A round-up of today's other stories in brief...
Death of former union leader
The former general secretary of the union representing plasterers in the Republic, Richard Kearney, has died.
Operative Plasterers and Allied Trades Society of Ireland (Opatsi) president, Gerry Lumsden, said Mr Kearney (82) played a vital role in improving the conditions of building workers. Mr Kearney, from Crumlin, in Dublin, was Opatsi leader from 1978-1992.
Three killed on roads
THREE PEOPLE, including a teenage boy, were killed in road crashes on Tuesday. The 16-year-old died in a single-car crash in south Co Dublin on Tuesday night when the car in which he was a passenger hit a wall on the Lyons Road, Newcastle, shortly after 11pm. The driver of the car was seriously injured and was taken to hospital in Tallaght.
Separately, a prominent cyclist from the North was killed near Crumlin, Co Antrim. Davy McCall died following a collision with a car on the Belfast Road near Nutts Corner at about 8pm on Tuesday. Mr McCall had competed for Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games in New Zealand in 1974, and was a member of the Maryland Cycling Club in Lisburn, Co Antrim.
On Tuesday morning a man in his 40s died outside Crossgar, Co Down, when his car collided with a van. The occupants of the van were unhurt.
Search for man in Clare river
A major search was launched in Co Clare last night for a man who reportedly fell in to the river Fergus while attending a house party in Ennis.
The man, who is 31 and thought to be from Poland, was reported missing at about 7.30pm. A search-and-rescue operation was quickly launched involving local units of the fire brigade, civil defence and the Irish Coastguard helicopter.
The search is expected to resume early today.
Manon arms and drug charges
A Limerick man charged with having two high-powered handguns and €50,000 worth of drugs may have come under pressure from serious criminals, a court has heard.
Noel Purcell jnr (36), Shanabooley Road, Ballynanty, is charged with having a Glock 9mm handgun, a Ruger 357 Magnum revolver and several rounds of ammunition at his home on July 7th.
He is also charged with possession of cocaine and cannabis.
Mancharged with rape
A 28-year-old Corkman has been remanded on bail after he was charged with the rape of a 20-year-old woman in a house in the Gurranebraher area of the city over a year ago.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was brought before a special sitting of Cork District Court and charged with raping the young woman on August 4th, 2007.
Judge Tim Lucey remanded the accused on his own bond to appear on September 28th.
HSE defends cancellations
More than 7,000 operations were cancelled in the first five months of 2008, according to figures released by Fine Gael yesterday.
Almost 15,000 operations were cancelled in hospitals last year, the figures revealed. However, the Health Service Executive said the number was "on a comparative basis" internationally.
The number of operations postponed in 2007 only represented 1.5 per cent of overall activity, the HSE said.