The shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut are just the latest in the US’s long history of massacres at schools and colleges.

SUDAN activists yesterday called on the United States and the international community to intervene in a region of Sudan inaccessible to outsiders, after a US group released satellite photos of what they said appear to be mass graves.

A previously unknown fault in eastern Arkansas could trigger a huge magnitude-7 earthquake with an epicentre near a major natural gas pipeline, a scientist in the US has warned.

MARK CARROLL has been appointed the US Athlete Manager for Athletics Ireland.

Fergal Rafferty helped his Sam Houston State University team to a second victory of the season as he secured an 11th-placed finish at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock First Tee Collegiate tournament.

ROY SCHEIDER, a one-time boxer whose broken nose and pugnacious acting style made him a star in The French Connection and who later uttered one of cinematic history’s most memorable lines in Jaws, has died. He was 75.

Alistair Cragg has smashed Mark Carroll's Irish 10,000m record by seven seconds.

ALISTAIR CRAGG is relishing a testing return to the international track scene this month as he bids to put a bittersweet 2005 firmly behind him.

IRISH Junior 1500 metres record holder Colin Costello is to take up a scholarship at University of Arkansas, the number-one ranked US track and field college.

IRELAND’S hopes of carrying indoor track glory onto the world cross country stage this weekend received a blow when Alistair Cragg was forced to withdraw from the world championships due to injury.

EUROPEAN gold medallist Alistair Cragg is considering an audacious attempt at the 4km and 12km titles on successive days at the World Cross-Country Championships in Saint-Etienne/Saint-Galmier next weekend.

Dundrum-South-Dublin's David Gillick whizzed home to a new personal best tonight in Madrid, easily qualifying for tomorrow night's 400 metres European Indoor final.

IRISH MEDAL hope Alistair Cragg believes his chances of glory at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Madrid this weekend will be greatly enhanced by the presence of team-mate Mark Carroll beside him on the starting line.

ALISTAIR Cragg will begin his first indoor track season as a professional athlete against a quality field in Boston later this month.

ALISTAIR CRAGG ends a 16-year barren spell in Irish men's athletics when he lines up for the 5,000m final in the Olympic Stadium tonight.

John McDonnell, the Mayo man who has already coached four Irish middle distance Olympians, believes Johannesburg-born Alistair Cragg could be the surprise package for Ireland in tonight’s 5000m heats (5.50pm, Irish time).

ALISTAIR CRAGG takes another step on an amazing career path when he lines up for the semi-finals of the 5,000m in Athens tonight.

IRISH running legend Marcus O’Sullivan has dismissed Cathal Lombard’s explanation for choosing to use performance-enhancing drugs.

John McDonnell has been named coach of the year following another successful season as men’s head coach at the University of Arkansas.

ATHLETICS Ireland have named a team of nine for the world indoor championships in Budapest, but could add two more to the squad over the coming days.

ALASTAIR CRAGG, who has recently declared for Ireland and made himself available for selection for next month's European cross-country championships, finished second in yesterday's American national collegiate cross-country championships at Indiana State University.