accused a man of committing the crime who had nothing to do with it.

Miss Kercher's body was found in November 2007 in her bedroom of the house she shared with Knox in Perugia. Her throat had been slashed. Knox and Sollecito have denied any involvement, saying they were not in the apartment at the time.

A young man from Ivory Coast, Rudy Guede, was convicted of the killing in a separate proceeding and is serving a 16-year sentence. But Guede is not believed to have acted alone.

The Itlaian high Court judges said the retrial would serve to "demonstrate the presence of the two suspects in the place of the crime".

They said hypotheses that must be considered involve "a group erotic game that blew up and went out of control", and urged the retrial to conduct a full examination of evidence to resolve the ambiguities.

No date has been set for the retrial. Knox, who left Italy a free woman after her 2011 acquittal, is back in Seattle and is not expected to attend the new trial. Italian law cannot compel her to return as defendants can be tried in absentia.

She has recently released a book titled 'Waiting To Be Heard'. Sollecito has spent time in Switzerland trying to start a new life, but it has emerged that his residency permit has been revoked by the Swiss authorities. In his application, he failed to mention his involvement in a criminal case, Italian news reports said.

The rescue plan for the troubled weekly newspaper will see 9 voluntary redundancies and wage cuts of 6% for the remaining 65 members of staff.

Two factors helped sway Mr. Justice Peter Kelly's decision in favour of approving the survival plan proposed by examiner Michael McAteer. The first is that since the insolvent newspaper business went into examinership last March it has produced better than expected results.

Confidential material involving projections on the future of the restructured company also gave comfort to the court that the business can return to profitability.

Mr. McAteer made no secret of the fact that he had hoped for a larger investment than €750,000.

But the court heard despite significant interest it proved difficult to secure a deal as the company had been losing money for 4 years and was a marginal investment prospect.

Mr. McAteer is now satisfied €750,000 is sufficient for the newspaper’s survival. He attributes that to the significant cost cuts achieved.

Some unsecured creditors including Irish Life which is due nearly €2 million, have agreed to a 97.5% write down on what they are owed.

To ensure their continued goodwill, journalists who contribute to the newspaper have done slightly better and will recover 15 % of their debts. No class of creditor opposed the proposed survival package.

Rossa Fanning, BL, for the examiner, told the court there have been 9 voluntary redundancies. The remaining 65 members of staff, he said, were faced with a stark choice of 6% pay cuts or unemployment.

They took the salary reduction in exchange for a 6% interest in the business. Mr. Fanning called it a ‘rational economic decision’ from a ‘sophisticated workforce’.

Wrapping up proceedings, Mr. Justice Kelly said the continued employment of staff members was of great concern; all the more so given the current dismal unemployment rates in the country.

The Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) has described the cuts as "savage".

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) says 42,500 children with special needs will receive extra teaching support this coming school year.

That is up from 38,400 last year. It says the number of teaching posts remains the same but something had to give, and an adjustment was necessary.

This September a child with special needs that would have previously received 1 hour of extra teaching support will get just 45 minutes.

The INTO has described the cuts as "savage" and it says schools will not be able to cope.

Sheila Nunan, general secretary of the INTO, said primary schools would not be able to meet children’s special needs. "No amount of smokescreen and spin can hide the extent of this cutback. A 25% cutback in resource hours is a significant policy failure that will have long-term implications" she said.

"Effectively, this government is undermining the principle of inclusive schools. Without resources schools cannot support the integration of special needs children. Expecting special needs children to develop with three quarters of the resources in some of the most overcrowded classrooms in the EU is preposterous" she added.

While CEO of the NCSE is Teresa Griffin. She says schools need to change the way they teach children with special needs.

“Michael was a great, fearless journalist with an incredible instinct for the story”, Smith writes “and a gift for finding ways to make his readers care about anything he covered from wars to politicians.”

Hastings previously wrote for the Rolling Stones where in a 2010 profile interview  he quoted US four-star General Stanley McChrystal as criticising the Obama administration.

Previously head of operations in Afghanistan, the general resigned the day after the publication of "The Runaway General", which had included his criticisms of Vice President Joe Biden’s "shortsighted” policies.

The article went on to a win a George Polk award.

Hastings was author of two books on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, "I Lost My Love in Baghdad” and “The Operators”.

Phil Hogan says the Government will continue to discuss all views on alcohol sponsorship - and that the proposals will be brought to the Cabinet table in the coming weeks.

Earlier this week, Diageo's Corporate Relations Director for Western Europe, Peter O'Brien, warned that attracting investment to Ireland would be 'difficult' in a 'very anti-alcohol' environment - and that Guinness and Baileys did not have to be made here.

Environment Minister Phil Hogan says Diageo is already 'consolidating' its Irish operations - and the Government won't be threatened into changing its policies:

Diageo has issued a statement this afternoon, it says,

"Diageo is absolutely committed to Ireland, and has shown this through its investment of nearly €160-million in a new brewing centre of excellence, which is currently under construction, and which will be completed and fully operational next year. Similarly we also made a significant commitment to the South east with last week’s announcement of a €3-million Smithwicks visitors' centre for Kilkenny.

"Our company wants to be able to continue with further investments in the future, but to do so requires a sustainable environment in which to promote our Irish-manufactured products responsibly.

"We want to work with Government to find the effective solutions to reduce alcohol misuse further, rather than some of the measures currently under consideration, which won’t work but will damage Irish brands and an important sector for the economy."

Health minister supports colleague

Meanwhile, Health minister James Reilly says he firmly believes sponsorship of sport should be separated from alcohol.

Minister Reilly says the world would not end if the sponsorship of sporting events by alcohol companies was terminated: 

€55 million will be spent in this phase which will see a number of projects including the upgrading of street lights in Dublin, Mayo and Kerry.

Around €7 million will be saved in energy costs as a result of these projects.

Seperatly, 25 new jobs are to be created by a Dublin-based renewable energy investment company. Solar 21 invests in photovoltaic solar farms across Europe. It already employs 21 people in Ireland and has offices in Germany and Italy.

The group says its growth is as a result of strong demand from investors in the Irish market. Recruitment for the positions will take place over 18 months this year and next.

The company, which started here in Ireland 4 years ago, has established a head office in Rathcoole on the south side of the city. The new roles will be based throughout the country.

Michael Bradley of Solar 21 says "We are essentially looking for men and women with business acumen and experience to become part of our Irish-based expansion."

Over 400 positions for Antrim

Meanwhile, a Japanese global healthcare company is creating 416 jobs in Co. Antrim. Terumo BCT manufactures products used in the treatment and transfusion of blood at its plant in Larne.

It will expand into research and development there for the first time.

While low-cost carrier Ryanair is planning to create an additional 3,000 jobs. It is spending more than €11.67 billion on new planes.

The jobs for pilots, cabin crew and engineers will be based at hubs across Europe.

The order has been finalised at the Paris Air Show today and includes 175 of Boeing's new 737-800 aircraft.

The deal was originally announced in March and is Boeing’s largest-ever firm aircraft order from a European airline and the largest industrial order in the history of the Irish State. Ryanair is also to create 3,000 jobs across EuropeThe deal is worth €11.64 billion at current list prices

The prototype currently has no in-built guidance system and is reliant on a long tail of wires to provide electricity. However, the small robot has been designed with the possibility of attaching small cameras like GoPros.

The designers found inspiration in the movements of cats both big and small in an effort to create a robot that moves in a more natural and stable way on rough terrain. Although still being prototyped, the team explain “the long-term goal of the cheetah-cub robot is to be able to develop fast, agile, ground-hugging machines for use in exploration, for example in search and rescue in natural disaster situations.”

The cat-like movement is controlled through a Central Pattern Generator that determines the movements of the robot's legs.

Researchers from the same laboratory, who are focused on analysing the animal kingdom for ways to improve robotic technology, have previously developed the Salamandra Robotica II - a large robot based on a salamander that can move on both land and water.

A larger ‘cheetah bot’, built by DARPA, is the fastest legged robot in history, having achieved a record speed of 28.3 miles per hour:

(Image: Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)

James Reilly has received a letter containing the arson threat over the new abortion legislation.

A number of politicians including the Taoiseach Enda Kenny have previously spoken out about threats they have received from those opposed to the new Bill. Minister Reilly says they are "unfortunate" and "unnecessary".

The Taoiseach revealed last week that he has been sent letters written in blood and plastic foetuses from those who object to proposed legislation.

He outlined the extent of the campaigning against him in the Dail.

Minister Reilly says he has not received any extra security as a result but admits it is difficult for his family.

Clare Daly says there was "unprecedented slobbering" of Michelle Obama, who had lunch with "Mr tax exile, himself, Bono". 

Taoiseach Enda Kenny reacted angrily saying the comments were "a disgrace" and that they "do-down the pride of Irish people all over the world".

The United Left Alliance TD went on to describe President Obama as a war criminal - while he was talking peace to children in Northern Ireland.

Then she asked if President Obama was "going for the hypocrite of the century award".

You can watch Deputy Daly's comments and the Taoiseach's response here:

They did not have enough money to pay the fare and so Mr. Davies reportedly went to his 10th-floor room to get some cash, but never returned.

When his friends went to look for him they found his body on the ground below the room's balcony. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim, known as Shaun, was on a package holiday in the popular resort of Sunny Beach on the Black Sea coast. Mr. Davies, from Llanelli in south Wales, worked as a customer care assistant for McDonald's in the town.

"We are extremely saddened by the news of the death of Liam Davies, known to McDonald's friends and colleagues as Shaun," said Ann Jones, business manager of the restaurant. He was an extremely popular and well-liked member of the team and we are working to support our staff at this very difficult time."

Social media tributes

Friends also paid tribute on social networking websites Facebook and Twitter.

Alison White wrote "Still in total shock over the death of Shaun - why is it that only the good die young? It was such a privilege knowing Shaun he was one of life's kindest, funniest, most caring people."

A spokeswoman for travel firm Thomas Cook confirmed "the tragic death of Mr Liam Davies whilst on holiday in Bulgaria".

She added: "Our thoughts and sympathies are with Liam's family and friends, and our team in resort are providing their total support during this very difficult time."

A UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said: "We can confirm a British national has died at the Sunny Beach resort, in Bulgaria. We are liaising with the authorities in the country and consular assistance is being offered."

Adrian-Ernest Bayley, who had pleaded guilty to raping and murdering the 29-year-old on September 22nd last year, was told he will not be able to apply for parole for at least 35 years. The 41-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment for the killing, plus 15 years for the rape.

Victorian Supreme Court Justice Geoffrey Nettle told Bayley "The nature and gravity of your offending and its antecedence ensure that nothing but life imprisonment will suffice. It was a savage, violent rape of the worst kind. Your killing of the deceased ranks among the worst kind conceivable".

"I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt you pose a risk to the sexual safety of the community."

Justice Nettle said Bayley would not have received a minimum term if he had not pleaded guilty.

Mrs. Meagher was attacked as she walked back to her flat after having drinks with colleagues from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Bayley dragged her into an alleyway before raping and murdering her.

Speaking outside court Jill's father George McKeon thanked the police and the legal team:

Jill's uncle Michael McKeon spoke to Breakfast from Louth earlier - he thanked the police in Melbourne for their work - and said her family and friends now need time to grieve in private:

Sarah Farmsworth, journalist with ABC News, spoke to Breakfast here on Newstalk:

The serial sex offender was on parole at the time after serving eight years in prison for raping five women previously. He was also on bail, after causing serious injury to a man outside a nightclub.

Mrs. Meagher's heartbroken family, including husband Tom, brother Michael and mother Edith McKeon, were in court to hear the sentence.

The court heard Mrs. Meagher, in all probability, had the greatest and best of her life ahead of her, before she was stolen from her husband and parents by Bayley. Her husband had been robbed of the love and companionship of his life partner, Justice Nettle said.

"You were determined to have your way with her and so you overpowered her and raped her where she stood," the judge said.

"You are a recidivist violent sexual offender who has had little compunction about sexually offending when the mood takes you. You dragged her off the street at night while she was quietly going about her business a stone's throw from her home. The rape was savage and degrading."

Jill Meagher's family outside court

When Bayey was handed his 35 year sentence, cries of 'Yes' could be heard in the public gallery.

A member of the public outside court

At a previous hearing the court heard Tom Meagher’s victim impact statement where he said he was haunted by visions of what happened to her.

He said his future had been taken away and replaced with a life of fear, insomnia and anger.

"What was stolen from me on the 22nd of September 2012 was love, my best friend and my entire world," Mr. Meagher said in his statement.

"I think of the waste of a brilliant mind and a beautiful soul. I am half a person because of this crime."

At the same hearing Mrs Meagher's brother, Michael McKeon, said there were no adequate words to describe the impact of the loss of his sister.

"I am in dreadful pain, I must carry on with living a full life, yet I will never forget my sister," he said in a statement read to the court.

The couple had moved to Australia in 2009 after getting married and set up life in Melbourne. 6 days after the attack Bayley led police to her body, buried in a shallow grave on the outskirts of the city.

Her murder struck a chord in Melbourne with 30,000 people marching through the city to remember Jill and also highlight wider concerns about violence against women.

The Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards (PCBS), which was set up after last summer's Libor-manipulation scandal led to Barclays being fined stg£290 million, said in its final report that all areas of British banking required urgent change.

Citing "a profound loss of trust born of profound lapses in banking standards", the Commission said a string of measures were needed to repair the industry's reputation.

In its 553-page report called Changing Banking For Good, the PCBS argued that individual accountability among senior bankers was lamentable, that industry pay schemes required a radical overhaul, and that executives should face a new sanctions regime that would dish out appropriate penalties, replacing a system that "looked good but achieved little".

It also said, as expected, that the UK Treasury's strategy for managing its 82% stake in Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) was not working adequately and that options, including analysis of a break-up of the bank, should be conducted in the coming months.

The Commission's hard-hitting recommendations underline the scale of public anger that so few British bank executives have faced punishment over the crisis that led to hundreds of billions of pounds of public money being put at risk to rescue them. Only a small handful of senior bankers have been sanctioned by regulators for their roles prior to the bailouts of 2007 and 2008, while relatively few have been hit in the pocket despite mis-selling scandals such as the one involving payment protection insurance.

Andrew Tyrie, the Conservative MP who chaired the commission, said that senior bankers had hidden "behind an accountability firewall" but warned that governments and regulators had also been culpable for the decline in standards.

Among the concrete measures recommended by the PCBS are:

• The introduction of a new criminal offence for reckless misconduct that would carry a custodial sentence
• Bankers' pay should be deferred for up to 10 years and should be more closely aligned to the safety and soundness of a firm
• Regulators should gain powers to cancel the pay and pensions of executives at banks which require taxpayer support
• UK Financial Investments, the body responsible for managing taxpayers' stakes in Lloyds and RBS, should be scrapped
• New senior persons and licensing regimes to ensure that regulators can take tougher action against bankers whose actions damage their employer's reputation or finances
• Reforms aimed at bolstering competition in retail banking, including a review of the costs and benefits of full current account portability

Parts of the banking industry, whose main lobbying group the British Bankers' Association refused to respond on camera to the report, are expected to argue that some of the proposed reforms would undermine the City's international competitiveness.

Measures to defer pay for up to a decade would go further than any other major banking centre, but the PCBS argued that it was essential to do so if the industry's culture was to be genuinely reformed.

"The scale of remuneration in banking, the way it has been set and the form in which it has been paid have all incentivised misconduct and excessive risk-taking. The rewards for fleeting, often illusory, success have been huge, while the penalties for failure have been much smaller, or non-existent," it said.

"Many bankers were on to a one-way bet. Unlike unlimited liability partnerships, they had little or no skin in the game."

The British government is expected to consult on the PCBS recommendations that would require legislative change.

In a statement, the UK Treasury welcomed the Commission's report, saying there were "many recommendations in it which will help the government's plan to create a stronger and safer banking system. The Government publicly welcomes the commission's recommendations on increased personal responsibility especially at a senior level, increased professional judgement by regulators and better functioning markets. We will now get on with a swift response and will report before the summer recess."

Amid growing concerns over the amount of information being recorded by websites, some more private alternatives have experienced a dramatic growth in popularity.

One such site is DuckDuckGo, which displays internet search results like Google but without recording any information about you.

Direct searches on the website were fluctuating around 1.6 million a day for the last few months, but have risen steadily since the scandal broke two weeks ago.

Yesterday just over 3 million searches were recorded, the most ever on the website.

The website's popularity surged after the NSA/PRISM scandal broke.

The website explains, using the example of a search for “herpes”, how Google logs information in such a way that you can be identified individually by it.

Whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed that through a system known as PRISM the US National Surveillance Agency had direct access to the private information of millions of internet users.