Valentia Island is the spectacular setting for a festival of chamber music this weekend that brings musicians from far flung destinations.

Samuel L Jackson does not kiss many women on screen. He has made well in excess of 100 films but reckons he has locked lips with no more than five leading ladies.

An horrendous vigilante attack against a Roma teenager raised pressure on the French government for its policies toward the ethnic minority even as the president condemned the "unspeakable and unjustifiable" violence that saw the boy beaten and left for dead in a shopping trolley by the side of a highway.

An unmanned aircraft and speed boat were deployed in a dramatic rescue of a sinking yacht at the mouth of Cork Harbour yesterday.

Jack Reacher (12A) opens with the murder of five civilians by Iraq War sniper veteran James Barr (Joseph Sikora).

Pop singer Darius Campbell won ITV's 'Popstar to Operastar' contest last night, beating Bernie Nolan of the Nolan Sisters in a close contest.

Manchester City striker Darius Vassell is expected to be sidelined for about 10 weeks because of a knee injury.

FOUR generations of Lucinda Cassidy’s family suffer from a medical condition that claims the lives of an average 18 people a day in Ireland.

Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry has hinted striker Darius Vassell was forced out of the club under former manager David O’Leary‘s regime.

Thomas Sorensen is confident Aston Villa can stop Manchester City striker Darius Vassell from enjoying another happy experience at the expense of his former club.

WATFORD assistant boss Keith Burkinshaw last night labelled footballers’ behaviour “diabolical” and called on the authorities to clamp down on their diving and swearing.

Kevin Phillips has warned Aston Villa they must deny former striker Darius Vassell the kind of gift-wrapped chances he squandered in the first FA Cup clash with Manchester City if they are to reach the quarter-finals.

Jlloyd Samuel admits he may have to follow Darius Vassell’s example by leaving Aston Villa to re-ignite his career.

Aston Villa manager David O’Leary insists he has no regrets about selling Darius Vassell to Manchester City in the summer, claiming it was a good deal for all concerned.

Former Pop Idol finalist Darius Danesh is to star in West End musical Chicago.

Aston Villa striker Darius Vassell is close to completing a £2.5m (€3.6m) move to Manchester City providing he passes a medical.

Steve Drowne gained a measure of compensation for finishing aboard the runner-up in the July Cup in midweek when powering Autumn Glory to a neck success today in the first ever Group race to be staged on an all-weather surface in Britain.

Aston Villa midfielder Gavin McCann has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after undergoing a second knee operation.

Juan Pablo Angel is ready to defy his ankle problem for the remainder of the season and re-ignite his partnership with Darius Vassell to help Aston Villa’s push for a European spot.

Aston Villa boss David O’Leary rounded on his critics after seeing his side push Newcastle into meltdown on a remarkable afternoon at St James’ Park.

Aston Villa’s record-breaking teenager Gabriel Agbonlahor has set his sights on emulating Darius Vassell and Luke Moore by breaking into the first team after signing a new two-year contract.

A HOST of the biggest stars in pop descended on The Point for the eight annual Childline Concert yesterday.

Aston Villa striker Darius Vassell could be out of action for the rest of the season after learning that he requires a second ankle operation.

Aston Villa manager David O’Leary is pessimistic about the chances of Gavin McCann playing again this season after the midfielder underwent knee surgery.

Thomas Hitzlsperger is reluctant to sign a new contract at Aston Villa until the future of manager David O’Leary is sorted out.

Aston Villa boss David O’Leary has clashed with Trevor Brooking over Luke Moore’s inclusion in the England Under-19 squad for Thursday’s friendly against the Republic of Ireland.

Aston Villa manager David O’Leary is calling on striker Darius Vassell to produce his England form on a more consistent basis at club level.

Juan Pablo Angel believes that Darius Vassell’s success with England means he is under more pressure to deliver the goods for Aston Villa.

Aston Villa 3 Fulham 0

Pop Idol failure Sam Nixon today put a brave face on his shock defeat, but admitted he was “gutted” at being booted off the show.

England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has only Emile Heskey and Wayne Rooney fit to play up front in Sunday’s friendly with Denmark.

Pop star Darius Danesh told today how he battled a drink problem in the wake of his humiliating exit from the reality TV show Popstars.

Aston Villa boss David O’Leary is under no illusions about the size of his side’s task as they bid to get their Premiership campaign up and running against Liverpool on Sunday.

David O’Leary, now boss at Aston Villa, today spelt out his desire to keep striker Darius Vassell at the club on a long-term basis.

FIVE England caps and no goals. You were maybe left wondering what all the fuss was about.

Aston Villa are to hold a fresh round of talks with striker Darius Vassell aimed at persuading him to finally sign a new long-term contract.

Hundreds of thousands of people lined Ireland’s streets today as the annual St Patrick’s Day parades got under way.

MORE than 1,500 performers created a Mardi-Gras atmosphere on the streets of Limerick yesterday for the 33rd International Marching Band Parade and Competition.

Thousands of people were celebrating the feast of St Patrick in Dublin today as an action-packed festival got under way.

In 2002 the charts have been dominated by reality TV pop stars. Will Young, Gareth Gates, Liberty X, Darius, Girls Aloud, One True Voice and, briefly anyway, Hear’Say have rarely been out of the Top 10 as pop fans across the nation enjoy the novelty of choosing their own pop stars.

Holly Valance, Gareth Gates and Will Young are among artists vying for this year's UK Record Of The Year title.

Darius Danesh has announced details of his second single.

Graham Taylor has insisted Steve Stone, Alan Wright and Mustapha Hadji have not become forgotten men at Aston Villa and can still play a part if they maintain the right approach and attitude.

Darius Danesh is set to perform at Northern Ireland's Big Buzz Awards in October.

The Sugababes have criticised bands who don't write their own material.

DUBLIN’S Phoenix Park will resemble the World Cup homecoming party for the Irish soccer team this weekend when it hosts the country’s biggest-ever free pop concert.

Darius has been added to the bill of the O2 In The Park free festival in Dublin's Phoenix Park on August 18.