In Short

A round-up to today's other stories in brief

A round-up to today's other stories in brief

PSNI looking into death of infant

The PSNI is treating the death of an infant in Co Fermanagh as suspicious, but refused to release details of the incident because of "sensitivities" surrounding the baby's death. Enniskillen police are examining the circumstances of the death of the infant in Irvinestown on Thursday.

FG in Mullingar selects candidates

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Fine Gael has selected Senator James Bannon and Ms Nicky McFadden to contest the general election in Longford-Westmeath. The two were chosen last night at a selection convention in Mullingar. The sitting Fine Gael TD Paul McGrath is retiring at the next election.

€26m for aid projects in Africa

More than €26 million is to be allocated to humanitarian and recovery aid projects in 10 African countries by the Department of Foreign Affairs under its largest single assistance package.

The UN Consolidated Appeals Process, which deals with urgent humanitarian situations, will have responsibility for €19 million, and €7.5 million will go to the Red Cross and non-governmental projects.

Two questioned after alleged rape

Two men who were held for questioning in connection with an alleged rape in west Cork were released without charge yesterday evening. A file is to be sent to the DPP.

An 18-year-old woman told gardaí she was picked up in a car by four men and taken out to the countryside, where she was raped by at least two of them at 3am on Saturday on the outskirts of Bandon.

She was taken to the sexual assault unit of the South Infirmary Hospital for treatment.

Gardaí traced the car in which the assault allegedly occurred and two foreign nationals were arrested in Bandon early yesterday.

They were being held yesterday at Bandon Garda station under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. Another two men made voluntary statements to gardaí.

Cosgrave to be sentenced today

Former Fine Gael senator Liam Cosgrave (49) is due in court today for sentencing after he pleaded guilty to knowingly furnishing a false donation statement.

He failed to declare that he had received any single donation exceeding £500 between May 15th-December 31st, 1997.

The former senator from Merrion Park, Blackrock, Co Dublin, will appear at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Alternative Galway festival

Backers of an alternative arts festival for Galway are hosting a public meeting in the city tonight to canvass views on the concept.

The Project 06 group, led by Saw Doctors manager Ollie Jennings and Macnas founder Padraic Breathnach, has invited the board of the Galway Arts Festival to attend the public meeting in the Great Southern Hotel to discuss the "future direction and artistic policy" of the current festival.

Former arts minister and Labour Party president Michael D Higgins has been invited, along with composer Jane O'Leary, but the forum is open to all.

Project 06 says that it will host a "one-year-only event" which, it hopes, will "open a dialogue with the arts festival and influence its future direction".