Nearly 608,000 people, one in six of the country’s adults, contacted the Citizens Information Services last year.

Bank of Spain governor Luis Maria Linde has endorsed the Spanish government’s economic policies and warned of the risks of changing course as the country gears up for a general election.

Senior members of the Defence Forces say they have the capability to lead the way in protecting this country from cyber attack and industrial and commercial espionage.

Moscow: BP lost $849m (€617m) on its investment in OAO Rosneft yesterday, highlighting how its relationship with Russia’s state oil company may become awkward as the crisis in Ukraine develops.

Pre-tax profits at Shannon-based duty free operator, Aer Rianta International almost halved last year to €18.9m.

The Government has been accused “of giving the two fingers” to people who live alongside publicly owned rural cul-de-sacs in Co Cork who will now have to pay double to get them repaired.

PRE-TAX profits at the overseas duty-free operator owned by the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) last year plummeted by 87% to €3 million.

THE Department of Social Protection is facing a growing number of legal challenges from families denied child benefit because of the habitual residence condition.

A SENIOR medical researcher has expressed concern that doctors are not being open about the incidence of surgical errors given the low level of reporting of clinical mistakes by medical staff.

A RECORD number of children required crisis intervention from the HSE last year, with the executive admitting that there is a “significant under-resourcing” of social work departments to meet the challenge.

ELDERLY patients left to shower unsupervised are particularly prone to slips, trips and falls in the country’s hospitals, according to data supplied to the Irish Patients Association (IPA).

British, French and US troops strode across Red Square for the first time today in a Victory Day parade marked both by the usual impressive display of Russia’s military might and by an unusual emphasis on international co-operation.

Dundee 1 Rangers 3

PATIENT lives are being put at risk because the Government’s ongoing health service recruitment ban is forcing nurses to take on excessive workloads due to widespread staff shortages, it has been claimed.

Almost 700 people at risk of homelessness have sought help from one of the country’s leading housing charities so far this year, it was revealed today.

AN Bord Snip Nua has been asked to review the medical negligence compensation scheme under which lawyers are paid 56 cent for every euro awarded.

IRISH hospitals have witnessed a huge increase in the number of adverse medical reactions in the past 12 months, with 30,000 more cases reported in 2008 than just a year previously.

Thousands of Georgians angry at the presence of Russian troops on the outskirts of the strategic Black Sea port of Poti took to the streets in protest today.

SUN-WORSHIPPERS buying high-factor suncreams in an attempt to protect their skin may be wasting their money.

US authorities have informed Germany that they will not extradite 13 suspected CIA agents sought in the alleged kidnapping of a German citizen.

THE need for an out-of-hours child protection service was highlighted in the south east 10 years ago in a child care report.

The Bush administration is proposing to more than double the cost of becoming a US citizen and drastically raise the cost of becoming a legal permanent resident.

PRIVATE hospitals are having difficulties recruiting consultants because of the continuing uncertainty over their insurance for medical negligence claims.

Celtic midfielder Neil Lennon insists there is no reason to push the panic button despite disappointment in Europe and the title race.

The insurance arm of England's Co-op is to axe 2,000 jobs under plans to modernise the service, it was announced today.

RICH nations must massively increase the money and expertise they give to poor countries if they are to stand any chance of tackling the HIV/AIDS crisis, the World Health Organisation said yesterday.

SOHAM killer Ian Huntley was identified in a police intelligence report as a “serial sex attacker” who would strike again, three years before he murdered Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, it was revealed yesterday.

MORE than 500 allegations of medical negligence have been lodged with a State agency, while a further 50 serious incidents are being investigated and expected to result in claims, end-of-year figures released this week reveal.

AN insurance scheme which the Government plans to introduce in January could leave some obstetricians in private practice without cover.

HOSPITAL consultants are building up a war chest to mount a legal challenge against the Government if it introduces enterprise liability from next month.

IN A season of success stories at the San Siro, Kahka Kaladze has warmed more hearts than most. It’s not just his conversion from a tough-tackling midfielder into an astute, marauding wing-back, even though the relish with which he has taken to that role has ensured Paulo Maldini will delight them for a few more years in Milan.

UP to half a million women and children are trafficked into the EU each year, mainly to work in the sex industry.