A cottage in Connemara is at the centre of a political storm in the US.
The Senate Ethics Committee dismissed a complaint alleging that Senator Christopher Dodd's Co Galway cottage was an improper gift from a businessman.
The Connecticut Democrat said the allegations by a conservative group were baseless and politically motivated.
Judicial Watch questioned last year whether the price Mr Dodd paid for the seaside home was so low that it amounted to a gift from real estate businessman Edward "Bucky" Kessinger.
Drink blamed for risky sex
One in five women who fail to use contraception with a new partner blames drink or drugs, a survey found.
Some 20pc of those aged 18 to 35 have also used the morning-after pill in the last year, and one in 67 men surveyed said they prefer women take the drug so they can avoid wearing a condom.
One in six of all 1,800 women polled admitted having a sexually transmitted infection or having had one in the past.
Club bombed
in Greek attack
Police in Greece said a powerful bomb has exploded outside a closed nightclub in Athens in an attack linked with criminal extortion groups.
A police statement said the pre-dawn blast, which caused no injuries, occurred just before 4am local time today near the city centre.
Yesterday, suspected radical anarchists exploded a strong bomb outside an Athens administrative court, causing severe damage but no injuries.
US in N-deal
with Ukraine
In a secret operation to secure nuclear material, the US has helped Ukraine return to Russia enough uranium to build two atomic bombs.
This week's removal of more than 50kg of highly enriched uranium followed a pledge by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to get rid of all of his country's stock by April 2012.
The material will be blended down in Russia, rendering it useless for bomb making.