Muammar Gaddafi’s spokesman said today a surrender-by-Saturday ultimatum to the fugitive dictator’s henchmen in his home town would be rejected.

MAURICE O’Meara grew up in Malahide, a mile and a half from the gates of Portmarnock Golf Club.

MEATH GAA chiefs have confirmed that they will appeal Stephen Bray’s sending-off in last Saturday’s All-Ireland qualifier win over Limerick that is threatening his participation in next Sunday’s quarter-final showdown against Mayo.

Sixteen people, including six children, died today when a microbus they were in fell off a rickety ferry and sank in the Nile River in southern Egypt, security and local officials said.

Pakistani police rearrested a prominent opposition lawyer this morning, despite promises that he would be allowed to remain free for the three-day Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, his son said.

An Offaly teenager has told the Central Criminal Court that after a local farmer raped her in a field he asked her would they "stay for more or go on the beer".

UP TO 200 teenagers from across Britain trashed a family house while the parents were away after their daughter advertised the bash on the MySpace internet site, police said yesterday.

There was good news for skiers today as the world’s most famous furry forecaster saw his shadow on Groundhog Day, predicting six more weeks of winter.

CHINESE poet Zhang Ye has been dropped from the programme for this year’s Féile na Bealtaine (Festival of May) in Dingle, Co Kerry, due to the SARS scare.