LÉ Eithne was steaming towards the Sicilian port of Palermo last night with 410 migrants she had rescued from the Mediterranean Sea.

Ireland is sending a navy vessel to help with the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean.

Uruguay's national government has said it plans to send a bill to Congress that would allow it to sell marijuana, making it the first country in the world to do so.

Southern Sudan’s defence minister and a presidential adviser were killed along with 19 others when their plane crashed today.

Out-going Minister of Defence Willie O'Dea has polled more than double the number of votes he needed to be elected on the first count in Limerick East.

DEFENCE Minister Willie O’Dea last night insisted he had not rebuked President McAleese over remarks regarding the possibility of sending Irish peacekeeping troops to Lebanon.

Sunni Muslims protested at the killing of a tribal leader today while a statement posted on the internet said a bombing that killed 11 people was in retaliation for the assassination of the respected sheikh.

DEFENCE MINISTER Willie O’Dea was yesterday embroiled in a war of words with opposition politicians after he was pictured holding a handgun.

The Minister for the Environment has been contacting county managers in preparation for the effects of the storm currently battering the south and east of the country.

SENIOR Defence Forces personnel are reported to be deeply angry at what is described as the “rehashing” of old claims of serious bullying and sexual harassment.

Spain’s withdrawal of its troops from Iraq should not harm long-term relations with the United States, Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos said today, adding that the country would honour its international commitments and remain steadfast in the fight against terrorism.

ARMED men attacked Ivory Coast military police at the state TV headquarters yesterday, sparking a battle that killed 18 people.

Armed men attacked Ivory Coast military police at the state TV headquarters today, sparking a battle that killed 18 people.

THE head of the Defence Forces said any soldier found guilty of using prostitutes in East Africa would be dealt with forcefully. Lieutenant General Colm Mangan described the allegations, involving a 15-year-old prostitute as an unseemly incident.

THE alleged IRA agent known as Stakeknife, who categorically denies working for British military intelligence, is not in the custody of the army, the Minister of Defence claimed yesterday.

The alleged IRA agent known as Stakeknife – who categorically denies working for British military intelligence – is not in the custody of the army, the British Minister of Defence claimed today.

Slow career advancement and attractive early retirement packages are being blamed for the high number of officers leaving the defence forces, according to the Minister of Defence, Michael Smith.

A group of junior army officers who attempted a coup to oppose Burundi President Pierre Buyoya’s negotiations with Hutu rebels surrendered today, the defence ministry said.