European airspace could be back to normal tomorrow as ash from the Iceland volcano dissipates rapidly, air traffic control bosses said today.

The air transport industry was beset by confusion and arguments today as passengers braced themselves for days of uncertainty caused by Iceland’s latest volcanic ash cloud.

SOME of you may have noticed a pretty distinctive-looking character on the Dublin football team in recent weeks.

The Football Association of Wales have announced the appointment of Gary Speed as the new Wales manager.

The three-month search for a new Wales manager finally comes to an end today with the expected appointment of Gary Speed.

Gary Speed is poised to be confirmed as the new manager of Wales tomorrow.

Gary Speed today moved a step closer to becoming the new manager of Wales.

ITALY’s Euro 2012 Group C qualifier against Serbia was abandoned by UEFA last night after just six minutes due to crowd disturbances.

Switzerland 4 Wales 1

FORMER world champions Italy are the latest team to realise you cannot take Northern Ireland lightly.

Wales 0 Bulgaria 1

Brian Flynn has been confirmed as caretaker manager of Wales for the Euro 2012 qualifying matches against Bulgaria and Switzerland next month.

Wales manager John Toshack will clarify his position this afternoon after considerable speculation in recent days that he is poised to quit.

The Football Association of Wales have called a press conference for Thursday afternoon when manager John Toshack is expected to announce his resignation.

John Toshack appears almost certain to step down as Wales boss after spending yesterday in talks at the Football Association of Wales’ headquarters in Cardiff.

Applause, cheers and shouts of joy rang out from New York to Asia to Paris today as planes gradually took to the skies after five days of being grounded by drifting volcanic ash.

Up to a third of all European flights are expected to operate today, although a ban remains across Ireland and the UK.

Thick drifts of volcanic ash blanketed parts of rural Iceland as a vast, invisible plume of grit drifted over Europe, emptying the skies of planes and sending hundreds of thousands in search of hotel rooms, train tickets or rental cars.

VOLCANIC ash sifted down on parts of northern Europe yesterday and 17,000 thousand planes stayed on the tarmac to avoid the hazardous cloud as travel chaos engulfed major European cities.

Leeds manager Simon Grayson is confident his players will begin tomorrow’s FA Cup third round tie with fierce rivals Manchester United believing that they can win.

ALMOST half of people who appealed a social welfare payment decision last year were successful, according to the Department of Social and Family Affairs.

Robert Earnshaw has been recalled to the Wales squad by John Toshack after a six-month exile.

CONFUSION over the welfare rights of migrants is unfairly depriving some foreigners of benefits, the head of the social welfare appeals office has warned.

TEENAGER David Cotterill has been given the chance to salvage his Wales future.

THE CATHOLIC Church’s emigration service has backed demands to address deteriorating standards among social welfare deciding officers.

THE chief social welfare appeals officer has criticised deteriorating standards among staff deciding who is entitled to payments.

Roy Millar is calling on his Northern Ireland Under-21 side to preserve their proud unbeaten run tomorrow.

SUB-AQUA club divers who yesterday recovered the body of a missing Leitrim man from the River Shannon have criticised gardaí for their management of the rescue operation - and they have called for a national debate on the relationship between gardaí and sub-aqua club divers.

Wales U21s will use tonight’s friendly against Cyprus to see if uncapped goalkeepers Kyle Letheren and Sam Pearce can add to competition in the senior squad.

Wales boss John Toshack believes British managers moan more about releasing players for internationals than their European counterparts.

Welsh teenager Ramon Calliste has begun a trial at Liverpool after being released by Manchester United.

A married Corkman who wrongly labelled his then 14-year-old victim as "a rent boy" has been jailed for seven years by Mr Justice Paul Carney for anally raping the boy.

FORMER Republic of Ireland and Liverpool striker John Aldridge has applied to become the next Wales manager.

Wales midfielder Gary Speed has announced his retirement from international following tonight’s 3-2 defeat by Poland.

Wales 2 Poland 3

SCOTLAND manager Berti Vogts has insisted his players will beat Moldova tonight - and predicted the victory would be more impressive than Italy’s.

Former Wales boss Terry Yorath expects to see Brian Flynn installed as the new national team chief after Mark Hughes bows out this week.

Skipper Gary Speed and former Wrexham boss Brian Flynn have emerged as a potential dream ticket to run the Welsh set-up in the wake of Mark Hughes’ impending departure as national manager.

Kenny Jackett has been appointed manager of Swansea with a contract until the end of 2005/06.

Women's Aid, the organisation that works with women suffering from domestic violence, has released figures showing that 92 women have been murdered in Ireland since 1996.

GARDAÍ in Roscommon are baffled over the reason why a local farmer shot his wife dead before committing suicide on Sunday evening.

Swansea have taken Manchester City goalkeeper Brian Murphy on a week’s trial.

Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville paid the price for Sunday’s Worthington Cup final failure when they were axed to the bench for the visit of Leeds to Old Trafford.

Managing a football club is a precarious business these days. We list the managers who have fallen by the wayside so far this season.