A man who was extradited from Spain to face a charge of murdering his wife will go on trial in April at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin.
Mr Colin Whelan (33), Clonard Street, Balbriggan, Co Dublin, is accused of murdering his wife Mary (27) at their home on March 1st, 2001.
He was due to stand trial at the Central Criminal Court in October last year but seven months earlier his car was found abandoned at Howth.
He appeared in court in Dublin yesterday where Mr Justice Carney listed the trial to begin next April 11th.
CAB seeks to seize Cahill's houses
Proceedings in which the Criminal Assets Bureau is seeking the seizure of a number of properties which were owned by the late Martin Cahill, the Dublin criminal known as The General, have been adjourned at the High Court.
The proceedings were due to open today. However, the court was asked yesterday to adjourn the action for mention in two weeks' time when a date for the full hearing will be fixed.
The properties include Cahill's former home at Cowper Downs, Rathmines, and other houses at Swan Grove, Rathmines, and Dolphin's Barn, Dublin.
Man pleads not guilty to murder
A 21-year-old man has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to the murder of Mr Paul Farrell in Smithfield, Dublin, last year.
Mr Gary Gleeson, of no fixed abode, has denied murdering Mr Farrell (46) of Moateview Gardens, Coolock, Dublin 17, in Coke Lane, Smithfield, in July 2003. The trial begins tomorrow.
Vandals cut down Christmas tree
A Christmas tree was erected in Dungiven, Co Derry, yesterday to replace the original tree which had been cut down by vandals over the weekend.
Christmas lights on the tree, which was located on the town's Main Street, were officially switched on last Friday night, but local people discovered yesterday morning that the tree had been cut down.
Risk to FBI agent may be assessed
Northern Ireland police chiefs could be called on to assess the security risk to an FBI agent due to testify in a £14-million civil action brought by relatives of victims of the Omagh bomb.
A judge at Belfast High Court yesterday called on lawyers acting for the relatives to decide whether to obtain a security assessment on potential threats to Mr David Rupert who is under the protection of the FBI. Last year, he gave evidence before the Special Criminal Court in Dublin that helped secure the conviction of former "Real IRA" chief of staff Michael McKevitt.
Funeral of Derry murder victim held
Several hundred people attended the funeral in Derry yesterday of Tony McNamee, the father of four from Sevenoaks, Waterside, who died last week after he was found with serious head injuries.
Mr McNamee (37), who worked in a bar, had been out drinking with colleagues when the incident happened. Last Thursday, one of his colleagues, Paul Andrew John McGinley, Shepherd's Glen, appeared in court charged with his murder.
Welsh team's bus attacked in Clare
A professional Welsh rugby team had a lucky escape when the bus they were travelling in was attacked as it made its way through Ennis, Co Clare on Saturday. The Newport Gwent Dragons team were travelling to Galway to play Connacht in the Celtic League. A window of their coach was shattered when hit by a pellet gun or a rock.