Dart services hit by glitch

A COMPUTER went on the blink and knocked out DART services throughout the system last night.

As heavy rain hit Dublin commuters found themselves caught out by the glitch. It kicked in about 8.25pm last night.

An Iarnrod Eireann spokesman blamed it on a technical fault in the central computerised control system for the overhead lines. Trains regained service in about 20 minutes.

Actor Chase

leaves sitcom

The NBC series Community will finish the season without Chevy Chase.

Sony Pictures Television said that the actor is leaving the sitcom by mutual agreement with producers.

His immediate departure means he won't be included in the last episode or two of the show's 13-episode season-- which is still in production.

Chase had a rocky tenure playing a bored wealthy man who enrolls in college. The actor publicly expressed unhappiness at working on a sitcom and feuded last year with the show's creator and former executive producer, Dan Harmon.

Drought gets worse in US

The worst US drought in decades has deepened again after more than a month of encouraging reports of slowly improving conditions.

Scientists have struggled for an explanation other than a simple lack of rain.

While more than half of the continental US has been in a drought since summer, rain storms had appeared to be easing the situation week by week since late September.

But that run ended with the US Drought Monitor report, which showed 60.1pc of the lower 48 states were in a form of drought.

¤7.7m for Price Is Right model

A jury has awarded a former model on The Price Is Right more than $7.7m (¤5.9m) in punitive damages after the game show was ruled to have discriminated against her because she was pregnant.

Brandi Cochran (41) said she was rejected when she tried to return to the show from maternity leave in 2010. The decision came a day after the panel in LA determined producers discriminated against her.