Before then there will be some professional contact made in the New Year as the current set-up prepares to face Champions Cup pool rivals Toulon at Stade Felix Mayol on Sunday, January 11. Reacting to the appointments of the two former Munster stalwarts, Leamy said: “You never get too surprised when things happen in this game. You see national coaches being parachuted in, I think (Ireland scrum coach) John Fogarty was above in Ulster at one stage working with them. “I think it's something that Felix and Jerry will embrace and no doubt do a very good job. Unfortunately, we have to go there in March so we'll get to witness that first-hand.”

‌United have been seriously depleted in recent matches, with Bryan Mbeumo, Amad and Noussair Mazraoui away at AFCON, while Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt and Mason Mount have all picked up injuries. How the Portuguese boss must have wished he could call upon Mbeumo and Amad. Marcus Rashford snubs Man Utd in telling message amid Barcelona transfer wait READ MORE :He therefore won't have been delighted to see that Morocco, Cameroon and Ivory Coast all made it out of the group stages at AFCON. Mazraoui, Mbeumo and Amad are now looking forward to knockout matches in Morocco, rather than United's game against Leeds on Sunday. Amad, however, wouldn't be back until the FA Cup third-round tie against Brighton on Sunday, January 11, at the earliest, if Ivory Coast are beaten by Burkina Faso.

“We are expecting very cold and frosty nights, particularly over the weekend, with a chance of some wintry showers. Temperatures are expected to range from -1 to +3 degrees with some frost and icy roads likely. The pattern will remain much the same into the weekend although temperatures are likely to fall to -3 degrees in some areas over Saturday night. Lingering frost is expected on Sunday when temperatures are not expected to climb above 5 degrees. Monday and the rest of next week is forecast to remain cold and largely dry although with some showers continuing to drift in from the north.

Sir Alex Ferguson's January transfer warning as Man Utd eye up eight-man shortlistSir Alex Ferguson made his thoughts on the January transfer window clear during his time at Manchester UnitedView 3 Images Sir Alex Ferguson previously gave a clear verdict on the January transfer window (Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)Sir Alex Ferguson warned against clubs using the January transfer window to find a quick fix. ‌The transfer window offers Amorim an opportunity to strengthen his squad, both in the short and long term. Focusing on the current transfer window, United are claimed to have assembled an eight-man shortlist of centre midfielders to bolster Amorim’s team. Brighton’s highly-rated Carlos Baleba and Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton were both heavily linked with United in the summer. In the following campaign, Zaha made just four appearances during his sole season at United before rejoining Palace permanently that summer.

Vulnerable road users – who include pedestrians, motorcyclists, pillion passengers, cyclists and e-scooter users – accounted for about 49 per cent of the total of 190 deaths in 2025, up from 39 per cent in 2024. The figures for vulnerable road users outnumber the 76 drivers who died during the period. Deaths among vulnerable road users had been in decline as part of a general reduction in road fatalities between 2016 and 2019. Then minister of state with responsibility for road safety Jack Chambers described 2023, when there were 184 road deaths, as “a horrendous and devastating year”. Road Safety advocacy group Promoting Awareness Responsibility and Care (Parc) said it was “very disappointed” by the 2025 out-turn.

Baby Elliott, born at 35 seconds past midnight, weighing 3.66kg, with his parents Rachel and Adam Deak, from Rathnew, Co Wicklow. The first baby born in 2026 is a little boy named Elliot – who arrived into the world just 35 seconds past midnight. The infant made her appearance at 40 seconds past midnight, just as celebrations for a new year were breaking out across Ireland. The first baby born at the Coombe Hospital in Dublin for 2026 was little boy, Kash, who made his appearance just two minutes past midnight as the country rang in 2026. Baby Elliott, born at 35 seconds past midnight, weighing 3.66kg, with his parents Rachel and Adam Deak, from Rathnew, Co Wicklow.

And yet, when you look closely at many of our most consequential decisions, it is hard to escape the sense that we are still behaving as if the underlying physics of climate change does not quite apply. Climate change is driven by cumulative emissions – the total amount of carbon dioxide we add to the atmosphere over time, and by the absolute level of methane emissions. This basic fact is why Ireland’s climate law is built around carbon budgets: legally binding limits on the total cumulative emissions we can produce over defined periods. Carbon budgets are how the law of physics is operationalised in policy – they are not political slogans. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has put it plainly: every bit of warming matters, every year matters, and every choice matters.

Strasbourg boss is bookmakers’ pick to replace Italian at Stamford BridgeEnzo Maresca has left his role as Chelsea head coach after 18 months in charge. “Chelsea Football Club and head coach Enzo Maresca have parted company,” read a club statement. Liam Rosenior is an early candidate to replace Maresca (Steven Paston/PA)The 45-year-old guided Chelsea to Champions League qualification via a fourth-placed finish last season, in addition to winning the Conference League and Club World Cup. Liam Rosenior, the head coach of French club Strasbourg, who are owned by Chelsea’s parent company BlueCo, has emerged as the early favourite to replace Maresca among bookmakers. Former Barcelona head coach Xavi, Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner, Fulham’s Marco Silva and Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola are other potential candidates.

2025 has passed, and not one journalist from a major American news outlet has come over to write an article about how “Gaelic football is having a moment”. Nevertheless, 2025 will go down as the year that Gaelic football revived itself. It was so beautiful.” That’s a vivid indication of just how low the Gaelic football fan’s self-esteem was. Pure technique ... hurling is the father of freedom ... the hurler strikes, and man is free.” No one has ever made such claims about Gaelic football. Kean KavanaghIt would be lovely to have been able to say that this outpouring of cultural representation for Gaelic football came on the back of the on-field rules revolution.

Amy Childs has declared she's on a mission 'to get toned' for her upcoming wedding to Billy Delbosq, as she kicked off 2026 with a trip to the gym on Thursday. it's the new year and I'm going to be making changes.' Jon is coaching me to understand how to lose fat and grow muscle the right way. Magazine, she said: 'I'm going through so much at the minute that the weight has fallen off me. She's very emotional – she thinks she's going to have another heart attack.'

Eight Man Utd January transfer targets including two £100m stars and four who could leaveManchester United could be very busy in the January transfer window with eight potential targets linked with moves to Old TraffordView 11 Images Change could be afoot for Ruben Amorim's Man United squad this month (Image: Getty Images)The January transfer window is shaping up to be an intriguing one for Manchester United. Navigating the January window successfully could be crucial - not just for turning United's season into a memorable one, but also in cementing Amorim's long-term position at the club. ‌Here, Mirror Football is delving into United's transfer January plans, looking at eight players who could join and four who might leave in the coming weeks. ‌View 11 Images United tried to sign Carlos Baleba in the summerElliot AndersonAfter a breakthrough season at Nottingham Forest, Elliot Anderson has become a top midfield target for several leading clubs. Joshua ZirkzeeView 11 Images Joshua Zirkzee is linked with Roma (Image: Getty)‌Joshua Zirkzee has struggled to replicate the goal-scoring form that prompted his move from Bologna.

Ulster scrum-half Nathan Doak pens a new two-year contract extension keeping him at the province until the summer of 2028. Doak has been a key member of the Ulster senior men's side since he made his debut in January 2021 against Munster in Belfast. He was called up to the Ireland senior men's 2025 Summer Tour squad and was involved in the two Ireland A games against England and Spain. The extension keeps Doak with Ulster which has a strong family connection as he followed in his father's Neil Doak's footsteps playing for the Ulster men. Speaking on his new contract Doak said “I’m excited to have re-signed with Ulster for the next two years.

Boxer Anthony Joshua's driver is expected to be charged with reckless driving 'within the next 48 hours', police sources in Nigeria have revealed. The Daily Mail can identify the chauffeur as Kayode Adeniyi, 47, who has been a long standing member of Joshua's Nigerian logistics team when he visits the west African country. Joshua was sat behind the driver and escaped death by inches with local first responders describing his survival as a 'miracle'. 'I couldn't believe it when I saw the news a few hours later that he had been involved in a fatal accident.' The driver of the illegally parked truck, as exclusively revealed by the Daily Mail on New Year's Eve, has now disappeared and there is an active police manhunt for him.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to provide free medical treatment to people affected by vomiting and diarrhoea after consuming contaminated drinking water in Indore. The court also sought a detailed status report on the incident within 48 hours. A vacation bench of the Indore bench, comprising Justices Rajesh Kumar Gupta and B P Sharma, issued the directions while hearing a public interest litigation filed by Indore High Court Bar Association president Ritesh Inani. The petition urged authorities to ensure the supply of safe drinking water to residents of the city. Officials said over 1,100 people have been affected by the outbreak in the Bhagirthpura area over the past week, with around 150 hospitalised.

Arsenal know the potential he has and tied him down to a five-year deal back in the summer, but since then the academy star has barely featured. He would serve as a like-for-like replacement for Semenyo and has proven he can be effective in the top flight. ‌Other clubs have registered an interest, but there is no plan to let the teenager leave permanently. They signed Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke - two men who play in the wide berths but equally can play centrally. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.