A round up of some of today's other stories in brief.
Fruit of Loom plant shuts down early
The shutdown of Fruit of the Loom began two weeks early yesterday with up to 70 workers leaving the Buncrana plant for the last time. Production work, including dyeing, ran out for workers who were sent home around lunchtime. It is understood they have been laid off on full pay until their redundancy cheques come through on Friday, May 26th.
A further 30 workers are expected to leave the Ballymacarry plant by the end of this week, while approximately 50 staff will be retained to dismantle equipment and facilitate the US textile company's final relocation from the northwest to Morocco.
A Siptu spokesperson said workers were expecting a total of five weeks' pay per year of service in statutory and ex-gratia redundancy payments. Average tenure at Fruit of the Loom is between 10 and 20 years.
Travellers' protest for Castlebar
A national protest rally is planned for Castlebar, Co Mayo on Friday to highlight "injustice, oppression and racism" against Travellers in Ireland writes Tom Shiel.
The purpose of the rally, according to the newly formed "Travellers for Travellers" movement, is to place the spotlight on the failure by local authorities to implement Traveller accommodation plans and to demand State recognition of Travellers' ethnicity.
Bernard Sweeney, the main organiser of the rally, said there is also a growing health crisis within the Traveller community which needs to be urgently addressed.
€90m Ballybofey bypass to go ahead
The National Roads Authority (NRA) approved the N15 Ballybofey/ Stranorlar bypass project to proceed to the next stage.
The Minister of State for Transport, Pat "the Cope" Gallagher said "this project is estimated to cost in the region of €90 million and involves the design and construction of approximately 15.5km of new National Primary Road to form a southern bypass of Ballybofey and Stranorlar, as well as providing for a new 1.2km long link road to be constructed to connect the new bypass to Ballybofey and the existing N15".
Aer Arann aircraft deal
Regional airline Aer Arann and regional aircraft manufacturer ATR have signed a deal on the delivery of 10 new 72-seater ATR72-500 series aircraft over the next three years. The deal was announced yesterday in Dublin in the presence of An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern TD.
The deal is worth over €140 million ($180m). The airline will take delivery of two aircraft next year, five in 2008 and three more in 2009.