Two purely hypothetical scenarios.

America is a country (and not alone) that solves many of its ‘problems’ with death. It executes people who have transgressed society’s laws. It sweeps the problem of unwanted children under the carpet of abortion.

Is it really so surprising that the threat of a so-called Islamic State (IS) caliphate has brought an ideologically disparate group of nations including Russia, America, Egypt, Turkey and possible mortal enemies Israel and Iran to the point of forming a military alliance along the lines of a Grand Coalition (World News, October 2).

The Sweet Chariot make have crashed Ignominiously but for the sake of European rugby let’s hope that a recovery takes place sooner rather than later.

Although windy autumn weather affected sea crossings from Turkey over the past few days, refugee arrivals in Greece continue to climb and are expected to reach the 400,000 mark shortly. Greece remains by far the largest single entry point for new sea arrivals in the Mediterranean, followed by Italy with 131,000 arrivals so far in 2015.

WE are warned not to speak ill of the dead and we often indulge in polite fictions to avoid conflict. In Brian Friels’s case such evasions are unnecessary, his life and work are very easy to celebrate.

It is difficult to understand the hostility of the US and its allies to President Assad.

It’s a ‘win-win’ for criminals as the discovery of €1.5m in laundered money on a farm in Co Limerick indicates.

I arrived at Cork Airport yesterday on a wonderful, most civilised flight from London City Airport.

The Galway Cycling Campaign is calling on the Government to remove car-parking revenue from local authorities and take away financial incentives to promote private cars over other forms of transport.