Fawlty Towers actor John Cleese has been named the most influential British comedy star of all time.

A live report in which Sky News journalist Colin Brazier was seen picking through the belongings of victims of the MH17 air disaster in Ukraine amounted to a “significant lapse of judgment”, according to Ofcom.

Selected tips from courses in the UK and Ireland.

ENGLAND:

Eircom has entered the television market offering 34 channels in direct competition with cable and satellite giants UPC and Sky.

Willie Mullins ended his Punchestown Festival on a high as he claimed the final two Grade Ones of the week to take his tally for the meeting to 13 winners.

Gus Macrae made full use of his feather weight to claim the feature race at Aintree on Sunday.

A resilient performance from the scandal-hit banking sector and better-than-expected retail sales figures helped the FTSE 100 Index hold firm today.

Kirsty Milczarek was successful yesterday in her appeal against a two-year riding ban imposed by the British Horseracing Authority disciplinary panel in December.

Satirical comedy show 'Yes, Prime Minister' is to be revived for a new series, nearly a quarter of a century on.

British prime minister David Cameron yesterday faced demands for an inquiry into “cash for access” allegations after he confirmed he had hosted wealthy individuals at Downing Street and Chequers who between them donated millions of pounds to the Conservative Party.

West Ham co-owner David Gold insists the club will not be rushed into appointing a successor to Avram Grant.

A scene from a classic 'Only Fools And Horses' episode in which Del Boy and Rodney dress up as Batman and Robin has been named as the most memorable Christmas TV moment in a British poll.

West Ham co-chairman David Gold has issued an apology to Birmingham’s acting chairman Peter Pannu over a newspaper article which claimed the former Blues owner had been denied the chance to remain as chairman at St Andrew’s.

Comedy duo Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie are to be reunited on TV for the first time in 15 years.

THE Glazer family have slapped a ‘Not for Sale’ notice on Manchester United.

The Carson Yeung takeover of Birmingham appears to be off after his adviser Steve McManaman revealed there was little chance of meeting the City board’s deadline to complete a St Andrews buyout.

JOE KINNEAR has declared an interest in taking over League One strugglers Luton Town.

CLOSE to €12 billion has been wiped off the value of Irish shares in the past month as mounting bad debts, linked to the housing sector in the US, continues to destabilise the markets.

GLENCAR MINING, the AIM and IEX listed company with gold exploration interests in Africa, said yesterday a preliminary independent resource study by SRK Consulting (Britain) has reported a mineral resource of 520,000 ounces of gold at Komana West in Mali.

Shops are bracing themselves for a last-minute rush on EuroMillions ticket sales, ahead of today’s massive £88m jackpot draw.

PERSIAN GOLD is expecting to see initial drilling results from its four main projects in Iran by the end of next month.

PERSIAN Gold has announced an expansion of its activities in Iran. The firm has acquired two additional gold projects.

Cork's senior hurling squad meet this evening for the first time to analyse where they went wrong against Tipperary in Thurles at the weekend.

Birmingham chairman David Gold is already braced for a battle against relegation from the Barclays Premiership next season despite the financial jackpot available from the improved television deal.

Hot Weld landed his second big staying chase in successive weeks with a game victory in the Betfred Gold Cup at Sandown.

OUT AFTER DARK has been slashed into favouritism for Saturday’s totesport Ayr Gold Cup after trainer Clive Cox confirmed him firmly on course for the Scottish dash.

The participation of Grey Abbey in the totesport Gold Cup on Friday remains in the balance, despite the front-running grey being one of 16 declared for the blue riband today.

Shares in Conroy Diamonds and Gold jumped 11% yesterday after the mineral exploration company issued an upbeat interim report for the six months to November.

AIM-listed African Gold has announced substantial gold mineralisation in nine additional holes drilled in the company's Konongo gold property in the Ashanti Gold Belt in Ghana.

AFTER years of heartache, Wexford have emerged from the wilderness to contest their first camogie league final in 12 years and are seeking their first win in 27 years.

Birmingham chairman David Gold has insisted that funding the playing side and ensuring the club remain in the Barclaycard Premiership must take priority at present over completing redevelopment work at St Andrews.