A round-up of today's other news stories in brief
FF councillor to run as an Independent
A Fianna Fáil Wicklow county councillor has announced his intention to run as an Independent candidate in this year's general election.
Carnew-based Pat Doran had been named as one of four prospective Fianna Fáil candidates in Wicklow, but he failed to get nominated in December.
Councillors Joe Behan, Bray, and Pat Fitzgerald, Arklow, were selected.
Mr Doran cited among his primary motivations the "undemocratic" decision by party headquarters not to hold a selection convention. He said he believed the Wicklow/Carlow area had been "neglected" over the past 10 years in regard to national public infrastructural investment.
Woman sexually assaulted in home
Gardaí in Galway have appealed for information in relation to a sexual assault on a woman in her home in the city centre last weekend.
CCTV footage is being examined as part of the investigation into the assault, which gardaí describe as serious. It is reported to have taken place in The Green housing estate off College Road, in the early hours of last Sunday.
Gardaí want to question a man who arrived at the house in a taxi between 4am and 6am on Sunday. The driver has also been asked to contact Mill Street Garda station. The taxi is understood to have taken a male passenger from Jurys Inn to the estate, a mile away.
'Riverdance' show for Letterkenny
The worldwide hit show Riverdance will be performed in Co Donegal for the first time on May 24th and 25th. It will be the first event at Letterkenny's new €18 million sports, leisure and entertainment complex. Proceeds will go towards the purchase of a new Dexa scanning facility at the oncology unit in Letterkenny General Hospital.
Produced by Donegal's Moya Doherty, the show opened in 1995 at the Point, Dublin, and has been seen live by more than 19 million people worldwide.
There have been more than 9,000 performances in 32 countries across four continents and the worldwide television audience to date is in excess of 1.75 billion people.
In Letterkenny yesterday, Ms Doherty said: "It is very gratifying to me, both personally and professionally, to see Riverdance performing in Donegal."
Toddler dies after choking
Gardaí in Kilkenny are to prepare a file for an inquest into the death of an 18-month-old toddler who choked while eating breakfast with his family while on a weekend break in the city. Cathal O'Sullivan, a twin, from Ballyhea, north Cork, became ill while having breakfast at the Hotel Kilkenny on Sunday morning. Attempts were made to resuscitate him but he was pronounced dead on arrival at St Luke's General Hospital in Kilkenny.
Concern over access to buildings
Town councillors in Killarney, Co Kerry, have raised concerns about access by the emergency services to Killarney's traditional lanes.
New four-storey apartment blocks and businesses now dominate the narrow and once abandoned lanes of the town centre.
Woman in Lawlor crash settles action
The High Court has been told that a Ukrainian woman, who survived the November 2005 car crash in Moscow in which former Fianna Fáil TD Liam Lawlor died, has settled her libel action against the Observer newspaper.
After being told yesterday by counsel for Julia Kushnir that the action had been settled, Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne made an order striking out the proceedings.
Five other actions by Ms Kushnir, brought against the Sunday Independent, the Irish Independent, the Sunday Tribune, the Sunday World and the Irish Sunday Mirror, over their reporting of the accident, are continuing.
The first case to be heard involving the Sunday World is due to start on February 21st. Ms Kushnir (30) will travel to Ireland to appear as a witness along with character witnesses from Tel Aviv, New York and Moscow.
Earlier this week, the Sunday World newspaper failed in its bid to have Ms Kushnir lodge €30,000 in court as security towards costs if her case fails.
Court assessing boy's damages
The High Court is assessing what damages should be paid to a four-year- old boy arising from his right arm being "paralysed" at the time of his birth.
Mr Justice Vivian Lavan was told that Michael Staunton suffered a most severe injury where five spinal nerves were damaged.
Michael, through his mother Deirdre Staunton, Stradbrook Grove, Blackrock, Co Dublin, has sued consultant obstetrician Valerie Donnelly, practising at Mount Carmel Hospital, Churchtown, Dublin, over injuries suffered at his birth.
Denis McCullough SC, for the child, said yesterday the case was before the court for assessment of damages only and liability was not an issue.
He said Michael was born on September 27th, 2002 and had suffered a most severe type of injury which affected all five spinal nerves in his neck on the right hand side.
It is claimed that in the course of his delivery by Ms Donnelly, due to excessive traction, he suffered and sustained severe and personal injuries and is now handicapped and disabled as a result. It is claimed he had no movement in his right arm and the paralysis of the arm was diagnosed as Erbs palsy. He is otherwise healthy but, it is claimed, continues to suffer with severe impairment and lack of function.
The case continues today.
Extradition to Britain ordered
The High Court has made an order for the extradition to Britain of a man wanted on charges of arson and for the alleged rape and sexual assault of a teenage girl.
Mr Justice Michael Peart made the order in the case of the man, with an address in Co Clare and formerly with an address in Wales.
Mr Justice Peart said the surrender was sought so he could be prosecuted for offences of rape and indecent assault alleged to have been committed between October 1987 and October 1989 and of conspiracy to commit arson between August 7th and August 18th, 2000.
Some submissions made opposing the extradition were on grounds of past adverse publicity.
Mr Justice Peart ruled that given the fact that that the range of material involved dated back almost four years, a fade factor had already occurred in order to remove any real risk of unfairness or a prejudiced jury.
Withdrawal of legal challenge to detention
A man who was released after being detained for three days for questioning about the taking hostage last week of a bank official and his family in north Co Dublin has withdrawn a High Court challenge to the legality of his detention.
However, Patrick Albert Byrne is to seek leave to bring a challenge to the legality of the provision under which he was detained, Giollaíosa Ó Lideadha SC, for Mr Byrne, indicated yesterday.
Mr Ó Lideadha said there was an important issue in relation to the constitutionality or otherwise of section 30.1 of the Offences Against the State Act 1939. It was in the public interest that the issue be resolved.
Series of films by Dublin teenagers
A series of films by young people who come from inner city communities that have been badly affected by drugs was launched yesterday.
Eight people between the ages of 14 and 17 were responsible for producing the films as part of a project by the Drug Awareness in Irish Sociable Youth (Daisy) organisation.
The 14 short films, which were launched by Lord Mayor of Dublin Vincent Jackson, are based on the theme of thwarted ambition, and contrast the hopes and dreams of teenagers with the reality of the lives of adults who have become addicted to drugs.
They were produced by teenagers from the north inner city area of Dublin, and the Daisy organisation hopes to show them in local schools and youth clubs.
The project lasted for a year, and involved training in a variety of media formats, including film- making, graphic design and photograph.
The films are part of Daisy's Never Say Never campaign which, the organisation says, takes a more realistic approach to educating young people about the risks of drugs.
Daisy co-ordinator Erika Comerford said: "We have found that abstinence policies don't work with young people. Telling them not to take drugs is not going to stop them.
"Offering advice on how they should handle situations where they are offered drugs, at a party for instance, is a much better way forward."
Call for meeting on assets agency
Ulster Unionists have demanded a meeting with home secretary John Reid to discuss plans to scrap the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA).
UUP leader Sir Reg Empey confirmed that Lady Sylvia Hermon had requested talks with Mr Reid after a meeting with Northern Ireland Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde.
Sir Reg said: "There was great shock at the decision to set aside the ARA, which most people believe was doing a good job and holding paramilitaries to account.
"Nobody has so far come forward with a coherent explanation as to why it should be replaced at this critical stage.
"This raises serious questions, such as why was there no consultation with the parties or the policing board on such a crucial issue? Is government sending out the wrong message to terrorists? What is the future for the staff of ARA? Can the expertise built up in ARA be preserved?"
The agency has been operating for four years and has frozen £16 million in criminal assets.
However, last month the home office confirmed that Soca, the Serious Organised Crime Agency which was set up last year to tackle drug- trafficking and other crime, would take over the ARA's powers to freeze assets and seize funds.
Sir Reg noted that the chief constable had also expressed reservations about the plan.
"It was clear that the PSNI believed the ARA is doing a good job, and there is concern that the critical expertise currently within that organisation could be lost in transition to Soca taking over control."