No, it’s not a scientific question we are posing.

Fear of flooding remains in Limerick’s King’s Island following last February’s disaster, says Mid-West Correspondent Jimmy Woulfe

Large sums of cash, Christmas presents, and a live kitten are just some of the strange items found in Irish bins, according to Greyhound Recycling.

Sharon Ní Chonchúir talks to the experts about managing the purse strings, balancing the bills and extricating ourselves from debt where possible.

A 25-year-old mother of one who had been married just four months has passed away from a rare tongue cancer.

Almost half of all Irish people have let a gift voucher expire, the National Consumer Agency cllaims, as it reminds the public to spend Christmas presents before they go out of date.

Shops across Dublin are experiencing serious shortages in the county’s new GAA jersey due to unprecedented demands.

THERE’S a bit of a glow about traditional wooden toys, a sort of inner warmth which makes them that extra bit special.

A massive manhunt was under way in Paris, a day after a gunman shot and critically wounded a photographer at the offices of a major newspaper before opening fire outside a bank headquarters and hijacking a car.

Modern technology has fuelled hopes of finding the ‘real’ Paul Fronczak, writes Carol Channing

HMV shares have been suspended from trading on the London Stock Exchange, with the news that the company has appointed administrators.

A man has been arrested for trespassing at Taylor Swift's home.

MY visit to the National Aquarium of Ireland, the Galway Atlantaquaria, in October was enlightening and memorable.

BEWARE of that iPod.

More than half of people on the dole expect to borrow money to pay for Christmas, according to a survey today.

* Shh! Irish designer Eilis Boyle has opened The Silent Gallery, a pop-up online cabinet of curiosities.

A young Irishman shot dead by Bolivian police over an alleged plot to assassinate the country's president was a good-natured, loving son and brother, his Funeral Mass heard today.

I HAVE come to realise the recession may not be such a bad thing after all.

INVESTIGATORS yesterday resumed the search for a child missing in the wreckage of a residential area where a military fighter jet crashed, killing three people.

A record £5.6bn (€7.84bn) is expected to be spend online in the UK during December as increasing numbers of people buy their Christmas presents over the internet, it was predicted today.

PLANES, trains and automobiles and even the odd sleigh will be pressed into action over the next 48 hours as thousands of people travel home for the Christmas holidays.

A MAJOR craft fair opened in Cork yesterday and attracted hundreds of people with bargain prices.

Soaring internet sales took their toll on Waterstone’s owner HMV today as more shoppers in the UK opted to buy Christmas presents online rather than on the high street.

Irish people spend an average of €573 on Christmas presents, according to a survey published today by a company that sells adventure activities online.

The home of Belfast Republican Eddie Copeland was searched today by police involved in the hunt to recover the stolen Northern Bank cash.

Parents have been warned about buying pets as Christmas presents after figures released today showed almost 18,000 unwanted dogs were put down by local authorities last year.

One of the UK’s largest jewellery chains today provided the first evidence that shoppers across the water left it later than ever to snap up Christmas presents.

Justin Timberlake has reportedly spent £1m (€1.4m) in a late-night shopping spree in Harrods.

CHRISTMAS cheer is cheaper in Northern Ireland, according to a price survey carried out by a consumer watchdog body.

The Beatles have unveiled the cover of their back-to-basics version of hit album Let It Be as figures showed a new generation had been turned on to the band.

Airports-operating company Aer Rianta tonight confirmed it had found no evidence that €5,000 of whiskey, brandy and cigars was delivered to Transport Minister Seamus Brennan.

TRANSPORT Minister Seamus Brennan launched two internal investigations last night into claims that a senior politician failed to pay a 5,000 bill for whiskey and cigars with Aer Rianta.

Manchester United have hit back at claims they are exploiting fans by changing their away kit again next season.

Manchester United has defended the launch of a new strip after a Dublin TD criticised the club’s decision.

Manchester United came under political fire today in Dublin, where Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is a high-profile fan.

Consumers are reluctant to return unwanted Christmas gifts to shops for fear of offending the friends and relatives who bought them, according to a survey published today.