IRISH people have not been slow to dig deep and help address the plight of millions left homeless and ill after the Haiti earthquake.

PRESIDENT Mary McAleese yesterday told Haiti’s head of state that Ireland was praying for his country as the Government prepared to send a team of specialists to the earthquake-hit region.

ALMOST 60 Irish holidaymakers died abroad in the first three months of the year, it emerged today.

Survivors and families of the Asian tsunami have gathered to mark the third anniversary of the disaster.

THE names of the stars taking place in this year’s I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! have been revealed.

The names of the stars taking place in this year’s 'I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!' have been revealed today.

THE man who helped identify the victims of British serial killer Fred West by their teeth as well as the victims of the devastating Asian Tsunami will be one of the main speakers at the Irish Dental Association’s (IDA) annual conference which begins in Cork today.

Survivors of the Asian tsunami will join those who lost loved ones today to mark the two-year anniversary.

DISASTERS killed 100,000 people throughout the world last year and much of it came about through severe neglect.

More than 100 people were feared dead today as searchers recovered corpses from a sea of mud spawned by flash floods in northern Thailand, local officials said.

SWEDISH Prime Minister Goran Persson and an ex-minister are suing Ryanair for using a picture of them in an advertisement for cheap flights with the caption “time to flee the country?”, their lawyer said yesterday.

A humanitarian quota system should be set up to give asylum to 1,000 victims of conflict or natural disasters each year, it was claimed today.

A leading charity has begun a campaign to recoup €5.5m in charitable donations from the Government.

A REUTERS picture of a mother and child at an emergency feeding centre in Niger during the recent famine there won the coveted 2005 World Press Photo of the Year Award.

Defence Minister Willie O’Dea tonight signalled Ireland’s future participation in EU battle groups.

An exhibition showing how people are rebuilding their lives after the Asian tsunami, and how money donated by Irish people has been spent to help them, is opening in Dublin today.

A Dublin cleric, better known as the city’s Black Santa, has raised €30,000 for charity in the annual Christmas sit-out on Dawson Street.

Voluntary Services Overseas has appealed for professionals to volunteer to work in areas affected by the Asian tsunami, which happened this day last year.

ALMOST two million people were left homeless after the Asian tsunami. One year on, and as many as 1.4 million remain in temporary accommodation.

FOLLOWING a year of natural disasters, it is appropriate to reflect on the relevance of Christmas as a time of rejoicing for families throughout Ireland and around the world.

Irish charities excelled themselves in their response to the Asian tsunami, Minister of State Conor Lenihan said tonight as he opened an exhibition to show Trócaire’s actions after the disaster.

The UN secretary-general has appointed former US President George Bush as his special envoy for rehabilitation and reconstruction in quake-hit areas of northwestern Pakistan and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, the Foreign Ministry said today.

Tour operator First Choice posted record annual profits today despite a year that saw the travel industry hit by events including the Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and terrorist attacks.

Tour operator First Choice today indicated that consumers were losing interest in traditional winter breaks after sales of its short-haul holidays fell.

Sharon Osbourne’s charity single for victims of the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina is released today.

An Irish company, which is the world leader in hostel bookings, is set to double in size to cope with demand, it emerged today.

PUBLIC donations to Trócaire reached an all-time high last year raising almost €84 million for disaster-hit areas around the world.

Public donations to Trócaire reached an all-time high last year helping to raise almost €84m for disaster-hit areas around the world, it emerged today.

A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.2 hit India’s southern Nicobar Islands today.

Czech beauty Petra Nemcova, whose British boyfriend was swept to his death in the Asian tsunami, has set up a charity to help children orphaned by the disaster.

Charities are warning it could take ten years before rebuilding is completed in the areas devastated by the Asian tsunami.

The man overseeing Ireland's aid spending in regions affected by the Asian tsunami has called for the establishment of an co-ordinated international system to deal with disaster situations.

The owner of Thomson holidays and Britannia Airways saw UK customer numbers rise almost 15% during a solid start to the year, figures showed today.

One of the by-products of the Celtic Tiger has been a new selfishness in Ireland, a Government minister said today.

The remains of the Co Wexford man missing since the Asian tsunami is to be flown home from Thailand early next week.

The body of the Co Wexford man missing since the Asian tsunami has been formally identified.

A 28-year-old Irish woman who died in the Asian tsunami disaster is due to be laid to rest today.

British tour operator MyTravel showed signs of continuing on the road to recovery today after it said bookings had been encouraging for the summer season.

European Union defence ministers open talks today aiming to halve the time it takes to send elite battlegroups to international troublespots.

ALMOST half a million people turned the streets of Dublin green yesterday as they cheered on the colourful St Patrick’s Day parade snaking through the city centre.

Falling oil stocks and heavy overnight losses in New York conspired to send the London market lower today.

Tour operator First Choice today reported a rapid recovery in sales of holidays following the Asian tsunami, which cost it more than £1m (€1.4m).

MORE than 40 surfers cruised into the record books by riding a single giant surfboard off an Australian beach over the weekend.

More than 40 surfers cruised into the record books by riding a single giant surfboard off an Australian beach, newspapers reported today.