Teen denies garda damage

A YOUTH has denied claims he threw a beer bottle at a Garda car and smashed one of the windows.

The 16-year-old has been charged with criminal damage to the patrol car at Kingswood Heights in Tallaght, Dublin, on April 29 last.

Judge Ann Ryan remanded the boy, who was accompanied to his case by his mother, on continuing bail until his hearing at the Dublin Children's Court next month.

Drug shortage

halts death row

Hundreds of death row prisoners in Vietnam have been given a reprieve of sorts due to a shortage of the drug used for lethal injections, a newspaper said on Tuesday.

Death by firing squad was replaced by lethal injections to reduce suffering last July -- but police have failed to execute anyone since.

One reason stocks are low is because of a ban on the sale of drugs for such purposes by the European Union, which opposes the death penalty.

North Korea hit by drought

North Korea is reporting a serious drought that could worsen already critical food shortages, but help is unlikely to come from the United States and South Korea following North Korea's widely criticised rocket launch.

North Korea has had little rain since April 27, with the country's western coastal areas particularly hard hit, according to a government weather agency in Pyongyang.

North Korea has suffered chronic food shortages for the past two decades because of economic and agricultural mismanagement as well as natural disasters.

Poker World

Series starts

The World Series of Poker opened in Las Vegas yesterday with its first gold bracelet event. More than 2,000 players entered the $1,500 (e1,197) buy-in, three-day tournament at the Rio hotel and casino.

The World Series of Poker draws tens of thousands to Las Vegas each year to compete for millions in prize money and 61 championship bracelets.

Poker champions Phil Ivey, Allen Cunningham and Daniel Negreanu were among the players.

Only the final 10pc of players can make money.