A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
President to attend match in Cyprus
President Mary McAleese is to attend the Republic of Ireland's Euro 2008 qualifier with Cyprus in Nicosia on Saturday evening, it was confirmed last night
Mrs McAleese will be joined on the first Irish State visit to the Mediterranean island by Minister for the Environment Dick Roche. She will also carry out two days of engagements in Malta with Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern today and tomorrow.
In Cyprus, she will meet gardaí serving with the United Nations police.
Youth faces rape extradition
A teenager is facing extradition to England over the rape of three girls at a horse fair last year. The youth was arrested by gardaí under a European Arrest Warrant. Extradition proceedings are now due to get under way.
Detectives in Appleby, Cumbria, want to question the teenager over the attacks on three young girls in June 2005. Two 14-year- old girls and one aged 13 who were visiting Appleby Horse Fair were raped in a secluded area of the town's Belgravia estate.
Cumbria police believe four youths took part in the attack and a fifth is believed to have watched.
The incident happened when the girls were befriended by the gang and persuaded to walk along a riverbank with them.
The group walked to a quiet cul-de-sac in Belgravia where the attack took place.
The girls contacted police after the fair and an investigation has been under way since then.
Following an appeal on the BBC's Crimewatch programme last June, detectives received more than 100 calls. - (PA)
Birdwatchers out to spot Brent geese
The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at Castle Espie, Co Down, on the shores of Strangford Lough, is calling on all bird lovers to help spot any surviving supergeese during its Brent Watch this weekend.
Light-bellied Brent geese are a protected species in Britain, Ireland, Iceland and Greenland. Satellite tracking enables trust scientists to help protect them.
Labour Court to clarify terms
The Labour Court has invited to Greencore and trade unions to attend for definitive clarification on its recommendation on the issue of redundancy entitlements for 150 former workers at the Irish Sugar factory in Mallow.
According to Kieran Buckley, chairman of the committee of former Irish Sugar workers, the trade unions would be accepting the invitation.
The dispute revolves around differences on the interpretation of the Labour Court recommendation, with Greencore insisting that redundancy be paid on the basis of six weeks pay for every year of service based on an hourly rate of pay.
Mr Buckley claims the recommendation clearly states that redundancy payments should be based on six weeks pay for every year of service based on the worker's final week's salary and not on their hourly rate.
The difference to Greencore would be just €4.5 million, he said, adding that given the company had made profits of €31 million last year and had assets in Carlow and Mallow of €450- €500 million, this was not a huge extra cost.
An Irish Sugar spokeswoman strongly rejected the workers' claims that the company had ignored the Labour Court recommendation.
Man pleads guilty to sexual assaults
A 57-year-old man has pleaded guilty to 21 counts of sexual assault on two girls over a five-year period. The case has been adjourned to allow for victim impact reports to be prepared and for the probation and welfare services to prepare a report on the accused man.
The offences took place in Co Louth and the case was adjourned at Dundalk Circuit Court until January.