A man is due to appear before Carlow District Court within the next hour, charged in connection with a drugs seizure in Hacketstown.

The scene of a fire which claimed the life of a man in Co. Wicklow remains sealed off this afternoon.

Investigations are continuing into the cause of a fire which claimed the life a man on the Carlow/ Wicklow border yesterday.

An elderly man has been found dead after a fire at a mobile home in County Carlow.

A woman has died following a fire at her home in Co Carlow.

A woman who died following a fire at her home in Co Carlow has been named locally as 50-year-old Margaret Doyle.

A 50-year-old mother whose son pulled her from the burning family home, has died.

THERE has been further slippage in lamb prices at some processing plants this week, reflecting market instability on the continent.

THERE is a steadier tone to the trade for lambs at factories this week.

THERE is some variation in the trend on lamb prices at the factories for this week, but overall change has been slight as is the variation between the plants.

A man in his thirties is recovering at Tallaght Hospital in Dublin after being shot during an incident on the Carlow/Wicklow border last night.

Gardaí are investigating a shooting incident at a house on the Wicklow-Carlow border last night.

THE recent upward trend in lamb prices is continuing this week at factories, with all processors improving their prices.

THE wife of a bank official yesterday became the latest victim of a tiger kidnapping as two men kidnapped her from her home and demanded that her husband hand over cash to secure her release.

THERE has been an improvement in the trade for lambs.

AS IN the beef sector, lamb producers are finding it hard to be cheerful about prices on offer, which continued to disappoint as the New Year got under way.

THERE is very little change in lamb prices, but any slight adjustment has been downwards from last week.

The trade for hoggets is a bit more positive at the factories, this week, reflecting the improvement for sheepmeat, over the past week, in both Britain and France.

THERE has been little or no change in prices on offer for lambs at the factories this week, and there’s a continued firm domestic trade in the lead in to Christmas.

THE sheep trade has continued at a disappointing level for farmers this week, as markets failed to deliver the expected pre-Christmas price boost. However, high prices in May and strong home market demand have kept average sheep prices for the year 2% ahead of 12005.

While movements in lamb prices at the factories has been slight, they have been in the wrong direction, from a sheep farmer point of view.

THE lamb trade early this week was almost unchanged from seven days earlier.

MAYO enjoyed All Ireland success in more places than Croke Park last Sunday.

It has been another extremely difficult week for lamb producers as they watched their margins being further eroded in a price slide that has replicated returns to investors in the other stock market during June.

IT’S back to business as normal for 2006 at the sheepmeat processing plants, with lamb prices hammered by as much as 17 cents/kg (6p/lb) over the past week.

A TOUGH season for sheep farmers continues, with demand for lambs and hoggets weakening at the factories this week.

Protests by sheep farmers outside processing plants ended today after manufacturers quoted higher prices for lamb, the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) said.

Sheep farmers have reached agreement with the Irish Country Meats Group over prices for their produce.

Sheep farmers are due to continue picketing six meat factories throughout Ireland today as part of a protest against reductions in lamb prices.

Sheep farmers will protest outside the country’s major lamb factories from this evening in a revolt over the impact of lamb price cuts by the factories on their incomes.

Farmers are to protest at meat factories across Ireland over what they claim are unprecedented lamb price cuts, it emerged today.

NEVER before in the history of the Irish livestock and meat industry has the issue of quality become so central to its future success, Bord Bia’s new chief executive Aidan Cotter has told producers.

Marts: Lamb prices at the factories, which showed hopeful signs of recovery earlier in the week, made considerable gains yesterday, with an improvement of up to 11 cent/kg (4p/lb) at the processors.