A roundup of today's other news stories in brief
Former priest pleads guilty to sex assaults
A former priest yesterday pleaded guilty at the Circuit Criminal Court in Tralee, Co Kerry, to 53 counts of indecent assault against three females and two males.
The offences occurred in Co Kerry between 1965 and 1973 and there were 32 counts of indecent assault on one of the boys and 16 on one of the girls.
The court was told the victims were all from one family. They did not wish to be identified and naming the accused would identify them, prosecuting counsel Tom Rice said.
However, Judge Carroll Moran said the idea that no one knew who they were locally was likely to be a bit of a myth. He granted the application but said it was "very undesirable to have secrecy about a case as a matter of principle". He granted the application but said he may review his decision on January 21st when the case will come up again.
EU approves trawler cuts
The European Commission has approved Ireland's plan for a 35 per cent reduction in the whitefish fleet as part of a €600 million investment strategy in the seafood sector.
The EU approval was welcomed last night by Minister for Fisheries Mary Coughlan, who said it was "a very positive development for Irish fishing".
Des O'Malley's brother dies
Peter O'Malley, a former subeditor with The Irish Timeshas died suddenly. Aged 62, he suffered a heart attack in Glasgow. He had been living in Scotland for the past eight years.
Mr O'Malley first joined The Irish Timesin 1976. He was a brother of Des O'Malley, former leader of the PDs, and Joseph O'Malley, former political correspondent of the Sunday Independent. His funeral will take place tomorrow after 11am Mass in Haddington Road Church, Dublin.
Detective settles promotion case
A detective garda sergeant who had brought a High Court challenge over how his application for promotion was treated has withdrawn all of his claims as part of the settlement of his case announced in court yesterday.
The proceedings by Det Sgt Fergus Treanor were due to open yesterday but after talks between the sides the parties had agreed settlement terms which included a withdrawal of all of his allegations.
Man jailed over cocaine factory
A 26-year-old hospital porter was yesterday jailed at Cork Circuit Criminal Court for 12 years after he was caught by detectives operating a cocaine mixing factory with the potential of earning millions of euro.
Kevin Kelly, of Hawthorn Mews, Dublin Hill, Cork, pleaded guilty to possessing €327,000 worth of cocaine at Commons Road, Cork, on October 24th, 2006.
Doctors may charge for flu jab
Patients may be charged for the administration of flu vaccinations at the discretion of doctors, the Heath Service Executive has said.
The HSE said the vaccine is free to anybody who wants it, but GPs may charge a consultation fee to administer the vaccine to patients without a medical card.
ICMSA will not endorse scheme
The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association has said it will not be "bought off" by the new Walkways scheme which will see farmers paid for the upkeep of hillwalking paths.
Commenting on the scheme which will see farmers paid between €750 and €3,000 a year, the organisation said it could not endorse the scheme until it provided a comprehensive solution.