Darren Clarke ended his season on a high with his best-placed finish in nearly 18 months after climaxing the Australian PGA Championship in a nine-way share of eighth place.

Environment Minister Phil Hogan and four of his officials racked up €9,000 in expenses during a 24-hour trip to a European Council meeting in Luxembourg last summer.

Full implementation of the Kyoto agreement would have cost the world e160bn a year in lost GDP growth, with a temperature reduction of just 0.004C.

Countries agreed a deal today to push for a new climate treaty, salvaging the latest round of United Nations climate talks from the brink of collapse.

AN all-encompassing climate deal “may be beyond our reach for now”, UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has admitted.

THE UN’s top climate official said yesterday she expects governments to make a long-delayed decision on whether industrial countries should make further commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Thousands more emails from the university at the centre of the “climategate” row over global warming science two years ago appear to have been posted online today.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is urging world leaders to create a multibillion dollar fund to fight against the worst results of climate change.

Representatives from 35 countries are meeting in Germany to discuss how to overcome disputes over reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

DESPITE 20 years of effort, greenhouse gas emissions are going up instead of down, hitting record highs as climate negotiators gather to debate a new global warming accord.

More than 190 countries have struck an agreement at the latest round of UN climate talks that puts efforts to secure a new international deal to tackle global warming back on track.

A new gel can block the Aids virus, halving a woman’s chances of getting HIV from an infected partner, US scientists say.

The natural father of Madonna’s adopted daughter hasn’t given up hope of regaining custody of his daughter.

MY father joined the British merchant navy at age 19 in 1944.

A FAMILY moved to Co Limerick to escape increasing gun crime in South Africa – only to have the family pet they brought with them shot.

A South African dementia sufferer who lost a bag containing €150,000 of cannabis at Dublin Airport has been jailed for six years.

A South African man has failed in his appeal against his conviction for the murder of his Irish wife at their home in Co Meath more than four years ago.

The US and at least seven other countries are boycotting the United Nations’ first global racism conference in eight years today, fearing demands to denounce Israel and ban criticism of Islam.

A SOUTH AFRICAN dementia suffer lost a bag containing €150,000 worth of cannabis in the airport, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has heard.

A South African dementia suffer lost a bag containing €150,000 worth of cannabis in Dublin airport, the Circuit Criminal Court has heard.

Britain accused Robert Mugabe today of 'beating his own people to death' in a desperate attempt to cling on to power.

Billy Davies has become the first of the likely candidates to confirm his interest in the Scotland job vacated by Alex McLeish.

Nigel Worthington's tenure as Northern Ireland manager will extend to the weekend at least - and perhaps even beyond.

HAVING laboured as fourth seeds in the current Euro 2008 campaign, the Republic of Ireland are set to move up a rung in the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Strikers Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov found the net as Tottenham defeated Kaizer Chiefs 2-1 in their opening Vodacom Challenge match in Durban, South Africa.

The Ordinary Boys and Basement Jaxx have been announced as support acts on Robbie Williams’ World Tour.

Waterford Chamber of Commerce and the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI) have been selected as finalists in the World Chambers Competition.

RESCUE authorities searched today for the bodies of five men who were swept out to sea during a midnight baptism ceremony on a beach near Durban, South Africa.

ARCHBISHOP Denis Hurley, OMI, who died suddenly in Durban, South Africa, last February, was well known in Ireland.

Atlanta’s Emory University has no plans to rescind an invitation to former Irish president and UN human rights official Mary Robinson to be the keynote speaker at its May 10 graduation ceremony, despite a petition claiming she failed to show sensitivity to anti-Semitism.

IN August 2001, Mary Robinson made a dramatic gesture of solidarity with victims of anti-Semitism.

The world of Irish sport today paid tribute to one of rugby’s rising stars, John McCall, at his funeral in Armagh.

CORK CONSTITUTION have been hit with injury woes in advance of tomorrow's crucial AIB League clash with Shannon at Temple Hill.

The IRFU has requested that a minute's silence be observed before all rugby games this coming weekend as a mark of respect to the late John McCall.

The Ireland Under 19 team & replacements to play their opening game in the IRB Under 19 World Championship against New Zealand Under 19 on Saturday, March 27 in Durban, South Africa has been named.

Archbishop Emeritus Denis Eugene Hurley of Durban, South Africa, died on Friday last after returning home from a religious celebration. He was 89 and had retired from office in 1992.

A BRITISH-BORN South African man appeared in a Johannesburg court yesterday accused of being part of an international human organ trafficking syndicate.

Followers of Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden warned three weeks ago that they would carry out a ‘‘huge and unprecedented attack’’ on US interests, a London-based Arab journalist said today.

Ministers today welcomed an agreement reached at the world racism conference which recognised the injustice of slavery and colonialism.

The European Union has agreed to apologise for slavery and colonialism in the final declaration at the UN conference on racism in Durban, South Africa.

The US has walked out of the World Conference Against Racism after failure to reach a compromise over moves to condemn Israel and Zionism.

An Australian warship which has arrived off Christmas Island may load more than 400 asylum seekers stranded on a cargo ship on to a navy vessel for transfer to New Zealand and Nauru.

The World Conference Against Racism entered its second day today with attention focused on tackling accusations of racism in the Middle East - an issue that threatened to overwhelm the agenda.

SIPTU and the ATGWU are taking practical steps to tackle racism in the workplace and to promote greater tolerance.