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BBC Strictly Come Dancing viewers rage 'it's disgusting' over judge's 'vendetta' against Sarah HadlandBotafogo won the Copa Libertadores for the first time in their history with a 3-1 victory over fellow Brazilians Atletico Mineiro on Saturday. Botafogo played almost the entire match with ten men after Gregore was sent off in the first minute but they showed impressive spirit and resilience to secure victory at River Plate's Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires. Midfielder Gregore was shown a red card after a wild, high challenge on Fauto Vera, forcing Botafogo to adjust their game plan, but Atletico failed to press home their numerical advantage. Veteran forward Hulk had an effort from outside the box saved by John but the team from Belo Horizonte created little pressure. Sensing the game might not be the rearguard action they might have expected, Botafogo began to show more attacking intent and they were rewarded in the 35th minute. Marlon Freitas's shot from the edge of the box ricocheted around a crowded box before the ball fell to Luiz Henrique, who fired home from close range. To their credit, Botafogo didn't retreat to defend their slim advantage and they were able to double their lead in the 44th minute. Atletico defender Guilherme Arana attempted to shepherd the ball back to goalkeeper Everson but Luiz Henrique snuck between the pair and went down under challenge from the keeper. After a VAR review, a penalty was awarded and Alex Telles confidently smashed home the spot kick to give Botafogo an unlikely 2-0 lead at the break. Atletico, who won the Libertadores in 2013, made a triple substitution at the interval and it paid off swiftly with Eduardo Vargas heading in from a corner. Inevitably, there was late pressure from Atletico, but Botafogo made sure of the victory when Junior Santos finished off a counter-attack deep in stoppage time. With the win, Botafogo earns the final of 32 places in next year's FIFA Club World Cup to be held in the United States. sev/js
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Since joining the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2019, coach Ryan Day has struggled to pick up wins over their rival, the Michigan Wolverines, with his lone victory coming in his first season with the program. These issues continued on Saturday as No. 2 Ohio State suffered its fourth-consecutive loss to Michigan by a final score of 13-10 in front of the Buckeyes faithful in Columbus. Day has struggled to reach the championship expectations the Buckeyes have during his six years with the team. Through his first five seasons, Ohio State has reached the National Championship one time, falling to Alabama to end the 2020 season. © Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Following Ohio State's second loss of the 2024 season, former Buckeyes cornerback Tyreke Johnson, who played under Day in 2019 and 2020, revealed a telling story about his coach from the aforementioned title game, revealing Day "was not the answer." "Y’all can say I’m hating or whatever y’all want but I knew coach Day was not the answer when we played in the national championship against Bama and at half time he didn’t say a word to the team just went in the office and started to blame other coaches," Johnson wrote on X. Y’all can say I’m hating or whatever y’all want but. I knew coach Day was not the answer when we played in the national championship against Bama and at half time he didn’t say a word to the team just went in the office and started to blame other coaches. In the 2020 CFP National Championship, Johnson and Ohio State went into halftime trailing 35-17. It seemed Day didn't give his team the motivation it needed to spark a comeback, as the Buckeyes only scored seven points in the final two quarters, losing the game 52-24. In his two years in Columbus, Johnson didn't see much playing time, only recording eight tackles in 11 combined games. Following 2020, the cornerback transferred to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, finishing up his college career in Lincoln. Day and the Buckeyes (10-2, 7-2 in Big 10 play) will still have a chance to win the program's first national title since the 2014 season, but, with the loss, a conference title seems to be out of the picture. Related: Police Appear to Use Pepper Spray on Michigan, Ohio State Players During BrawlPTI's reality check
Oregon State senior duo accept invitation to play in East-West Shrine Game.By MIKE CATALINI CHATHAM, N.J. (AP) — That buzzing coming out of New Jersey? It’s unclear if it’s drones or something else, but for sure the nighttime sightings are producing tons of talk, a raft of conspiracy theories and craned necks looking skyward. Cropping up on local news and social media sites around Thanksgiving, the saga of the drones reported over New Jersey has reached incredible heights. This week seems to have begun a new, higher-profile chapter: Lawmakers are demanding (but so far not getting) explanations from federal and state authorities about what’s behind them. Gov. Phil Murphy wrote to President Joe Biden asking for answers. New Jersey’s new senator, Andy Kim, spent Thursday night on a drone hunt in rural northern New Jersey, and posted about it on X. But perhaps the most fantastic development is the dizzying proliferation of conspiracies — none of which has been confirmed or suggested by federal and state officials who say they’re looking into what’s happening. It has become shorthand to refer to the flying machines as drones, but there are questions about whether what people are seeing are unmanned aircraft or something else. Some theorize the drones came from an Iranian mothership. Others think they are the Secret Service making sure President-elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster property is secure. Others worry about China. The deep state. And on. In the face of uncertainty, people have done what they do in 2024: Create a social media group. The Facebook page, New Jersey Mystery Drones — let’s solve it , has nearly 44,000 members, up from 39,000 late Thursday. People are posting their photo and video sightings, and the online commenters take it from there. One video shows a whitish light flying in a darkened sky, and one commenter concludes it’s otherworldly. “Straight up orbs,” the person says. Others weigh in to say it’s a plane or maybe a satellite. Another group called for hunting the drones literally, shooting them down like turkeys. (Do not shoot at anything in the sky, experts warn.) Trisha Bushey, 48, of Lebanon Township, New Jersey, lives near Round Valley Reservoir where there have been numerous sightings. She said she first posted photos online last month wondering what the objects were and became convinced they were drones when she saw how they moved and when her son showed her on a flight tracking site that no planes were around. Now she’s glued to the Mystery Drones page, she said. “I find myself — instead of Christmas shopping or cleaning my house — checking it,” she said. She doesn’t buy what the governor said, that the drones aren’t a risk to public safety. Murphy told Biden on Friday that residents need answers. The federal Homeland Security Department and FBI also said in a joint statement they have no evidence that the sightings pose “a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.” “How can you say it’s not posing a threat if you don’t know what it is?” she said. “I think that’s why so many people are uneasy.” Then there’s the notion that people could misunderstand what they’re seeing. William Austin is the president of Warren County Community College, which has a drone technology degree program, and is coincidentally located in one of the sighting hotspots. Austin says he has looked at videos of purported drones and that airplanes are being misidentified as drones. He cited an optical effect called parallax, which is the apparent shift of an object when viewed from different perspectives. Austin encouraged people to download flight and drone tracker apps so they can better understand what they’re looking at. Nonetheless, people continue to come up with their own theories. “It represents the United States of America in 2024,” Austin said. “We’ve lost trust in our institutions, and we need it.” Federal officials echo Austin’s view that many of the sightings are piloted aircraft such as planes and helicopters being mistaken for drones, according to lawmakers and Murphy. That’s not really convincing for many, though, who are homing in on the sightings beyond just New Jersey and the East Coast, where others have reported seeing the objects. For Seph Divine, 34, another member of the drone hunting group who lives in Eugene, Oregon, it feels as if it’s up to citizen sleuths to solve the mystery. He said he tries to be a voice of reason, encouraging people to fact check their information, while also asking probing questions. “My main goal is I don’t want people to be caught up in the hysteria and I also want people to not just ignore it at the same time,” he said. “Whether or not it’s foreign military or some secret access program or something otherworldly, whatever it is, all I’m saying is it’s alarming that this is happening so suddenly and so consistently for hours at a time,” he added. Associated Press reporter Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.Article content There is a decidedly Edmonton flavour to the St. Louis Blues roster this season. Edmonton Oilers fans know all too well how the Blues poached a couple of up-and-comers with offer sheets on playoff-proven prospects Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg that went unmatched over the off-season. And then there’s St. Albert’s own Colton Parayko, the hulking six-foot-six, 228-pounder who patrols the Blues blueline on the top pairing with Broberg. Holloway, meanwhile, landed squarely on the Blues second line, where he came into Saturday’s game against the Oilers tied for second in team scoring with 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in 27 games. But it is Jake Neighbours who has earned a chance to take centre stage with the Blues this season, rising to the top line alongside Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich. “We’ve got quite a few Edmonton guys, it’s a nice trip for us,” said Neighbours, who played his entire junior career with the Edmonton Oil Kings, earning 176 points (60 goals, 116 assists) in 171 Western Hockey League games, culminating in a league championship while serving as team captain in his final season. The crew will spend some extra time in their old stomping grounds, with the Blues hanging around Edmonton to avoid the insanity (and high hotel prices) of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour stop in Vancouver, where they will face the Canucks on Tuesday. “I was out for dinner with family last night and my (former) billets will be at the game today and I’ll say hi to them after,” said Neighbours. “I’ve got a bunch of family here, so I’ll probably hang out with them a bit after the game tonight and I think most of them will head home tomorrow. “Then I’ll be coming to the Oil Kings game tomorrow.” It will be his first time taking in a game since he last suited up for them. “I haven’t watched them play since we won. It will be nice,” said Neighbours, who never misses an opportunity to take a stroll down memory lane whenever the Blues bring him back to Rogers Place. “Going to the (Oil Kings) room, there’s a lot of memories and pictures in there and stuff. Obviously the rink, winning here and seeing the banner up there. A lot of good memories. “So, it’s definitely nice to come back.” At the same time, Neighbours continues to keep his sights set fully on the future. On the heels of a breakthrough 2023-24 season with 38 points (27 goals, 11 assists), the 22-year-old native of Airdrie signed a two-year, $7.5 million extension with the Blues on Oct. 22. “He’s just a real detailed player, he’s a hard-nosed player,” said Blues head coach Jim Montgomery. “I guess the best compliment I can give any player is, he’s a hockey player. “He knows what it takes to do the little things to help the team win.” What his coach calls little things, Neighbours takes to mean as anything and everything he can do. “I think I just kind of found a good role here,” he said. “It kind of started last year just going to the net lots. I watched a lot of Zach Hyman and think I can play a lot like him. “I play with an elite passer in Robby Thomas, who is great at finding guys. So, I just kind of found a good role for myself at the net front, and I try and stay there a lot and it’s been working.” Playing net front is far from the easiest job on the ice. And it’s something he’s had to work for to even get a shot at in the first place. “Coming into last year, I started on the fourth line and just kind of worked my way up and continued to work hard at it and work on my game,” Neighbours said. “I finally got an opportunity 20 games into the season and just tried to capitalize on it.” And that’s where his time with the Oil Kings started paying off. “It was kind of a similar thing for me in junior, I started lower in the lineup and had to work my way up,” Neighbours said. “And I think that’s how it goes for most hockey players. Moving up in the ranks from junior to pro, nothing’s given to you, you’ve got to earn it. “I think I just learned that in junior and knew it would be the same in pro. And obviously being around NHL players all throughout my junior career and seeing how they operate and all that kind of stuff definitely helps.” There are differences, of course, in the Edmonton Neighbours experienced compared to that of his other teammates who made their way through this city. “I think playing junior in Edmonton and pro in Edmonton is a lot different,” Neighbours said. “So, I think my and Holly’s stories are a bit different. “Mine are all bus rides and stuff like that, his are all dinners and fun stuff.” E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
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The top stories and transfer rumours from Saturday's newspapers... THE SUN Liverpool are interested in launching transfer swoops for Joao Pedro and Jeremie Frimpong, according to reports. Violent football ultras have been organising sick Fight-Club style brawls in forests across Europe to avoid detection by police. DAILY MAIL Trending Liverpool's staff Christmas Party - at the city's Anglican cathedral - was shut down early after suspected drug paraphernalia was found in the toilets. England will not now travel to America for two June friendlies after Friday's World Cup qualifying draw placed them in a five-team group. Also See: Transfer Centre LIVE! Stream Sky Sports with NOW Download the Sky Sports app Get Sky Sports on WhatsApp Lionel Messi has revealed that Barcelona starlet Lamine Yamal reminds him of himself when he was a youngster. Wayne Rooney gives no thought to a potential sacking by Plymouth and insists he is focusing on improving the squad in January. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Paul Pogba has provided an update on his future with a cryptic Instagram post on the back of his Juventus exit. DAILY MIRROR Bruno Fernandes says Manchester United have too many problems of their own to think about Manchester City's crisis ahead of Sunday's derby. Regis Le Bris has insisted Sunderland's "foundations are still strong" after losing Tommy Watson for two months. THE TIMES Debbie Hewitt, the chairwoman of the FA and Britain's Fifa vice-president, is not expected to run for Uefa's executive committee when the former Manchester United chief executive David Gill steps down in April, having come to the end of this term limit. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player The exodus of senior executives from Aston Villa shows little sign of halting, with Paul Tyrrell, who had a number of senior roles at the club, the latest to depart to take over as chief operating officer at Nottingham Forest. Tom Ilube and Bill Sweeney have been told "there is no trust left" as senior figures in the Championship called for a government review into the RFU's leadership of the game and pressed for clubs in England to support a no-confidence debate. THE ATHLETIC England manager Thomas Tuchel has said he needs to "prove himself" after the mixed reaction to his appointment. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Marc Skinner said comments made by Sir Jim Ratcliffe were 'hard' to hear but insists Manchester United Women's team are supported. THE INDEPENDENT New England manager Thomas Tuchel will speak to Ben White and offer the Arsenal defender a "clean start" when he takes charge in the new year. DAILY TELEGRAPH Phil Vickery, the 2003 World Cup winner, has revealed his diagnosis of probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and spoken for the first time about the brain damage he has suffered from head injuries during his career. THE GUARDIAN Julen Lopetegui has revealed the West Ham squad will visit Michail Antonio over the weekend as the forward continues his recovery after a "miracle" escape from a car accident. San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said linebacker De'Vondre Campbell won't be part of the 49ers moving forward after he refused to enter a game after losing his starting job. DAILY RECORD Rangers are reportedly set to sign a deal that will see Umbro take over as their new kit suppliers from the start of next season.Global stocks pressured ahead of Fed decision
ERIE, Pa. (AP) — Alex Chaikin's 20 points off of the bench helped Lafayette to a 77-73 victory against Mercyhurst on Saturday. Chaikin went 7 of 8 from the field (6 for 7 from 3-point range) for the Leopards (5-5). Justin Vander Baan added 13 points while shooting 3 of 5 from the field and 7 for 9 from the line while he also had six rebounds and five blocks. Andrew Phillips had 10 points and shot 4 of 6 from the field and 1 for 3 from the line. Shemar Rathan-Mayes finished with 21 points and four assists for the Lakers (5-6). Aidan Reichert added 18 points, six rebounds and three steals for Mercyhurst. Jeff Planutis also recorded 13 points. Chaikin scored nine points in the first half and Lafayette went into the break trailing 38-31. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Election 2024: Six things we learned on the first day of counting
NEW YORK (AP) — He's making threats, traveling abroad and negotiating with world leaders. Donald Trump has more than a month and a half to go before he's sworn in for a second term. But the Republican president-elect is already moving aggressively not just to fill his Cabinet and outline policy goals, but to achieve those priorities . Trump has threatened to impose a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, prompting emergency calls and a visit from Canada's prime minister that resulted in what Trump claimed were commitments from both U.S. allies on new border security measures. The incoming president has warned there will be “ALL HELL TO PAY" if, before his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025, Hamas does not release the hostages being held in Gaza . He has threatened to block the purchase of U.S. Steel by a Japanese company, warning "Buyer Beware!!!” And this weekend, Trump was returning to the global stage, joining a host of other foreign leaders for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral five years after it was ravaged by a fire. On Saturday, he met with French President Emmanuel Macron — joined at the last minute by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — and had plans to see Britain's Prince William also in Paris. Absent in Paris: lame duck President Joe Biden, who has largely disappeared from headlines, except when he issued a pardon of his son , Hunter, who was facing sentencing for gun crimes and tax evasion. First lady Jill Biden is attending in his place. “I think you have seen more happen in the last two weeks than you’ve seen in the last four years. And we’re not even there yet,” Trump said in an over-the-top boast at an awards ceremony Thursday night . For all of Trump's bold talk, though, it is unclear how many of his efforts will bear fruit. The pre-inauguration threats and deal-making are highly unusual, like so much of what Trump does, said Julian Zelizer, a political historian at Princeton University. “Transitions are always a little complicated in this way. Even though we talk about one president at a time," he said, “the reality is one president plus. And that plus can act assertively sometimes." Zelizer said that is particularly true of Trump, who was president previously and already has relationships with many foreign leaders such as Macron, who invited both Trump and Biden to Paris this weekend as part of the Notre Dame celebration. “Right now he’s sort of governing even though he’s not the president yet. He’s having these public meetings with foreign leaders, which aren't simply introductions. He's staking out policy and negotiating things from drug trafficking to tariffs," Zelizer said. Trump already has met with several foreign leaders, in addition to a long list of calls. He hosted Argentinian President Javier Milei in Florida at his Mar-a-Lago club in November. After the tariff threat, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago for a three-hour dinner meeting. Canadian officials later said the country is ready to make new investments in border security, with plans for more helicopters, drones and law enforcement officers. Last Sunday, Trump dined with Sara Netanyahu, wife of the Israeli prime minister. Incoming Trump aides have also been meeting with their future foreign counterparts. On Wednesday, several members of Trump's team, including incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz, met with Andriy Yermak, a top aide to Zelenskyy, in Washington, as Ukraine tries to win support for its ongoing efforts to defend itself from Russian invasion, according to a person familiar with the meeting. Yermak also met with Trump officials in Florida, he wrote on X . That comes after Trump's incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, traveled to Qatar and Israel for high-level talks about a cease-fire and hostage deal in Gaza, according to a U.S familiar with the efforts, meeting with the prime ministers of both countries. There is no prohibition on incoming officials or nominees meeting with foreign officials, and it is common and fine for them to do so — unless those meetings are designed to subvert or otherwise impact current U.S. policy. Trump aides were said to be especially cognizant of potential conflicts given their experience in 2016, when interactions between Trump allies and Russian officials came under scrutiny. That included a phone call in which Trump's incoming national security adviser, Michael Flynn, discussed new sanctions with Russia’s ambassador to the United States, suggesting things would improve after Trump became president. Flynn was later charged with lying to the FBI about the conversation. Trump’s incoming press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that, “All transition officials have followed applicable laws in their interactions with foreign nationals.” She added: “World leaders recognize that President Trump is returning to power and will lead with strength to put the best interests of the United States of America first again. That is why many foreign leaders and officials have reached out to correspond with President Trump and his incoming team.” Such efforts can nonetheless cause complications. If, say, Biden is having productive conversations on a thorny foreign policy issue and Trump weighs in, that could make it harder for Biden “because people are hearing two different voices” that may be in conflict, Zelizer said. Leaders like Russia's Vladimir Putin and Netanyahu may also anticipate a more favorable incoming administration and wait Biden out, hoping for more a better deal. It also remains unclear how extensively the Biden administration has been kept apprised of Trump transition efforts. Although there is no requirement that an incoming administration coordinate calls and meetings with foreign officials with the State Department or National Security Council, that has long been considered standard practice. That is, in part, because transition teams, particularly in their early days and weeks, do not always have the latest information about the state of relations with foreign nations and may not have the resources, including interpretation and logistical ability, to handle such meetings efficiently. Still, the Biden and Trump teams have been talking, particularly on the Middle East, with the incoming and outgoing administrations having agreed to work together on efforts to free hostages who remain in held in Gaza, according to a U.S. official, who, like others, was not authorized to comment publicly about the sensitive talks and spoke on condition of anonymity. That includes conversations between Witkoff and Biden’s foreign policy team as well as Waltz and Biden national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Last month, Biden administration officials said they had kept Trump’s team closely apprised of efforts to broker a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah on the Israel-Lebanon border. “I just want to be clear to all of our adversaries, they can’t play the incoming Trump administration off of the Biden administration. I’m regularly talking to the Biden people. And so, this is not a moment of opportunity or wedges for them," Waltz said Friday in a Fox Business interview. But when it comes to immigration, Biden administration officials haven’t been entirely in the loop on discussions around how to execute on Trump’s pledge to deport millions of migrants, according to four administration officials with knowledge of the transition who spoke on condition of anonymity. That’s not terribly surprising given how differently the teams view migration. Trump’s team, meanwhile, is already claiming credit for everything from gains in the stock and cryptocurrency markets to a decision by Walmart to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion policies Trump opposes. “Promises Kept — And President Trump Hasn’t Even Been Inaugurated Yet,” read one press release that claimed, in part, that both Canada and Mexico have already pledged "immediate action” to help “stem the flow of illegal immigration, human trafficking, and deadly drugs entering the United States." Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has stopped short of saying Trump mischaracterized their call in late November. But she said Friday that Trump “has his own way of communicating, like when we had the phone call and he wrote that we were going to close the border. That was never talked about in the phone call.” Earlier this week, Mexico carried out what it claimed was its largest seizure of fentanyl pills ever. Seizures over the summer had been as little as 50 grams per week, and after the Trump call, they seized more than a ton. Security analyst David Saucedo said that "under the pressure by Donald Trump, it appears President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration is willing to increase the capture of drug traffickers and drug seizures that Washington is demanding.” Biden, too, tried to take credit for the seizure in a statement Friday night. ___ Associated Press writers Matthew Lee, Aamer Madhani, Colleen Long and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington and Mark Stevenson in Mexico City contributed to this report.
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Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said he is "frustrated" by the government's lack of transparency surrounding the recent drone sightings in his state and surrounding areas in the mid-Atlantic region. On Capitol Hill on Thursday, the senator said that he has issued a letter asking for more information because Americans should be aware of what is happening in the skies. "I've been a little frustrated," he told reporters. "There hasn't been enough transparency letting people know what's happening. It's allowing a lot of potentially misinformation to spread, or at least fear. We should know what's going on over our skies." LEGISLATORS ACROSS POLITICAL SPECTRUM 'EQUALLY ANGRY' OVER HANDLING OF DRONE SIGHTINGS: NEW JERSEY... Elizabeth PritchettThe count is well and truly underway with TDs being elected across the country . Here are six things we learned on the first day of counting for Election 2024 . 1. Green wipeout The Green Party has had a catastrophic day at the polls and are potentially facing a total wipeout, as some of its most high-profile TDs face the fights of their political careers. Roderic O’Gorman, the Green leader, is currently in fifth place in the five-seat Dublin West, with transfers from other left-wing candidates likely to decide his fate. Catherine Martin in Dublin Rathdown will be fighting for the final seat in her constituency after she topped the poll in 2020. LIVE: GE24 updates Scroll for live results in your area Cork East Cork North Central Cork North West Cork South Central Cork South West Kerry Clare Limerick City Limerick County Tipperary North Tipperary South Waterford Dublin Bay North Dublin Bay South Dublin Central Dublin Fingal East Dublin Fingal West Dublin Mid West Dublin North West Dublin Rathdown Dublin South Central Dublin South West Dublin West Dun Laoghaire Carlow/Kilkenny Kildare North Kildare South Laois Longford/Westmeath Louth Meath East Meath West Offaly Wexford Wicklow Wicklow/Wexford Cavan/Monaghan Donegal Galway East Galway West Mayo Roscommon/Galway Sligo/Leitrim Other key Greens, like Joe O’Brien in Dublin Fingal West, have already been eliminated and more will follow in the hours ahead. It isn’t the first time the party has been wiped out, but it will be a very difficult pill to swallow for party activists across the country. 2. Labour and Social Democrat surge Both the Labour Party and Social Democrats are on track to enter the double digits of Dáil seats after performing well across the country. Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns, who gave birth to a baby girl on polling day , will likely retain her seat in Cork South-West and the grouping is now hopeful of seeing between 10 and 13 TDs elected to Leinster House. Labour's Ivana Bacik is in a similar position. With a likely outcome of at least 10 TDs, it sets her party up to enter serious coalition talks after all the votes are counted. 3. The Monk Dublin Central provided the story that most people will be talking about on Sunday — and possibly far beyond. Veteran criminal Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch is in a position to challenge for a seat in the constituency, having announced his candidacy just five weeks ago. Mr Hutch arrived at Dublin Airport earlier this month after being arrested in Spain last month as part of an international investigation into money laundering. He has reportedly been released on bail of €100,000. But that did not stop 3,098 voters from giving him a first preference, landing him fourth in the running. He is around 600 votes ahead of Labour's Marie Sherlock and is expected to grow that lead when anti-migrant campaigner Malachy Steenson is eliminated. Whether Ms Sherlock is able to attract a sizeable number of transfers from Fianna Fáil's Mary Fitzpatrick and the Greens' Neasa Hourigan will determine the destination of the final seat in the centre of the capital. 4. Sinn Féin say political landscape altered Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said it is clear now that there is a strong appetite for change, and she will be speaking to others on the left after the votes are counted. Arriving at the RDS count centre added that she is going to “knuckle down now” and do everything she can to "to bring about change”. "Not so long ago, the old traditional establishment parties monopolised not just government but also opposition, that's changed now, and I think this election is confirmation of that," said Ms McDonald who topped the poll in Dublin Central. 5. Ministers in danger Elections can be cruel and this time around a number of high-profile candidates are in the danger zone. This includes Health Minister Stephen Donnelly who polled around 6% of first preference votes. In what has been a bad day for the Greens, party leader Roderic O'Gorman will be fighting it out to retain his seat in Dublin West. In Galway East, junior minister Anne Rabbitte has not polled as well as expected on 7.5% and could be taken out by her own party colleague councillor Albert Dolan. 6. Wedded to politics Every election, there are always stories of lost items making their way into ballot boxes, and general election 2024 is no different. In Donegal, one box from Scoil Eoghain in Moville had an errant wedding ring land into it, as a voter came to cast his vote. Local polling station staff ensured to warn the incoming count staff of the lost ring, with it tumbling out once counting kicked off early this morning. Local 100% Redress councillor, Ali Farren, managed to return the ring to its rightful owner, with a happy reunion after a few hours stuck under stacks of ballots.
