IT is disappointing that the Ombudsman for Children Niall Muldoon has reported that the Health Service Executive failed to ensure that children in some residential care centres were not exposed to unnecessary risk.

ITALIAN police yesterday arrested three Libyans and two Algerians accused of human trafficking and multiple homicide in connection with the presumed death by drowning of more than 200 migrants after a ship capsized in the Mediterranean on Wednesday. 

IN an ideal world there would be no such thing as homelessness in a country as rich as this, but unfortunately that is not the case.

PUBLIC discourse, that great, often enlivening, but always uncontrollable, entertainment is usually a reflection of the age and the experiences of those who participate in it — how else could it be? It is as much a barometer of the day as it is a process celebrating unchanging truths. It is often a chorus of fantasies and dangerous wishful thinking advanced as plausible policy.

THE move to strengthen legislation giving gardaí more powers to deal with some motoring offences is having an immediate and welcome impact. The new rules help improve road safety and restore credibility to our justice system.

IT is possible to extrapolate from the ESRI report on island-wide attitudes to the Irish language published yesterday that the best way to rejuvenate the dying language would be to ask Britain to recolonise the Republic.

AS the 142nd Dublin Horse Show got under way, not even yesterday’s wintry weather could deter droves of brave enthusiasts from flocking to this annual celebration of Ireland’s multi-million euro equine industry. 

THE proposal to give every patient using health and social care services a unique identifying number for their lifetime is a sensible step towards improving patient safety and avoiding hospital cock-ups that can put lives at risk.

SEVENTY years ago today, the first atomic bomb, ironically called ‘Little Boy’, was dropped on the sleeping Japanese city of Hiroshima, killing 70,000 people and leaving a further 70,000 to die from horrific injuries caused by the effects of radiation poisoning in the following days, weeks and months.

THE increased popularity of cycling is so very pronounced that it should be seen as a welcome cultural shift rather than a passing fashion statement.