Germany coach Joachim Low has named a preliminary squad of 30 players for the World Cup, with Fiorentina striker Mario Gomez the biggest name to miss the cut.

A Villarreal fan throwing a banana at Barcelona’s Dani Alves last weekend may have – inadvertently – helped the battle against a deeply-rooted problem of racism in Spanish football.

Francis Bacon’s Three Lives of Lucian Freud is set to break his own record of $86 million, Des O’Sullivan reports.

The late John Updike’s essays on Joan Miro and other artists are collected in Always Looking, Carl Dixon reports

Germany coach Joachim Loew felt Mario Gomez’s winning goal in the Euro 2012 victory over Portugal justified his decision to start with the Bayern Munich striker ahead of Miroslav Klose.

Tipperary artist John Keating has described as a “massive career boost” being selected to exhibit his work during the Olympic Games.

Schalke’s Julian Draxler and Borussia Monchengladbach goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen are the only uncapped players in Germany coach Joachim Loew’s provisional squad selection for Euro 2012 that has been unveiled today.

Edvard Munch’s masterpiece, The Scream, one of the world’s most recognisable works of art, has sold for $120m (€91.28m) at Sotheby’s, setting a new record as the most expensive piece of art ever sold at auction.

Galway Fisherfolk by Augustus John from the Elizabeth Taylor art collection made £5,625 at Christie’s in London on Wednesday.

Germany striker Miroslav Klose has been ruled out of the forthcoming European Championship qualifying double-header against Austria and Azerbaijan.

Vickie Maye takes a break in Wexford in the family-run Kelly’s Resort Hotel.

THE head of the American fitness team behind the German side that thrashed England 4-1 in Bloemfontein has claimed that the improvement in the relationship between the national team and its domestic clubs is the secret to their World Cup success.

Germany coach Joachim Low admits he has a very tough decision to make after witnessing his side beat Hungary 3-0 in Budapest last night.

SYRIAN President Bashar al-Assad has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa Miro and asked parliament speaker Mohammed Naji Otri to form a new government, the state news agency SANA said yesterday.

The Republic of Ireland must contain the threat of a player who is being touted in some quarters as ‘‘the new Gerd Muller’’ if they are to keep their World Cup hopes alive on Wednesday.

An 11-year-old's idea to clear up oil spills in the sea has been hailed as a breakthrough by experts.