A round-up of today's other stories in brief...
Lester was 'always fair' to Poland
The Irish diplomat Seán Lester, who was secretary general of the League of Nations in the 1940s, was always fair to Poland, according to the Polish embassy's deputy ambassador Dr Jacek Rosa.
Dr Rosa was speaking at the launch in Dublin last night of Seán Lester, Poland and the Nazi Takeover of Danzigby Paul McNamara. Poland's ambassador was unable to speak as planned.
Call to boycott over mark-ups
A Dublin radio station has launched a campaign to encourage listeners to boycott retailers who mark up prices when converting from sterling to euro on labels, writes Paul Cullen.
Dublin's Q102 says listeners have provided evidence of "astronomical" mark-ups on prices, in some cases by up to 45 per cent on the original sterling price. It claims some stores are blacking out the original sterling prices or ripping the sterling tag off to cover up incorrect conversion rates.
The station says it has been "inundated" with calls and texts about the "Ignore that Store" campaign, run in conjunction with the Consumers Association of Ireland.
Starbucks shifts to ethical coffee
Starbucks has announced that it is switching to Fairtrade coffee for most of the beverages sold in its Irish shops from the end of the next year. The switch to ethical produce applies to espresso-based coffees such as cappuccinos and lattes, writes Paul Cullen.
Council worker withdraws claim
A worker with South Dublin County Council yesterday withdrew a €38,000 damaged hearing claim against the local authority. Paddy Kilbride, of Bothair na Bhrinna, Tallaght, said his hearing had been impaired from excessive noise from a gully sucking machine in November 2005.
• The global financial crisis has intensified the need for the passage of the Lisbon Treaty, the president of the European Parliament Han-Gert Pottering has said.
Mr Pottering yesterday met the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin, and, separately, with the Oireachtas sub-committee examining Ireland's future relationship with the European Union.
The German MEP said the rest of the EU is waiting to hear Taoiseach Brian Cowen's statement to EU leaders in December.
"First, before one gives a message, one is here to listen and to learn. I have not come to Ireland to teach the Irish what they have to do," he said.
He said challenges facing European countries highlight the need for the treaty's passage if they want to protect traditional European values.
Earlier, Mr Pottering addressed the Irish Episcopal Conference in Maynooth during a closed session.