Troops are massing for a huge parade and guests are arriving from around the world to celebrate Fidel Castro’s delayed 80th birthday party. The only question is whether the ailing guest of honour will appear after four months out of the public eye.

DIABETES is no longer a threat but a current crisis that is impacting heavily on Irish lives, an Oireachtas committee heard yesterday.

Priceless family treasures belonging to William Butler Yeats will be handed over to the National Library of Ireland tomorrow for its first major exhibition on the Nobel prize-winning poet.

A decision on Accordion Etoile’s participation in the Guinness Galway Hurdle will be left until the end of the week after the gelding was allotted top weight in the July 28 contest.

Spanish police have arrested three Moroccans suspected of helping finance last year’s train bombings in Madrid and providing weapons today.

THE PROSPECT of transport disruption on Monday worsened significantly last night as SIPTU threw its weight behind bus and rail stoppages at CIÉ.

EARLIER this year, Bank of Ireland’s top management had every reason to feel a little smug.