A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Compassionate bail granted
A Co Louth man carried out eight different burglaries during an alleged two-day crime spree, the High Court in Belfast heard yesterday.
Edward McDonagh (37), of Townlui Manor, Tullyallen, Drogheda, faces 29 charges over incidents last month.
Prosecutors revealed the scale of the alleged offending as he was granted compassionate bail to go to the funeral of his niece.
A defence barrister said Mr McDonagh was denying all charges and only wanted to attend the funeral of his niece, who had been more like a sister.
Pipe bomb claimed by loyalist group
An unexploded pipe bomb left at the home of a Catholic family in Antrim has been made safe by British army technical officers. A loyalist group calling itself the Real UFF says it left the device at the house in Fir Grove Lane, a quiet cul-de-sac.
The family said last night it had no idea why it had been targeted. The alarm was raised at about 7.15 yesterday morning and a number of homes in the vicinity were evacuated as the army tackled the device. The area was declared safe about five hours later.
Tango and salsa for Dublin streets
Tango, salsa and samba will be seen on the streets of the capital from today as the first ever Dublin Latin American Festival begins.
Highlights of the five-day event, which celebrates South and Central American culture, include tango at St Stephen’s Green and a Latin American street feria in Temple Bar featuring sombrero-wearing Mariachi guitarists from Mexico.
Spokesman for the Latin American Native Community in Ireland Alejandro González Arango said the festival was an opportunity to promote and share Latin culture.
EMA to release documents on acne drug to Dublin father
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has agreed to release to a Dublin man documents relating to suspected adverse reactions caused by a drug used to treat severe forms of acne. The EMA had refused Liam Grant, from Terenure, Dublin, access to the records, arguing that EU transparency rules do not apply to adverse reaction reports.
The European Ombudsman Nikiforos Diamandouros called on the EMA to reconsider. Yesterday it was announced that the agency was releasing the reports. In 2008, Mr Grant sought access to documents held by the EMA containing details of suspected serious adverse reactions to Roaccutane. He claims his son Liam’s death by suicide in June 1997 was a side effect of his use of the drug. He is taking a case against Roche, the makers of the drug. Roche denies the claim.