Senior management at the Irish Coast Guard has slated parts of the first draft of a report into the service which Transport Minister Leo Varadkar is using to push through major reforms and cost-cutting rationalisation, with the likely closure of Valentia and Malin Head stations.

Fire has broken out on an Italian cruise ship off the Seychelles islands and the vessel is adrift, but all passengers are safe, Coast Guards said today.

A multi million pound motor yacht missed its Florida destination when its skipper fell asleep at the helm yesterday and ran aground on a beach near Port Everglades.

A CUBAN plane carrying 35 passengers and crew was hijacked on Wednesday night and forced to fly to Florida, where it landed in Key West under escort of US military jets, US and Cuban authorities said.