Former Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic has threatened to boycott a hearing at the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal, where he is scheduled to enter pleas to charges including genocide.

THE Punchestown executive must be smacking their collective lips in expectation of a massive spin-off from Cheltenham for their forthcoming festival.

South Korea’s president said his nation will no longer tolerate North Korea’s “brutality” and said the regime would pay for a surprise torpedo attack that killed 46 South Korean sailors.

THE late Sean Moylan, War of Independence leader and former cabinet minister, would not have been in any sense daunted by the challenge of shaving€4 billion off spending.

Bono and Beyonce have joined Bruce Springsteen, among the stars kicking off Barack Obama's presidential inauguration celebrations next weekend.

Protesters waving shoes outside the US Embassy in London today demanded the release of “courageous” Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi.

Nickname will attempt to gain some consolation for missing the Cheltenham Festival in the Grade Three Russell Restaurant An Uaimh Chase at Navan on Saturday.

IRISH punters are set to gamble more than €100 million on this week’s Cheltenham racing festival.

Reigning totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup hero War Of Attrition has been ruled out for the rest of the season.

Mouse Morris could not be more pleased with War Of Attrition ahead of his bid for back-to-back victories in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup.

A British al-Qaida terrorist was jailed for a minimum of 40 years today for plotting death and carnage on a “colossal and unprecedented” scale in massive atrocities on both sides of the Atlantic.

Cheltenham Gold Cup hero War Of Attrition faces six rivals on his return to the track at Punchestown on Thursday.

WAR has very rarely been an issue in an Irish general election. However, the decision of Bertie Ahern’s Government to destroy Irish neutrality by actively supporting the US war on Iraq by turning Shannon Airport into a de facto US airforce base means that it will be an issue in the next one.

HARCHIBALD appears a likely starter in Saturday’s totesport Bula Hurdle at Cheltenham after satisfying Noel Meade in a crucial piece of work on the gallops.

WAR OF ATTRITION can take another step towards possible Cheltenham Gold Cup glory by proving too strong for Rathgar Beau in the Clonmel Oil Chase at Clonmel this afternoon.

A bomb alert which forced the abandonment of Down Royal’s biggest meeting of the year was found to be an elaborate hoax.