Libby's loose lips go to trial The trial of Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, the former chief of staff for US Vice President Dick Cheney (right), begins tomorrow. Libby is charged with obstruction of justice, perjury and making false statements.

The charges arise out of an investigation into who leaked the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame to reporters. Plame, the wife of a former US ambassador, was identi"ed as a CIA operative in newspaper reports in 2003.

>> WHAT ARE THEY SAYING?

Libby maintains his innocence of all charges, while supporters point out that he has not been charged with outing Plame as a CIA operative. The fact that nobody has been charged with outing Plame indicates that no laws were broken, they say. However, prosecutors claim that Libby obstructed the investigation into the matter by giving false information.

>> WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The trial begins tomorrow and is expected to last for up to one month. Libby (right) has been charged with a total of "ve counts, each of which carries a maximum "ne of $250,000, resulting in a potential pay-out of $1.25m. More worrying for Libby, however, is the maximum prison sentence of 30 years facing him.

Young brains take over the RDS It's that young brainiac time of year, when everyone over the age of 21 gets to feel woefully inadequate as 12- and 13-year olds with their braces still on discover the effects of strong magnetic fields on plants and prove that goldfish (above) have memories of more than three seconds. Yes, it's the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition 2007 and it's kicking off on Tuesday in the RDS, Dublin. This year it has broken all records with 1,278 projects entered . . . 90% more entries than 2001.

Last year's winner, 14-year-old Aisling Judge (with Mike Maloney CEO of BT Ireland and education minister Mary Hanafin, right) came up with a method for determining when packaged food had gone off. "It started with my dad wondering why the milk in our fridge had gone off, even though it had not passed its sell-by date, " she said. Some of this year's projects include 'Does your appearance affect people's perspective of you?', 'Are teenagers reliable eye-witnesses?' and 'Does sample management affect test results?' Answers being yes, no and don't know.

Mayhem in the RDS. Only 500 projects make it in the doors but that's a whole lot of excitable teenagers and crazed parents to be dealing with.

The organisers of the event have arranged special deals with hotels in Ballsbridge to accommodate participants from outside Dublin and the craic will surely be mighty.

Prizes include a trophy and (more importantly) a cheque for /5,000. Bummer if you're in a group and have to share.

Dublin gets cultured The second Temple Bar Traditional Irish Music and Culture Festival will be launched on Tuesday (Jan 9).

Bertie Ahern and Brendan Gleeson will be on hand in Oliver St John Gogarty's pub to kick off the festival with the Templehouse Ceili Band. The festival's debut last year was a sell-out so punters are advised to book their tickets sooner rather than later through Ticketmaster.

"With the regional styles in robust health, it is time to celebrate the vibrancy of the music in the capital. . .

Dublin: Home of Traditional Irish Music. Who'd have thunk it?" . . . festival patron, Brendan Gleeson "For four days and nights, Temple Bar in the heart of the city comes alive to the sound of jigs and reels from the many pubs and cultural centres in the area." . . .

festival organisers The festival itself takes place between from 25 to 28 January. A gala concert featuring Lunasa (below), Dervish and Julie Fowlis takes place in the Olympia Theatre on the "nal day.

Podcasts featuring interviews with artists and music are available through iTunes.

Visit www. templebar trad. com for more information.