Mens' detention period extended over arms, cash discovery
Three men arrested in connection with the discovery of firearms and cash in Co Dublin have had their periods of detention extended for another 24 hours.
Gardaí recovered 15 firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and almost €500,000 in cash and bank accounts which they believe is connected to the Kinahan Crime Cartel
Three men aged 51, 44 and 32 were arrested and now must be charged or released by lunchtime tomorrow.
Investigation launched into ticket sales
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has launched an investigation into suspected breaches of competition law in relation to the provision of tickets and the operation of ticketing services for live events.
The move comes after Ticketmaster was criticised earlier this month when ticket it was handling for an upcoming U2 concert in Croke Park sold out in minutes.
Tickets appeared soon afterwards on a related website for much higher prices. Fine Gael backbencher Noel Rock has said he is preparing a bill to clamp down on ticket re-selling.
5,545 fathers avail of new paid paternity leave
More than 5,500 fathers have availed of paid paternity leave in the four months since the introduction of new entitlements.
5,545 fathers have taken the two weeks' leave since 1 September, according to figures released to Fine Gael MEP Deirdre Clune.
"Our take-up rate would be somewhere around one in four fathers, or 25%. Fathers can take the leave any time in the first 26 weeks after their child’s birth, so even those born on 1 September would have until the end of February to avail of it," Ms Clune said.
Under the legislation, fathers, including the self-employed, are entitled to two weeks' paid leave within six months of the birth of a child at a rate of €230 per week.
President Higgins praises Latin America as new exhibition opens in Cork
President Michael D Higgins has said Latin America has provided the world with important examples of socially inclusive economic governance.
President Higgins, who will become the first serving president to make an official visit to Peru, Colombia and Cuba next month, praised the record of Latin American countries in taking 90 million people out of poverty between 2000 and 2012. He also said it was the only region in the world which managed to reduce income inequality during the first decade of the 21st Century.
Speaking at the opening of an exhibition on the Irish in Latin America at University College Cork, Mr Higgins said Irish men and women had played a profound role in the development of the modern and independent republics of the region.
However, he said the exhibition, curated by Dr Margaret Brehony, did not shirk from showing what he described as the complex truth that alongside those Irish workers who were exploited as railroad workers in Cuba, were families of Irish origin who operated large sugar plantations worked by slaves.
HSE says flu levels are declining
Influenza levels continue to decrease, according to the Health Service Executive.
It says that influenza-like illness is now at medium intensity and the rates are expected to continue to decline in the coming weeks.
Influenza A (H3N2) remains the predominant strain in circulation, with those aged 65 years and older being the most affected. The HSE says it is possible that later in the season influenza B will circulate.
Thirty-six deaths associated with influenza have been reported this season, with the majority of these were aged 65 years and older.
Tim Peake 'excited' about second mission to International Space Station
British astronaut Tim Peake has announced he is to return for his second mission to the International Space Station.
Major Peake unveiled his plans as the Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft that launched him into orbit and returned him to Earth went on public display at London's Science Museum.
"Myself and my classmates from 2009, we are all going to get the second mission to the space station which is wonderful," he said.
Major Peake was the first British European Space Agency astronaut to visit the ISS and his return date will be arranged according to the agency's normal mission selection protocol.
Former AG McDowell critical of Govt over judicial appointment plan
Plans by the Government to change the way judges are appointed have been described as a flagrant attack on the constitution by a former Attorney General.
Independent Senator Michael McDowell also accused Minister for Transport Shane Ross of hijacking Government on this issue.
Under the proposed change, a commission with a lay chairperson will select judges.
The outline of the controversial bill, which is a key priority for the Independent Alliance TDs in Government, was debated at a Dáil Committee yesterday.
It is set to come before the Dáil later this year but is being vigorously opposed by Fianna Fáil.
