A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
Former Army man jailed for sex offences
A 31-year-old Co Wicklow man has been jailed for 10 years for serious sex offences against a young boy.
The former Irish Army man, who also served with the United Nations in Lebanon, pleaded guilty to 14 charges of sexual assault and oral rape on dates in 2001 and 2002 in Ireland and abroad. He cannot be named for legal reasons.
Garda Avril Foley told Mary Ellen Ring SC that the boy was aged eight to 10 years when the offences happened in both his and the man's family homes and abroad.
Mr Justice Paul Carney, who directed that the man be registered as a sex offender as required by legislation, said: "These offences are horrific in themselves and a grave factor is the breach of trust involved."
Mr Justice Carney said he accepted the man's remorse and his apology and it was also mandatory on the court to take into account that he had been sexually abused as a child.
The court heard that the man moved in with the boy's mother and her children in what proved to be a difficult relationship and they were apart for periods.
When the man went abroad to work, contact continued between him and the boy who was allowed to go to stay with him and he sexually abused him.
Fire at Kilkenny nursing home
An elderly woman was taken to Waterford Regional Hospital suffering from smoke inhalation following a fire at a residential home in south Co Kilkenny yesterday.
The fire broke out in a house at the Rosedale Nursing Home, a complex of 16 bungalows, in the village of Kilmacow close to Waterford city. Gardaí are investigating the cause of the fire.
Training vessel to become restaurant
The last serving ship built in Dublin's Liffey boatyard arrived back in Dublin Port from Cork yesterday.
The Cill Áirne, a 150ft (45m) long and 40ft (13m) wide vessel, was built in 1960 and was used as a ferry to carry passengers to and from luxury liners which were too large to enter Cork Harbour.
It was later used for 40 years as a training vessel for students in the National Maritime Training College, Ringaskiddy.
The vessel has been refurbished over the past year and will now be moored on Dublin's North Wall quay where it will be used as a restaurant and wine bar.
Call for stricter safety standards
Siptu yesterday called for stricter enforcement of safety standards in construction after a company was fined €50,000 for negligence over the death of a worker when a concrete staircase collapsed on him.
Father of two Thomas O'Neill (31), from Lucan, died when three flights of stairs weighing two tonnes each collapsed at a site in Ringsend, Dublin.
Siptu's construction organiser Eric Fleming said the industry was "still extremely dangerous to work in".
"We can eradicate this problem by working more effectively together," Mr Fleming said.
The main site contractor, G&T Crampton Ltd of Clonskeagh, pleaded guilty earlier this week to directing people to work near the stairwell at South Lotts Office Development on December 12th, 2002.