Peter Dowdall is vociferious in his opposition to neonicotinoids — the chemicals are toxic and kill bees.

Rafael Nadal has vowed to be ready for a Wimbledon showdown with a dreadlocked German who has already taught him a lesson on grass.

A woman giving evidence from a wheelchair in the Boston Marathon bombing trial has recalled shielding her husband from the sight of his mangled leg.

Roger Federer eased into the second round of the Australian Open on Monday with a straight-sets victory over Yen-Hsun Lu, win number 1,001 of his amazing career.

Olympic champion Katie Taylor opens her title defence at the AIBA World Women’s Elite Championships in Jeju, South Korea against Dominica’s Valerian Spicer today.

The unfolding debacle in Iraq has set off a furious — and drearily predictable — partisan dispute in Washington over who was more to blame: George W Bush or Barack Obama, writes Bill Powell

A glass of milk a day can keep osteoarthritis (OA) at bay, at least for women with the disease affecting their knees, research has shown.

The people of Passage East have always gone to sea, but yesterday all they could do was think about the boat that failed to come home.

Hundreds of people have packed a hall at Boston University to say goodbye to a Chinese graduate student who was killed by the marathon blasts two days after doing well in her qualifying exams.

She was a food fan, eager for culinary discoveries.

The third person killed in the Boston Marathon bombings was a graduate student at Boston University who was originally from China’s northeastern city of Shenyang, a state-run Chinese newspaper reported today.

The end of the world is just weeks away, if you believe interpretations of Mayan prophecies, and one man knows how he is going to survive it: In a giant boat.

World governments are viewing the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il with wary optimism.

RENOWNED Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, among the most prominent activists detained in China’s recent crackdown, was released on bail after state media said he confessed to tax evasion, accusations his family has denied.

Second seed Fernando Verdasco crashed out in the first round at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis today.

TOMAS BERDYCH is on a roll as he prepares for his first Wimbledon semi-final.

Novak Djokovic was in imperious form as he ended Yen-Hsun Lu’s fairytale run at Wimbledon with a straight-sets demolition on Court One.

Venus Williams’ bid for a sixth Wimbledon title came to a crashing halt in the quarter-finals today as Tsvetana Pironkova registered a major upset on Court One.

TAIWAN’S Yen-Hsun Lu refused to let himself believe he had a chance of defeating Andy Roddick before prevailing in a thrilling five-set encounter with the American at Wimbledon yesterday.

Taiwan’s Yen-Hsun Lu caused one of the biggest upsets in Wimbledon history by knocking out three-time finalist Andy Roddick in the fourth round.

A COURT in China has given a 22-year-old man a suspended jail sentence for selling his toddler son on the internet for 18,000 yuan (€2,177).

WALTER Fredrick Morrison, the man credited with inventing the Frisbee, has died. He was 90.

LOUK SORENSEN collected the biggest pay cheque of his career following his 6-3 7-6 (7/4) 7-5 defeat by giant American John Isner in the second round of the Australian Open yesterday.

Irishman Louk Sorensen showed fighting spirit but ultimately saw his Australian Open fairytale ended by American John Isner today.

Louk Sorensen became the first Irishman to win a Grand Slam match in 25 years when he defeated Yen-Hsun Lu in the first round of the Australian Open this morning.

Lin Wen-tang overcame strong winds and heavy rain to capture his fifth Asian Tour title at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters today.

The odd flake of rust clung to Roger Federer as he began the quest for his sixth Wimbledon title on Centre Court.

Health officials in China today confirmed the country’s second mainland swine flu case in a week – a student who recently returned from Canada – and stepped up screening for domestic travellers.

A virus that knocks out bacterial defence systems has been unveiled as the latest weapon in the fight against drug-resistant superbugs.

Novak Djokovic and Andy Roddick have reached the fourth round of the Australian Open.

David Nalbandian became the highest-profile casualty in the men’s draw as he crashed out in the second round of the Australian Open today.

Lu Wen-teh made a successful defence of the Mercuries Taiwan Masters after securing a two-stroke victory in the final round today.

Andy Murray looked set for early Olympics embarrassment in Beijing today as he trailed Yen-Hsun Lu of Chinese Taipei by a set and a break when his first round match was delayed by rain.

SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Aoife Kelly, from Kells, Co Meath, was delighted with the strawberry outfit she got for her pet, Gypsy, a Yorkshire terrier.

A man in southern China’s Jiangsu province has died of bird flu, becoming the country’s 17th official fatality from the disease, the government said today.

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern found himself in the middle of a plot when visited the National Ploughing Championships at Annaharvey yesterday — but it had nothing to do with politics.

Stacy Lewis made some history at the the 1.25 million NW Arkansas Championship on Sunday when she became the first amateur in 38 years to win an LPGA event.

England’s Lee Westwood trails clubhouse leader Rafael Echenique by two shots at the TCL Classic in Hainan after carding an opening six-under-par 66 at the Yalong Bay Golf Club today.

China has defended its new adoption regulations for foreigners that favour middle-aged married couples without physical handicaps, saying that they were designed to help children and expedite adoptions, state media said today.

China reported its second confirmed human death from bird flu as it prepared to test a vaccine on people amid increasingly drastic measures to contain outbreaks of the disease in poultry, state media said today.

China today unveiled plans to honour its Second World War veterans with gala celebrations and renewed its call for Japan to take more responsibility for wartime atrocities.

China is hoping talks with the EU will help resolve a trade row that has left Chinese textiles piling up at European ports and threatens deliveries of autumn and winter clothing, news reports said today.

A rare Chinese tiger born in a zoo in China and sent to South Africa to be trained for a life in the wild has died, threatening a wildlife protection programme.

Irish Nobel Peace Prize winner Betty Williams stepped into an row when she addressed a Taiwanese presidential election rally last night.