THE High Court has reserved judgment in an application by the British authorities for the extradition of Englishman Perry Wharrie, who last July was jailed for 30 years for his role in a significant cocaine smuggling operation in Co Cork.

A bid to extradite an international drug smuggler convicted of killing a British policeman should be dropped until at least 2025, it was claimed today in court.

A convicted police killer jailed for 30 years for his role in Ireland’s largest drugs seizure will face a five-day extradition hearing later this month.

An eight-year-old boy who died after hanging himself was the victim of “a tragic accident”, police said today.

THE danger of bluetongue being brought into Ireland through imported animals was highlighted again yesterday after two new cases of the disease were confirmed in England.

THE High Court adjourned an extradition request by the British authorities for 48-year-old Englishman Perry Wharrie, who was jailed for his role in a €400 million cocaine operation in Co Cork.

The High Court has adjourned an extradition request from the UK for 48-year-old English man Perry Wharrie who was jailed for 30 years for his role in a major cocaine smuggling operation in Co Cork.

Former England footballer Paul Gascoigne has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act, police said today.

Workers were evacuated today after a large fire broke out on an industrial estate in the UK.

A Northern Ireland property and leisure company today teamed up with a leading Scottish hotel management company to develop hotels worth hundreds of millions of euro across Britain.

THE Procter & Gamble plant in Lodz is a massive facility housing a Gillette shaving products factory in a special economic zone on the south-western suburbs of the Polish city.

Investigators in England are looking into claims by a tanker driver that he triggered the Buncefield oil blast by flicking his engine cut-out switch while there was a vapour leak from the plant.

A bitter war of words erupted tonight over claims that firefighters were “woefully prepared” to fight the Buncefield oil blast.

Fire crews hope to extinguish an “apocalyptic” blaze at an oil depot today.

Fire crews resumed their battle at the scene of the blaze at the Buncefield oil depot tonight after fears of a fresh explosion receded.

Progress by a string of utilities was not enough to cheer the rest of the London market today.

More than 100 firefighters were battling today to control a huge inferno that erupted following a series of blasts at an oil depot.

The spectacular black pall of smoke resulting from the huge oil depot fire should start to disperse today, weather experts said.

Marks & Spencer and a clutch of utility stocks were in positive territory today as the FTSE 100 Index enjoyed an upbeat start to the week.

Firefighters today launched a bid to douse the inferno that erupted at an oil depot following a series of explosions.

Oil bosses denied today that there had been leaks before yesterday’s massive depot explosion.

A HUGE fire was raging in southern England last night after a series of explosions ripped through an oil storage depot in what is thought to be the largest incident of its kind in peacetime Europe.

A POTENTIALLY serious loss of life was averted when a series of explosions and fire ripped through a major fuel depot in Hertfordshire in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Road restrictions caused by this morning's explosions at a British oil depot led to travel chaos today with more disruption likely for the Monday morning rush-hour.

No one was killed in the huge explosions that ripped through the Buncefield fuel terminal, near Hemel Hempstead in England today.

Fears of a petrol shortage and hike in prices because of today's massive blasts at the Buncefield oil depot north of London were allayed by a leading industry expert today.

A series of explosions tore through a UK oil depot early today sending flames and smoke shooting hundreds of feet into the sky.

VINCE POWER, the Waterford-born businessman, has netted nearly €18 million from the sale of his entire stake in the Mean Fiddler Music group.

Anthony Davidson stole the limelight from Formula One’s race drivers by setting the benchmark in both today’s practice sessions for the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.

Electrical retailer Dixons delivered an 11% rise in annual profits today following strong performances from its Currys and PC World chains.

Englishman Anthony Davidson had to undergo hospital checks after trapping a nerve while testing for BAR at Paul Ricard.

STANDARD Life Assurance chief executive Sandy Crombie is facing protests from policyholders at the Scottish insurer’s annual meeting over his pay package and plans to sell the company after its value has slumped.

VINNIE JONES is back on the market but this time he’s not looking for a film role or a football club.

League side London Broncos have copied the format of television’s popular music talent shows to launch their own search for a star of the future.

Jarvis Hotels is returning £85m (€134.5m) to shareholders after signing a bumper sale and leaseback deal covering nine of its largest sites.

Electrical retailer Dixons is to create more than 1,000 jobs over the next year, it said today.

A 30-year-old man has denied murder at a funeral in Sligo almost three years ago.

Troubled internet security firm Baltimore Technologies today charged a new chief executive with the task of reviving the business

British Telecom said today it is in talks to outsource its accounting and financial services operation as part of an ongoing restructuring programme.

A leading member of a dissident Irish Republican political group was bombarded with phone calls and letters by a fellow activist in a bitter feud over child sex accusations, a court heard today.