Pope Benedict’s message to the International Eucharistic Congress:

THE market for Irish horses in China is full of potential, Horse Sport Ireland chief executive Damian McDonald said yesterday, but he acknowledged a number of obstacles needed to be overcome.

The record speed of Pope John Paul II’s beatification has raised questions, even from some supporters, about whether the Vatican should first answer lingering concerns about the flaws of his papacy.

AFGHANISTAN’S vote monitoring body has ordered the invalidation of ballots from last month’s controversial elections, finding “clear and convincing evidence of fraud”.

The pope put Cardinal John Newman, the influential 19th-century Anglican convert, on the path to possible sainthood today by approving a miracle attributed to his intercession.

More than half of Irish people did not use contraception when having sex with a new partner for the first time, it was revealed today.

In a concession to ultraconservatives, Pope Benedict XVI plans to loosen restrictions on the old Latin Mass, used by the Roman Catholic Church for centuries until the modernising reforms of the 1960s, a Vatican official said.

Midfielder Lee Hendrie is back in contention for Aston Villa, who are looking to end a five-game run without a win at home to Middlesbrough.

Tony Blair today embarked on a last-minute round of telephone diplomacy as hopes for a second resolution on Iraq began to fade and a second Gulf war loomed.