Ireland is "Europe’s weakest link" in air defence cover because our Air Corps is so poorly equipped it cannot defend our airspace against hijackers taking over commercial aircraft or intrusions by foreign military aircraft.

Senior gardaí are travelling to boost morale among colleagues serving in an EU police force in Bosnia-Herzegovina this week, it was revealed today.

THE family of a soldier who died from gunshot wounds in the Lebanon six years ago welcomed an apology from Defence Minister Willie O’Dea but said they still wanted a full garda investigation into his shooting.

MILITARY authorities are trying to suppress bullying complaints by disciplining a soldier for making a ‘false’ allegation, army representatives claimed yesterday.

Israeli commandos snatched two wounded Palestinian gunmen from their West Bank hospital beds in a pre-dawn raid today.