Other stories in brief.
Deep-water port gets go-ahead
The Government has approved legislation to pave the way for the development of the €300 million deep-water port near Drogheda, writes Harry McGee, Political Staff.
It has been suggested that the facility may be the long-term replacement for Dublin Port.
The new legislation will provide for the limits of Drogheda Port to be extended to facilitate the building of the new port in Bremore, north Dublin.
Ambassadors meet President
The new ambassadors of Japan, Ukraine, Socialist Republic of Vietnam and Burkina Faso presented their letters of credence to the President at Áras an Uachtaráin yesterday.
They are Mr Toshinao Urabe of Japan, Mr Borys M Bazylevskiy of Ukraine; Mr Tran Quang Hoan of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and Mr Kadré Désiré Ouedraogo of Burkina Faso.
Tommy Thompson remains identified
Gardaí yesterday confirmed that the human remains found at Dysart, Portlaoise, on Wednesday, January 23rd, have been identified as those of Tommy Thompson, the Englishman whose disappearance on April 20th last year is being investigated.
Addicts' teenage son gets five years
A teenage son of heroin-addict parents has been jailed for five years by Mr Justice Paul Carney at the Central Criminal Court for raping a woman, after unsuccessfully trying to rob her on her way to work.
John Paul Moore (19), St Teresa's Gardens, Rialto, Dublin, admitted raping a 39-year-old foreign national on August 4th, 2006, near St James' Hospital.
17-year-old drink driver escapes jail
A teenager who admitted drinking four pints and then killing his girlfriend when the car he was driving went out of control and crashed escaped jail at Kilkenny Circuit Court.
The family of Catherine Doyle (14), Mile Post, Slieverue, wept openly as the verdict was read out.
Ms Doyle was a front-seat passenger in the car, which was being driven by her boyfriend Jason Burke, who was 17 at the time.
The judge ordered that Burke carry out 240 hours of community service and disqualified him from driving for 10 years.
Wounded criminal remains critical
Convicted criminal Martin Foley remains in a critical yet stable condition in hospital after his shooting in Dublin last weekend. He is receiving treatment for multiple wounds to his face and upper body after he was shot 10 times in a murder attempt on Saturday.
Medical staff initially believed the 55-year-old from Crumlin would survive the attack. However, Garda sources said while Mr Foley had stabilised on Sunday and Monday, he became gravely ill on Tuesday and was now being given only a "50-50" chance of survival.
Gas prices frozen until next October
Bord Gáis has announced gas prices for residential and business customers will remain frozen until at least next October.
The company said the freeze was made possible through "prudent procurement" of wholesale gas supplies, and contrasted the situation with other EU states where energy prices have risen significantly.
Gas prices were reduced by 20 per cent last year, but this followed a 34 per cent increase the year before.
Two questioned after drug finds
Gardaí are questioning two people following separate seizures of herbal cannabis with a street value of €300,000 at Dublin airport on Tuesday evening.