More news in brief
The Irish Army's deployment to Chad got under way last night when members of the Ranger wing left for the central African country, writes Conor Lally. Fifty Rangers left Dublin Airport on a charter aircraft and were due to arrive, via a stop in Pescara, Italy, in the Chadian capital, N'Djamena, at about 9.30 this morning.
The troops will remain in N'Djamena tonight and are expected to move from the capital tomorrow week after all of their equipment has arrived. The Rangers will then make their way by convoy some 900km across country to eastern Chad and their base in Abeche.
The full 400-strong Irish deployment of will be in place by mid-May.
74-year-old cyclist dies in collision
A 74-year-old cyclist has died following a collision in north Dublin yesterday afternoon. The man received fatal injuries when he collided with a lorry at the junction between Cherrymount Road and Malahide Road in Clontarf. The man, who had not been named last night, was removed to Beaumont Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 3.45pm. Gardaí from Clontarf, who are investigating the crash, said no one else was injured in the incident.
British embassy row near end
A dispute at the British embassy in Dublin over the forced redundancy of three personnel looked likely last night to be resolved. A further one-day strike at the embassy had been due to take place tomorrow, but the trade union Unite said it had reached agreement on new severance terms for the three managers involved. It intends to recommend the deal to a general meeting of staff on Friday.
Doctors' contract talks break down
Talks between health service management and medical organisations on a new contract for academic medical consultants have broken down, writes Martin Wall. The negotiations were adjourned yesterday without a date for resumption. The medical organisations have sought salary scales of more than €310,000 for senior academic consultants.
Murdered man's bravery praised
Kilkenny county coroner Rory Hogan has told the family of murdered Kilkenny postmaster Alan Cunniffe (32) that despite "the horror of his death" they could take "some consolation from the high regard and admiration we all have for his bravery and courage". At an inquest yesterday a jury returned a verdict of "unlawful death". In December last year Shu Shen (25) was found guilty of the murder of Alan Cunniffe at the Central Criminal Court. He was sentenced to life in prison.
Gardaí share data on sex offenders
Gardaí share "soft information" relating to suspected sex offenders with health authorities even though there is no legal basis to do so, an Oireachtas committee heard yesterday. Soft information is material not substantive enough to allow a conviction to be made, but which indicates a concern over the suitability of a person to have access to children.