A round-up of today’s other stories in brief
Search for Irishman missing at sea off Australia coast ended
A search for a 21-year-old Irishman missing at sea off the northeast coast of Australia was called off last night, writes Pádraig Collins from Sydney.
The man, who has not been named, had just started work as a crewman on a fishing trawler, The Guiding Star, when he fell overboard last Friday evening.
Aircraft, helicopters and rescue vessels belonging to the Queensland state emergency services spent six days searching islands and the shoreline close to where the man was last seen. Most of those searching were volunteers.
The investigation into the circumstances of the man’s disappearance will continue.
Man hospitalised after Luas crash
A man was taken to hospital yesterday evening following a collision between a car and Luas tram close to the Blackhorse stop on the red line at Inchicore, Dublin.
The incident occurred at 7.15pm when a car collided with a Luas tram at the junction of Davitt Road and the Naas Road. The car driver was cut out of his vehicle and taken to St James’s Hospital with injuries described as not life-threatening.
A spokeswoman for the Luas operators Veolia said Dublin Bus were accepting all valid tram tickets if any travel disruption had been caused.
Cervical cancer vaccine available
A vaccine against cervical cancer became available across Ireland from yesterday.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) said the vaccination campaign would help protect more than 57,000 schoolgirls from developing cervical cancer as adults.
Dr Brenda Corcoran, of the HSE National Immunisation Office, said cervical cancer was the second most common cancer in Ireland among women aged 15 to 44.
It is hoped the vaccine will eventually save 60 lives every year.
Special adviser to Harney resigns
A special adviser to Minister for Health Mary Harney has resigned. Oliver O'Connor will leave the position of special adviser on policy issues this week, having held the post since 2001. Mr O'Connor was involved in the establishment of the National Treatment Purchase Fund and the Fair Deal nursing home system.