A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Trial begins on alleged cider tax evasion
A north county businessman has gone on trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court charged with failing to pay tax on cider he produced on his farm and sold in farmers' markets.
David Llewellyn, who runs the Fruit of the Vine farm on Quickpenny Road, Lusk, Co Dublin, has pleaded not guilty. Prosecuting counsel Dominic McGinn BL, told the jury that a customs officer who spotted the cider on sale in the farmers' market in Temple Bar in November 2002 discovered that excise duty had not been paid and gave the defendant forms to fill in.
Two years later in his cider was spotted on sale again in the same market.
Officials discovered 50,000 litres of cider valued at €84,500 on his farms.
The trial before Judge Frank O'Donell continues.
Brighton bomber settles libel action
A man who was convicted in connection with the 1986 Brighton bombing in which then British prime minister Margaret Thatcher narrowly escaped death, has settled a High Court libel action over an article in the Sunday Mirrornewspaper.
Under the settlement the newspaper accepted it had wrongly attributed to Patrick Magee statements in a front page article to the effect that he had threatened to kill SF president Gerry Adams and that he opposed the NI peace process.
Man arrested over cocaine seizure
Customs officers in Dublin airport yesterday seized cocaine worth €70,000.
The drugs were discovered following the arrest of a Polish man (30) who arrived from Brussels.
He was found to have 95 pellets of cocaine in his body and was taken to Santry Garda station.
Rat infestation closes centre
A Co Galway health centre, which became infested with rats, has been closed by the HSE West.
A pest control firm has been hired by the health authority to deal with the infestation at the centre in Oranmore, Co Galway.
The centre's work has been moved to another building at Mervue in Galway city.