Foreign Affairs Minister Micheal Martin yesterday launched a blistering attack on "extreme groups" such as Youth Defence determined to scupper the upcoming Lisbon referendum through "disinformation" campaigns.

In a speech to Ogra Fianna Fail, Mr Martin said the claiming of the mantle of 1916 by Youth Defence in their posters was "disgraceful."

"Let no one be in any doubt, Youth Defence and Coir are one and the same organisation. Coir's leaders are all associated with Youth Defence, Coir's address is the Youth Defence headquarters and Coir's designs all come from Youth Defence. One thing the Irish people deserve in this campaign is an honest debate," he added.

Former US ambassador Egan, 73, dies

Richard Egan, former US ambassador to Ireland and billionaire has died after a battle with lung cancer. His family issued a statement saying Mr Egan died at his Boston home after being diagnosed with lung cancer in May.

Mr Egan, 73, was an electrical engineer and a former US Marine Corps helicopter pilot who worked at Lockheed Martin, Honeywell and Intel before he co-founded data storage technology provider EMC in 1979.

He sold most of his shares in the tech boom, shortly before the bubble burst. The self-made billionaire was a key fundraiser for the Republican Party and former President George W Bush.

Sneeze into your elbow, students told

Tens of thousands of students and staff returning for the new school year have been told to sneeze or cough into the inside of their elbow to stop swine flu spreading -- if they don't have a tissue or hankie.

The warning is part of a detailed response by the Department of Education and Science, based on HSE advice, on how to deal with swine flu as some parents contacted the Sunday Independent with concerns that schools were not ready to deal with the pandemic.

As 800,000 pupils prepare to return to school over the coming days. Meanwhile, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre said pupils who have medical conditions, and pregnant teachers, should return to school as normal.

It added, however, "In certain exceptional circumstances, there may be advice to shut on public health grounds for around seven days and there should be plans in place for a partial or total school closure."

Muhammad Ali visit to draw 50,000

Up to 50,000 people are expected to line the streets of Ennis Co Clare on Tuesday when boxing legend Muhammad Ali visits his ancestral home, while thousands more will watch the event live on a big screen.

The three-times world champion will be in Dublin tomorrow for a fundraising event for the Alltech Ali Charitable Foundation.It is believed that Ali specifically requested that a visit to Ennis be included as part of his Irish visit.

While Ali will travel through the town in a car, people will be lucky to catch a glimpse of the 67-year-old. It is thought very unlikely that he will leave his car at any stage.

No winner in €8.8m Lotto draw

THERE was no winner of last night's €8,868,549 Lotto jackpot. The winning numbers were 11, 14, 27, 31, 37, 45 (bonus 20).

There was no Match 5+bonus winner; but there were 79 match 5s (€3,122); 186 Match 4+bonus (€322); 3,414 Match

4s (€112); 4,541Match 3+bonus (€56); and 56,763 Match 3s (€10). The Lotto Plus 1 numbers were 3, 8, 15, 19, 24, 27 (bonus 26). The Lotto Plus 2 numbers were 4, 9, 26, 29, 31, 40 (bonus 7). And in the UK draw for a stg£4.4m prize, the numbers were 9, 18, 39, 34, 47, 37 (bonus 5).

Bond tank for military vehicle show

Thousands of people are today expected to attend Salute, Ireland's largest international military vehicle and re-enactment show at the National Show Centre in Swords, Co Dublin.

As well as featuring people re-enactments, the show features an array of ex military vehicles including two 60-ton British Army Chieftan tanks, and a Russian T-55 tank driven by Pierce Brosnan in the Bond movie Goldeneye.

UDA brigadier 'can't decommission'

The UDA's most senior figure in Derry has told the organisation's controlling inner council that he can't deliver on weapons decommissioning.

Informed sources in the Londonderry/North Antrim UDA brigade say that Billy McFarland, who is known as the Mexican, travelled to Belfast a fortnight ago and confirmed to fellow UDA brigadiers that he couldn't decommission the weapons under his control.

He is understood to have told Jackie McDonald and other senior figures in the organisation that the rank and file in his brigade were firmly opposed to decommissioning their arsenal.

Sculptor and painter leaves €1.99m

The sculptor and painter Conor Hubert Fallon has left €1,990,666 in his will, which went to probate last week. Born in 1939 and trained as an accountant he later became a painter and sculptor. He lived much of his life in Kinsale, Co Cork before moving to Rathdrum, Co Wicklow where he died in 2007. He was married to Nancy Wynn-Jones.

Other wills: Derek Lyster Robins, retired consultant of Green Park, Rathgar, Dublin who died on June 6, 2008 left €3,194,184; Teresa Buckley a farmer of Oranstown, Dunboyne, Co Meath who died on October 30, 2008 left €1,924,337; Hugh J Jordan a company director of Woodbine Road, Stillorgan, Co Dublin who died October 4, 2008 left €1,680,907; Anthony M Gregory of Sackville Garden, Ballybough, Dublin who died on January 1, 2009 left €1,338,744 and Martin Folan, a retired caretaker of East Inverin, Co Galway who died on October 27, 2007 left €1,118,385.

The value of wills include property, including the family home, and should not be regarded as cash amounts