A Polish woman, wanted for questioning about a murder in London nearly three years ago, has been served with an extradition warrant after being stopped by gardai in Dublin's O'Connell Street.

Magdealena Zajdel, 23, was wanted by the Metropolitan Police since the death of a Lithuanian vagrant who drowned after being pushed into Hawley Lock canal at Camden in north London on September 8, 2006.

It is understood a young female garda attached to Store Street Station in Dublin recognised Zajdel from a wanted poster and arrested her on O'Connell Street last Friday. Zajdel appeared before the High Court and was remanded in custody pending an extradition hearing.

One winner scoops €14m Lotto prize

THERE was one winner of last night's €14,530,193 Lotto jackpot. The numbers were 8, 10, 24, 26, 41, 44 (bonus 12).

There were three Match 5+bonus winners (€25K); 100 Match 5s (€1,921); 292 Match 4+bonus (€164); 5,229 Match 4s (€57); 7,972 Match 3+bonus (€25) and 88,209 Match 3s (€5 scratchcard). The Lotto Plus 1 numbers were 9, 24, 26, 34, 38, 40 (bonus 31) and the Lotto Plus 2 numbers were 14, 19, 36, 39, 41, 42 (bonus 3).

In the UK draw for £4.4m, the numbers were 33, 24, 35, 49, 13, 42 (bonus 37).

Youth in court over driveway murder

A 19-year-old man appeared in court yesterday charged with the murder of Stephen O'Halloran in Tallaght four months ago. David Patchell, from Rossfield Crescent in Tallaght, was also charged with intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to two other men.

Mr O'Halloran, 20, was found dead in the driveway of a house in Tallaght on January 19. Patchell was remanded in custody to appear before Cloverhill Court on April 24.

Three held in €800,000 drug seizure

GARDAI seized approximately 120kg of cannabis resin with an estimated street value of €800,000 yesterday when a car was stopped and searched in the Finglas area.

Three men in their late 20s are being held after the operation undertaken by the Organised Crime Unit and the National Drugs Unit, assisted by local gardai.

Grants approved to promote Irish

The Government has approved €1.8m in grants to collect Irish placenames, compiling a modern Irish dictionary and promoting the teaching of Irish in various countries.

Minister Eamon O Cuiv announced that €1,055,948 will be spent under the Irish language fund in 2009 including a grant of €368,000 to DCU for a database on Irish words related to EU and legal matters and a grant of €257,334 to DCU to develop a national placenames database.

NUI Maynooth will also get €82,546 to assist in the design of examinations for the Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge. Another €165,068 goes in annual grant to the Royal Irish Academy for the Modern Irish Dictionary Project. There is also €733,000 to support the teaching of Irish abroad.

Conor's Fluter stolen from library

Gardai are investigating the theft of a valuable painting from Bray Public Library. Gardai believe the painting may have been taken sometime on April 16 but it wasn't noticed that it was missing until the following day. The painting, Fluter's Tune by William Conor, is the property of Wicklow County Council.

Motorcyclist dies in collision with car

A motorcyclist in his 60s was killed last night near Oldcastle, Co Meath. Gardai are investigating the two-vehicle collision which occurred at 6.10pm near Fennor.

A car and a motorbike were involved in the collision. The male driver of the motorbike was fatally injured and was removed to Cavan General Hospital.

Gardai have appealed for witnesses to the collision to contact Kells garda station on (046) 9280820 or the Garda Confidential line 1-800-666-111.

Row over extension to garda mast

A furious row is raging in Clones, Co Monaghan, over the extension of an existing mast behind the garda station. Residents say that extra antennae have been added to the huge mast without public consultation.

A spokesman for the Office of Public Works revealed the mast was extended to cater for a new garda digital radio communications system, which will stop criminals or terrorists monitoring police networks..

'Tougher sentences for killers' call

A call for a minimum 25-year sentence for murder was made yesterday by main Opposition Justice spokesman Charles Flanagan. The Fine Gael front-bencher urged the introduction of the measure in the new legislation cracking down on criminal gangs.

Mr Flanagan welcomed new measures, but said tougher action was needed. "I will be asking for the urgent enactment of the surveillance bill. I will be going further. I would bring in a DNA database bill," he said.

Last chance to enter Mini Marathon

Next Tuesday, April 21, is the last day for registration for the Flora's Women's Mini Marathon 2009.

The 10km mini-marathon takes place at 3pm on June 1 and among those appealing for people to run on their behalf is the Leopardstown Park Hospital which is urgently in need of voluntary support. Contact Florence Horsman Hogan at fhorsmanhogan@eircom.net, or Anna Patterson, Foxrock Director of Nursing in Leopardstown Park Hospital, Foxrock.

Sixty years of the Irish Republic

Ireland was formally declared a Republic 60 years ago yesterday, on April 18, 1949. The initial declaration that the state was going to be a republic and that the External Relations Act would be repealed was made by John A Costello at a press conference in Canada on September 7, 1948, but the law came into effect the following April.

Festival to celebrate Cork culture

THE Baltimore Second Heritage Festival will roll back the recession today with a celebration of West Cork culture. A small sample of the activities on offer include a play about the Sack of Baltimore performed in the 13th century O'Driscoll Castle and sailing trips to Sherkin Island.

There will also be a craft fair on Baltimore pier which will feature soda bread making and sail mending.

UDR men warned of murder attempts

Two former members of the Ulster Defence Regiment have been advised to install security lights and other anti-terrorist measures around their homes in Co Derry.

The two men were advised last week that the Real IRA aborted attempts to murder them over the Easter period and warned that further attempts to kill them were likely.

Sales rep leaves over €1m in will

Retired sales rep Terence Burke, of Dartry Park, Dublin, who died on February 16, 2008, has left €1,553,020 in his will, which went to probate in Dublin last week.

Other wills: Monica Mac An Bheatha, widow, Vernon Avenue, Clontarf, €1,488,350; James Murphy, civil servant Bellevue Heights, Greystones, Co Wicklow, €1,142,746; Aengus O'Rourke, Castlekelly, Glenasmole, €1,222,318.