Heavy rain and 185 mph winds lashed the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico's north-east coast on Wednesday as Hurricane Irma roared through Caribbean islands on its way to a possible hit on South Florida.

"The first thing I want to do is just sit back and relax."

Hillary Clinton stands on the cusp of having enough delegates to claim the Democratic presidential nomination, having overwhelmed Bernie Sanders in a pair of weekend elections in the Caribbean.

Lawyers for a woman who claims she was made to have under-age sex with Britain's Prince Andrew have formally requested that he respond to her allegations under oath.

Buckingham Palace has said there is “no record” of a meeting between the British queen and the woman at the centre of sex allegations against her son, the Duke of York.

Buckingham Palace has issued a second denial that the Duke of York had sexual contact with a woman who claims she was forced to have sex with him when she was under age.

Buckingham Palace has issued a second denial that the Duke of York had sexual contact with a woman who claims she was forced to have sex with him when she was underage.

Buckingham Palace has denied the Duke of York has committed any impropriety after he was reportedly named in US court documents related to a convicted paedophile.

The multi-millionaire brother of Lord Carbery has secured a High Court order freezing the assets of the woman he hired to restore the family’s abandoned gothic mansion, Castlefreke.

Amateur ham radio operators from around Munster will wind turn back the clock this weekend when they attempt to communicate via radio and Morse code with hundreds of radio clubs throughout the world.

Kawhi Leonard will probably never adorn an NBA billboard in China, nor will Boris Diaw or Patty Mills.

A single ticket has won a $425m (€309m) Powerball jackpot in the US today.

A 44-year-old immigrant from the Dominican Republic has won a $338m (€263m) lottery jackpot in the US.

Tropical Storm Rafael has lashed the eastern Caribbean with heavy rains which are expected to unleash floods on islands around the region.

Rick Santorum overwhelmingly won the Kansas presidential caucuses, hoping to blunt front-runner Mitt Romney’s momentum in the grinding campaign for the nomination to oppose President Barack Obama in the November election.

CUBAN Dayron Robles became another high-profile disqualification at the World Championships as he was stripped of his 110m hurdles gold medal.

Tropical storm Irene strengthened into a hurricane today after it began moving across Puerto Rico, bringing torrential rains and winds and threatening to move toward the US later in the week.

FIFA have announced 16 officials from Caribbean associations have been charged with breaching rules on ethics in the wake of the bribery scandal that saw Mohamed Bin Hammam banned for life.

PAUL HESSION found plenty of reasons to smile after Saturday’s trip to the Cork City Sports.

Francisco ‘Paco’ Javier Fernandez, a multi-medallist at Olympic, World and European level, led home the field in the 3km walk at today's Cork City Sports meeting.

JetBlue Airways said it has become the largest carrier in Puerto Rico, surpassing American Airlines.

Heavy rain has hammered southern Haiti for a seventh straight day, triggering floods and mudslides and causing houses and shanties in the capital to collapse.

Hurricane Igor barrelled north-eastwards toward Canada early today, leaving behind power cuts, grounded boats and downed trees in Bermuda and kicking up dangerous surf on the US Atlantic coast.

Big waves pounded Bermuda's beaches today as islanders rushed to board up windows, fill sandbags and stock up on water, food and other supplies before Hurricane Igor's expected arrival.

A still-growing hurricane lashed a large area of the Caribbean today, wrecking homes and sending tourists rushing for shelter.

Hurricane warnings went out across a large part of the Caribbean today as a major storm grew in force.

A MAN who murdered the sister of Frasier star Kelsey Grammer and two other people more than three decades ago has been denied parole after the prison board heard a written statement from Grammer calling the man a butcher and a monster.

The US government is asking a judge for permission to go after at least $226.6m (€174.4m) in back taxes, penalties and interest it says are owed by Sir Allen Stanford, the Texas billionaire accused of conducting an €6.1bn investment fraud through an offshore bank.

Authorities in St Croix in the US Virgin Islands were trying to contain oil spills after more than 40 boats sank or washed ashore during Hurricane Omar.

Powerful Hurricane Omar has pummelled St Croix in the US Virgin Islands with heavy rains and winds, sinking boats in the harbour and knocking down trees and power lines across the island.

The National Hurricane Centre in the US today said the newest tropical depression is forecast to become a tropical storm as it drifts south-east in the Atlantic.

Barack Obama has won the Maine caucuses today to sweep all five weekend Democratic contests, gaining new momentum and further narrowing rival Hillary Clinton's delegate lead in their epic battle for the party's presidential nomination.

Democrat Hillary Clinton has replaced her campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle.

Hillary Clinton looked to the Maine caucuses today to put a brake on Barack Obama’s momentum after the Illinois senator won convincingly in four Democratic contests over the weekend to gain an edge in their deadlocked presidential nomination battle.

Kenny Chesney explains why the word “fraud” was used on the document filed by Renee Zellweger to annul their marriage and denies the gay rumours it fanned, in an interview to be broadcast this Sunday on CBS’ “60 Minutes.”

Eight workers at a meat processing plant in Lincoln, Nebraska, claimed the record $365m Powerball jackpot today, giving each about $15.5m after taxes.

A lucky winner from Nebraska has netted $365m (€306m) in the biggest lottery jackpot in American history, but has yet to claim the prize, US lottery officials said today.

Hollywood star Renee Zellweger and country singer Kenny Chesney appear to have put the memory of their doomed four-month marriage behind them to remain friends.

Renee Zellweger, who has filed for an annulment from husband Kenny Chesney after just four months of marriage, says the couple “hope to experience this transition as privately as possible".

BRIDGET Jones is untying the knot.

Renee Zellweger, who has filed for an annulment from husband Kenny Chesney after just four months of marriage, says the couple “hope to experience this transition as privately as possible.”

Academy Award-winner Renee Zellweger recalled her first trip to Hollywood nearly two decades ago as a tourist as she received her own shiny star on the Walk of Fame.