THERE are days when you just want middle-of-the-road, keep-the-show-on-the road food — days when you don’t need, or even want, poppy-seed brown bread knitted by celibate artisan bakers; days you just can’t summon up the joie de vivre needed to make the prospect of crabmeat or pan-roasted cod named after the port in which its captor buys his marine diesel, seem even vaguely uplifting. 

Protests were staged in France over the decision to charge a jeweller with manslaughter after he shot and killed an escaping robber.

Joe Ward hobbled out of the European Championships following a freak injury against Polish light heavyweight Matrusz Tryc in Minsk, Belarus yesterday.

Two car bombs exploded in a Turkish town near the border with Syria today, killing around 40 people and injuring 100 others, the country's interior minister said.

“A 36-year-old insurance agent from Istanbul knocked United out of Europe.”

Former Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor has won the presidential election in the crisis-hit EU country with 67.3% of the vote, according to an exit poll.

Clashes broke out in the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana as angry demonstrators tried to push through a police cordon to storm parliament and police used water cannon and tear gas to repel them.

Clashes broke out tonight in the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana as angry demonstrators tried to push through a police cordon to storm parliament.

Police have arrested three suspected members of al Qaida who had amassed explosives and may have been plotting attacks in Europe.

It was generally accepted that boxing took a step backwards in Trabzon when teenage sensation, Joe Ward, was dumped out of the Olympic qualifying tournament on the back of what was a dreadful decision that robbed the 2012 Olympic Games of one of the best boxers in the world.

Petr Cech has claimed referee Cuneyt Cakir could play a key part in Chelsea’s bid to reach the Champions League final tonight.

Adam Nolan, with Olympic qualification secured, rounded off a memorable week with the gold medal around his neck after beating the teak tough German welterweight Patrick Wojcicki on countback at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Trabzon.

The controversial defeat suffered by Olympic medal hope Joe Ward in Trabzon on Monday highlighted once again a problem that has been endemic in boxing down the years.

“THE heathers will be blazing in Wexford tonight,” Irish coach Billy Walsh predicted as he embraced fellow county man Adam Nolan, who yesterday became the second man from the Model County to qualify for an Olympic Games — Billy himself having qualified for the Seoul Olympics in 1988.

Paddy Barnes was fortunate he was qualified for the Olympics before facing Turkish light flyweight Ferhat Pehlivan in yesterday’s semi-final in Trabzon because he was beaten in a result that will rank right up there with the big hometown decisions — although not as bad as the Joe Ward fiasco which cost him his place in London 2012.

The three remaining Irish boxers in the Olympic qualification tournament in Trabzon will be back in action in today’s semi-finals.

Beijing Olympic bronze medallist Paddy Barnes is through to his second Olympic Games and vowed to come back with a medal of “a better colour”, after defeating Stefan Caslarov (Romania) 17-9 in yesterday’s quarter-finals on a memorable day at the qualifiers in Trabzon where welterweight Adam Nolan and heavyweight Tommy McCarthy also kept their hopes alive with big wins.

Heartbroken Joe Ward was thrown an Olympic lifeline last night after his controversial elimination from the qualifying tournament in Trabzon, Turkey.

Joe Ward’s defeat at the Olympic qualifying tournament stunned everyone but the local fans who arrived to cheer their hometown hero Bahram Muzaffer after the Turk had managed to extract an 18-15 victory from the judges.

FIONNUALA BRITTON will line up as one of the medal favourites alongside Turkey’s Binniz Uslu and Portugal’s Ana Dulce Félix for the European cross-country championships in Velenje, Slovenia tomorrow.

Shamrock Rovers boss Michael O’Neill remains convinced his side will collect Europa League points after they were taught a harsh lesson by Rubin Kazan.

Bolton 2 Macclesfield 1

POPE Benedict has signed off on the miracle needed for the beatification of Pope John Paul II on May 1.

Everton 1 Stoke 0

Stoke City 1 Manchester Utd 2

A PERUVIAN author whose latest novel is based on the life of Irish nationalist Roger Casement has been awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in literature.

SUPERCEDE continued Gordon Elliott’s tremendous run of success when coasting to an effortless win under Paul Carberry in the Loughnagore Handicap Chase in Kilbeggan last night.

Derval O'Rourke's love affair with Championship racing was evident once again as she blasted through this morning's 100m hurdles heats at the European Championships in Barcelona.

WHILE the future of Cork City was being discussed elsewhere, manager Roddy Collins used the first major press conference of his tenure to take a swipe at the club’s past.

THE Turk who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981 was released from prison yesterday after more than 29 years behind bars and proclaimed he was a messenger of God and the world will end this century.

THE world’s tallest man says it is high time he found love.

IT was the revolution that ended the Cold War. But there was not a shot fired.

Republic of Ireland Under-21 0 Turkey Under-21 3

BILLY WALSH will be looking for more of the same from Ryan Lindberg and Willie McLoughlin at the European Championships in Liverpool today when Ireland will have four boxers fighting for places in the quarter-finals.

THE Irish challenge got off to an astonishing start at the European boxing championships in Liverpool yesterday when the two boxers in action won their respective contests and the other seven members of the team got byes into the last 16 in their divisions.

Two of Hollywood’s greatest actors return together to the screen, after a 13-year lay-off, but, sadly, the film doesn’t match their towering talents.

NOT for the first time, Dundalk belonged to Johnny Murtagh and Ger Lyons last night as each recorded a four-timer.

There is just no stopping Johnny Murtagh and the in-form rider continued his terrific run of form with a four-timer at Dundalk this evening.

Middlesbrough 2 Tottenham 1

KENNETH EGAN will climb into the ring next Tuesday just one fight away from an Olympic medal and, like it or not, he will be favourite to take the bronze medal — at least — away from Beijing, following a very impressive 10-2 victory over the Turkish light heavyweight, Bahram Muzaffer, for a place in the quarter finals.

WHEN the Irish team assembled at O’Hare Airport for the return flight to Dublin after the world championships the atmosphere in the camp was one of tension as well as disappointment.

Departing Spain coach Luis Aragones has backed Vicente del Bosque as the right man to take over from him at the helm of the newly-crowned European Champions.

Chelsea 1 Middlesbrough 0

Arsenal 1 Middlesbrough 1