SURELY this country should by now have sufficient experience of dealing with a growing immigrant population to ensure that interpreters are on hand when needed.

There is an old story about how people treasure being the recipient of an honour, and even if it may not be entirely true, it will serve to make a point.

Yesterday’s report, coming as it did on the heels of the RTÉ exposé on rogue childcare businesses, that high rates of staff turnover in childcare settings are unsustainable, is another blow to the idea that this society prioritises the wellbeing of children.

Democracy and antibiotics may not seem likely bedfellows but, as concepts, they have a lot in common.

It seems it will take longer than might have been expected for the consequences of decades of clerical abuse of children to pass from our daily lives.

The Government yesterday announced plans for the 32nd amendment to the Constitution to abolish the Seanad. The amendment, which is expected to be put to the people later this year, will provide for 40 changes to the Constitution to remove all references to the upper house.

In April of this year, the disclosure that Josef Pavelka, a homeless Czech national, was living in the superloos with a Polish friend in Ennis received national attention.

Nearly 117,000 young people begin State exams this morning, sitting the Leaving Cert, the Leaving Cert Applied and the Junior Cert.

Every community, every business and nearly every family in this country has been affected by crime.

In Jun 2011 the eurozone was gripped by something approaching panic.