Madonna's appeal of a court ruling denying her request to adopt a three-year-old girl from Malawi will be heard next month, a court official said.

Imam W.D. Mohammed, who moved thousands of black Americans into mainstream Islam after breaking with his father’s Nation of Islam group, has died today, according to his nephew.

SRI LANKA’S elusive Tamil rebel supremo was wounded in an air strike last month by security forces shortly after his annual policy broadcast, a privately run newspaper reported yesterday.

TOM TAAFFE, who has his horses in terrific shape, landed another decent prize when Tumbling Dice ran away with the Grade 2 O'Connell Logistics Hilly Way Chase at Cork yesterday.

A suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowd of Iraqis outside an army recruitment centre in Baghdad today, killing 21 people and injuring 27 more.

Insurgents fired mortar rounds at an Iraqi army recruiting centre in Baghdad today, killing up to 14 people, said police.

Michael Jackson’s inner circle met at a posh Beverly Hills hotel to look at the entertainer’s business affairs, four days before his first court appearance on child sex charges.

CORK’S famous hurling nursery, Na Piarsaigh, celebrated its 60th anniversary last Friday.

Terror suspect Hambali was plotting an attack on an upcoming Asia-Pacific summit in Thailand to be attended by US President George W. Bush, it was disclosed today.

Teenage boy band Busted knocked Oliver Cheatham and Room 5 from the top of the charts tonight as the summit made way for three new entries.

Kenyan police are questioning three members of the same family in connection with the November 28 suicide attack at a coastal hotel that killed 11 Kenyans and three Israeli tourists, an independent television station and newspaper reported Sunday.

Cream is closing its weekly nights at Nation in Liverpool for the rest of the summer.

There is more bad news for the US economy today as the Federal Reserve reported an output drop of 1.1% at the Nation’s factories.

WARREN GATLAND is hoping the clash between the Rest of Ireland and Munster at Thomond Park tomorrow week will be a no-holds-barred contest to boost chances of a big Irish representation on the Lions tour to Australia.

A new initiative has been launched to cut down on the number of plastic bags purchased by shoppers.