A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Derry office bombing shameful and pathetic, says mayor
The Mayor of Derry described yesterday’s early morning bomb attack at the 2013 UK City of Culture offices as “shameful and pathetic”.
SDLP councillor Colum Eastwood said nothing would deflect the city council’s attempts to ensure the award granted to Derry last summer would result in widespread economic benefits for the city. Slight damage was caused to the front door of the offices in the Northern Counties building at Guildhall Square when the device exploded after 3.30am. There were no injuries. The area around the offices was sealed off until British army technical officers declared the area safe just before midday.
FitzPatrick's online car bid hits 5,000
An online auction for the right to crush a car formerly owned by Anglo Irish Bank chairman Seán FitzPatrick received bids over €5,000 yesterday.
There are six days left in the eBay charity auction for the 3-series 92 D registration BMW. The auction began at 3.20pm yesterday and received 39 bids up to €5,100 within two hours.
The car is being sold by National Recycling which bought the car for € 1,234.56 in an online auction by the High Court's assignee who is dealing with Mr FitzPatrick's bankruptcy.
Conor Hand, sales manager with the Dublin-based metal recycling company, said he did not think it had gone so well and has revised his expectations upwards. "I hope it will go to €10,000," he said.
The money will be donated to the Samaritans.
The winning bidder will get to press the button on the crushing but may not legally be able to take away the bale, Mr Hand said.
New director at think tank Tasc
Dr Niall O'Connor has been appointed director of economic and public policy think tank Tasc. Dr O'Connor is policy analyst with Tasc and will take up his new position on January 31st. He succeeds Paula Clancy.
"I look forward to guiding Tasc in its next phase of development as we continue our work on developing progressive and workable responses to the many challenges that face Ireland in the years ahead," he said.
Court rejects bid to block tasers in North
A legal bid to effectively block the use of tasers by police in Northern Ireland has failed.
Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan dismissed a High Court attempt yesterday to quash the decision to introduce the weapons.
The challenge had been launched by an unnamed eight-year-old girl whose grandmother was killed by a plastic bullet fired by a police officer in 1981. – (PA)