Chelsea Manning's Welsh mother has spoken of her pride for the Wikileaks whistleblower before her release from prison.

Latest: The Irish Coastguard says a person has been taken from the water by authorities searching for a woman in the Irish Sea.

USA: A flight was diverted after a man tried to kiss a sleeping girl next to him on the airplane.

USA: A truck driver was caught using a fishing line to flip his licence plate in a bid to avoid paying tolls into New York City.

USA: A keeper at a North Dakota zoo has become a first-time mother.

My study window looks out over a 10-acre meadow with a small hill on the far side. Under the grass on the hill there’s esker sand and gravel laid down in the last Ice Age. Back in the days when the main forms of transport round here were powered by horses and donkeys people had to be more locally self-sufficient, particularly for heavy items like sand and gravel, and a small quarry was opened up on the west side of the hill.

It can be hard to make an impact with a first novel, but Kate Hamer’s powerful thriller will certainly cement her name in the literature world.

Storms, high tides and gale-force winds have left a trail of devastation around the UK, with warnings that conditions are set to worsen over the weekend.

90 years of looking for secrets in wrong place

Still smoking, 460,000 cigarettes later

Scientists have captured footage of what it is like to fly with a large seabird.

After becoming a viral hit over the weekend, footie sensation Andrew Cassidy is back with more skills that belie his 20-stone frame.

An officer running a live fire army exercise where a soldier was killed while in a safe haven was recommended for “supervision” after struggling to pass his course.

An Irishman serving with the British Army was shot and killed by a single machine gun bullet to the head at a non-combat zone within an army training range, an inquest heard.

Munster will roll out a couple of heavyweights for their trip to Llanelli tonight.

Anthony Hopkins has put in an offer to buy his childhood house.

An Irish-born soldier who survived Afghanistan was accidentally shot dead during training when he was hit by machine gun fire from 1km away, an inquest in Cardiff has heard.

Dick Francis mined his RAF and riding careers to author 44 crime novels. The first was published 50 years ago, says Declan Burke

The British Army has sent its condolences to the family of an Irish man who died on a training exercise in Wales.

A West Cork community is mourning after a soldier who fought in Afghanistan was accidentally killed by a stray bullet during a training exercise in Wales.

The head of a family-run international prostitution ring has been sentenced to another decade in prison after refusing to hand over €2,197,780.85 from his proceeds of crime.

Astronomy tour to China

A 103-year-old British great-grandmother is thought to have become the world's oldest Facebook user.

IN January 2007, a strange bird was seen on the sea off Farnham in Yorkshire.

Charity rowers who videoed a dramatic crash landing in the Irish Sea tonight spoke of their amazement at seeing the pilot clamber from the wreckage.

Eight people were arrested across Ireland and the UK today as part of an international police operation targeting human trafficking for the sex trade.

McKelvey is likely to have two prep races over hurdles ahead of his bid to go one place better in the John Smith’s Grand National.

Timmy Murphy endured an up-and-down afternoon at Huntingdon with the pain of a two-day ban eased by winning the feature race.

Keith Goldsworthy’s stable star Hills Of Aran is likely to revert to novice company on Saturday.

Wales have suffered a double injury blow ahead of next Saturday’s clash against world champions South Africa at the Millennium Stadium.

Rayshan is set for a crack at the Borders National at Kelso on December 9 after giving Rose Davidson a famous scalp at Carlisle.

Two scuba divers were rescued after more then nine hours in the sea off the coast of Wales.

Secret details of UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s movements were accidentally leaked by one of his bodyguards, it emerged today.

IRELAND has a new gannet colony; the first to be established since 1988.

Six fishermen were today rescued from a sinking trawler in the Irish Sea.

WE quote him all the time but many people don’t seem to realise that Neil Armstrong went all the way to the moon only to fluff his lines.

DOZENS of fearless competitors took part yesterday in one of England’s most bizarre and dangerous sporting challenges — chasing a giant cheese down a steep slope.

Peter Bowen will be triple-handed in tomorrow’s 15-runner totesport.com Summer Plate Handicap Chase at Market Rasen.

TWO visually impaired Irish canoeists will take part in the Irish Sea Kayaking Challenge 2006 and brave the Irish Sea for charity.

PAUL O’CONNELL had a delightful surprise when he stepped off the Munster bus in Stradey Park last evening.

Torrential rain caused flooding chaos throughout Britain today with emergency services stretched to the limit.