“The first race on the first day is crucial and we are firing our big guns early in Old Park Star and Lulamba,” said Henderson, speaking at Kempton having watched several of his string work. I can’t say I could say the same this year, but I think he’s lovely. We haven’t discussed tactics as yet, but I’m sure he’s going to be handy I’d expect. I think he’s got the tactical speed to be in that position and we’re pretty sure he stays well. “I think he’s my best chance in the Gold Cup for a while, I think you can give him a realistic chance,” he said.

Ireland's security partnerships need to be put on a "permanent footing" in a "rapidly changing" environment, the Defence Minister said on Tuesday ahead of the launch this week of a new maritime security strategy. Speaking in Dublin, Helen McEntee said while Ireland was already engaging with other countries around intelligence sharing and cyber security, "what I want is for us to put that on a more permanent footing.

Shown above are teff grains being roasted in Ethiopia. A 1/4 cup serving of uncooked teff contains about 190 calories, six grams of protein and three grams of fiber. For comparison, the same size serving of uncooked brown rice contains 170 calories, three grams of protein and two grams of fiber. For the same serving size of quinoa, the grain has 170 calories, six grams of protein and five grams of fiber. A 2023 UNC Greensboro study also found that it had antioxidant effects in cells, suggesting the grain could help to reduce cellular damage.

Rio Ngumoha responds after Arne Slot's blunt reason for lack of Liverpool minutesRio Ngumoha has made an impact off the substitutes' bench for Liverpool this season but is still yet to start a Premier League game under Arne Slot's managementView 2 Images Rio Ngumoha has been stuck on the bench for Liverpool (Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)Rio Ngumoha is happy to remain patient at Liverpool after Arne Slot made it clear that the club won't rush his development. Ngumoha has made 15 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions this season, but is yet to start in the Premier League or Champions League. ‌“He has incredible potential, otherwise at 17 years of age you don’t play as many minutes as he does in the Premier League, let alone at Liverpool,” Slot said. “I don’t think there’s any other 17-year-old that has played so many minutes this season in the Premier League as he has. "I just need to keep pushing and keep gaining the manager's trust and hopefully that leads to more minutes," Ngumoha said, as reported by the Liverpool Echo.

Peter Mandelson has been released on bail after his arrest over claims he committed misconduct in public office during his friendship with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mr Mandelson has denied any wrongdoing. Mr Mandelson was led to a waiting car by detectives without being placed in handcuffs. The CPS’s special crime division is also the part of the prosecution service that would consider the misconduct in public office case against Mountbatten-Windsor. Mr Mandelson is understood to believe he has not committed any offence.

Irish teenagers are being exposed to very large amounts of unhealthy food marketing online with estimates they view up to 19 clear-cut posts promoting unhealthy food on average every hour they use social media. A study commissioned by Safefood — the all-Ireland food safety promotion board — estimates teenagers using social media for just two hours per day will be exposed to almost 11,000 unhealthy food marketing posts per year. The report claims industry self-regulation is not working based on the very high levels of exposure to unhealthy food marketing posts identified by the research. The study also revealed that teenagers spend considerably longer looking at food marketing posts by influencers than paid advertisements. On average, they spent 15 seconds viewing the content of food marketing posts by influencers compared to three seconds for regular ads.

A Tipperary dentist who “brought utter ruination on himself” by defrauding the HSE of €58,000 over a 17-year period has been jailed for one year and ordered to pay €100,000. Sentencing him on Monday, Judge Martin Nolan said the HSE had placed its trust in Kiely as a dentist, but this trust turned out to be “misplaced”. Judge Nolan said it was questionable as to whether Kiely would be able to practise as a dentist again. He asked Judge Nolan to put the matter back until then but Judge Nolan decided to pass down sentence on Monday. He said there is no doubt that his client had “brought utter ruination on himself” and he asked the judge not to impose consecutive sentences.

The GAA’s Games Intelligence Unit (GIU) is now operational with the first report expected after the league concludes. In 2025, the GIU provided data and statistical analysis for the Football Review Committee (FRC) as they monitored the impact of the new rules. The GIU project lead is Johnny Bradley, a highly-regarded analyst who is also the Programme Director for the MSc in Sports Performance Analysis at SETU. “Objective data analysis by the Games Intelligence Unit (GIU), and the support of the performance analyst community was central to the success of the rules project. “The positive football experience this year may well inform our thinking for hurling in the future."

Hollywood chef Wolfgang Puck has roasted Brooklyn Beckham's cooking skills as he insisted 'he is not a chef'. Wolfgang shared his belief that a chef is someone who runs a kitchen and doesn't just post online. Addressing Brooklyn's short form Instagram content, Wolfgang continued: 'The young people today have a short attention span. Hollywood chef Wolfgang Puck has roasted Brooklyn Beckham's culinary skills and said 'he is no chef' while criticising youngsters' 'lack of attention spans'The restaurateur, 76, explained: 'He is not a big chef. In the video, Brooklyn showed off the steps he took to create the 'special spaghetti Bolognese' dish - though ironically, it did not have spaghetti.

Phil Hogan’s bid for top UN food agency job met with lukewarm government supportFormer EU commissioner resigned from that position in light of the Golfgate controversyPhil Hogan has expressed interest becoming director general of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Photo: GettySenan Molony Today at 06:30Support is tepid within the Government for Phil Hogan to head up a key UN agency, sources say.

A former Russian president has warned that the Kremlin would use nuclear weapons against Britain. Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said today that Russia would deploy tactical nuclear weapons against the UK, France and Ukraine if the former two countries provided Kyiv with nuclear weapons technology. Commenting on the purported plans, Medvedev said the move would violate the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. "And if necessary, against the supplier countries as well, which would become accomplices in a nuclear conflict with Russia." It added that "Westerners" are therefore seeking to present any potential Ukrainian acquisition of nuclear weapons as the result of domestic development.

Our experts answer some of the key questions in our latest rugby jury1 – How optimistic are you that Saturday’s record win in Twickenham shows that Ireland have turned a corner? Rúaidhrí O’Connor: Cautiously. They’d a record win over Australia in November and that proved to be a bit of a one-off, but the nature of the performance against England suggests they’re beginning to click properly and their own belief should be boosted by the experience.

JOHN Cleary's Cork footballers fly to Portugal next Tuesday for a four-day warm-weather training camp - and the hope is they’ll depart with promotion close to wrapped up. Victory away to Derry this Sunday would mean only score difference could prevent Cork from rejoining the League’s topflight after 10 years away. A three-way tie on 10 points featuring Cork, Meath, and Louth is also a runner, with that scenario requiring Cork and Louth to inflict back-to-back defeats on Derry across Rounds 5 and 6. In 2024, they finished their League campaign by winning away to Meath and drawing at home to already promoted Armagh. The former Cork hurler and footballer will be absent for the 2026 season because of work commitments abroad.

Photograph: Bryan O BrienThere was a dramatic decline in the number of social homes acquired by local authorities last year via schemes to prevent tenants from becoming homeless and to bring vacant properties back into use. Local authorities recouped €520 million from the department for having purchased 1,501 second-hand social homes in 2024 and €417 million for buying 1,830 such units the year before. The Buy and Renew Scheme enables local authorities to purchase and refurbish derelict properties for use as social housing. Last year, local authorities recouped only €290 million of €375 million available to them under the second-hand acquisitions budget, said a department spokeswoman. The spokeswoman said councils will soon be notified of the parameters of this year’s second-hand acquisitions programme.

Ireland is expected to acquire a number of the vehicles under a deal with French military suppliers. The new vehicles will replace the Defence Forces’ ageing fleet of 80 Swiss-made Mowag armoured personnel carriers (APCs). The vehicles themselves are manufactured by the French defence giants Thales and KNDS. It will involve purchasing a family of vehicles developed under France’s Scorpion Programme, which was launched in 2014 to modernise the French armoured fleet. The Defence Forces will also acquire the MEPAC, a derivate of the Griffon capable of firing 120mm mortars.