Two new whistle-blowers have informed the office of Financial Regulator Matthew Elderfield of fresh allegations of the systematic overcharging of customers by Allied Irish Banks and the Bank of Ireland, along with a number of state-backed financial institutions.

OUR political leaders’ response to John Gormley’s initiative, to try to establish “a national consensus on the economic situation”, was as dispiriting as it was entirely predictable.

ANYONE who has been a victim of discrimination of any kind — racial, religious, gender or sexual or even cultural — will have brushed against one of the darker aspects of humanity.

COULD there be a better example of the smart economy in action than the invention of a device that will help in the fight against cancer?

The Government is obligated to promote a new freephone hotline for missing children that is supposed to be operational throughout the European Union from May 25, 2011.

It was announced yesterday that Larry Gogan is to be presented with the Outstanding Achievement Award tomorrow night in Kilkenny. He joins an illustrious troop, including Gay Byrne, Marian Finucane, Micheál O Muircheartaigh, and Jimmy Magee of RTÉ, along with Des Whelan of WLR FM in Waterford.

JUST as, in another time, Irish republicans regarded England’s moment of difficulty as Ireland’s moment of opportunity there are those in Europe who, it seems, regard our economic collapse as an opportunity to try to force us to change our corporation tax rates.

SOME people take up more space than they might and Moss Keane, in the very best possible ways, took up a lot more than even a six-foot-five Kerryman should.

YESTERDAY presidential hopeful Senator David Norris announced that he had engaged media advisers to help him secure a nomination to contest next year’s election.

FORMER Fine Gael county councillor Tom Sheahan is to be congratulated on his decision not to take a seat on Cork Vocational Education Committee.