CONSIDERING the number of immigrants who have arrived in Ireland in recent years, it would be foolish to imagine that some of them have not been abused by ruthless employers or employment agencies.

WE ARE lucky to live in a country where the press has enjoyed circumstances that, by and large, allow it to do its job without hindrance or threat.

BY THE time Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has nominated members to each of the 23 Dáil committees named yesterday virtually each and every Fianna Fáil deputy will have a seat on one — whether they deserve it or not.

There was a time when there was little more than a murder a year in this country, but now it has become a weekly occurrence.

IN THE World Bank’s wealth of nations study in 2005, Ireland ranked as one of the wealthiest countries per capita, not because we have so much in terms of natural resources or produced capital, but because of our store of what it terms “intangible capital”.

When an official of the Department of Transport first learnt on June 13 that Aer Lingus was considering the transfer to Belfast of all Shannon flights to Heathrow, he telephoned the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) to learn details of the Shannon-Heathrow service, such as the frequency of flights and how well they were doing commercially.

The decline in European stocks of the BCG vaccine against tuberculosis (TB) is beyond this country’s control. EU regulations require independent verification, and the laboratory in Norway that re-tests the vaccine independently has been having difficulties for some reason.

The announcement that Archbishop Seán Brady of Armagh is to be created cardinal at the next Vatican consistory on November 24 is warmly welcomed.

The High Court case has ruled the State violated the rights of Dr Lydia Foy under the European Convention on Human Rights by not recognising her new female identity after she underwent a sex change operation.

The Opposition was in full cry yesterday, attacking Transport Minister Noel Dempsey in relation to what he knew and when he first learnt about the Aer Lingus decision to move its Heathrow operations from Shannon to Belfast.