Paintball victim awarded €27k

A MAN injured when he was hit with a paintball during a workplace outing has been awarded €27,500 in High Court damages.

Computer programmer James O'Leary said he suffered constant headaches after being struck on the head by a paintball while taking part in a 'battlefield' game.

Yesterday, High Court president Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns awarded €27,500 to him as a result of the injury to the left side of his skull.

Mr O'Leary (38) of Marlton Demesne, Wicklow, sued David Wachucha, trading as Skirmish Paintball Pursuits, for damages arising out of an incident at the Roundwood, Co Wicklow, paintball site on September 20, 2001.

Blaze kills 10 railway staff

A fire in a dormitory for railway workers in northern China has killed 10 people.

The blaze began late last night in Hohhot, the regional capital of Inner Mongolia, and was brought under control within 30 minutes, fire department officials said.

Fourteen other workers in the dorm were taken to hospital with burns, with six severely injured.

The workers were part of a crew building a railway tunnel.

'Alien' diverts

plane flight

A SkyWest Airlines flight from Montana to Salt Lake City was diverted to Idaho Falls after a passenger began banging on the cockpit door, saying he was a space alien and wanted to fly the plane.

Idaho Falls police sergeant Phil Grimes said other passengers on the flight helped restrain 32-year-old Matthew Kleindorfer of Las Vegas.

Kleindorfer faces misdemeanour counts of disturbing the peace and resisting arrest and a felony count of battery of an officer.

Aid workers boost tourism

The Dominican Republic's struggling tourism sector is getting a boost from aid workers passing through on their way to neighbouring Haiti.

Haydee Kuret, president of a Dominican hotel association, said hotels in Santo Domingo have been full since an earthquake devastated Haiti's capital on January 12.