Councillors in Tralee have given a green light to a doubling in size of the town’s McDonald’s restaurant.

British astronaut Tim Peake will tomorrow give his first press conference since returning to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS).

“Young farmers — the new environmentalists — are committed to sustainable environmental management and are best placed to determine what delivers most efficiently and effectively on greening on their farms.”

A farm-specific crop rotation plan would be better for land than a rigid three-crop rule, said Kinsale tillage farmer Martin O’Regan.

A corrupt ideology continues to push austerity on Greece, but if the country is to leave the eurozone, its politics and economic management must change, writes Michael Kinsella.           

The West Cork crew of Ger O’Connell/Denis O’Donovan (Subaru) used their local knowledge with telling effect to claim the spoils in the Skibbereen 100 Isles Navigation Trial that was based in Lisavaird near Clonakilty.

CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory in Cork will open its doors to the public tomorrow for a live feed from the European Space Agency’s nerve-jangling bid to drop a lander on a comet.

The European Tour has announced a comprehensive review into the Final Series after Ernie Els strongly criticised the demands on players.

Norway knitting show

German software firm SQS is to create 75 now jobs in Dublin and Belfast.

Next year’s European Tour has been confirmed with the Irish Open switching from late July to the end of June, but with a venue yet to be announced.

FOOD and drink exports to Germany rose by 37.5% year on year in the first five months of this year, according to Bord Bia.

Lady Gaga says her teenage fans should abstain from having sex for as long as they can.

Shakira has released dates for her European tour, including a December 16 gig in Dublin.

The ‘So What’ singer Pink is due to begin her ‘Funhouse Summer Carnival Tour’ on May 29 in Cologne, Germany, and she has been spending the last few days panicking about hitting the road.

Two commuter trains collided head-on after one ran a stop light at rush-hour in a Brussels suburb, killing at least 12 people and injuring 55, a Belgian official said.

Freya von Moltke, a prominent member of the anti-Nazi resistance in the Second World War, has died at the age of 98, her son said.

BEEF exports could be boosted by a decline in European production over the next five years, according to Bord Bia.

THE Vatican defended the Pope from a growing chorus of Israeli critics who accused the German-born Benedict XVI of failing to express enough remorse for the Holocaust – a controversy that threatened to eclipse a papal pilgrimage aimed at building bridges between faiths.

An ultraconservative society recently rehabilitated by Pope Benedict XVI silenced one of its bishops today and distanced itself from his claim that no Jews were gassed during the Second World War.

The quest for the country’s first space traveller begins today with applications invited from budding star trekkers to become astronauts with the European Space Agency (ESA).

RYANAIR is on course to secure a significant court victory in Germany over rival Lufthansa.

Pope Benedict XVI today called on Christians and Jews to respect each other and work together for world peace.

David Richards’ Prodrive outfit will join the Formula One grid from 2008, world governing body the FIA have confirmed.

Pope Benedict XVI opened a busy Holy Week with a Palm Sunday Mass that was dedicated to young people.

Pope Benedict XVI is considering visiting Israel in the first part of 2007, former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres said today after meeting with the pontiff at the Vatican.

POPE BENEDICT XVI recalled the “fright” he felt at being elected Pope, telling cardinals during his year-end speech yesterday that he never imagined he would be chosen and only agreed to it because he had great faith in God.

Pope Benedict XVI recalled the “fright” he felt at being elected pope in an end-of-the-year speech to cardinals today, saying he never imagined he would be chosen and only agreed to it because he had great faith in God.

A light blue 1975 Ford Escort GL once owned by Pope John Paul II sold for $690,000 (€572,000) to a Houston multimillionaire who said he plans to put it in a museum he wants to build in his home town.

Israel’s two chief rabbis have met Pope Benedict XVI to celebrate the 40th anniversary of a landmark Vatican document on relations with Jews, seeking his support in fighting anti-Semitism and terrorism.

POPE Benedict XVI won praise from Jews and respect from Muslims for his blunt warnings about the rise of anti-Semitism and terrorism in the world - issues that are likely to define his papacy and ones which he confronted head-on during his first foreign trip as pope.

Australian prime minister John Howard today welcomed news the Pope is to visit Sydney for the World Youth Day celebrations in 2008, an event expected to draw thousands of overseas pilgrims to the city.

Hundreds of thousands of young people from 184 countries jammed into Cologne, Germany, for the Roman Catholic Church’s 20th World Youth Day, singing and praying together as they awaited the arrival today of Pope Benedict XVI.

Pope Benedict XVI began his first foreign trip as Pontiff today, leaving Rome to take part in the Roman Catholic Church’s World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany.

Pope Benedict prayed today for God to stop the “murderous hand” of terrorists and again condemned recent attacks in Europe and the Middle East that have been blamed on Islamic extremists.

Liverpool’s players arrived in Istanbul tonight for Wednesday’s Champions League final against AC Milan to a frenzied reception at the airport.

The successor to John Paul II has been elected, Vatican Radio announced today.

Pope John Paul II will leave the hospital this evening, the Vatican announced after the pontiff greeted pilgrims in a raspy voice in his first live address to the faithful since undergoing emergency surgery last month.