A round-up of today's other home news in brief.
'Gaza hour' fundraising drive on Friday
A fundraising hour for Gaza is being held by an Irish charity at lunchtime this Friday. Irish Map (Medical Aid for Palestinians) has made an appeal for members of the public to raise money during "Gaza hour".
The charity aims to raise €430,000 for medical supplies, which it says is some 10 cent for every person in the country.
Due to an embargo on Gaza’s borders, the organisation is raising money for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society rather than collecting medical equipment. Schools, workplaces and community groups are being called on to collect money using activities of their choice.
Gaza hour takes place on Friday between 1pm and 2pm. Funds can be lodged through www.irishmap.ie or in the Irish Map account at AIB, Westmoreland Street, Dublin 2, account 31267097, sort code 933384.
File for DPP in Cork murder case
Gardaí are to send a file to the DPP after last night releasing without charge a man and a woman arrested for questioning on the death of a Corkman whose badly battered body was found in a field in Co Kerry last year.
The man in his early 40s and the woman in her 30s were questioned about the murder of 25-year-old John McManus. A native of Fermoy, Mr McManus was last seen alive at his flat on Wellington Road in Cork city on October 30th last year and his body was discovered in undergrowth near Ballyduff in north Kerry on November 6th.
50 Irish-language jobs in EU bodies
More than 50 jobs have been created within the European institutions since Irish became an official working language of the EU, Fianna Fáil MEP Seán Ó Neachtáin said yesterday.
After a meeting in Brussels between Irish-language organisations and EU Commissioner for Multilingualism Leonard Orban, Mr Ó Neachtáin said “52 jobs have been created since January 2007 for Irish translators, interpreters and lawyer-linguists”.
The number of positions would treble upon ratification of the Lisbon Treaty.
Representatives of Stadas, Comhdháil na Gaeilge, Conradh na Gaeilge, Pobal, Foras na Gaeilge, Fiontar, Gaelchultúr and the EU Committee of the Regions attended the meeting with Mr Orban.
Kings of Leon opt for Oxegen again
American group The Kings of Leon are to headline the Oxegen music festival for the second year in a row.
The band, three brothers and their cousin, turned down a chance to headline a stadium stand-alone gig, which included the option of Slane Castle or Croke Park, in favour of a return to Oxegen next July, according to Oxegen promoters MCD.
Foul play ruled out in Cahir death
Gardaí have confirmed that the death of a woman whose body was found in Co Tipperary on Monday evening is no longer being treated as suspicious after a postmortem ruled out foul play. The body of the woman, named locally as Geraldine Quirke (52), was found in a laneway near Burncourt outside Cahir shortly before 5pm on Monday.
Judge dismisses author’s claim
A case taken by playwright Gerard Mannix Flynn against the Dublin Theatre Festival was yesterday dismissed in the Circuit Civil Court in Dublin.
Mr Flynn took a €38,000 breach of contract and negligent misrepresentation claim against the festival. He claimed it reneged on an agreement to include one of his productions in its 2007 programme. Judge Jacqueline Linnane awarded costs against Mr Flynn and said she was satisfied he had failed to prove the existence of the verbal contract he claimed to have made.