IF this had been a space shuttle mission, the driving wind and rain would have grounded it, but not even foul weather could halt the launch yesterday of a series of rockets in the shadow of Blackrock Castle in Cork.

A NASA astronaut has stressed the importance of maths and science education, during his three day visit to Ireland as part of World Space Week.

Spacewalking astronauts performed more repair work on a jammed joint at the international space station, keeping a tight grip on all their tools so nothing would get away this time.

A man who beat his stepson and forced him to sleep in a dog kennel has agreed to the same punishment in an extraordinary plea deal.

Stephen Burke helped England get over the disappointment of a double defeat when he beat Li Liang Liang of China at the World Amateur Boxing Championships in Belfast today.