Equestrian: Thomas Ryan endured what would typically be a frustrating four faults in the World Cup class at Mechelen on Tuesday.

Belgium, one of the very few countries where euthanasia is legal, is expected to abolish age restrictions on who can ask to be put to death – extending the right to children for the first time.

Billy Twomey believes his new acquisition, Codarco, has the talent to go all the way, including “possibly” to the Olympics, but he will be taking it one step at a time.

Cork-based industrial firm Crest Solutions has acquired Belgian company VistaLink for an undisclosed sum.

MORE than anything, show jumper Jessica Kürten saw her first major grand prix win in over a year last Sunday as one of portent.

Show jumper Billy Twomey’s fourth place in the World Cup qualifier at Leipzig, Germany, has propelled him to the top of the Olympic rankings, according to Horse Sport Ireland, while Jessica Kürten posted her first major grand prix win in over a year in Amsterdam.

SHOW jumper Denis Lynch has risen to second in the Rolex World Cup league table following his fifth place with Abbervail van het Dingeshof in Mechelen, Belgium, yesterday.

DENIS LYNCH will be aiming to further repair his “dented pride” this weekend when he lines out in the second leg of the Global Champions Tour (GCT) in Valencia, Spain.

NOVEMBER in Toronto and Dermott Lennon is in top form. Fourth in the World Cup qualifier with Hallmark Elite and, along the way, picking up a couple of decent placings.

You can’t keep a good thing down. It is an aphorism that, as 2010 came to a close, seemed apt for Cameron Hanley, as he returned to winning ways, notably at the four-star shows in Salzburg, Austria and Dresden, Germany.

JESSICA KUERTEN greatly boosted her chances of making the World Cup final yesterday when fending off a strong effort from the home contingent to win the qualifier at Mechelen, Belgium.

Irish showjumper Jessica Kurten won the latest Rolex FEI World Cup event held in Mechelen, Belgium today.

IRELAND show jumping manager Robert Splaine has given two of the next four Rolex World Cup slots to Jessica Kürten, with Cameron Hanley and Dermott Lennon sharing one apiece.

THE Vatican yesterday protested to Belgium over raids carried out on Church offices and the home of a cardinal by investigators looking into sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests.

Jessica Kurten gave Ireland a top class result to end the year when she took second place in Belgium's World Cup Qualifier class at Mechelen this evening.

THE staging of the Tattersalls World Cup event remained on a knife edge last night as efforts continued to find the necessary finance.

Denis Lynch has finished fifth at the last major showjumping event of 2008.

A Belgian woman told today how she spotted a child resembling Madeleine McCann in Brussels just days after she went missing.

JESSICA KÜRTEN’S World Cup ambitions have taken a setback following a fall prior to Christmas.

THE chairman of the implementation group charged with setting up an umbrella body for equestrianism hopes to complete the group’s task by Christmas.

JESSICA KÜRTEN is to test the goodwill of the Irish show jumping selectors with a request for slots in forthcoming World Cup qualifiers.