A round-up of today's other Irish news stories in brief
Council denies bicycles stolen or vandalised
Dublin City Council said there were no thefts or vandalism to bicycles used in the Dublinbikes rental scheme on Sunday, the first day of the new system.
A council spokesman described as “misinformed” media reports yesterday that four of the bicycles at stations on the north side of the city had been damaged.
He said some bicycles would suffer punctures and other forms of wear and tear through normal usage but denied any had been vandalised.
The council said 1,150 bike journeys were made on Sunday. Some 450 bicycles are available from 40 stations between the Royal and the Grand canals.
Cyclists can register online for annual membership using a credit card at a cost of €10 or can buy a three-day ticket for €2 at 14 of the stations.
The bicycles are available from 5.30am to 12.30am.
Two in court on cocaine charge
Two men have appeared in court charged in connection with the discovery last Friday of cocaine with an estimated street value of €3 million.
Arthur Conroy (24), Violet Hill Park, Glasnevin, Dublin, and Eric Wynne (23), Portland Place, Lower Dorset Street, Dublin, appeared in court in Blanchardstown charged with the unlawful possession of a controlled drug.
Mr Conroy was remanded with consent to bail. Both men were remanded to Cloverhill Prison to appear in Cloverhill courthouse on September 18th.
Court to rule today on strike injunction
The High Court will decide today if it is to continue an injunction against Siptu, officials of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and employees of a cargo handling company involved in a strike at Dublin port over the alleged harassment and intimidation of staff at the firm who have continued to work.
Marine Terminals Limited secured an interim injunction against the unions, several of their officials and a number of employees due to what the firm claims is an “unlawful escalation” of the strike.
Appeal to tackle food crisis in Kenya
Concern has issued an emergency appeal to raise money for a food crisis in Kenya, claiming 90 per cent of people living in slums were now surviving on only one meal a day, writes Jenny Hauser.
Kenya’s post-election violence at the beginning of 2008 mostly took place in the country’s bread basket and had a knock-on effect on that year’s harvest, according to Austin Kennan, Concern’s regional director for the Horn of Africa. This year’s drought and high food prices has added to the crisis.
Nail bomb thrown at Limerick house
A nail bomb was thrown into the front of a Limerick city house on Sunday night, writes Kathryn Hayes.
The homemade device was thrown through the open front door of the house on Hyde Road at about 8.30pm. It landed in the kitchen where it exploded causing damage.
Meanwhile, members of the armed Garda response unit were called in to defuse a row involving a number of criminal gang members in Limerick over the weekend.
The incident took place at a pub near the city centre on Saturday night.
Woman on murder charge remanded
A woman who is accused of murdering her husband has been remanded in custody for a further four weeks.
Tanya Doyle (36), Páirc Gleann Trasna, Aylesbury, Tallaght, Dublin, is charged with murdering Paul Byrne (48) by stabbing him to death in the family home on Friday, September 4th.
She will appear again at Dublin District Court on October 12th.