There was a time when the stinginess of the Scottish Rugby Union knew no bounds, when players were given one pair of socks per year and instructions to hand them back with the rest of the kit at the end of the season, writes Peter Jackson.

Saracens’ trophy hunters may not have achieved greatness yet, but Billy Vunipola believes they are striving to bring Barcelona-esque levels of domination to European rugby.

An unfaithful wife with "a temper like The Hulk" had her throat cut during a furious row with her estranged husband about his new girlfriend, a court in England has heard.

Most of Detroit's public schools are closed for the day after the teaching union urged members to call in sick following a weekend announcement that the district will not be able to pay school staff from this summer.

Chris Ashton believes Saracens are “in a good place” after positioning themselves for another full-blown assault on major European silverware.

The Obama administration will likely soon release at least part of a 28-page secret chapter from a congressional inquiry into 9/11 that may shed light on possible Saudi connections to the attackers.

Saracens took another giant stride towards a possible domestic and European double as they booked their place in next month's Champions Cup final by beating Wasps 24-17 at the Madejski Stadium.

Do a Wikipedia search for ‘Joe Schmidt’ and you won’t be hit with a bio and pic of Ireland’s current rugby union coach, writes Brendan O’Brien.

It was not just a fan protest against divisive owner Massimo Cellino that lit up Elland Road as Leeds and Middlesbrough went on to contest an entertaining goalless draw last night.

Ulster head coach Les Kiss believes Saracens are the greatest threat to Toulon’s reign as European champions.

A concert pianist has said a Supreme Court ruling giving him the go-ahead to release a book detailing sexual abuse he suffered as a child is a victory for freedom of speech —and for victims.

Blackburn 0 Liverpool 1: There cannot be many 22-year-old Brazilians who enjoy nights out in Lancashire as much as Philippe Coutinho.

Euro 2016 Qualifire Group D

Scotland 1 Northern Ireland 0: A late header by substitute Christophe Berra gave Scotland a narrow but deserved 1-0 win over Northern Ireland in their Vauxhall International Challenge match at Hampden Park.

Bradford’s joint chairman Mark Lawn revealed three good reasons why he hopes his club gets paired against Manchester United in Monday night’s FA Cup draw.

US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have announced they have made progress on nuclear cooperation and climate change.

Rudy Gestede showed why he is reported to be interesting a number of Premier League sides with the crucial goal as Blackburn sent nine-man Swansea tumbling out of the FA Cup in the fourth round.

Hull have turned to Palermo forward Abel Hernandez to plug the gap left by Shane Long’s move to Southampton.

Hull manager Steve Bruce has agreed a deal “in principle” to sign Tottenham defender Michael Dawson but admits a move for Jordan Rhodes is proving problematic.

America may launch a broader military campaign that targets an Islamic extremist group’s bases in Syria.

US President Barack Obama and Western allies moved to indefinitely cut Moscow out of a major international coalition today, including cancelling an economic summit Russian President Vladimir Putin was to host this summer.

Roy Keane’s former recruit Danny Higginbotham admits the spicy Euro 2016 draw could persuade him to extend his international career with Gibraltar.

Blackburn 1 Manchester City 1

Detroit is eligible to shed billions in debt in the largest public bankruptcy in US history, a judge said in a long-awaited decision that shifts the case toward how the city will accomplish that task.

The city of Detroit is being allowed to shed billions in debt in the largest public bankruptcy in US history.

Barack Obama has discussed the National Security Agency’s surveillance programmes with the presidents of Mexico and Brazil, the White House said.

Republic of Ireland striker Leon Best came off the bench to rescue a late point for Blackburn and denied Derby a winning start to the new Sky Bet Championship campaign.

Nothing is what it seems in Louis Letterier’s high-stakes game of cat and mouse between four crowd-pleasing Las Vegas illusionists and the FBI.

President Barack Obama is paying tribute to the man who inspired his political activism by taking his family on a tour of the island prison where anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela spent 18 years.

President Barack Obama’s visit to Berlin caps three days of international diplomacy for the president, and marks his return to a place where he once summoned a crowd of 200,000 to share his ambitious vision for American leadership.

The United States is considering a no-fly zone in Syria, potentially its first direct intervention into the two-year-old civil war, Western diplomats said, after the White House said Syria had crossed a “red line” by using nerve gas.

President Barack Obama has decided to authorise lethal aid to Syrian rebels but US officials are still grappling with what type and how much weaponry to send the opposition forces and how to ensure it stays out of the hands of extremists battling for control of Syria.

President Barack Obama has authorised sending weapons to Syrian rebels for the first time, US officials have said.

A preferred book café here in Singapore is just a medium stroll from our apartment.

Asda said it informed customers “immediately, and in the most high profile way possible” about bute detected in a corned beef product initially withdrawn from sale more than a month ago.

US President Barack Obama has launched a three-day Southeast Asia tour, hailing alliances with countries such as Thailand as cornerstones of the administration’s deeper commitment to the Asia-Pacific region.