A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
Taoiseach to meet British prime minister
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will meet British prime minister Gordon Brown at Old Trafford in Manchester tomorrow on the margins of the big local football derby, writes Frank Millar, London Editor.
Their bilateral talks come days before a scheduled meeting of the British Irish Council (BIC) in Dublin next week and offer the two leaders an opportunity to review political progress and developments in Northern Ireland.
Mr Ahern and Mr Brown may also discuss European matters and the global financial situation.
Advance briefings from Dublin have suggested the two leaders will focus on efforts to ensure the successful completion of Northern Ireland's devolution process with the transfer of policing and justice powers to the Stormont Assembly.
The target date established by the Irish and British governments in the St Andrews Agreement would see this take place in May of this year. And Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward has told MPs his office will be "institutionally ready" to effect the transfer of powers by that date.
Scotland's first minister Alex Salmond will make his first official visit to Dublin next week, where he will hold talks with the Taoiseach and address a Trinity College audience ahead of the BIC meeting.
Two seriously injured in crash
Two people were seriously injured last night in a collision on the N11 Dublin to Wexford road which caused heavy tailbacks. A car and a van were involved in the incident, which happened at Barnderrig, some 5km north of Arklow at about 4pm.
The incident occurred along a well-known black spot, a single carriageway between the Arklow and Ashford bypasses, which has claimed more than 30 lives in the past few decades.
Belfast Festival gets sponsorship
The Belfast Festival at Queen's has secured a £1 million (€1,343,000) sponsorship deal from Ulster Bank, securing its future for the next three years.
Last year there were fears the arts event at Queen's University, Belfast, would have to close due to funding problems. Northern Ireland's Minister for the Arts Edwin Poots, who pledged £300,000 (€402,900) for the event in December, said: "The Ulster Bank's move sends out a very clear message to the business community that the arts sector is a good investment."
Ulster Bank group chief executive Cormac McCarthy said: "The arts have a significant role to play in a modern economy and this festival is one of the most high-profile events in the country, one which has stood out as a beacon of everything positive Northern Ireland has to offer."
Man assaulted in service station
Gardaí are investigating an assault in south Dublin in the early hours of yesterday in which a man sustained facial injuries at a service station.
The incident took place on Military Road, Ballybrack, at about 2.30am. The victim was hospitalised after the assault. No arrests had been made last night.
Coroner to warn about medication
The Dublin city coroner is to write to the Irish Medicines Board following the death of a man after he experienced a rare adverse reaction to the widely used cholesterol-lowering medication, Lipitor.
Thomas Buckley (54), Gallenview, Ferbane, Co Offaly, died at St James's Hospital in Dublin on August 8th, 2006, less than two months after he was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a very rare but known complication of statin medication such as Lipitor.