Eight Tipperary teenagers are to travel to Zambia as part of an aid project to help the developing world.
Fifth-year pupils from Nenagh CBS will join more than 100 others from schools throughout the State as part of a Christian Brothers' developing world immersion project in Zambia.
The Irish teenagers will work in hospitals and schools and be exposed to a society where the average person dies at the age of 38 and where one in five people suffers from HIV and AIDS.
Under the project, each student will bring a skill, ranging from music to woodwork, with them to Zambia, and introduce it to the people.
Over the course of their visit, the Nenagh students will work as assistant teachers in some of the country's rundown schools where the education system is extremely basic.
Council introduces code of conduct
Waterford County Council is to introduce a new code of conduct that it says will lead to greater transparency and accountability, after two officials were found to have carried out work for members of the public.
In January 2001 the county manager, Mr Donal Connolly, confirmed that two draughtsmen had received warnings about their actions. The officials did not work in the planning section and were not involved in the planning process.
The new code to be implemented from Tuesday next will require an annual declaration by employees and elected members of the council of any shares, land or directorships held, as well as other sources of income and gifts received.
Car thieves damage sports facilities
Gardaí have described as "reprehensible" the actions of car thieves in Waterford who have seriously damaged the city's municipal golf course and adjacent soccer pitches while "joyriding".
In the most recent of a series of incidents in the Killure area near St John's Park housing estate on Wednesday night, a stolen car was driven at the gates of the golf course. Two youths fled the scene before gardaí arrived.
Ballina to get new X-ray machine
X-ray facilities are to be restored in Ballina, Mayo, within two weeks, following a local campaign.
A Fianna Fáil councillor in Ballina, Mr Brian Golden, said yesterday: "It's brilliant news for north Mayo.
"The Western Health Board has finally agreed to find the €100,000 or perhaps the bit more that is needed to buy a new X-ray processing machine. The old machine was on its last legs and was beyond repair, and patients in this large region were being forced to travel a minimum of a 50-mile round trip to have an X-ray done at Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar."
Funeral takes place of Earl of Limerick
The funeral took place in London yesterday of the Earl of Limerick, Patrick Pery (72).
The 6th Earl died in hospital, and his funeral was attended by family members. Originally from Sussex, his title dates back to the 1700s.
He was a descendant of Bishop William Cecil Pery, who lived at 104 Henry Street Limerick. The bishop's eldest son, Edmund Henry Pery, was the first Earl of Limerick.
The earl was a chartered accountant and served as chairman of the tyre company, Pirelli, He was also a patron of Limerick Civic Trust.