The trial of five antiwar protesters accused of criminal damage of a United States Navy plane at Shannon Airport has collapsed following a suggestion by the defence that the trial judge had attended the inauguration of George W Bush as US president.

The Dublin born former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations has told a jury that he holds the UN responsible for killing many thousands of people, including children, in Iraq through the imposition of sanctions.

A former US marine has told a jury that he was given "carte blanche" to kill and was told to "shoot first and ask questions later" while serving in Iraq following the outbreak of war in 2003.

One of the antiwar protesters accused of the criminal damage of a US naval aeroplane at Shannon Airport has agreed he previously engaged in actions of a similar nature in other jurisdictions.

The visit of US Joint Chief of Staff Richard Myers to Dublin today has been condemned by the Irish anti-war community.

Five British anti-war activists were arrested today after they forced their way into the Irish Embassy in London.