A round up of today's other stories in brief...
Hauliers angry at 'corporate bullying'
National President of the Irish Road Haulage Association Jimmy Quinn has criticised the "corporate bullying" of big customers who have been calling on hauliers to reduce their rates.
Despite an increase of over 20 per cent in diesel costs in the first five months of this year alone, hauliers are receiving phone calls from customers asking them to provide their services for less at the same time as being told by the Government to increase their prices because of a free market.
"There is no place for corporate bullying on this island that has achieved so much by partnership and consensus," he told a packed meeting in Portlaoise.
Meat not only for the wealthy
The president of the French Meat Processors' Association, Dominique Langlois, told the meat conference in Kilkenny that we could not allow a position develop where only rich people could afford to eat meat.
"Food is a vital commodity and the rich and poor are equally entitled to it . . . It's a basic right," he said.
O'Dea to give evidence in case
Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea will be called to give evidence in the case of a man accused of making a false statement to gardaí, Limerick District Court has heard.
Matt Larkin, (35) Altimara Court, Thomondgate, Limerick, is charged with making a false statement at Henry Street Garda
station about an incident involving the Minister at the Bank Bar, O'Connell Street, Limerick, on September 27th last year.
Gardaí investigate Cork abduction
Gardaí in Cork are investigating whether a Polish drugs gang may have been behind the abduction of a 30-year-old man who was bundled into a car in Cork city and driven out to the country and beaten up in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The man, who is originally from East Cork
but was living in Cork city, was abducted by up to four men at St Peter and St
Paul's Square off St Patrick's Street in Cork city centre at about 3.30am yesterday morning.
Gardaí believe the man was bundled into the boot of a car and driven to an area near the Inniscarra
Dam about six miles from Cork city where he was taken out of the car and shown a shallow grave on a farm before being beaten up by the gang.
The man managed to make his way to a nearby house and raise the alarm. He was brought by one of the residents of the house to Cork University Hospital.
Donnellan wins national award
Irish TimesHealth Correspondent Eithne Donnellan has won a national medical journalism award, it was announced last night.
Donnellan won the Story of the Year prize at last night's GlaxoSmithKline Irish Medical Media Awards for an article on outpatients waiting up to eight years to see consultants.
RTÉ's Ciaran Mullooly was named the Irish Medical Journalist of the Year for his report on breast cancer misdiagnosis while Clare Gallagher of the Clare Peoplewas awarded Young Irish Medical Journalist of the Year.
Other winners included Mary Regan from the Irish Examiner, Michael Heney from RTÉ's Prime Timeand Traolach Ó Buachalla the series director of RTÉ's Surgeons.