NOBEL peace prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari urged US president-elect Barack Obama yesterday to delve into solving the Middle East conflict in his first year in office, calling it a knot that could be untied.

Connections of King Harald are praying the ground dries up for the gelding to take his chance in the Coral Scottish Grand National at Ayr on Saturday week.

King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway today begin a three-day state visit to the Republic of Ireland.

Connections of ante-post favourite King Harald are hopeful of a big run from the eight-year-old in the Sky Bet Chase at Southwell tomorrow.

Jockey Mattie Batchelor is hoping King Harald can bounce back to form in the Sky Bet Chase at Southwell on Saturday.

Connections of King Harald are delighted to be finally get their Festival winner back on the track at Cheltenham on Saturday.

King Harald is as low as 7-1 favourite for the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup after weights for the November 26 feature were released.

Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup hope King Harald is poised to make his reappearance at Cheltenham over the weekend.

King Harald is now set to have his prep run ahead of the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Carlisle on Sunday week.

King Harald put up tremendous front-running performance under Mattie Batchelor to land the Jewson Novices’ Handicap Chase on the third day of the Cheltenham Festival.

IRAN’S Shirin Ebadi became the first Muslim woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize yesterday and sent a bold anti-war message to the West, accusing it of hiding behind the September 11 attacks to violate human rights.

SAYING that war is always evil, former US President Jimmy Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize yesterday and urged the world to accept UN leadership in tackling challenges from the Middle East to global poverty.

Paul Lambert reckons former team-mate Harald Brattbakk has proved the critics wrong but is hoping he can still become a Celtic hero in Porto next week.

Celtic captain Paul Lambert and manager Martin O’Neill have warned Hoops fans not to under-estimate Harald Brattbakk.