Nothing will change my belief that an elected British government is democratic and the EU bloc is a doomed dystopia, says David Kernek

The brutal ‘reign’ of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of IS, self-proclaimed caliph, and the world’s most wanted man, has ended, write Ahmed Rasheed and Ahmed Aboulenein.

Scotland bounced back from last weekend’s humiliation in Nice with a gritty 17-14 win over France at Murrayfield.

Scotland defence coach Matt Taylor has taken the blame for their horror show in Nice after admitting he failed to fire up the Dark Blues before facing France.

Coach Gregor Townsend says Scotland are keeping a close eye on Ireland as both sides prepare for their opening weekend showdown at the World Cup in Japan next month.

Scotland’s World Cup preparations got off to a nightmare start as they were crushed 32-3 by France in Nice.

France centre Geoffrey Doumayrou has been ruled out of the World Cup due to an Achilles injury, coach Jacques Brunel has announced.

British Airways (BA) passengers have reported delayed and cancelled flights due to IT issues with the company's check-in systems.

For the third time in four years, Gordon Elliott saddled the winner of the thetote.com Galway Plate. After Donagh Meyler and Lord Scoundrel in 2016 and Mark Enright and Clarcam 12 months ago, this time it was Luke Dempsey in the saddle, winning aboard Borice.

It is a measure of how under much Hugo Lloris is under-appreciated that commentators regularly refer to Harry Kane as Tottenham captain.

The airport says arrivals and departures will be up 10% over the same period last year with June 1 expected to be the busiest day.

The airport will be a hive of activity this Easter holiday weekend.

Cork Airport has launched eight new routes to its summer schedule offering new services to Croatia, Italy, France, Hungary, and Poland.

Your lunchtime headlines.

Mourinho will be fortunate to keep his job

Hundreds of thousands of ecstatic French fans celebrated the return of their World Cup winning football team yesterday, jumping and chanting “We are the champions” as their bus paraded down the Champs Elysees before a special presidential reception.

Ryanair has cancelled its Dublin to Nice return service today due to a strike by French air traffic controllers.

Dublin will host a London derby this summer as Arsenal and Chelsea meet at the Aviva Stadium.

Yet again the talk surrounding England as they approach a major tournament is marooned somewhere between hope and hype but Damien Duff has questioned whether Gareth Southgate’s players have the commitment required to make a mark at the World Cup.

Ireland return to the familiar surroundings of the Stade de France this evening, caught between feelings of what might have been and what they hope is to come.

Bordeaux may have to prepare for another Irish invasion.

Air France’s new daily flight from Cork to Paris will open up a vast long-haul network to Irish passengers and boost inbound tourist numbers to the south.

Cork Constitution’s Gerry Hurley made his first AIL start of the season last Saturday after his return to amateur rugby following a two-year stint in the south of France.

A portrait of the late John Montague by artist Colin Davidson will be unveiled in UCC today.

Cork Airport has come a long way from the doldrum days experienced during the recession — it expects to handle 2.31m passengers, a 4% increase, by year-end .

Ireland's three main airports expect to operate as normal today with some minor delays following on from yesterday's storm.

If you drive up from Spain the first three towns you hit in France along the A9 are three big rugby strongholds … Perpignan, Narbonne and Beziers.

Leicester are awaiting international clearance to complete the transfer of Adrien Silva from Sporting Lisbon.

ONE of the many gifts sport offers is an economy of language; a battery of pithy philosophies that express truths that would, in a sane world, be more widely embraced.

Barcelona is a new kind of target. It is one of the top five city break destinations in Europe and the biggest that is not a national capital.

The attack in Barcelona is the latest major terrorist outrage to hit Europe in recent years.

A man who may have been trying to kill himself has rammed his car into a pizzeria east of Paris, killing a 13-year-old girl and injuring her younger brother and at least 11 others, authorities said.

A 13-year-old girl was killed and at least five people injured when a driver rammed his car into a pizza restaurant in a small town east of Paris, French police say.

France's anti-terrorism prosecutor has taken picture magazine Paris Match to court in an urgent effort to stop sales of its latest edition showing gruesome photos of the terror attack in Nice.

French President Emmanuel Macron said it is "obvious and indispensable" to have exchanges with US President Donald Trump as the two leaders were set to try to find common ground on security, defence and other issues.

Police in the North are leading a bid to improve how terrorist content on the internet is detected.

IF it was possible to encapsulate the recent history of Europe and humanity’s determination to survive and do nobel, uplifting things in one life then that person might well be Simone Veil, who died yesterday.

Alvaro Morata pounced with a late equaliser to earn Spain a 2-2 draw in their international friendly against Colombia at Estadio de La Condomina in Murcia.

Weaponising vehicles can be stopped if the political will exists, writes Leonid Bershidsky.

France's troubled wartime past is taking centre stage in the presidential race as centrist Emmanuel Macron visits a Nazi massacre site and Marine Le Pen's far-right party suffers a new blow over alleged Holocaust denial.

The London Marathon poses a major security headache for police barely a month since terror struck the heart of the capital.