More regional news in brief.
Airbus returns to US after engine trouble
An Aer Lingus flight from Boston to Shannon on Wednesday evening had to return to Logan International Airport after developing a technical problem in one of its engines.
Among the passengers on board the Airbus were 33 students and three teachers from St Eunan's College in Donegal who had been on a skiing trip.
"We were about 1 to two hours out from Boston when we were told that we had to go back," said teacher Neil Gordon. "It was all well controlled by the Aer Lingus staff, but when we landed you could see all the fire trucks and emergency services on the runway. It was fairly dramatic."
The passengers are now due to arrive back in Ireland this morning.
Conservation of grave spaces urged
Parishioners in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, have been told that they should only seek grave space they "strictly require" in order to conserve space in the two local cemeteries.
Last weekend, in the St Eunan's Cathedral parish newsletter it was stated that the parishes of Conwal and Leck continue to grow at a rapid rate.
As a result, parishioners were asked to make the "best use" of the available burial ground in the town's two cemeteries at Leck and Conwal.
"In the interest of conserving space, families should only seek the amount of grave space that they strictly require.
"Grave space is limited in both graveyards," the newsletter stated.
It added that the church hopes to reclaim some grave space in Conwal graveyard from where the foundation wall of the old graveyard stood.
Meanwhile, it was also stated in the newsletter that the "disgusting" practice of household waste being dumped in graveyard skips is continuing to cause problems.
A spokesman for the parish could not be contacted last night.
EU states to repay €256m Cap funds
The European Commission is to recover €256.3 million of Common Agricultural Policy money from member states, including Ireland, because of inadequate control measures or non-compliance with EU rules, writes Seán Mac Connell.
However, the amount levied on Ireland was among the lowest at €1.47 million and was a penalty for weaknesses in on-the-spot checks and administrative operations in the fruit and vegetable sector.
The commission has demanded a €0.73 million payback from the operational funds for this breach and a further €0.70 million for non-respect of payment deadlines.
A further sum of €40,000 will have to be paid back for what commission documents described as "overshooting of financial ceilings".
In all, funds will be recovered from Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Sweden and Slovenia.