A private detective accused of exploiting the hunt for Madeleine McCann to fund his lavish lifestyle has been found dead.

Ger McCarthy shares what we learned from Ireland's clash with Denmark…

There have been reports of scam calls coming from the Liberia +231 prefix.

Update: At least four people are believed to have been killed when a cargo plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean just after taking off from Ivory Coast's airport in Abidjan.

Tullow Oil is to turn its focus towards South America later this year, aiming to start drilling offshore Suriname by October at an area close to where super-major ExxonMobil this week made a significant discovery off the coast of Guyana.

Manchester United defender Eric Bailly has received a three-match European ban after he was sent off in May's Europa League semi-final against Celta Vigo.

Qatar Airways have launched new daily direct flights from Doha to Dublin which will boost regional tourism in Ireland.

Former Newcastle team-mate Papiss Cisse led the tributes to Cheick Tiote at a memorial service in China today.

THE cuckoo’s evocative call announces the arrival of summer but it’s no longer heard where I live, writes Richard Collins. 

Explore, the adventure travel specialists, has launched eight brand new ‘Explore Beyond’ trips, which offer cruising through the tropical waters of West Papua, exploring the remote villages of the Ivory Coast or experiencing the Adivasi Tribal Fair in east India. 

"All the best Irish people aren't Irish, I mean look at Jack Charlton."

Arsene Wenger is ready to take Arsenal into the latter stages of the Champions League as group winners after claiming Premier League clubs can compete against the competition’s best teams.

People-smugglers are overloading refugees in inflatable dinghies that are so poorly manufactured they’ve no hope of making their destination.

Whoops!

A foundation set up by former Chelsea footballer Didier Drogba to help poor communities in the Ivory Coast is to be investigated by the charities watchdog.

Greek authorities say the 202 migrants and refugees who had not applied for asylum in Greece and were returned to Turkey included people from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and Congo.

Pope Francis tempered his Easter Sunday message of Christian hope with a denunciation of “blind” terrorism, recalling victims of attacks in Europe, Africa, and elsewhere, as well as expressing dismay that people fleeing war or poverty are being denied a welcome, as European countries squabble over the refugee crisis.

The president of Ivory Coast has said 14 civilians and six armed men were killed after attackers targeted beach-goers and three hotels in the historic resort town of Grand-Bassam.

Brought up as the eldest of seven, Clár was always interested in words. 

Coffee production in Indonesia will probably drop 20% next year from a record as the strongest El Nino in almost two decades hurts crops in the world’s third-largest producer of robusta beans.

Suspected Islamist gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in Mali’s capital yesterday, firing automatic weapons and seizing more than 100 guests and staff in a hostage-taking incident that left at least 27 people dead.

It is the Western powers’ strategy of training, funding, and arming ‘moderate’ jihadists to fight against the ‘radicals’ that is now backfiring with deadly consequences, writes Brahma Chellaney

 

An image of a drowned toddler washed up on the beach in one of Turkey’s prime tourist resorts swept across social media after at least 12 Syrian refugees died trying to reach the Greek island of Kos.

THE tragic death of teenager Ronan Hughes highlights not just the ongoing problem of cyberbullying but the growing phenomenon of criminal gangs extorting money from vulnerable individuals.

KINGSLEY Wheaton found himself in the middle of a coup d’état. It was 1999. At 23, he had joined the cigarette manufacturer, Rothmans, who had sent him to Dubai.

Uh-oh, it looks like the Westboro Baptist Church is mad at us. Whatever shall we do?

Midfielder Yaya Toure’s future at Manchester City appears to be drawing to a close as Inter Milan vice-president Javier Zanetti claimed the Italian giants are close to completing a move for the Ivory Coast star.

A Spanish court has ordered the detention of a man from Ivory Coast who allegedly hid his eight-year-old son inside a closed suitcase in an attempt to smuggle him into Europe.

Around 40 migrants died in the Mediterranean on Sunday, according to survivors of the journey who arrived on the southern Italian island of Sicily, local Save the Children spokeswoman Giovanna Di Benedetto said.

Raffaele Sollecito said he needs to heal wounds inside his heart and soul now that he has been cleared of the 2007 murder British student Meredith Kercher.

Tullow Oil has said it is discussing redundancies with employees as the energy explorer in Africa seeks to cut costs amid low oil prices.

Prudential paid tribute to “one of the most exceptional leaders” in its history today after boss Tidjane Thiam announced plans to leave the insurer.

Liberia has released its last ebola patient from a treatment centre in the capital Monrovia, beginning its countdown to being declared ebola-free.

Tullow Oil lost over £200m (€274m) of its market value yesterday, hit by concerns that a boundary dispute between Ivory Coast and Ghana could delay a project off the coast of west Africa.

Africa Cup of Nations preview

Newcastle midfielder Cheick Tiote has issued an apology after being reprimanded by his club for being videoed driving with an open bottle of champagne in his hand.

Premier League

Burkina Faso’s veteran leader refused to resign in the face of violent protests that posed the greatest threat to his nearly three-decade rule.

Substitute Lukas Podolski netted a dramatic late winner as Arsenal came from behind with two goals in the final two minutes to beat Anderlecht 2-1.

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini has no concerns over players such as Yaya Toure visiting West Africa despite the outbreak of the Ebola virus.