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National News Briefs

Young woman knocked down by garda patrol car

A woman in her 20s was knocked down by a garda patrol van in Cork city last night.

The incident happened at Lavitt's Quay near the opera house in the city centre at around midnight last night.

The woman's injuries are described as not life-threatening but the area has been sealed off. The patrol wagon remains at the scene and the Garda Ombudsman is investigating.

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Woman killed in two-car crash in Carlow

Gardaí in Carlow are appealing for witnesses after a woman was killed in a two-car crash last night.

The accident happened at Rathoe at around 7.30pm.

The woman - who was in her early 30s - was the only occupant of one of the two cars that collided just outside Carlow on the Wexford road.

She died at the scene, while the driver and passenger of the second car were rushed to Kilkenny hospital. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

Torrential downpours overnight have left many roads treacherous this morning and gardaí are warning motorists to drive with extra care.

Derek Ryan of AA Roadwatch advised motorists to reduce their speed and increase the distance between their vehicle and the one in front of them.

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10% increase in STIs

There has been a 10% increase in the number of reported cases of sexually transmitted infections, according to a new study.

The research by the Dublin AIDS Alliance revealed that more than 12,000 cases of STIs were recorded here last year, an increase of 10% over 2009 figures.

This new study has been released to coincide with Irish Aids Day.

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Man arrested in Down dissidents probe

A man has been arrested during a planned search operation targeting dissident republican activity in the North.

The suspect, 54, was detained at residential premises in Bavan, Mayobridge, Co Down, last night.

A number of items were recovered during the operation and have been taken away for forensic examinations.
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Eruptions in court as man jailed for manslaughter

There were highly charged scenes at the Central Criminal Court today, where a Dublin man has been jailed for 6½ years for killing his friend and stabbing another man in the heart.

Martin Toland (aged 36) of Walkinstown Park was convicted by a jury of the manslaughter of 28-year-old Alan Nolan and of seriously injuring 30-year-old James Carroll at Cedar Brook Walk, Ballyfermot on September 8, 2007.

Toland gave no visible reaction to the sentence but for the victims families there followed an outpouring of grief and anger in court with shouts of 'You're a disgrace!' at the defence lawyer.

Toland was originally convicted of murder, but it was quashed on appeal and when retried a jury found him guilty of the lesser offence of manslaughter.

He stabbed his lifelong friend, 28-year-old Alan Nolan, five times and stabbed another man James Carroll, who survived a knife wound to the heart.

It followed a row at the dead man's Ballyfermot apartment where the three men had spent an evening drinking, playing cards and video games.

Mr Justice Barry White said that he believes the appropriate sentence for stabbings is 14 years, but he said his judicial colleagues do not share his concern.

He imposed a nine-year sentence with 2½ suspended.
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Rain delays opening of Summer Show

The opening day of the Cork Summer Show has been cancelled, due to heavy rain.

The Munster Agriculture Society, which organised the show, said that all events scheduled for today will now take place tomorrow.

The Cork Summer Show is one of the oldest agriculture festivals in Ireland , with more than 25,000 people are expected to attend the event this weekend.

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Weekly earnings on the rise - CSO

Figures released today have shown that average earnings in Ireland have risen.

According to the CSO, weekly earnings increased by 0.7% in the year to the end of March 2012 from €686.73 to €691.29.

However, average hourly earnings dropped by 5c, from €22.21 in the first quarter of 2011, to €22.16 in Q1 of this year.

The report on earnings in Ireland also confirms that public sector numbers are down to 386,300 in the first three months of this year - a fall of 5.5% on the previous year.

The total reduction in employment in the public sector over the three years from Q1 2009 to Q1 2012 was 34,700, a decrease of 8.2%.

The overall number of employees in the country fell by 0.6% in the year to Q1 2012.

An increase of 1.3% was recorded in private sector employment over the 12 months to Q1 2012 and now stands at 1,110,000.

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