A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
Two women die in road accidents
A 21-year-old woman was killed when her vehicle struck a wall in Co Galway yesterday. Gardaí at Gort are investigating the single-vehicle accident on the Ballinderreen-Kilcolgan road between 2.30am and 7am yesterday.
A woman died in hospital yesterday following a three-car collision on the Newry bypass on Thursday night.
Olive Mary McGinn (25), Bessbrook, Co Armagh, died from her injuries in Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry, after her car, a lorry and another vehicle collided.
The 41-year-old male driver of the other car sustained chest and whiplash injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening. The driver of the lorry was uninjured.
The Newry bypass will remain closed from the Fiveways roundabout and the Forkhill Road roundabout until at least lunchtime today. Police in Newry are appealing for witnesses.
Judiciary holds two-day event
The courts were closed yesterday to facilitate an annual conference for the judiciary. More than 100 of the State's 133 judges were expected to travel to Dublin city centre for the two-day conference. A spokesman for the Courts Service said no cases were scheduled for the courts, but emergency services were available at district level if required.
"Ongoing and wider judicial education and training happens all year round on weekends and in judges' spare time, but this is the only opportunity for them all to get together," he said.
Blair honours Dublin policeman
British prime minister Tony Blair honoured a policeman from Dublin at the Vodafone Life Savers Awards for rescuing three boys from the freezing Mersey river. PC Robert Downey joined fellow National Life Savers at a special Downing Street reception, before going on to a gala luncheon at the Savoy hotel, hosted by Vanessa Feltz and Eamonn Holmes.
Mr Blair said: "Bravery in the face of adversity requires a huge strength of will, and we should all be eternally grateful for those who selflessly put others before themselves."
Hardiman to give talk on 1900 trial
A notorious murder trial in 1900 which had fascinated James Joyce and is mentioned several times in Ulysses will be the subject of a lecture by Supreme Court judge Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman next Wednesday.
Despite strong circumstantial evidence the crown case fell apart against Thomas Childs, accused of battering his 77-year-old brother to death. The public talk at 7pm will be at the new seminar room of the National Library.
UN medals for gardaí in Cyprus
Gardaí serving with the United Nations Police (Unpol) in Cyprus were awarded UN peacekeeping medals yesterday. The ceremony was held in Pyla, the only village in the divided island's buffer zone where Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots live side by side.
The UN secretary general's special representative in Cyprus, Unficyp chief of mission Zbigniew Wlosowicz, presided at the ceremony.
Also present were Irish Ambassador John Swift and Asst Commissioner of An Garda Síochána Noel Smyth.