New markets for Irish meat welcomed
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Simon Coveney has welcomed the opening of the market for Irish beef in both Canada and Oman.
The opening of the Canadian market to EU beef is part of an EU-wide deal brokered by the European Commission.
Separately, Ireland has also reached agreement with authorities in Oman which will allow for the export of beef and sheep meat to Oman for the first time.
Mr Coveney said: "The Gulf countries are one of the fastest growing segments of our export markets and Irish beef and lamb is much sought after there."
Inquest over prison stabbing adjourned
An inquest into the death of a prisoner who died from a single stab wound at Cork Prison last May has been adjourned for six months.
Graham Johnson, 41, from Ardan, Bandon died during a row in the kitchen of Cork Prison on 16 May.
An application to adjourned the case, as criminal proceedings are being contemplated, was granted by City Coroner Dr Myra Cullinan.
The court was told the file for the DPP will be ready in two weeks.
The inquest was adjourned until 28 April 2016.
Second arrest over Co Westmeath cattle raid
A second man has been arrested as part of the garda investigation into the theft of cattle on a farm in Co Westmeath.
In June 75 cattle and 25 sheep were taken during the overnight raid. The farm is situated close to the N6,Old Dublin Road between Kilbeggan and Tyrrellspass.
A 34-year-old man from Co Donegal was arrested earlier today in relation to the theft of livestock worth over €100,000 from the farm near KIlbeggan last June.
He is currently being detained at Athlone Garda Station.
Tropical storm Patricia upgraded to hurricane
Tropical storm Patricia off the Pacific coast of Mexico has been upgraded to a hurricane.
Patricia is packing winds of 120km/hr and is located 365km southwest of the resort town of Acapulco, the US Hurricane Centre in Miami said.
According to current forecasts, the centre of the hurricane will approach the coast of Mexico tomorrow.
Pollution levels in Thailand surge
Dense haze produced by Indonesian forest fires has caused some of the worst pollution levels in southern Thailand in a decade, officials said.
For nearly two months, thousands of fires have suffocated vast expanses of southeast Asia, causing rates of respiratory illnesses to soar, schools to close and scores of flights to be cancelled.
Thailand usually avoids the worst effects of Indonesia's fires, which annually blight Malaysia and Singapore.
But in recent weeks prevailing winds have brought the smog further north, stoking tensions and creating a headache for the country's vital tourism industry.
US girl killed in road rage incident
A four-year-old girl was fatally shot in the head while riding in a car with her father in New Mexico in what authorities called a road rage attack, US media reported this afternoon.
A suspect identified as Tony Torres, 32, has confessed to the shooting of Lilly Garcia on Tuesday afternoon in Albuquerque, ABC News reported.
An anonymous tip led to the arrest, city police chief Gorden Eden told a press conference late last night, the network said.
"She was so proud to tell people she just turned four," the girl's father Alan Garcia told ABC News.
