DCC approves plans for 23 new taxi locations across Dublin
Plans for new taxi ranks in 23 locations in Dublin have been approved by Dublin City Councillors.
They include 9 new permanent ranks at Lower Baggot St, Barrow St, Burgh Quay, Cavendish Row, Eccles Street, Hanover Quay, Marlborough Place and Silloge Road.
And another 14 night time ranks including four on St Stephen's Green South.
The bye-draft laws will now go for public consultation.
Two Dublin cinemas added to list of protected structures
City councillors also voted to add two Dublin suburban cinemas, dating from the 1950s to the list of protected structures.
The Cabra Grand and Whitehall Grand which are now used as bingo halls have had their facades, ticket booths and surviving foyer areas designated for conservation.
The preservation follows an application by the Cinema Heritage Group but was opposed by the buildings' owners. Assistant Chief Executive of the city council Jim Keoghan said the conservation will not affect the buildings' use or status.
Councillors also voted to add a building know as The Welsh Chapel, Talbot St onto the record of protected structures.
Cypriot peace talks to resume Friday
Peace talks between estranged Greek and Turkish Cypriots will resume on Friday 15 May, according to a United Nations envoy.
Espen Barth Eide was speaking to media after a meeting between Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci.
It was their first encounter since Mr Akinci, a moderate leftist, swept to victory in a Turkish Cypriot leadership election on 26 April.
Evidence proceedings in trial of Seán FitzPatrick postponed
The start of the evidence in the trial of former Anglo Irish Bank chairman Seán FitzPatrick has been delayed again and is not due to begin before next week.
Judge Mary Ellen Ring heard that legal argument in the absence of the jury could continue for a number of days.
Jurors were told last Thursday that an illness is causing difficulty in the trial which has been repeatedly delayed for the last three weeks.
Mr FitzPatrick, 66, has pleaded not guilty to 27 offences under the Companies Act, 1990. These include 21 charges of making a misleading, false or deceptive statement to auditors and six charges of furnishing false information.
Man goes on trial over death of Irishman in Perth
A man accused of killing Galway man Thomas Keaney has gone on trial in Perth, Australia.
Mr Keaney, 23, died in hospital ten days after the attack, where he was allegedly punched and fell hitting his head, outside a kebab shop.
The argument is believed to have started after a woman in Mr Keaney's company moved an empty chair to sit down.
Abbas Al-Jarood, an Australian security officer, is on trial accused of manslaughter and is claiming he acted in self-defence as he feared for his safety.
H5N8 bird flu found in Indiana poultry flock
The highly pathogenic H5N8 strain of bird flu has been confirmed in a backyard poultry flock in Indiana, marking the first time the strain has appeared in the state, the US Department of Agriculture confirmed.
The strain is the same one that had been previously confirmed in the Pacific flyway, specifically in commercial chicken and turkey farms in California and a backyard poultry flock in Oregon, as well as in captive falcons in Idaho and Washington.
A different strain of the H5 virus, H5N2, has been spreading rapidly across the US Midwest and resulted in nearly 30 million birds either dying or being killed due to the outbreak.
INMO defers industrial action at Cork University Hospital
Planned industrial action by the Irish Nurses & Midwives Organisation over staffing levels at Cork University Hospital's Oncology Ward has been temporarily deferred.
Nurses say the unit is "seriously" understaffed. Frustrated with what they say is management's failure to set a time-frame for recruiting extra staff for the ward, they were due to begin their work-to-rule action from 8am.
The decision to postpone a planned work-to-rule action at the hospital tomorrow follows an invitation to talks at the Labour Relations Commission on Wednesday.
Union members will meet afterwards to decide on the next step including industrial action.
Galloway opens poll legal challenge
Controversial former British MP George Galloway has signalled that he is starting a legal challenge against his defeat in last week's general election.
Mr Galloway won the Bradford West seat for his Respect party in a by-election in 2012 but he was defeated by Labour's Naz Shah who secured a majority of more than 11,000 following a bitter campaign.
Last night, Mr Galloway said on Twitter: "We've begun legal proceedings seeking to have result of the Bfd West election set aside. I cannot therefor discuss my own election for now."
His spokesman said the legal action was at an early stage but was a complaint under section 106 of the Representation of the People Act 1983. This relates to candidates making false statements during campaigns.
Sweden's Supreme Court upholds Assange detention order
Sweden's Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to revoke a detention order over allegations of sexual assault.
The 43-year-old Australian has been inside Ecuador's London embassy since June 2012 to avoid a British extradition to Sweden, which wants to question him on allegations of sexual assault, which he denies.
The court said in a statement that the prosecutors' decision to question Mr Assange in London supported the decision to uphold the detention order.
