Ray D’Arcy’s bride-to-be Jenny Kelly was the guest of honour on his show yesterday, along with Dustin the Turkey, as he signed off before his wedding this weekend.

CROATIA all but guaranteed themselves a place at Euro 2012 after hammering hosts Turkey in the first leg of their play-off at the Ataturk Stadium last night.

THE last meeting between the sides has been playing on the mind of the Croatia coach, Slaven Bilic. That was in the quarter-final of Euro 2008. Turkey, having gone behind to Ivan Klasnic’s header in the final minute of extra-time, levelled through Semih Senturk in injury-time, a goal that seemed to shatter Croatia.

TURKEY’S ruling Islamist-rooted party clinched a record landslide in yesterday’s parliamentary polls, but appeared short of the two-thirds majority it needs to rewrite the constitution, unofficial results showed.

TURKEY’S prime minister yesterday vowed to put everyone who conspired against the country’s democracy on trial as more military officers were arrested.

Not music to Irish ears

Dustin the Turkey tonight failed to get Ireland through to the 53rd Eurovision Song Contest final.

Dustin the Turkey is gearing up to launch his assault on the Eurovision song contest tonight.

YOUR recent editorial about reconsidering our values after the horrible incident in a Co Galway school playground was excellent.

Dustin The Turkey has tonight been chosen by a public vote to represent Ireland in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest in Serbia in May.

Ireland reached the final of the European Men's Amateur Team Golf Championship in Scotland after a dramatic 4-3 win over England today.

TURKEY’S top Islamic cleric asked the Pope to take back recent remarks he made about Islam and unleashed a string of counteraccusations against the Christian Church yesterday, raising tensions ahead of the pontiff’s visit to Turkey in November, his first to a Muslim country.

CONDITIONS on the Roodee should be perfect for tomorrow’s totesport Chester Cup, for which a maximum field of 18 has been declared for what is the showpiece of the three-day meeting.

Two men reported to be soldiers and wearing T-shirts with “Turkey” written on them took a hostage at a popular Burger King restaurant in Istanbul today and then released him after negotiations with police.

In the second part of our Top 50 list of the most influential figures in Irish music, Joe McNamee considers some of the surprising results.

GO on you good thing and don’t wash your turkey this Christmas!

THE big issue for Brian Kerr in tonight’s challenging game against a slick and sophisticated Turkey is what role to assign to Ireland’s outstanding player, Damien Duff.

TURKEY’s foreign minister said it was likely that lawmakers would vote tomorrow on allowing tens of thousands of American combat troops in the country ahead of a possible Iraq war.

TURKEY entered into a political war of nerves with the United States yesterday when it signalled it was delaying a decision on allowing US troops to deploy on Turkish soil for a possible invasion of Iraq.

DUSTIN certainly knows a thing or two about impressing women.

NOBODY in Turkey had probably heard of Korean referee Young Joo Kim before they played Brazil - but they will know all about him now.

TURKEY can match Brazil for skill and defeat them on teamwork, Turkish midfielder Yildiray Basturk believes.