HUNDREDS of towns will lose their local banks as one in four branches are to close in a massive cull. Details of the biggest shake-up of Irish retail banking in history can be revealed today. The Irish Independent has learnt of advanced plans at AIB, EBS, Ulster Bank and Permanent TSB to close 200 branches between them within two years. There are 846 branches between AIB, EBS, Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank and Permanent TSB -- but this is expected to fall to about 640. The Irish Independent has learnt that written outlines of the branch-closing plans have been submitted to the Government and regulators. The dramatic closure of so many branches will lead to the loss of thousands of jobs, on top of those already announced. Banking services will be severely curtailed for those in rural areas, as many branches are largely loss-making. During the property boom, these branches were able to prosper by selling mortgages, but they have now become expensive units. The only regular type of work is when customers come in to make a lodgment or open a savings account. A spate of closures over the next 18 months to two years will include: - AIB is planning to close 70 of its 270 branches. It also controls EBS, which has 84 branches. There are no details yet on how many of these are to go, but it is understood many will close, especially where there is an overlap. The bank said last week it was laying off 2,500 people and closing branches, but did not say how many. - Ulster Bank is to close up to 40 of its branches. It has 146 outlets and is grappling with trying to get its payments systems back on track. This has delayed branch-pruning plans. - Permanent TSB is to close up to 25 branches out of a total of 92. It has already said 15 would go, with the loss of 100 jobs, but the number has grown. - National Irish Bank is to close all of its 27 branches. It is understood that all the main banks have outlined their moves to the Central Bank and the Department of Finance, while some of the plans have also been outlined to unions. No details have been given yet to officials for the Bank of Ireland closures. Yesterday it continued to insist it was not closing any of its 254 branches. The number of EBS outlets to go is unclear, but sources said most branches would close. This means that about 200 outlets will close in the next 12 to 24 months. There has been some surprise among banking analysts that so few branches have closed up to now, given the scale of the banking collapse that began in September 2008. A total of €64bn of State money has had to be pumped into the domestic banks, while the UK has put £13bn (€16.5bn) into Ulster Bank. Banks are set to come under pressure to alternate branch closures within a given area -- this is to avoid a single town losing both an AIB and an Ulster Bank branch, for example. How this will work and affect customers remains to be seen. Struggling Already, people in country towns and villages feel they are losing out to larger urban areas, and yet they don't have the same access to broadband or wireless internet phone technology that urban areas enjoy. People living in areas where branches are to close will be encouraged to use telephone and internet banking. Both AIB and National Irish Bank have signed deals with An Post to use the State 1,100 post offices for lodging cheques and cash. Banks are expected to come under pressure to provide additional help for people who are not computer-literate. A good broadband service is a continuing concern. The closure of branches is set to rip the commercial heart out of many towns -- with so many struggling already. AIB, EBS, Ulster Bank and Permanent TSB had no official comment to make regarding any closures, while BoI said it wasn't planning any closures.

Mrs McAreavey was killed while on honeymoon with her husband John at the Legends Hotel in Mauritius in January of last year. In total around 12 black and white images of the crime scene were published today in a local Mauritius newspaper called 'Sunday Times'. On the front page there is a photograph of Mrs McAreavey taken after her death - under the headline 'Exclusive'. Inside the paper, there are more images of the crime scene, including the hotel room and the bathroom. There are also close up pictures of Mrs McAreavey's injuries. Who gave the photos to the newspaper has yet to be established Efforts to make contact with the paper today have so far proved unsuccessful. The Mauritian lawyer for John McAreavey said he is to refer the publishing of the photographs to the country's DPP and Commissioner of the Police. Speaking from Mauritius today, Mr Dick Ng Sui Wa said the photos should not have been published and there should be an inquiry as to how the newspaper got hold of the images. Asked if their publication could harm the prospect of another trial, he said that could be possible but said his main concern at this moment is the impact the publication is having on Mrs McAreavey's family. Earlier this week two men were acquitted of her murder after an eight-week trial. The McAreavey and Harte families have issued a joint statement in response to the publication of the pictures. In a statement, the a spokesperson for the families said: “As the families struggle to come with the result from the trial - this action by the newspaper is not only insensitive to their grief but marks another low in the treatment of John, the two families and the dignity of Michaela.” In a statement, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said: "The publication of these images represents an appalling invasion of privacy and is a gross affront to human dignity. There are issues of fundamental human rights in question in relation to this deeply upsetting matter. "This reprehensible act can only add to the pain and suffering of the McAreavey and Harte families and our thoughts and sympathies are again with them at this time. "On behalf of the people of Ireland, the Government will be lodging a formal complaint in the strongest possible terms, with the Government of Mauritius." Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton also said he is appalled at the publication of the photographs. He said the family had been treated in an appalling way, and the Government would be looking to see how it could take steps to protect the family.

Barclays chief executive Bob Diamond has resigned with immediate effect. The move comes less than a week after the bank was fined a record amount for trying to manipulate inter-bank lending rates. Mr Diamond said he was stepping down because the external pressure on the bank risked "damaging the franchise". Chairman Marcus Agius, who said on Monday he was stepping down, will take over the running of Barclays until a replacement is found. "I am deeply disappointed that the impression created by the events announced last week about what Barclays and its people stand for could not be further from the truth," Mr Diamond said in a statement. He will still appear before MPs on the Treasury Committee to answer questions about the Libor affair on Wednesday. "I look forward to fulfilling my obligation to contribute to the Treasury Committee's enquiries related to the settlements that Barclays announced last week without my leadership in question," Mr Diamond said. Last week, regulators in the US and UK fined Barclays £290m ($450m) for attempting to rig Libor and Euribor, the interest rates at which banks lend to each other, which underpin trillions of pounds worth of financial transactions. Staff did this over a number of years, trying to raise them for profit and then, during the financial crisis, lowering them to hide the level to which Barclays was under financial stress. Prime Minister David Cameron has described the rigging of Libor rates as "a scandal". The Serious Fraud Office is also considering whether to bring criminal charges.