Aer Lingus Regional has confirmed that it is axing its Shannon to Manchester service from the end of next month but has denied it is because Ryanair will begin operations on the same route.

Europe correspondent, Ann Cahill, delivers her weekly briefing on Euro affairs from the European Parliament.

A former Ryanair pilot, who once wrote a letter to the Financial Times claiming the airline’s chief executive, Michael O’Leary, should be replaced by a junior to reduce costs, claims he would still be working for the company if it had not been “completely unreasonable”.

Budget airline Ryanair has announced another batch of new routes out of the west of Ireland on the back of the travel tax being scrapped.

Ryanair has today confirmed that it will open three new routes from Knock to Eindhoven, Glasgow Prestwick & Kaunas from April 2014.

Hearts are to go into administration, the club has confirmed.

Hearts are to go into administration, it is understood.

FOLLOWING medal successes at the world youth and European U23 championships, Ciara Mageean (City of Lisburn) will be one of the favourites at the women’s European junior 1,500m final in Tallinn on Thursday morning.

BADMINTON may not be up there with GAA, rugby or soccer in terms of popularity amongst the Irish public but with Irish participation in four of the five finals at the Yonex Lithuanian Badminton Open 2011 in Kaunas yesterday, the sport has clearly attracted some of the nation’s most talented athletes.

Ryanair today announced its first five routes from the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, to Barcelona (Girona), Dublin, London (Stansted), Milan (Bergamo) and Rome (Ciampino) from May onwards.

Irish and UK airports suffered some of the biggest falls in passenger numbers in Europe last year, according to a continent-wide survey.

Scotland 2 Liechtenstein 1

Steven Fletcher is expected to withdraw from the Scotland squad for their Euro 2012 Euro qualifying game against Liechtenstein at Hampden on Tuesday.

Sweden 3 Scotland 0

Ryanair today announced eight new routes from Brussels and Dusseldorf to destinations in Europe.

Walter Smith is relieved Rangers will not have to qualify for the Champions League next season after they booked their place in the lucrative group stages of the competition by clinching the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title.

Franck Ribery was France’s hero for the second time in five days against Lithuania, his second-half winner in Paris tonight lifting Les Bleus into second place in World Cup qualifying Group Seven.

Rangers 2 Hearts 0

Walter Smith believes he finally saw glimpses of the spirit which saw Rangers compete on four fronts last season when they opened the new Clydesdale Bank Premier League campaign with a win at Falkirk today.

WALTER SMITH is confident Rangers can secure the win they need in Kaunas and book a place in the final qualifying round of the Champions League despite last night’s goalless stalemate at Ibrox.

Airline Ryanair today unveiled its 25th base at Birmingham.

A DEFIANT Ryanair is adding 40 new routes this winter — saying turbulent times for the industry will not halt its expansion plans.

Budget airline Ryanair has today launched eight new routes from its Shannon base to Birmingham, Fuerteventura, Kaunas (Lithuania), Leeds, London Luton, Riga, Tenerife and its first domestic service from Shannon to Dublin.

Thierry Henry will aim to become France‘s all-time leading goalscorer in their must-win Euro 2008 Group B against Lithuania.

PLOUGHMEN from Carlow and Wexford will represent the Republic at the world ploughing championships in Kaunas, Lithuania (September 14-15).

Ryanair has announced plans to begin operating eight new routes from Shannon Airport later this year.

FRANCE coach Raymond Domenech has sprung a surprise in naming Arsenal’s Abou Diaby and Chelsea’s Lassana Diarra in his squad for the double-header against Lithuania and Austria later this month.

Ryanair has announced that it will launch two new routes between Dublin and Poland in May.

Hearts sporting director Alex Koslovski has dismissed talk the club are set to replace head coach Valdas Ivanauskas with fellow Lithuanian Eugenijus Riabovas.

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH Kenny Miller inspired a famous victory for Scotland against Lithuania in Kaunas to make it two wins from two in their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign.

Man-of-the-match Kenny Miller inspired a famous victory for Scotland against Lithuania in Kaunas to make it two wins from two in their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign.

Hearts have appointed Valdas Ivanauskas as head coach on a permanent basis following a successful period as interim boss last season.

Lithuanian police were astonished when they pulled over a truck driver and his breathalyser test registered 18 times the legal alcohol limit.

ONE of Europe’s largest low fares airlines launched its first Irish route to Poland yesterday, targeting the country’s growing Polish population.

Budget airline Ryanair announced it was starting 11 new routes from Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport in the autumn.

Ryanair today announced a major expansion of its operations at Dublin Airport.

Ryanair fell 10c to €7.25 on today's ISEQ despite the announcement of a a new route from Dublin to Kaunas in Lithuania.

Ryanair announced a new route from Dublin to Kaunas in Lithuania.

A Russian Su-27 fighter bomber crashed today in Lithuania during a flight across the former Soviet republic to the Russian Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad, and the pilot ejected safely, the Russian Defence Ministry said.

Rafael Benitez has made eight changes for Liverpool's Champions League qualifier against Kaunas tonight.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez will only rotate his squad in the Champions League second qualifying round second leg at home to Kaunas once the result has been secured.

JAMES NOLAN (1,500m) and Paul Hession (200m) were declared fit to compete at the world championships in Helsinki following Saturday’s Dublin International Meet at Morton Stadium.

FOUR athletes made it through to their respective finals and two athletes - Linda Byrne in the steeplechase and Breffni Twohig in the 5,000m - set new national junior records on a great day for the Irish at the European Junior Track and Field Championships in Kaunas yesterday.