Air strikes kill 26 civilians in northeast Syria: monitor
At least 26 civilians were killed in village held by so-called Islamic State fighters in northeast Syria in strikes likely conducted by a US-led coalition, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
"The raids struck the village of Al-Khan, which is held by the Islamic State group," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.
"But Daesh is only present on the outskirts of the town, which is why all of the deaths were civilians," Abdel Rahman said, using the Arabic acronym for IS.
The toll included seven children and four women, but was likely to rise as at least 17 people were unaccounted for and bodies were still being pulled out from under the rubble, he added.
Aggravated burglary in Tullamore investigated
An investigation is under way into an aggravated burglary in Tullamore, Co Offaly last night.
Two men entered a house in the Spollenstown area between 10pm - 11pm and threatened a woman with what is believed to be a hammer.
They made their escape with jewellery and other items. The woman was not injured during the incident and gardai have appealed for information.
Venezuela opposition wins majority of seats
Venezuela's opposition won control of the state legislature, electoral authorities said today, in a blow to the oil-rich country's socialist government that has held the congress for 16 years.
The broad, mostly centre-right MUD coalition won a majority of 99 out of 167 seats in the state legislature.
"Venezuela has won," tweeted senior opposition leader Henrique Capriles. "We always said this was the way: humility, maturity and serenity."
Hit by falling prices for the oil exports on which it relies, the country of 30 million is in an economic crisis, with families suffering shortages of basic foods and supplies.
National Safety Authority urges vigilance for safety mark
The CEO of the National Standards Authority of Ireland has said consumers need to be aware of the CE mark for safety.
Maurice Buckley said if the mark is not there, then you should not buy the product.
Mr Buckley said all toys and electrical goods must display the mark in order to comply with EU legislation.
Speaking on RTÉ's News At One he said the system is not perfect it is very good.
Man arrested over Derry murder
A 26-year-old man has arrested by detectives investigating the sectarian killing of a civil servant in Northern Ireland.
Paul McCauley, a 38-year-old Catholic, spent almost a decade in a vegetative state after being beaten by loyalists in Derry's Waterside area in 2006.
Police said the suspect was detained in the city this morning and has been taken to Coleraine for questioning.
Detective Chief Inspector Michael Harvey, who is leading the murder hunt, said: "This arrest brings the number of people who have been arrested since Paul died last June to nine.
"To date, one man has been charged with murder and another reported to the Public Prosecution Service.
Syrian soldiers killed in bombing raid
Four Syrian soldiers were killed and 13 injured when a bombing raid by the US-led coalition hit an army camp in the west of the country, a monitor said today.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said an air raid "by the international coalition" hit the camp in the western Deir Ezzor province, "around 2km from an area controlled by the Islamic State group".
The Observatory said it was the first time that a strike from the US-led coalition, which has been bombing IS in Iraq and Syria for more than a year, had killed Syrian regime forces.
"Regime forces have never previously been hit by raids from the international coalition, which was targeting jihadist bases and oil tankers in Deir Ezzor," Observatory Director Rami Abdel Rahman said.
€100k found floating in river
Police in Austria are trying to find out how more than €100,000 in €100 and €500 notes came to be floating down an arm of the River Danube.
Investigations have so far found no criminal act, a spokesman for the Vienna police said.
One young man who spotted the wet treasure on Saturday jumped into the river to retrieve it.
Passers-by alerted police, who arrived just as he was fishing out the money.
Four journalists suspended over Chinese president gaffe
A Chinese state news agency has suspended four employees following a typographical slip that suggested President Xi Jinping was resigning.
The error came in a Friday story about a speech Mr Xi gave during a China-Africa summit in Johannesburg last week.
Staff at the state-run China News Service switched two Chinese characters with similar sounds, accidentally changing the word in question to write that Mr Xi's remarks were a "resignation" not a "speech", Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reported yesterday.
Some news sites published the report in its original form before later retracting it, the paper said.
