Let us this week spare a weepy thought for Jean-Claude Juncker, who in November concludes his five-year term as president of the European Commission.

Sarah Outen has rowed oceans and survived typhoons, but the Lismore bound adventurer and travel writer tells Ellie O’Byrne that the toughest journey can sometimes be coming home.

Irish rugby history will be made at Monkstown RFC today (12pm) when the Irish Defence Forces Women and An Garda Síochána Women combine for the first time to take on the French Armed Forces on International Women’s Day.

A Tallaght-based crafts blogger and a 99-year-old former Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot who now takes to the virtual skies in flight simulators were among those honoured at this year’s Silver Surfer Awards.

Blizzards are hitting parts of the UK, as freezing conditions and heavy snow cause deaths and wreak disruption.

Today is Roald Dahl Day!

WHAT is the greatest human virtue of all? That is a question philosophers have argued about for thousands of years.

A plane from Bucharest was escorted into Birmingham airport by RAF fighter jets after it experienced communication difficulties.

The Royal Air Force (RAF) scrambled jets from two of its airbases to "monitor" two Russian bomber planes that had flown close to British and Irish airspace.

USA: A teenager posing as a state senator toured a high school and spoke to a class, and school officials didn’t realise they were fooled until weeks later, authorities in Ohio said.

A man who suffered a serious seal bite on a remote South Atlantic island has been rescued by the British Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.

THIS year marks the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, one of the most decisive clashes of World War II, when a handful of Britain’s Royal Air Force pilots fought in the skies over southern England to defeat Germany’s Luftwaffe squadrons and ultimately foil Adolf Hitler’s invasion plans.

Australian pilot Paul Royle, who took part in a mass break out from a German prisoner of war camp during the Second World War, has died in his home town of Perth. He was 101.

Niki MacCarthy’s quest to discover why her father returned from war with a Japanese sword uncovered a story so incredible, it’s been made into a film, writes John Meagher.

The man behind a pantheon of villains made his name as a ‘rough and muscular’ update of Dracula

Quite a Good Time to Be Born: A Memoir: 1935-1975

IN 1898 the Skibbereen Eagle newspaper famously warned the Czar of Russia that it was keeping an eye on him.

Britain's Royal Air Force launched Typhoon aircraft this afternoon to intercept a civilian aircraft which was causing concern to air traffic control authorities.

A history of the world in the first half of the 20th century is contained in 17 lots from a Skibbereen autograph collector to be sold at Whyte’s in Dublin on September 20.

A British healthcare worker who tested positive for ebola in Sierra Leone is being evacuated to the UK on a Royal Air Force jet, the Department of Health has said.

A British national who tested positive for Ebola in Sierra Leone is being evacuated to the UK on a Royal Air Force jet, the Department of Health has said.

WORLD CUP GROUP D:

An investigation is under way to determine why a Lynx helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan, killing five British service personnel.

UK fighter jets have flown for the first time with parts made using 3D printing technology.

When you've got it, why not spend it? Brad Pitt has bought a World War II Spitfire fighter plane for £2m (€2.4m).

Up to 130,000 people lined the quays of Dublin City as the world’s largest commercial aircraft roared overhead.

A 93-year-old widower has broken his own record to become the world’s oldest wing walker.

One of the largest aircraft in the world, the Airbus A380, will fly up the Liffey at low level in three weeks' time.

A Second World War Spitfire and a B-17 Flying Fortress will take to the skies above Dublin city as part of an international flypast.

A full military rehearsal for Baroness Thatcher’s funeral has taken place in the early hours of this morning.

Details of the arrangements for Margaret Thatcher’s funeral on Wednesday were released today by Downing Street.

Patrick Moore was the astronomer who, more than any other scientist living or dead, could explain to the world at large the marvels and intricacies of the universe — and beyond.

British astronomer Patrick Moore died today aged 89, a group of his friends and staff said.

Eric Sykes, one of the most popular comic actors of his generation, was still staring in the West End shows into his 80s, even though he became almost totally deaf and nearly blind.

Rescue teams are expected this morning to resume the search for two RAF airmen who went missing after two Tornado jets crashed off the north coast of Scotland, Britain's Ministry of Defence said.

More than 40 people had to be rescued from homes and caravans today after serious floods hit west Wales.

Prince William has spoken of his desire to have children with wife Kate and expressed sorrow over the fact his mother never had the chance to meet her.

A former Mr Universe who has just turned 100 said that happiness and a life without tensions are the key to his longevity.

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and other leaders in the left-leaning ALBA bloc have backed Argentina in its long-running dispute with Britain over the Falkland Islands.

A member of the Royal Air Force who was injured in the same explosion which killed a Royal Marine in Afghanistan has died of his injuries, Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

An out of control satellite, the size of a bus, is due to hit the earth this evening, it is still not known where.