PREMIER LEAGUE:

This will be the biggest year for a small soccer club in the Bronx.

PREMIER LEAGUE:

David Moyes expects to suffer a few more hefty blows as Manchester United manager but insists he will eventually be a success at Old Trafford.

PREMIER LEAGUE:

Late August 1997 and Ger Loughnane is talking about life, the universe and hurling in a hotel in Ennis.

Dubs Stars 2-13 Dublin 0-13

Galway ladies football secretary Mary Hernon believes the LGFA will be swallowed up if a one-family GAA association is realised.

Trainer Jessica Harrington has confirmed Jezki will tackle the brilliant Hurricane Fly for a second time in the BHP Insurance Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown on January 26.

Off the track since April, Boston Bob returned in triumph to justify 8/11 favouritism in the Follow Punchestown On Facebook Hurdle at Punchestown, sparking a New Year’s Eve double for Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh.

White plastic bags are caught up in barbed wiring outside the main block of Cork Prison. They’re what inmates use to defecate into during the 12 hours locked in their cells overnight.

From slopping out to learning arts and crafts,Cormac O’Keeffe looks at what life is like on the inside in the first of a two-part series

A timeline of neglect and inaction

Tom leans forward on the table and is eager to talk. Fellow inmate Frank leans to the side and holds a hand to his head.

The price of rented accommodation should be capped in line with the cost of living as part of a system to regulate the rental market, according to Housing Minister Jan O’Sullivan.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny is planning to accompany President Michael D Higgins on part of his groundbreaking three-day official State visit to the UK this year.

Northern Ireland’s political leaders published a draft agreement on outstanding peace process issues only hours after Executive parties failed to reach consensus on the proposals.

The number of sex crimes committed by juveniles has almost quadrupled in the last four years, Garda figures show.

Two men will be sentenced next month after former Manchester United footballer Andy Cole, 42, was racially abused on a plane.

Up to 200 houses in North Kerry are brandishing placards announcing they will be put up for sale if a planned windfarm with 156-metre turbines is given the green light.

Shane O’Connell received the gift of a new heart for Christmas and is looking forward to a healthier and happier new year.

There’ll be no New Year’s cheer for the young, the unemployed, the sick and the elderly who face a series of Budget 2014 cutbacks that come into effect from today — on top of the doubling of Property Tax and the introduction of water charges.

After gathering momentum all year, the organisers of Ireland’s biggest ever tourism promotion were not about to let the pace slacken on the last night of 2013.

The New Year won’t bring any let-up in the stormy weather in the south of the country as flood alerts have been issued in Cork city and county.

Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte has said diversity of media ownership will be one of his guiding principles when he assumes legislative responsibility for newspapers and broadcast media in Ireland later this year.

As her father became famous, Kristin Hadfield was knuckling down to her studies

A major reorganisation of child protection and family support services begins today with the establishment of the Child and Family Agency.

He’s had a plethora of moments to cherish on English soil, from that 2006 pressure conversion for Munster at Welford Road to the standout victories over the Red Rose at Twickenham.

Twitter International has been directed by a High Court judge to remove from the internet “grossly defamatory and offensive sexually related pictures and tweets” about an Irish schoolteacher.

China’s new home prices in December jumped by the most last year even as the country’s biggest cities tightened property controls to moderate price gains.

Hertz Global Holdings rose to a record high after the largest publicly-traded US rental-car company said it adopted a so-called poison pill upon seeing “unusual and substantial activity” in its stock.

Debenhams, the UK’s second- largest department-store chain, became the first victim of increased holiday discounting by Britain’s retailers as it said profit will drop in the first half of the financial year.

Retail Ireland, the main lobby group for the country’s retailers, is forecasting an increase in consumer spending of 1.3% for this year — the first increase in five years.

European shares yesterday rose to mark a positive end to 2013, with pan-European indexes posting their best annual gains since 2009 and many investors forecasting more progress next year.

Pre-tax profits at Glen Electric, the Northern Ireland-based division of electric appliance giant Glen Dimplex, decreased by 4% to £60.3m (€72.4m) last year.

Despite a devastating recession and the travails of the euro, Latvia becomes the 19th member of the euro club today.

The three domestic banks finished 2013 in a much healthier position compared with 12 months ago, although it is far too early to say the sector has returned to normality.

The outlook for Irish SMEs is improving, but concerns remain, writes Geoff Percival

Eurozone banking move not without its critics, writes Paul Taylor

With fireworks, dancing and late-night revelry, millions around the world welcomed 2014.

Scientists have issued the first weather forecast for an alien “super-Earth” orbiting a star 40 light years away.

Israel freed 26 Palestinian prisoners yesterday, days before US secretary of state John Kerry was due back in the Middle East to press the two sides to reach a framework peace deal.

Police detained dozens of people yesterday in sweeps through the Russian city of Volgograd after two deadly attacks in less than 24 hours raised security fears ahead of the Winter Olympics.

Daily supplements of vitamin E can slow functional decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease, research has found.

Queen guitarist Brian May has told fans he has been undergoing “urgent” tests over fears he could have cancer.

The country’s political leaders are united around a shared reform agenda that is working, writes Enrique Peña Nieto

With the US, the long-time global leader, seemingly weakened in recent times, the radical axis of Syria, Iran, and the Hezbollah may look to take advantage next year, writes Ehud Barak

Clear goals, a deadline, and not diving in headfirst will be a good start, says Pat Divilly

Ed Power looks at the highs and lows of a mixed year in music

‘The Birth of Modern Music’ is the programme for the Music for Galway Midwinter Festival, which runs from Jan 17 to 19.

What’s in store for you this year? Quite a lot, says Margaret Neylon, so if things aren’t working out, then it’s time to find the pattern you’ve been following and change it for the better

We are writing to express our utter disappointment and heartbreak at the developing crisis regarding cystic fibrosis beds in CUH.

You say “the question people around the world are asking is... ‘is the Pope a socialist’?”

In Sean O’Riordan’s uncritical “ethnic cleansing” article (Dec 30), it’s instructive that when Irish clans engaged in murder and pillage to reclaim Irish lands, this is described as “bloodthirsty ethnic cleansing” and the clans dismissed as “disaffected vicious renegades”.

The Irish history I was taught in school differs considerably from Professor Paul MacCotter’s version (Irish Examiner, Dec 30).

Five years on from Israel’s assault on Gaza, Operation Cast Lead, when approximately 1,400 Palestinians were killed (Amnesty International), the situation in Gaza is increasingly desperate.

In 1933 when American president Franklin D Roosevelt declared in his first inaugural speech that “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” he was speaking in the context of the Great Depression and efforts to revive the US economy.

A Red C poll published yesterday reveals a worrying lack of public awareness here of changes in how decisions that affect us all are being made at EU level.

JANUARY, from Janus, the Roman double-faced god facing in opposite directions, is here.

It’s a big ask to step into Paul O’Connell’s shoes but that’s what Munster’s up-and-coming second row Dave Foley did this week — literally.

Davy Russell was yesterday fired as the number one rider to Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud.

Chelsea last night insisted they still satisfy Uefa’s Financial Fair Play regulations despite making a loss of £49.4 million (€59.3m) in the last financial year.

Athletes may soon have their hair tested to see if they are drug cheats, the new World Anti-Doping Agency president has warned.

Kerry will be able to call on the services of four-time All-Ireland winner Paul Galvin this season, coach Eamonn Fitzmaurice has confirmed.

Stephen Ferris has signed a new short-term contract with Ulster and hopes to be fully recovered from major ankle surgery to return to action next month.

While it’s customary to reflect on rugby events at this time of year, I no more than you have an appetite for that.

RABODIRECT PRO12:

A murder probe is expected to be launched after a 30-year-old man was stabbed to death.

The law permitting abortion under limited circumstances comes into force today.

A man has been injured in a shooting in Co Kerry overnight.

Two people have died in a car crash in Co Mayo.

Met Éireann is warning of flooding in coastal areas this morning.

Ireland's first baby of the New Year was born at almost the stroke of midnight.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has described his once-powerful uncle and mentor, whom he purged and executed, as “factionalist filth” in a new year message in which he boasted of a surge of internal strength.

Rebels in South Sudan took control of nearly all of a strategic city, even as the government and fighters agreed to hold talks for the first time.

Former US first lady Barbara Bush has been admitted to hospital with a respiratory-related ailment.

Michael Schumacher’s condition in the wake of his skiing accident has been described as “stable” by his manager.

A woman walking across a drawbridge was crushed to death in a freak accident after an operator raising it for a boat to pass heard her screams and lowered it - trapping her between the two plates.

Marijuana smokers in Colorado today hailed the arrival of the nation’s first recreational pot industry.

Check out today's horse racing tips from courses around Ireland and the UK.

A man has been seriously injured in a single-vehicle road collision in Dundalk, Co Louth.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has admitted he found parts of Ireland’s European Union presidency mentally draining.

A mother of four who served in Afghanistan with the Irish Army is leading the battle to get more women in the Defence Forces.

A windsurfer had to be rescued after getting in to difficulty in rough seas.

Flooding is making driving conditions hazardous this afternoon and causing problems for commuters.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has agreed to become manager of Cardiff, according to reports in Norway.

Highly-rated Bertrand Traore has completed his move to Chelsea, signing a four-and-a-half year deal.

Chelsea made a loss of £49.4million in the last financial year, but the west London club say they still satisfy UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations.

Pope Francis has urged people to accept each other’s differences and for enemies to recognise that they are brothers in a New Year’s Day service dedicated to world peace.

New car sales were down by over 6% year-on-year.

Oprah Winfrey's fiancé is preparing for them to finally marry, more than 20 years after they got engaged.

Arnold Schwarzenegger lost out on "millions of dollars" when he was the Governor of California.

An explosion in Prague has killed the Palestinian ambassador in the Czech Republic.

A man in his 20s has been left fighting for his life following a serious assault in Dublin at around 4am this morning.

Syrian warplanes carried out air strikes near the Lebanese border today, wounding at least 10 Syrians who were rushed to hospital in a nearby Lebanese town.

Irish Rail says bus transfers will remain in place on a number of services from Waterford station for the coming days, following a landslide.

Crystal Palace 1 Norwich 1

Liverpool 2 Hull 0