A round-up of today's other news stories in brief
McAleese in hospital with infection
President McAleese has been forced to cancel a number of engagements after she was admitted to hospital on Sunday night suffering from an infection.
She received intravenous antibiotics as part of her treatment at the Mater Private Hospital and she is due to be discharged from the hospital later today, a spokeswoman said.
Mrs McAleese was forced to cancel and reschedule a number of engagements, including meetings with overseas prisoners' families and a senior citizens' reception at Áras an Uachtaráin.
Print workers in Offaly to lose jobs
Sixteen workers are to be laid off at a midlands printer manufacturing company. The jobs will go at KO-REC-TYPE, a leading manufacturer of imaging supplies for printers.
The company has manufacturing, sales and distribution facilities in Ireland, the US, Canada, Europe and Mexico.
The total workforce in Birr, Co Offaly, is 33, and 16 of these are to be made redundant, including office staff, management personnel and nine general operatives.
Shaw and Tunney friendship
The unlikely friendship between Irish-born dramatist George Bernard Shaw and American-Irish world heavyweight boxer Gene Tunney will be outlined by Gene Tunney's son, Jay, in a talk at the United Arts Club in Dublin on Friday at 8 pm.
Admission is free
Fines imposed for dumping waste
Fines ranging from €500 to €1,500 were imposed by Judge Flann Brennan at a sitting of Carrickmacross District Court, Co Monaghan, yesterday in prosecutions taken against a number of lorry-owners and drivers who faced charges of breaching environmental legislation by dumping waste at a number of unauthorised landfill sites.
Fines totalling €1,500 were imposed on Con Morton, Inniskeen, Co Monaghan, who was prosecuted by Monaghan County Council for transporting waste to an illegal dump site in Monaghan on June 17th last.
Defence lawyer Gerry Jones told the court that Mr Morton, who was pleading guilty, had been hired to bring the waste to a specific site, but when he reached the area a digger-driver who was using an excavator for clearance work at the dump had left the scene and Mr Morton was caught offloading the waste.
Another Co Monaghan man, Daniel Sweeney, Magherarney, Smithboro, was fined €500 for the illegal disposal of waste at Cornalaragh, Magheracloone, Co Monaghan, on July 28th.
A fine of €500 was imposed on Declan Mullen, Knocknacran, Smithboro, whom the court heard had been engaged to collect a container near Dublin and bring it to a specified site in Co Monaghan.