Jenson Button backed up his pre-season promise by setting the fastest time in practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix today.

Kimi Raikkonen’s world championship challenge got off to a familiarly frustrating start in Bahrain today.

The new Formula One season began with a whimper today with a mainly empty track for much of first practice at Bahrain.

About 70 dolphins were found washed up on a beach near Tokyo today, but surfers and local residents co-operated in returning the mammals back to sea.

New Formula One team Super Aguri have named Takuma Sato and Yuji Ide as their drivers for 2006 in an all-Japanese line-up.

CHRISTMAS came early for hundreds of sick children yesterday when €500,000 was donated towards a new play therapy centre at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin.