Mourners will say a final farewell today to the first victims to be buried from the Cork plane crash that claimed six lives.

THE family of the Spanish pilot who died in the crash are due to arrive in Cork today to formally identify his remains.

Cuba has promised the Catholic Church it will free 52 political prisoners, slashing the number it holds by nearly a third in what would be the communist-run island’s largest release of dissidents since Pope John Paul II visited in 1998.

A warship was today on its way to a Spanish fishing boat with 26 crew hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia.

The Reverend Jesse Jackson has urged the US government to strongly condemn a televised call to assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, saying Washington needs to cool down the rhetoric against a country that is a key oil supplier.

AT half-mast, the flags of Ireland and Spain flew from Government Buildings yesterday as the Taoiseach and President of the European Council, Bertie Ahern, led a three-minute silence across Europe.

An attache to the Spanish Embassy in Baghdad was killed today outside his home in the Iraqi capital, the Spanish Foreign Ministry said.

Irish fishermen have received commitments from two Spanish fishing organisations that they will not extend their fishing activities in the "Irish Box" next year.