Other stories in brief...
Gormley visits farm in dispute
Minister for the Environment John Gormley paid a "private visit" at the weekend to a north Kilkenny farm blighted by alleged industrial pollution, writes Michael Parsons.
Last year, a European Parliament report claimed a neighbouring brick factory owned by Cement Roadstone Holdings was the "probable cause" of unexplained animal health problems and dying vegetation on the 170-acre holding of dairy farmer Dan Brennan outside the village of Castlecomer.
Speaking afterwards, Mr Gormley said he had seen cattle which "clearly had not thrived" but that "proving cause and effect is extremely difficult".
The Minister promised to bring the matter to the attention of the Environmental Protection Agency and to discuss it with Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan after the Cabinet meeting tomorrow.
CRH has said that no link has been established between the factory and problems at Mr Brennan's farm.
Offer to fund station reopening
A development company has committed itself to footing the estimated €4.5 million cost of reopening Dunleer train station in Co Louth which is on the main Dublin to Belfast train line, writes Elaine Keogh.
The offer is from PeachGlen Construction Ltd, which is part of Dunleer Co-Ownership which wants to build a new town centre with 167 residential units close to the station.
Councillors may reject budget
Clare County Council risks the prospect of being abolished if councillors follow through on their threat to reject this year's budget later today, writes Gordon Deegan.
A proposal by the council executive to impose a €3 charge at recycling centres and the Department of the Environment's failure to adequately fund a €2 million emergency water treatment plant for Ennis has prompted councillors to issue their threat not to pass the €119 million budget for 2008. The council would then have 14 days to agree a budget or face abolition
Cash offered to study physics
Students at the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technolgy are to be handed a €1,000 cash incentive to study physics ahead of other subjects.
The college's school of science is guaranteeing a cheque for €1,000 to each student who undertakes the honours degree course in physics and instrumentation.
Mother's call for defibrillators
The mother of a 16-year-old boy who died from Sudden Adult Death Syndrome has called for defibrillators to be made available at all large venues following the saving of 15-year-old Daniel Ross's life with such a device at a sports event last Friday.
Bríd Manning lost her son Robert on August 31st, 2002, when he collapsed in the garden of the family home in Cratloe, Co Clare, while playing rugby with his brothers.