Fox recruits soccer icon for World Cup TV role after failing to land David Beckham and Jurgen Klopp
Legendary striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has joined Fox Sports as an analyst for this summer's World Cup. According to The Athletic, Fox made moves to hire both David Beckham and Jurgen Klopp. In the end, Fox secured Ibrahimovic as a full-time analyst for this summer's tournament, which runs from June 11 to July 19. Fox chiefs remained tight-lipped on whether Tom Brady - an acquaintance of Ibrahimovic and Fox's lead NFL analyst - helped broker the deal. The 44-year-old is already known to soccer fans in the United States, having briefly played in Major League Soccer with LA Galaxy.
Source:Daily Mail
March 18, 2026 21:15 UTC
Man Utd chief confirms fresh timeline for record-breaking £2bn new stadium
United have been locked in talks with Freightliner over a nearby freight terminal, which sits in the path of the new plans. Club chiefs have now offered a fresh update on the new stadium, with a specific target of the start of work being revealed. Chief Executive Officer of the New Stadium Development, Collette Roche, offered her take at a property trade show in Cannes. FOLLOW OUR MAN UTD FB PAGE! And there should be one [a large stadium] in the North, in my view.
Source:Daily Mirror
March 18, 2026 21:11 UTC
Zendaya re-wears Vivienne Westwood Oscars gown at The Drama premiere
Zendaya re-wears Vivienne Westwood Oscars gown at The Drama premiereBy Lara Owen, PAZendaya turned to her own fashion archive as she stepped out at the premiere of The Drama, re-wearing a white Vivienne Westwood gown she first wore to the Academy Awards in 2015. Zendaya re-wore the Vivienne Westwood gown (Chris Pizzello/AP) Photo by Chris PizzelloThe gown, a signature design from the British designer, features a structured corset bodice with softly draped fabric across the shoulders, falling into a streamlined column skirt with a subtle train. Zendaya at the Oscars in 2015 wearing the same Vivienne Westwood gown (Ian West/PA)For the premiere of The Drama, however, she reimagined the look with a more minimal approach. The decision to re-wear a previous red carpet look reflects a growing trend in celebrity fashion, with archival dressing becoming increasingly prominent. Her red carpet wardrobe has reflected those themes, with a series of bridal and romantic references present across multiple appearances.
Source:Irish Independent
March 18, 2026 21:07 UTC
‘Deeply upset’ Drogheda United chair and Sinn Féin TD Joanna Byrne planning to dig in after US owners ask her to resign
Joanna Byrne and co-chairperson Ben Boycott with the FAI Cup following the Boynesiders' triumph over Derry City at Aviva Stadium in November 2024. Photo: Stephen McCarthy/SportsfileJoanna Byrne says she will not be resigning as a Drogheda United director and co-chair even though a statement from the club’s American owners Trivela confirmed they have asked the Sinn Féin TD to stand down from her position. The development comes exactly one month after Byrne - who is her political party's spokesperson on sport - claimed she was asked to step away from her position due to her comments calling on Ireland to boycott their Nations League games against Israel later this year.
Source:Irish Independent
March 18, 2026 21:02 UTC
Thousands hit with parking fines as motorists caught out in city council car parks
Thousands hit with parking fines as motorists caught out in city council car parksFines have generated more than £110,000 for Gloucester City Council in the current financial yearView 2 Images Pictured is Longsmith Street Car Park in Gloucester. Parking fines have generated more than £110,000 for Gloucester City Council so far this year as of March 7, 2026. (Image: Carmelo Garcia/Gloucestershire Live)Motorists have had to pay out more than £110,000 in parking fines issued in Gloucester car parks so far this year. A total of 2,750 fines had been issued during the current financial year in Gloucester City Council-owned car parks. The cost of running these car parks is increasing every year and we have an issue with the Eastgate and Kingswalk.
Source:Daily Mirror
March 18, 2026 20:55 UTC
Government was advised that rent reforms carried ‘significant’ risk of evictions
The biggest shake-up of rent regulations in a decade came into force at the start of this month. Illustration: Paul ScottThe Government was aware there was a “significant” risk that its new rent legislation could lead to evictions, as landlords could kick tenants out for “economic” reasons in order to hike up rents to market rates. Lifting rent controls completely was ruled out as it would lead to “significant increases in rents for many tenants”, including putting some at risk of homelessness. “However, the risk of economic evictions motivated by landlords who wish to increase to market rents is a significant concern. The eventual rent reforms include a clarification that market rents cannot be reset following a “no fault eviction”.
Source:The Irish Times
March 18, 2026 20:55 UTC
Fights, explosions and familiar faces in Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer
Fights, explosions and familiar faces in Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailerBy Carla Feric, Press Association Entertainment ReporterSpider-Man is met with faces from his past including Dr Bruce Banner, The Punisher and Scorpion in the action-packed first trailer for the upcoming film. Spider-Man: Brand New Day will see the teenage superhero, also known as Peter Parker, navigate his lonely new life after a spell was cast to make the world forget his real identity in order to save the universe. The trailer then cuts to Parker navigating his lonely new life, and in a voice-over he says: “Hi, my name is Peter Parker. MJ responds with a nod to the animated spin-off TV series, Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man, and calls him a “friendly neighbour”. Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be released in cinemas on July 31 2026.
Source:Irish Independent
March 18, 2026 20:53 UTC
Athlone school named as county winners in Young Social Entrepreneur Awards
Drishika Gujjaru and Thamizhini Nalin Kumar Balaji, at front, with TY Class at Our Lady's Bower and representatives of Westmeath County Council and the Social Enterprise Exchange. Athlone school named as county winners in Young Social Entrepreneur AwardsWestmeath County Council has presented Our Lady’s Bower Secondary School, Athlone, with a €250 cheque in recognition of their achievement as county winners in the Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2025 awards. Gabrielle McFadden, Project Manager with Social Enterprise Exchange and organiser of the competition, outlined how the project also illustrates the value of sustained cross-sector collaboration. Cathaoirleach of Westmeath County Council, Cllr Aoife Davitt, congratulated the students, saying: “I am delighted to present this award on behalf of Westmeath County Council. The €250 prize awarded by Westmeath County Council as part of a region-wide commitment to supporting youth innovation, local enterprise development, and community-led problem solving
Source:Irish Independent
March 18, 2026 20:50 UTC
The key decisions hanging over Heimir Hallgrimsson’s squad announcement for Ireland’s World Cup play-off
Injuries and suspensions are forcing the manager’s hand for a tenure-defining campEight days to go until Prague. For Heimir Hallgrimsson, his players, and the thousands of Irish fans set to descend on the Czech capital, it’s all starting to feel very real. Ahead of Thursday’s squad announcement, we run through the various calls Hallgrimsson faces as he enters a tenure-defining camp.
Source:Irish Independent
March 18, 2026 20:39 UTC
Newcastle blown away by Barcelona's stunning second-half salvo
Newcastle blown away by Barcelona's stunning second-half salvoBy Damian Spellman, Press AssociationRobert Lewandowski and Raphinha killed off Newcastle’s Champions League dream as Barcelona survived a first-half fright to book a quarter-final place in style. Anthony Elanga’s first-half brace had cancelled out Raphinha’s early opener and Marc Bernal’s close-range strike, but Lamine Yamal’s stoppage-time penalty opened the floodgates with Fermin Lopez, Lewandowski and Raphinha again doing the damage. Newcastle fell behind in calamitous circumstances when, after Malick Thiaw had slipped as he was turned by Yamal, Lewis Hall also lost his footing to allow Raphinha to play a one-two with Lopez before picking his spot. The Magpies levelled again five minutes later when Yamal’s ill-judged back-heel was picked off by Hall, who fed Barnes to cross for Elanga to slide home. The Pole doubled his tally with an emphatic 61st-minute finish after Yamal had bamboozled both Burn and Thiaw, and Raphinha rounded off the scoring after intercepting Ramsey’s woeful pass across his own goal.
Source:Irish Independent
March 18, 2026 20:37 UTC
‘Staycations’ dip as Irish residents spend more time abroad in 2025
Irish people took more journeys abroad last year than in 2024, while the number of domestic trips, including so-called staycation holidays, dipped, new Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures reveal. Residents of the Republic made 15.1 million trips outside of the State in 2025, an increase of 11 per cent on the previous year. Holidays accounted for 60 per cent of overnight trips abroad last year, the figures showed, with 24 per cent of residents travelling to visit friends or family, and the remaining 9 per cent travelling for business reasons. Meanwhile, households took 3.1 million domestic trips within the State last year, an 8 per cent decline on 2024, the CSO said. The most popular foreign destinations for Irish residents in the fourth quarter of 2025 were within the 27 member states of the European Union, accounting for 8,929 nights, more than half of the total nights spent abroad in 2025.
Source:The Irish Times
March 18, 2026 20:30 UTC
Anthony Cunningham addresses speculation about his health
Former St. Brigid’s manager Anthony Cunningham has publicly addressed speculation about his health. However, he insisted that the speculation “was nothing further from the truth”. “It’s a bit of a shock when you hear that type of stuff. “I’d like to acknowledge all the concerned people who rang and contacted me to see if I was ok and wished me well. “I train, I work out, I try and do as much as I can.
Source:The Herald
March 18, 2026 20:28 UTC
Family of Enoch Burke evicted from Presbyterian Church in Co Armagh by police
Family of Enoch Burke evicted from Presbyterian Church in Co Armagh by policePolice were called after the fundamentalist Christian family turned up to confront clerics in Tandragee churchMembers of the Burke family evicted from Armagh church by policeMark Bain Today at 18:04Members of the family of Enoch Burke were evicted from church premises in Co Armagh last week after they attempted to confront the congregation.
Source:Irish Independent
March 18, 2026 20:21 UTC
Newcastle blown away by Barcelona's stunning second-half
Barcelona 7 Newcastle 2 (Barcelona win 8-3 on aggregate)Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha killed off Newcastle's Champions League dream as Barcelona survived a first-half fright to book a quarter-final place in style. Anthony Elanga's first-half brace had cancelled out Raphinha's early opener and Marc Bernal's free-header, but Lamine Yamal's stoppage-time penalty opened the floodgates with Fermin Lopez, Lewandowski and Raphinha again doing the damage. Newcastle United's Lewis Hall (right) is tackled by Barcelona's Xavi Espart. The Magpies levelled again five minutes later when Yamal's ill-judged back-heel was picked off by Hall, who fed Barnes to cross for Elanga to slide home. The Pole doubled his tally with an emphatic 61st-minute finish after Yamal had bamboozled both Burn and Thiaw, and Raphinha rounded off the scoring after intercepting Ramsey's woeful pass across his own goal.
Source:Irish Examiner
March 18, 2026 20:14 UTC
Man United boss Michael Carrick backs England trio for recalls, insisting recent form should earn them places in pre-World Cup squad
They have yet to play under Tuchel who has hinted they are in his thoughts after insisting in August that there was no anti-United bias. ‘Every decision is an individual decision,’ said the England boss. Asked if he has spoken to Tuchel about a possible call-up, he said: ‘No, I haven't been in touch. For the boys, I'd love to see them picked for this one and obviously picked for the summer. ‘I think he's obviously trying to work towards getting back but just the back issue really, that's proving difficult.
Source:Daily Mail
March 18, 2026 19:55 UTC