In Short

A round-up of stories from around the country

A round-up of stories from around the country

Derry to host same-sex ceremony

Derry is to host what it is believed will be the UK's first legalised civil ceremony between a same-sex couple when a male couple will sign the civil partnership register in the city's Guildhall on December 19th, writes George Jackson. The law legalising same-sex unions, the Civil Partnership Act 2004, comes into effect on December 5th. It requires same-sex couples to give 15 days' notice to the Registrar of Civil Partnerships, but in Northern Ireland only 14 days' notification are required.

Corrib gas hearing closes

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The Government's technical advisory group on the Corrib gas project says it will accept further "submissions and observations" after a draft safety report on the onshore pipeline is published next month, writes Lorna Siggins.

The group will make specific recommendations to Minister for Marine Noel Dempsey only after a final report is completed by British consultancy firm Advantica, it says.

The consultants working for the technical advisory group are dealing with more than 100 documents and will also consider public submissions made at the two- day hearing which closed in Geesala, north Mayo, early yesterday.

Man killed in Mayo collision

Gardaí from Ballinrobe, Co Mayo are investigating a fatal road collision at Caherloughlin, The Neale, Claremorris shortly after midday yesterday.

A car and lorry were in collision and the 50-year-old male driver of the car was fatally injured. Nobody else was injured in the incident.

Two charged with Belfast assault

Two men were charged yesterday with a serious assault on a friend of murder victim Robert McCartney. Seán Clinton (39), Mountforde Drive, and Patrick Magee (34), Beechfield Street, Belfast, were accused of causing grievous bodily harm to Jeff Commander and possessing a metal bar as an offensive weapon. Mr Clinton was also charged with riotous assembly. Both were remanded in custody.

Motorcyclists at musician's funeral

The funeral took place in Derry yesterday of blues musician Jim Gilchrist, who was murdered just over two weeks ago and whose body was thrown into the River Foyle. Mr Gilchrist (62), a father of five, was attacked as he cycled along the Foyle Embankment after he had attended a meeting of the Foyle Motorcycle Club.

A student, Alan Paul Luukan (27), from John Street in Derry, is in custody charged with Mr Gilchrist's murder.

Among the several hundred mourners at yesterday's funeral were 33 motorcyclists who escorted the funeral cortege from the Gilchrist home at Woodbrook to St Mary's Church, Creggan.

Shots fired at Limerick home

Two young children escaped with their lives after a gunman opened fire at their home in Limerick city early yesterday. A six-year-old and a four-year-old were asleep in an upstairs bedroom in St Ita's Street, St Mary's Park, when up to six shots were fired at their home. An upstairs bedroom window was damaged but the children and their parents were in another room.

It is believed that the shooting may be linked to a localised drugs feud.