Soccer:Armenian manager Vardan Minasyan has identified the Republic of Ireland as one of the favourites to qualify automatically from Group B ahead of the opening Euro 2012 qualifier in Yerevan tomorrow night (kick-off 4pm Irish time).

Soccer:Motherwell defender Stephen Craigan will captain Northern Ireland on Friday night when he wins his 50th cap against Slovenia in a Euro 2012 qualifier.

Physical education should be an examinable subject on the Leaving Certificate curriculum, offering students points towards third level admission, the Labour Party has proposed.

The humanitarian disaster caused by the floods in Pakistan will get worse before it got better, Minister for Overseas Development Peter Power has said.

God did not create the universe and the Big Bang was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics, the eminent British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking argues in a new book.

Participation in lifelong learning among adults in Ireland is lower than the EU average, according to new data published by the Central Statistics Office.

Soccer:Richard Dunne has been passed fit to face Armenia tomorrow when the Republic of Ireland open their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign in Yerevan (4pm Irish time). The Aston Villa defender had been struggling with a quad muscle injury but has assured Giovanni Trapattoni and his team-mates he will be able to play all of the opening fixture in Group B.

US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said today he could not have legally saved Lehman Brothers from bankruptcy and the firm's catastrophic failure in 2008 was a source of sadness.

One of three new rail stations on the reopened Dunboyne railway line is to remain closed until a road is built linking it to the nearest town.

The funeral took place in Dublin today of actor Mick Lally, who died this week at the age of 64 after a short illness.

Burger King, the second largest fast-food chain in the US, has agreed to be bought by investment firm 3G Capital for $24 per share, or about $3.26 billion.

Allergan has agreed to pay $600 million to settle a federal probe of its marketing practices for the wrinkle smoother Botox.

Soccer:Wolves winger Stephen Hunt has returned to light training after a foot injury and is hoping to be fit to make his debut for the club next month. Manager Mick McCarthy signed the 29-year-old from Hull in June knowing he would not be available for at least the first couple of months of the season.

Magners League:Munster coach Tony McGahan has rearranged his back five ahead of the opening game of the season against Magners League debutants Aironi at Musgrave Park on Saturday (7.30pm).

The European Central Bank (ECB) has revised its growth forecast for 2010 and 2011 following the publication of statistics which show that GDP rose during the second quarter.

Members of Northern Ireland’s Policing Board today backed the decision of their chairman to stand down temporarily until a police investigation into his role in a Belfast land deal is complete.

Rugby:Luke Fitzgerald will start in his favoured position of fullback when Leinster get their Magners League campaign underway in Glasgow tomorrow evening. Fitzgerald, back to full fitness after an injury-ravaged season last term, is one of five Ireland internationals in the Leinster side.

The European Central Bank held interest rates at a record low today and extended its liquidity safety-net in response to a lopsided recovery and worries about vulnerable banks.

Anglo Irish Bank should be wound down within a six-year timeframe, Labour’s Eamon Gilmore said today.

Convicted Dublin criminal John Traynor has been arrested in Holland.