Muirfield’s popularity amongst players as a British Open venue will be tested by an extra 158 yards and “plenty” of rough for this year’s Championship from July 18-21.

Parts of Britain have been placed on amber alert today as the country lies in wait for widespread snow.

A break in snowfall has given welcome relief in the UK after the worst winter weather for a century.

Frozen Britain will endure another Arctic blast of snow and ice today as sub-zero temperatures bring more chaos to public transport, motorways and commuters.

The big freeze gripping the country will get worse this week with snow spreading inland and some temperatures plunging as low as minus 20C, forecasters warned.

House prices fell for the third month in a row during September as properties flooded on to the market, research indicated today.

THEY lost their first yacht after striking a reef in the Java Sea, they capsized 3,200 kilometres off the American coast, and they have sailed through the teeth of wild Pacific storms.

THEY may have travelled around the world despite being amateurs but the crew of the Cork Clipper can’t really do “downtime”.

House prices in the UK fell for the first time in 10 months during February as the market was hit by winter weather and the end of the stamp duty holiday, figures showed today.

A SAILOR on the Irish entry in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, which was abandoned after hitting a reef, said she and her crew-mates will be back on a Cork boat by the time the race arrives Ireland this summer.

House prices in England and Wales jumped by 1.7% during July - the biggest increase for five years, figures showed today.

The number of new properties being built in the UK jumped by 63% during the second quarter as the housebuilding industry continued to show signs of revival, figures showed today.

The leader of the far-right British National Party wept tonight as he saluted party members for helping win two seats in the European parliament.

A small throng of demonstrators arrived early today ahead of British National Party leader Nick Griffin’s victory speech in Blackpool, England.

The British National Party has won its its first two seats in the European Parliament.

Another 11 cases of swine flu were confirmed in England today, bringing the UK total to 229, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) said.

A Derry businessman is to skipper a crew of virtual novices in his first attempt at one of the most gruelling challenges at sea, it was revealed today.

Fresh evidence of a slowdown in the British housing market emerged today when official figures showed price growth faltered in October.

London shares achieved a two-month high today on the back of a decent showing by banks and oil stocks.

Associated British Ports today unveiled a £44.5m (€65.7m) expansion of its Humber terminal in a bid to meet the UK’s hunger for imported coal.

The pace of corporate news is set to quicken this week with heavyweights including spirits group Diageo and Associated British Ports due to report. Results are also expected in the UK engineering, pubs and leisure sectors.

A British prisoner who spent two years on Death Row faces being extradited back to America after being indicted in the 1974 murders of two Mormon missionaries.

Salvage experts were today attempting to remove 180 tonnes of oil from a cargo vessel which ran aground on rocks.

An explosion has ripped through the Conoco oil refinery on the Humber estuary.