Most little girls dream of being a princess — and one man has trekked across the Egyptian desert to "claim" a small piece of land as a kingdom to make his daughter’s fantasy come true.

BP Plc and lawyers for businesses and individuals suing over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill are near a $14bn (€10.64bn) accord to be funded with money set aside for out-of-court settlements, according to people familiar with the talks.

KATIE FROELING has an early chance to make herself an adopted Irish hero as she lines out in green against her native Holland at the Volvo EuroHockey U18 Championships in Utrecht today (3.05pm Irish time).