A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
Government press secretary appointed
The ESB's public affairs manager Eoghan Ó Neachtain has been appointed as the new Government press secretary by the Taoiseach. Mr Ó Neachtain is a former Army commandant who served in a number of senior positions at home and abroad.
He left the Army in 2000 having been press officer for the Defence Forces for a number of years. He has been the public affairs manager with the ESB for the past five years. A native of Co Galway, he has a Masters Degree in Communications from DCU. A native of the Connemara Gaeltacht he lives with his family in Co Kildare.
He succeeds Mandy Johnston who served in the position for the past five years but has moved to another position in the Department of the Taoiseach.
Three arrested over steroids
Customs officers at Dublin airport yesterday arrested three men and found approximately 34,000 ampoules of the steroid Testosterone.
The steroids have a value of €400,000. Imran Younus Durrani (37), Mohammad Zahid Shaihif (30) and Mohammad Altaf (37), from Pakistan had arrived earlier on a flight from Pakistan via Abu Dhabi.
The three men were arrested and charged with the evasion of VAT and the importation of a restricted medicine. They appeared in court and were remanded in custody to appear in Cloverhill Court on Tuesday.
Two killed in separate crashes
Two people died in separate road crashes between Thursday night and yesterday morning.
In the first incident, a 42-year-old man died when the tractor he was driving overturned on the outskirts of Abbeyknockmoy, near Tuam, Co Galway, on Thursday night.
The scene was sealed off by gardaí and the road was closed for some time yesterday.
Meanwhile, gardaí in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, are investigating a single vehicle crash in which a woman in her 80s died at Ballythomas, Ardcroney, Nenagh.
Trawler reports cannabis find
A Naval Service ship was en route to a fishing vessel west of the Aran islands last night, following a report by its crew that it had trawled up suspicious material from the sea-bed believed to be a consignment of cannabis.
The LE Aisling is expected to make a rendezvous with the Irish-registered Progress about 96km west of the Aran Islands to inspect the material.
The vessel made the discovery early yesterday during a routine trawl. The skipper contacted the authorities immediately.
Yesterday's haul from the seabed came as investigations continue following the discovery of Cocaine worth over €100 million in Dunlough Bay, west Cork, earlier this month.
Some 61 of 62 bales believed to be in the consignment have been recovered, after the rigid inflatable boat carrying the illegal cargo capsized.
Gardaí have been appealing to mariners to keep a look out for the missing bale off the southwest coast.
Robber putting on balaclava filmed
A man, filmed by a security camera putting on a balaclava, moments before he entered a shop to rob it armed with a hammer, has been sentenced to five-and-a half-years in prison, with the last four years suspended, at Galway Circuit Criminal Court.
Trevor Harlowe (32), Western Distributor Road, Galway, pleaded guilty to robbing a 17-year-old part-time employee at Mace, Shantalla Road, Galway, of €2,800 in cash, on July 29th, 2005.Viewing the CCTV footage, Judge Raymond Groarke commented: "He is some dope."