A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Gardaí believe drugs route has been disrupted with cannabis find
Gardaí believe they have disrupted a drugs-shipment route between the Republic and the UK following the seizure of cannabis with an estimated value of €1 million in Slane, Co Meath, yesterday. The find of up to 150kg of cannabis herb, resin and pollen was found when officers from the Garda National Drugs Unit, Organised Crime Unit and Meath divisional drugs unit searched commercial premises.
Two Englishmen, aged 42 and 44, were arrested and were being held last night under section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act at Kells Garda station. A truck was also searched and seized. Gardaí and Customs officers are trying to establish the route used to bring the drugs into the State.
Families can help stroke patients
Stroke patients whose families help them with exercise therapy make a better recovery, new Irish research has found, writes FIONA GARTLAND.
The research also found that taking part in exercise therapy helped to lower the stress experienced by family members of stroke patients.
The study, led by TCD, involved 40 stroke survivors in Ireland. Half received routine exercise therapy, while the others received family mediated exercise in addition to routine therapy.
They found adding family- assisted exercise therapy improved motor function, balance, distance walked and ability to perform daily living activities.
Jesse Jackson to present award
US civil rights veteran the Rev Jesse Jackson will make a one-day visit to Derry on March 20th, when he will present the inaugural Henry Cunningham Human Rights Award at a ceremony in the Guildhall.
Henry Cunningham (16) was a Presbyterian from Carndonagh, Co Donegal, who was shot dead in August 1973 when loyalists opened fire on a Southern-registered van carrying workmen on the motorway near Belfast.
Schools in the Inishowen area were eligible to compete for the award by submitting essays based on the theme: “Defending the rights of minorities in Ireland”.
The winning school will receive €500.
Ahern firm does not want to buy Coillte
A forestry company associated with former taoiseach Bertie Ahern has said it has no interest in bidding for the State forestry company, Coillte. Mr Ahern is chairman of the International Forestry Fund, a joint venture between Swiss financiers Helvetia Wealth (Liechtenstein) AG, and Irish private sector forest management company IFS Asset Managers.
The fund said yesterday its name had been linked with largely internet-based speculation that it was interested in buying Coillte from the Government. However, a director of the fund, Paul Brosnan, said this was far from the mark. He said the fund was investing all over the world, including Ireland, but was only interested in growing trees and was “not interested in a fully integrated company like Coillte”, adding that Coillte owned land, lakes, rivers and amenities, and manufactured and marketed a range of finished products, which the fund did not want to be involved in. “I cannot make it clearer,” he said. “We do not want to buy Coillte.”