A round-up of today's other news stories in brief
Construction worker dies in house fire
A 47-year-old construction worker died in an early morning house fire in Co Roscommon yesterday.
Five other people escaped uninjured from the house at Onagh, Taughmaconnell, when the blaze broke out around 5am.
The man who died in the fire was originally from Poland and was believed to have been working with a construction company in Athlone.
Gardaí in Ballinasloe, Co Galway, are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.
The house was preserved for technical examination.
The man's body was taken to Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe, where a postmortem will take place.
Police shoot driver of stolen car
Police shot the driver of a stolen car after he rammed their vehicle in Northern Ireland in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The victim is in hospital but his condition is not thought to be life-threatening after the incident in the Rockmount estate area of Dundonald, Belfast.
Officers fired a number of shots and the incident has been reported to the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman. Police have arrested one man. - (PA)
Coughlan to use Irish at EU meeting
The Minister for Agriculture, Mary Coughlan, will become the first Government Minister to officially use Irish at an EU Council meeting when she attends a farm ministers' meeting in Brussels later today, writes Séan McConnell, Agricultural Correspondent.
The Minister will be asking her colleagues in what is now an official EU language to amend the EU rules on unannounced inspections on Irish farms.
She has been seeking "more appropriate regulations" for Irish farmers, who are seeking 14 days' notice of inspection because of the large numbers of part-time farmers in the industry here.
The inspection regime had become part of a very bitter dispute between the department and farmers because of the implementation of the nitrates directive.
The German presidency has said it wants to simplify the system of farm payments and inspections and Ms Coughlan expects support from her German colleague.
Alcohol worries highlighted in poll
New research appears to show deep levels of public concern over alcohol abuse in Irish society.
A poll commissioned by the Drinks Industry Research Group shows that 78 per cent see the problem as "extremely serious" or "very serious".
Most people blame drinkers themselves (31 per cent), parents (26 per cent), the licensed trade (23 per cent) or young people (22 per cent). Much smaller numbers blamed the Government (12 per cent), alcohol advertising (6 per cent) or alcohol sponsorship (3 per cent).
To address the problem, most people want better law enforcement and education in schools (22 per cent), rather than an advertising ban (10 per cent) or increase in taxes (3 per cent).
The Drinks Industry Research Group, which is lobbying to avoid a ban on advertising or higher taxes, claimed the poll results showed there was little support for such measures.
The poll was undertaken by market research company, Behaviour and Attitudes.