IRELAND’S reputation as rip-off capital of Europe has been cemented by a damning report which shows we pay the most in the EU for food, beverages, tobacco and rented accommodation.

UNION leaders are defending the indefensible in seeking to justify yesterday’s unofficial strike by bus and rail workers which brought public transport to a standstill.

HARDLY a day passes without banner headlines chronicling the gross inadequacy of State services for people with learning disabilities, or the relentless battles waged

AS the European Year of the Disabled dawns, our exposé on Ireland’s treatment of disabled people reveals that while public attitudes have undergone a welcome transformation little has changed in the State’s hard hearted approach to this vital question.