Today in the press

PLAN TO BRING HELIX OUT OF THE RED - The Irish Independent reports that the Helix arts complex, which plays host to the 'You're A Star' TV show, is €5m in the red. The venue at Dublin City University (DCU) has been in operation since 2002, when it was opened by President Mary McAleese.

The Indo says a radical plan has been put forward to clear the debt and safeguard the venue's future, which would come at no cost to the taxpayer.

The paper says the university has applied to Dublin City Council for planning permission to build 29 luxury apartments on a small plot on the edge of the university playing fields adjoining St Canice's Road.

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LOACH FILM SETS NEW MONEY MARK - The Irish Times quotes figures from the Irish Film Board which show that the award-winning film The Wind that Shakes the Barley has become the highest-grossing independent Irish-made film at the box office in Ireland.

The paper says Palme d'Or recipient, which was the subject of intense political debate following its release on June 23, has accounted for €2.7m in takings to date at the Irish box office.

This beats previous records set by Intermission, starring Colin Farrell, which grossed €2.5m in 2003, and Man About Dog, a farcical tale about stealing a greyhound, which grossed €2.1m in 2004.

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AOL 'SCREW-UP' SEES SEARCH DETAILS EMERGE - The Financial Times reports that AOL found itself at the centre of an internet firestorm after its employees published details of the search histories of 658,000 of the group's US users.

The information, the release of which AOL itself on Monday called 'a screw-up', was published on an AOL site aimed at academics and discovered by technology blogs on Sunday, some of which used the data to analyse search trends.

Although the individuals whose search histories were detailed were not identified by name, they each had a unique user number.

The FT says bloggers, picking up on the data, noted the search history of one user showed that the individual conducted a number of searches for 'how to kill your wife' and was also keen to find images of 'dead people', 'car crashes' and decapitation.

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ITV CHIEF WILL HANG ON UNTIL JANUARY - The Guardian says Charles Allen is expected to announce today that he will stand down as chief executive of ITV following an all-day board meeting to hammer out the details of his departure.

But the paper says it is likely that Mr Allen will remain in the post until he turns 50 in January in order to help his successor settle into the job.

Mr Allen, an architect of the merger between Carlton and Granada which created ITV, is expected to walk away with at least a year's pay - £1.8m - as well as a large contribution to his pension pot, possibly worth a further £1m.