The deadly epidemic has swept through northern parts of Italy and there have been calls to prevent the disease reaching the shores of Ireland with the game set to take place on March 7.

EXCLUSIVE BY OLIVER HOLT: There is a picture on the walls of the Lord Bagenal Inn that shows a group of men and women standing proudly in the main street beside a horse called Different Pace. 

HUGH MacDONALD: It is a testament to the power of sport in Ed Chamberlin's life that it both consoled and excited him as he laboured under the shadow of death.

More than two dozen people, including the trainer of champion Maximum Security, have been charged in a widespread international scheme to drug horses to make them race faster.

Considering Hong Kong borders mainland China, from where Covid-19 emanated, it might sound surprising that jockey Neil Callan feels he is currently 'in the safest place in the world'. 

The beneficiary is SASH, charity for East Surrey Hospital and all the services provided by Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, local to Lingfield racecourse.

The son of Giant's Causeway was yesterday sadly euthanised at Kildangan Stud as a result of health issues, and brought an illustrious career at stud to an end.

Leading rider Jamie Spencer is facing sometime out of the saddle following an accident on the Newmarket gallops on Friday. The 39-year-old Irishman was returning to the David Simcock stable.

A series of explosive emails from trainers calling for Nick Rust's resignation over the handling of the sport's response to the COVID-19 outbreak were published in a Sunday newspaper.

Giacinti opened the scoring following a goalmouth scramble inside 15 minutes, while Galli double Le Azzurre's lead four minutes into the second half with a long range strike.

The 33-year-old Italian midfielder has decided to hang up his boots after leaving Russian outfit Zenit Saint Petersburg as a free agent in the summer.

Italian media have widely reported that Napoli will fine the players between one quarter and one half of last month's wages after they rebelled against an order by club owner Aurelio De Laurentiis.

Darts sensation Fallon Sherrock is set to face former Italian striker Luca Toni in a celebrity darts tournament this month. Toni is one of six celebrities taking part in the event.

The 18-year-old Brazilian striker has an Italian passport, and whilst he admits it his 'dream' to represent Brazil, he told DAZN Brazil that he is keeping his options open at the moment.

SHERIDAN BIRD IN ITALY: Italy's love for football is on another level. But there is no live action. No sport. Where does all that energy go, and with no matches to talk about, what are fans doing?

Juventus defender Daniele Rugani was the first Serie A player to test positive for Covid-19, just days after he was in the matchday squad for the club's win over Inter behind closed doors.

BAZ BAMIGBOYE: Kenneth Lonergan said he would love Elaine May, the great comic actress, writer and film-maker, to star in a West End production of his bittersweet masterpiece The Waverly Gallery.

Abigail Breslin arrived on the red carpet with her boyfriend Ira Kunyansky before heading inside for the ceremony.She also presented an early award of the evening with fellow actress Samira Wiley.

Jussie Smollett returned to social media for the first time since alleged hate crime attack to pay homage to Pride Month on Monday.

Selena Gomez surprised fans and dropped her second new song and video in two days called Look At Her Now.

While promoting her much anticipated new music, 27-year-old Selena Gomez has been showing off her style savvy. Not sure what to put on your fall shopping list? Just follow Selena's lead.

There is potential new music on the horizon for The Weeknd. The singer, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye took to his Instagram on Monday evening to tease new music.ASCAP reports .

'Can't believe I'm revealing the art and title for my new album RARE, out January 10th,' stated the siren, who famously split with Justin Bieber in early 2018 only to see him wed Hailey Bieber months later.

The 27-year-old singer teased an unreleased track called Boyfriend during her appearance on Monday's episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Niall Horan has thrown cold water over rumours he's dating American singer, Selena Gomez.

Eagle-eyed fans were quick to notice over the weekend that the 23-year-old was once again following the Rare beauty on Instagram.

The Labour leader said he was not in favour of such a vote 'anytime soon' but did not rule one out in the future. Scottish Secretary Alister Jack accused him of 'already flirting with the SNP'.

Gideon Bull, who was standing in Clacton, said he was stepping down but insisted he had not directed the slur at anyone specifically when he made it in a council meeting.

Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner conceded that the Labour leader was not proving universally popular 'on the doorstep' as party activists canvas ahead of the December 12 vote.

Millionaire popstar Lily Allen reacted to today's unveiling of the Labour Party general election manifesto by 'welling up' in a bizarre video which sparked ridicule after she posted it on Twitter .

James Abbott-Thompson, 28, was arrested on Friday afternoon last week after police were called to the Foreign Office in Westminster, where he used to work.

Former Arsenal defender turned football pundit Lee Dixon has been savaged by Corbynistas on Twitter after saying he wasn't voting for Labour, despite saying he is voting for the Greens.

At a campaign rally she was asked her views on whether violent sexual offenders who transition should be allowed to serve their sentence in a jail assigned to prisoners of their new gender.

She stars in the trailer for film Cats, alongside Taylor Swift and Idris Elba.  

She's one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, known for her films including Pitch Perfect and The Hustle.

Kaitlynn Carter stepped out solo on Wednesday, hitting the red carpet at the grand opening of LA's new member-only club AllBright in West Hollywood.

The Australian actress, 39, looked sensational in an electric blue wrap dress as she joined a glamorous Jennifer Hudson, 38, at the Cats photocall at The Corinthia Hotel in London on Friday.

Zara and Mike Tindall have seen in the New Year in style in Sydney, watching the fireworks with friends including actress Rebel Wilson from a mansion overlooking the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The polls suggest that women, even more than men, are dismayed at the state we're in. Gilmore addresses this, and has some fun too, with her uplifting folk-pop.

Melbourne based pharmaceutical company has produced condoms that can fight the spread of the Zika virus. The condom is available in Australia and marketed as Ansell dual protect with VivaGel.

University of Ottawa's Amir Attaran recently wrote an article in the Harvard Public Health Review, saying the Olympics should be moved from Rio to prevent a 'full-blown global health disaster'.

Pregnant Deiseane Santiago, 22, originally from Sao Paulo in Brazil, came to Britain last November on a five-month visitor visa to spend time with 26-year-old fiance Simon Ellis (pictured).

The news will bring relief to health officials in Zika-infected Miami after fears the insects had grown a resistance to insecticide.

The move, ordered by the Food and Drug Administration on Friday, is a major expansion in a bid intended to protect the nation's blood supply from the mosquito-borne virus.

The CDC had previously urged testing for pregnant women who had been in one of the county's Zika 'hot zones.' On Wednesday, it extended the advice to the entire county.

Monroe County residents have backed a proposal to release a lab-developed group of mosquitoes designed to infect the Zika-carrying mosquito population with a fatal disease.

Cases of sexual spread of Zika have been reported in other countries such as the US. Experts said the UK case was ‘not unexpected’.

In a first for the California county, a Los Angeles woman has contracted Zika by having sex with a man who was infected with the virus. It is rarely sexually transmitted, and women are at worse risk.

Tightly marked by past and present club teammates who know him well, Poland striker Robert Lewandowski endured another frustrating match inside the Stade de France on Thursday.

Cristiano Ronaldo will not be the only superstar on show on Thursday night in Marseille. But Poland's manager, players and supporters are relying on Robert Lewandowski finding his shooting boots.