Marcus Rashford to Barcelona update as election result sparks instant agreement
Marcus Rashford to Barcelona update as election result sparks instant agreementBarcelona re-elected Joan Laporta last week and he's seen to hand Hansi Flick a new deal at the Nou Camp with Marcus Rashford looking to earn a permanent move to SpainView 2 Images Hansi Flick bought Marcus Rashford to Barcelona on loan - and could yet make his move permanent (Image: Alex Caparros/Getty Images)Barcelona boss Hansi Flick is due to get a new contract just days after the club's presidential election - which could have a knock on effect for Marcus Rashford and his Camp Nou future. One of his first moves has been to confirm that the Barcelona boss will remain in his role until 2028 as he's set to sign a new deal. This year he has Barcelona sat top of the table with Rashford helping spearhead their efforts to retain their Spanish crown. Barcelona can sign him for £26million this summer, which is a relatively modest fee if they can get the player back to his top level. Marcus Rashford Barcelona transfer takes major twist as Man Utd learn election result READ MORE :Marcus Rashford transfer under threat as Barcelona identify Chelsea star as alternative READ MORE :Rashford has scored 10 times in 38 outings for the Spanish giants.
Source:Daily Mirror
March 17, 2026 20:10 UTC
BBC axe top athletics pundit and four-time Olympic champion after business goes bankrupt
There will be a notable absence during the BBC's athletics coverage this year following their decision to omit one pundit. After that, the four-time Olympic champion began to focus on his work with the Grand Slam Track league (GST) which has since encountered a myriad of issues. Speaking to BBC Sport, Olympic silver medallist Kerr said: 'Of course I'm frustrated - I'm owed a lot of money. Johnson vowed to 'save' track athletics when he launched his league in 2024, with the promise of lucrative prizes and elite billing. However, a key backer withdrew after the first event in Jamaica in 2024 and the plan quickly unravelled, with GST filing for bankruptcy at the end of 2025.
Source:Daily Mail
March 17, 2026 20:07 UTC
How St Patrick’s Day unfolded across Ireland as thousands attend parades
Main PointsTens of thousands of people are expected to attend St Patrick’s Day parades today across the country. And St Patrick’s Day in Killarney would not be St Patrick’s without the Millstreet Pipe band from the Cork border with their rousing renditions of Fáinne Geal an Lae and other tunes. The streets of Dublin were thronged on Tuesday as hundreds of thousands turned out to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. Video: Enda O'DowdWaterford brings it back to the startThe first St Patrick’s Day parade was held in Waterford in 1903 and the theme of this year’s event, St Patrick’s Day: Where it all began, was reflected in the historical allusions of many of the floats, reports Libby Marchant. St Patrick’s Day is acceptable as is Paddy’s Day or even St Paddy’s Day but if you want to given an Irish person the ick you will say St Patty’s Day.
Source:The Irish Times
March 17, 2026 20:01 UTC
Glenroe, Bosco, Mrs Brown’s Boys: The best and worst Irish TV shows ever made
The 10 best Irish TV shows of all time10. The Late Late Show (1962-)The Late Late Show: Gay Byrne and Sinead O'Connor on May 21st, 1999. But in terms of cultural impact it’s impossible to overestimate The Late Late Show. [ The days of families huddling around The Late Late Show or Glenroe are gone – and that’s no bad thingOpens in new window ]5. The five worst Irish TV shows of all time5.
Source:The Irish Times
March 17, 2026 19:52 UTC
Chelsea receive £104m parting gift as Roman Abramovich ties are cut for good
Chelsea receive £104m parting gift as Roman Abramovich ties are cut for goodChelsea have been hit with a huge fine and a transfer ban after an investigation into irregularities involving transfers during Roman Abramovich's tenureView 3 Images Roman Abramovich has left Chelsea the ultimate 'parting gift' (Image: Marc Atkins, Getty Images)On the surface, Roman Abramovich has cost Chelsea £10.75million and a transfer ban. Alongside the financial penalty, the club have received a suspended one-year transfer ban. However, the most significant revelation pertains to the club's involvement in the revamped 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Chelsea earned a whopping £85m in prize money and participation fees for the tournament, which unfolded in June and July of last year. Though a suspended transfer ban now looms over the club - as well as a nine-month academy transfer ban - attention at SW19 now turns entirely to what lies ahead, with the Roman Abramovich era officially consigned to the history books.
Source:Daily Mirror
March 17, 2026 19:44 UTC
Arne Slot issues Alexander Isak injury update as Liverpool star set for late fitness test
Isak, who joined Liverpool in a British record transfer back in the summer, was seen training individually on the eve of the Reds' crunch Champions League showdown with Galatasaray. While the sight of Isak back on the grass is a welcome boost for the Premier League champions, Slot was quick to stress a return to first-team action is not imminent. He did, however, offer a more optimistic update on Gomez, who could feature in Liverpool's second leg despite missing training on Tuesday. Slot's men need to overturn a 1-0 deficit if they are to advance to the Champions League quarter-finals. Champions League final 2026 venue, date and ticket ballot information READ MORE :"Alex is not available and Joe we will decide tomorrow," the Liverpool boss said on Tuesday afternoon.
Source:Daily Mirror
March 17, 2026 19:27 UTC
Conor McGregor 'the very worst of Irish society' – Simon Harris
Tánaiste Simon Harris has said that Conor McGregor “represents the very worst of Irish society” but stated that it is up to the US who it invites to the country. He represents the very worst of us.”Tánaiste Simon Harris told reporters in London that Ireland was celebrating Jessie Buckley, 'someone who represents the best of Ireland' while 'Conor McGregor represents the very worst of Irish society'. “Conor McGregor represents the very worst of Irish society. But [St Patrick’s Day in the White House] is a celebration of Irishness, of our values, of inclusion, of the best of us. I don’t think of Conor McGregor.”Last year, Taoiseach Micheál Martin visited the White House the week before March 17, with McGregor visiting US president Donald Trump on St Patrick’s Day.
Source:Irish Examiner
March 17, 2026 19:09 UTC
In pictures: Crowds celebrate St Patrick’s Day across Ireland
Key updates Pictures from St Patrick's Day parades around Ireland and the world Alan Caulfield Pictures from St Patrick's Day parades around Ireland and the worldTickaroo Live Blog SoftwareParades were held in Dublin, Belfast, and Cork, while in Jessie Buckley's native Killarney they were marking her Oscars win with a float dedicated to successful people from the Co Kerry town. Anna May said it was her first St Patrick's Day parade, while Primrose, who is an Irish citizen, has been to many. Karal and Karen Van Brakel from Holland said they had planned to be in Dublin for a holiday, and did not realise it was St Patrick's Day. They said Irish people were the reason St Patrick's Day was so popular. "You can be done for treason for wearing the Lord Mayor's necklace, apparently," chief executive of the St Patrick's Festival Richard Tierney told her.
Source:Irish Independent
March 17, 2026 19:03 UTC
What the world can learn from Ireland’s battle to power data centres
More than a fifth of the country’s electricity is gobbled up by data centres, a share set to rise to nearly a third by 2034. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) said in December that new data centres could go ahead, arguing they are “a core infrastructure enabler of a technology-rich, innovative economy”. Power demand is outstripping supply in the US and Asia too and consultancy McKinsey believes up to a third of global data centre demand is unmet. ‘Over a billion eyeballs will be on the parade’: St Patrick’s festival CEO Richard Tierney Listen | 40:38But Ireland’s new data centre pathway is challenging. UK-based Pure Data Centres Group and its power systems partner AVK-SEG offered one blueprint for a potential solution when it launched Europe’s first off-grid data centre microgrid in Dublin last week.
Source:The Irish Times
March 17, 2026 19:02 UTC
Five things we learned from the Taoiseach's Oval Office meeting
With war continuing to rage in Iran, president Trump threatening to take over Cuba, and his ongoing dissatisfaction with European leaders, the Oval Office meeting was dominated by international affairs. When this was put to Mr Trump, he did not appear to know who the Irish President was. Mr Martin did not interject to correct Mr Trump on President Connolly’s gender, something later criticised by Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns. Once again, Mr Trump said Mr Starmer was “no Winston Churchill”. “Keir Starmer has done a lot to reset the Irish-British relationship,” Mr Martin told Mr Trump.
Source:Irish Examiner
March 17, 2026 18:59 UTC
Israel hammer Ireland to end progression hopes
They took a couple of offensive boards in the opening minutes and Sarah Hickey scored Ireland's first points from the line. They led 29-8 at the end of the first quarter and extended their lead to 30 during the second quarter. Ireland did manage to cut that slightly and Israel led 48-21 at the break. Ireland went 1/18. Overall, Ireland shot 15/63 from the field while Israel went 31/63.
Source:Irish Examiner
March 17, 2026 18:55 UTC
European airlines plan challenge to EU synthetic jet fuel rules
European airlines are preparing to challenge European Union rules requiring the use of synthetic sustainable aviation fuel from 2030, two sources told Reuters, and plan to urge a delay or repeal of the mandate due to concerns over high costs and scarce supply. The move would target EU rules requiring airlines to use a certain amount of synthetic green jet fuel, or eSaf, from that year, with an industry announcement set for Thursday. Airlines say there’s little available supply of synthetic jet fuel and that planned production facilities are unlikely to come online in time to meet the mandate. Most Saf on the market is made from used cooking oil or animal waste, costs three to five times more than traditional jet fuel and makes up just 0.3 per cent of global jet fuel supply. Synthetic sustainable jet fuel is made from renewable energy such as captured carbon dioxide or green hydrogen.
Source:The Irish Times
March 17, 2026 18:53 UTC
Trump seeks to delay trip to China ‘a little bit’ amid Iran war
Xi Jinping, (L) and Donald Trump agreed there should be some flexibility on the timing of the US president's visit to China. They agreed that there should be some flexibility on the timing but that the visit should go ahead. What matters most diplomatically to Beijing is the public affirmation that both Trump and Xi still want the visit to go ahead, and the delay might even be welcome. The trip had already been scaled back so that Trump would only spend one full day in China and would not travel beyond Beijing. This reflects the improvement in relations between Xi and Trump since they met in South Korea last October and agreed a year-long truce in their trade dispute.
Source:The Irish Times
March 17, 2026 18:49 UTC
Unclaimed £10.6m National Lottery jackpot could be missed as winner location confirmed
Unclaimed £10.6m National Lottery jackpot could be missed as winner location confirmedThe holder of a £10.6m National Lottery Lotto jackpot has just days remaining to come forward and claim their life-changing prize before the deadlineView 2 Images They have just over two weeks to claim the huge prize (Image: PA)The holder of a £10.6m lottery jackpot has just days left to come forward and claim their life-changing prize. The winning ticket was bought in Bexley, south-east London, for the National Lottery's Lotto draw on October 4, 2025. Kathy Garrett, winners' adviser at Allwyn, which operates the National Lottery, said: "We want nothing more than to unite the winner with their life changing prize. "Someone in the Bexley area is sitting on a £10.6m prize and they don't know it." Another UK player matched all five main numbers and one lucky star number to claim £355,164.90, whilst another secured £16,601.50 by matching the five main numbers.
Source:Daily Mirror
March 17, 2026 18:43 UTC
Trump strikes $6BILLION deal with Ireland to bankroll US jobs after claims the Irish are 'stealing' American companies
Rather than just exporting goods to the US and taking the hit from tariffs, Irish companies are physically setting up shop in America, creating a 'mutually beneficial' boom that proves the transatlantic relationship is a two–way street. While it is true that Ireland benefits from the presence of US companies, McKenna highlighted that Irish companies are highly reciprocal. But as the Trump administration shifts its geo–economic policy toward aggressive tariffs, how does an export–driven nation respond? When asked if he thinks Trump knows what he is doing regarding tariffs, McKenna tactfully offered a simple 'no comment.' Instead of panic, McKenna's advice to European countries and Irish businesses dealing with the Trump administration is rooted in pragmatism and steady relationship–building.
Source:Daily Mail
March 17, 2026 18:39 UTC