Arsenal star Max Dowman will soon be a player Thomas Tuchel finds impossible to resistThe World Cup will almost certainly come too soon for Max Dowman but there is every chance the Arsenal star will break Theo Walcott's record as the youngest player to win an senior capView 4 Images Max Dowman became the youngest Arsenal player to feature in an FA Cup game (Image: Getty Images)Almost 20 years ago, Sven-Göran Eriksson made a World Cup selection so left-field that the player himself thought it was a practical joke. It was the type of selection unlikely to be repeated but watching Max Dowman tame a treacherous pitch and opposition in Mansfield, it was hard not to envisage him in a full England jersey. A teenage masterclass at the One Call Stadium is not enough to get the one call from Thomas Tuchel. But for those of us arriving late to the Dowman party, this was confirmation that Arsenal and England have a very special talent. When Walcott made his international debut - before his Arsenal debut - in a friendly against Hungary in May, 2006, he became the youngest player in England history.

UK ministers are consulting on whether to ban under-16s from social media after a similar move in Australia. Mr Givan said he introduced a policy last year discouraging the use of smartphones during the school day at post-primaries. Describing the “detrimental effect” of social media as a “distraction in school settings”, Mr Givan said he had been “leading in terms of those changes”. “The ban on social media up to the age of 16 would take that a step further, we would need to look through how do you enforce that,” he told the BBC’s Sunday Politics programme. “I’m a parent of teenage children, I understand, like many parents out there, the detrimental impact that social media is having.

He was speaking as severe financial pressures on the Northern Ireland Executive, particularly in delivering public services, have been highlighted. Mr Givan said if public sector pay commitments are to be met, that should be the starting point on how money is allocated to departments. Stormont departments’ budget allocation needs to be overhauled, Paul Givan has argued (PA)“I think we need to look at how we actually start the process of allocating funding, it can’t just be, last year department x spent the following, this year we’ll top it up by another 5%. “We need to look at the basis upon which we allocate funding. Last month he published a five-year budget strategy which included proposals such as reducing the number of schools in the region and reshaping special educational needs (Sen) support in mainstream schools.

“That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer — But we will remember. Mr Starmer later granted permission for “defensive” US action against Iranian missile sites from UK bases. The prime minister agreed on Sunday to allow the US to strike Iran defensively from Fairford and Diego Garcia, an island in the Indian Ocean. Writing in the Sunday Mirror, Mr Starmer said at moments like this the country needs “seriousness, not political games”. “The Prime Minister must stand firm against Trump’s bullying and avoid getting sucked further into this illegal and damaging war,” Sir Ed Davey said.

Irish expats in Dubai: ‘We were on the golf course and three missiles exploded, but we’re safe here’Even as rockets rain down, long-term Irish in the UAE say they feel protectedA woman jogs along a main street in downtown Dubai yesterday and, inset, Patricia Frawley and Eithne Treanor are two Irish women now resident in DubaiFearghal O'Connor Today at 06:30Thousands of people may be scrambling to get out of the Middle East, but for a small and tight-knit community of well-­established Irish business expats in Dubai, it is a different story.

Liverpool have complained to Elon Musk’s social media platform X after its artificial intelligence bot ‘Grok’ posted several despicable tweets about the club and its supporters. Users can ask Grok questions or to generate content, and some have seen fit to request posts on tragedies such as Hillsborough and Heysel. Liverpool have been appalled by a despicable AI generated post about the Hillsborough disaster and the Heysel tragedyAgain, the subsequent post is too appalling to repeat. Inside Sport understands that Liverpool are aware of the posts and have been successful in their attempt to get them removed. In January, Ofcom hit out at Musk’s site following complaints that Grok was able to produce images of ‘minors in minimal clothing’.

President Catherine Connolly has said events in the Middle Eastare “deliberate assaults on international law” and must be called out “without euphemism and without equivocation”. "The violations of international law we are witnessing are shocking and numbing, but we cannot afford inaction,” she said. “They are deliberate assaults on international law, the international laws that have underpinned global peace for eighty years. “Ireland accepts the generally recognised principles of international law as its rule of conduct in its relations with other States. Ms McEntee repeatedly declined to answer whether she believed the US and Israeli attacks on Iran had breached international law.

Lengthy airport queues and post-holiday blues are a lot easier for me to handle knowing there's a glass of bubbly and extra legroom waiting for me on my Virgin Atlantic flight to London Heathrow. 'We are now asking passengers if they would like to volunteer to downgrade to economy... Is this something you would consider?' 'As a token of gratitude, should you choose to downgrade today, we would like to offer you a round-trip in premium economy to anywhere we fly in the world.' The voucher can then be exchanged for either a Premium return ticket on any flight operated by Virgin Atlantic, or 75,000 Virgin Points. 'As an extra thank you, we'll also put you in an economy seat up front, meaning you'll still have a little more legroom than usual,' he added.

Liverpool star Andy Robertson reveals the truth behind Tottenham transfer talksLiverpool defender Andy Robertson has lifted the lid on what really happened when Tottenham Hotspur tried to sign him back in the final days of the winter transfer windowView 3 Images Andy Robertson has spoken about his Liverpool future and transfer interest (Image: James Gill/Danehouse)Andy Robertson says it was he who decided to snub interest from Tottenham in the winter transfer window to remain at Liverpool - and then hinted he is ready to sign a contract extension. ‌But it was ultimately Robertson who made the call to stay with Liverpool, something he confirmed after Friday night's 3-1 win over Wolves in the FA Cup. "There was obviously interest there - there were discussions had with both sets of clubs," Robertson said. This club has given me everything and I've given this club everything. Robertson continued: "I've always said that [the talks] will stay between me and the club.

Despite its perilous location, Dubai has generally been insulated from the wars and conflicts that intermittingly roil the region. It is making the Gulf states walk a tightrope on Iran, the US and Israel where balance is impossible to maintain. The Gulf states are now being put in a position where they have to set aside their neutrality and pick a side. For many Irish expats who have put down roots in the region, this may be a moment of reckoning. Raymond Barrett is an Irish journalist based in the Washington, DC area and the author of Dubai Dreams: Inside the Kingdom of Bling

On February 15th, 2003, 100,000 people marched through Dublin city centre to demonstrate against the impending US and British invasion of Iraq. An infamous dossier produced by the Tony Blair-led British government claimed Iraq could launch WMDs within 45 minutes. The speeches at the Dublin protest were directed more against the Irish government than against the US and UK. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald accused Taoiseach Micheál Martin of “soft-pedalling” his comments to avoid antagonising US president Donald Trump. Trump also belittled British prime minister Keir Starmer with a stinging putdown: “This is not Winston Churchill we are dealing with.”Martin faces a nerve-racking assignment in Washington.

Roy Keane meets the Cork lord mayor Dan Wallace ahead of the 1986 Kennedy Cup final. The first time I played against Roy Keane’s Rockmount, was in the under-12s, and I was wearing the blue and white of Glasheen. We were managed by Tony Connolly, charismatic wing back on the Cork hurling team that ended the great All-Ireland famine in 1966. Roy Keane with the Republic of Ireland under 21s before a match against England in Cork in 1990. Roy Keane in 1996, thinking, or not, about all those who have travelled in his orbit.

My middle name is Padraig, and I love the extreme Irishness of Niall Padraig Sweeney. Anyway, on that drive, he piped up, “Why don’t you take Sebastian?” I’m especially proud of the combination of the family lineage meeting the New World, when my fabulous brother made this hilarious suggestion. And my parents are still very much alive in my head, still have an attitude toward the work I’m doing. When I’m conscious that I’m hitting those moments, I’m happy. I think that’s fortunate, because I wouldn’t like such heavy baggage.

He asked on Instagram whether any of his followers had noticed “a change in colour, flavour and texture” of Kerrygold. The company’s own posts, promoting various methods of consuming Kerrygold products, also feature the occasional comment querying the “change”. Speculation on the cause was rife, from the plausible-sounding (it’s winter) to the obviously wrong (it’s not butter any more). They “certainly have not changed our ingredients or how we make Kerrygold”, she said. Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, a 1999 winner, returns to chair The Irish Times debate in 2026.

Tom Byrne, Patrick McCormick, Teresa Roche, Richard Moeran and Christine Friel - IFA members who occupied the offices of Bord Bia on Pembroke Road for 28 days. The initial group of 50 depleted to what became known as “the Bord Bia Five” – a small group of IFA demonstrators who occupied the building for 28 days. Gorman had been prepped for a forward-looking interview, expecting the Minister to be focused on the independent review of Bord Bia. For 25 years, “Brazilian beef” has been an incendiary term to Irish farmers and the Government was genuinely concerned that Murrin was undercutting the domestic market. [ Demands by farmers for the head of the Bord Bia chair are delusional and dangerousOpens in new window ]Why would the IFA go out on a ledge like this?