A round-up of today's other stories in brief...
Bray residents urged to boil drinking water
Residents of some areas of Bray, Co Wicklow have been advised by the local town council to boil their drinking water until further notice.
Water sampling indicated higher-than-acceptable bacteria levels in the water last Friday and council officials put the notice in place as a precaution. About 20,000 homes are affected.
Bray town councillor Ciarán O'Brien of the Green Party said bacteria levels were low and the measure was introduced as a matter of protocol in such instances.
People in affected areas are being told to boil water for consumption, for hygiene purposes, for first aid and for baby feeds.
The notice excludes properties north of the Dargle river, west of Killarney Lane and west of Killarney Road.
Troops defuse firebombs
Three firebombs planted outside addresses in north Belfast yesterday were made safe by British army bomb disposal experts. Police said the bombs were viable and had the potential to cause carnage and destruction. They were alerted to the devices by a telephoned warning at 3am on Monday.
Police cordoned off the Hallidays Road, New Lodge Road and North Queen Street areas of the city for most of yesterday morning while the devices were made safe. All three devices were located in nationalist areas. Dissident republicans are suspected to have been involved.
Aid for overseas farming research
The Government is to give €4 million to eight international agriculture research centres for scientific research to benefit poor smallholder farmers in developing countries, writes Seán Mac Connell.
The announcement was made yesterday by Minister of State for Overseas Development Peter Power, who said the initiative was being taken against the background of rising global food prices and food shortages.
"This funding is a central component of Irish Aid's response to the global food crisis," he said.
Hooligans target firefighters
A senior fire officer in Derry yesterday condemned the second attack on firefighters in the city this week. Paul Coyle said firefighters were "ambushed" by a gang of youths after they'd responded to a rubbish fire at Corrib Court in the Ballymagroarty estate on Monday night.
Last weekend firefighters were twice forced to withdraw from Fahan Street in the Bogside when they were attacked by youths throwing stones and bottles.