Sharon Collins appeals conviction The conviction of a mother of two for conspiring to murder her wealthy partner and his two sons by hiring an online hitman cannot be upheld because her co-accused was acquitted, a court heard today.

Egan withdraws from Italy bout with flu Boxing:Irish champion Ken Egan has withdrawn from the Irish squad to face Italy at the National Stadium tomorrow night after picking up the flu.

Doherty faces tough opener against Selby Snooker:John Higgins will begin the defence of his World Championship title against Barry Hawkins, while qualifier and former champion Ken Doherty faces arguably the most difficult opening match of the four Irishmen who feature in today’s first round draw.

Jockey Thomas airlifted to hospital Racing:Jockey Sam Thomas was airlifted to hospital today after suffering a bad fall on the gallops at Paul Nicholls’ yard.

Tyrone Crystal factory to close The Tyrone Crystal factory in Dungannon, Co Tyrone is to close with the loss of 31 jobs.

Dáil uproar over Tallaght revelations There were rowdy scenes in the Dáil and the House was suspended this morning amid repeated Opposition demands for a debate to clarify reports that there were thousands of unopened referral letters from GPs to consultants at Tallaght hospital.

Data theft affected 24,000 HSBC accounts HSBC, Europe's biggest bank, said a theft of data by a former employee affected up to 24,000 Swiss client accounts, dealing a hefty blow to the reputation of its private bank.