Given the fondness that the president-elect and so many of his appointees seem to have for Russian President Vladimir Putin, life may be about to imitate — if not exceed — art, says Nina L Khrushcheva.

They are both workaholics, have two children each and, spookily, turned vegetarian on the same day even though they were on opposite ends of the planet.

Russia should be invited to rejoin a summit of the G7 industrial powers next weekend, the heads of two German business lobby groups were quoted as saying yesterday.

Writing through tears of joy and pain, Donnachadh McCarthy, who came out in his late teens in 1979, is still relishing the result of last week’s marriage equality referendum

European Union rules to keep insurance companies stable will not be an excuse for regulators to ramp up capital requirements for insurers in the UK, a senior Bank of England official said yesterday.

Coolagown Development Group were this year’s winners in the Community and Voluntary Sector of the Cork Environmetal Forum’s annual Environmental Awards. 

Emergency measures to ease the homeless crisis in Dublin will be replicated in other cities — but not immediately.

Business leaders in Cork have warned a government minister to follow up on a pledge to tackle the insurance industry after insurance companies claimed planned flood defences in the city were not adequate.

Gardaí in West Cork are investigating an incident in which two vans connected to Irish Water were burnt out at the weekend.

WHEN the benefits of economic growth are distributed very unequally, social bonds fray.

Ireland's first National Alcohol Awareness Week begins today as the St Patrick's Day celebrations wind down for another year.

We can all contribute to our recovery, in our communities or for a cause, and it doesn’t have to be financial, writes Frank Flannery

Billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates has praised Ireland’s development and aid work.

More than 100 jobs are being created by a pioneering cloud computing firm.

Appointing a woman once dubbed Britain's "most wanted" IRA suspect to a new forum for victims in the North was necessary to reflect the varied experiences from decades of conflict, it has been claimed.

Sizing Europe rounded off his campaign with a workmanlike success in the boylesports.com Champion Chase at Punchestown last evening.

Brian Hayes, the minister for State at the Office of Public Works, has called for residents in flood-affected areas to help his department determine the number of homeowners being refused house insurance as a result of the flooding in Nov 2009.

The Government has unveiled plans to pay up to €1,500 per job in a finder's fee to people who bring new investors to Ireland.

Former Cork Business Association (CBA) president James O’Sullivan has been appointed by the Government to a high-powered business oversight body.

THE lobby group fighting for flood-ravaged communities is to press the Government to take on the insurance industry and help flood victims get cover.

IRELAND will be the first eurozone member to pay back its debt and “wave goodbye to the IMF”, according to the Taoiseach as he hailed a “new age” of confidence in the country.

The Taoiseach Enda Kenny has formally opened the second Global Irish Economic Forum in Dublin this morning.

A FORUM has been formed to stem thefts from shops and to fight other city-centre crime in Limerick.

Loyalists and republicans are in talks today aimed at defusing tension at the Ardoyne parades flashpoint.

THE minister with responsibility for flood protection has vowed to protect the taxpayer from any attempts to blame or sue publicbodies for flood damage.

THERE has been frightening stagnation in the milk quota restricted dairy industry, according to Irish Examiner Farming Forum panellist John Murphy.

A STATE agency is defending the awarding of a €225,000 contract to a Spanish firm following accusations the move has costs jobs in Ireland.

The International Rugby Board’s Executive Committee have ratified a financial package that moves Argentina a step closer to joining an expended Tri Nations competition from 2012.

MORE than 1,000 children are formally suspected of being physically, sexually or emotionally abused in Cork every year, official figures have confirmed.

A NEW campaign is under way to position Cork as the country’s leading festival city.

THE former leader of one of the world’s biggest technology companies has warned Ireland is spending far too little on education and needs to correct the shortfall immediately if the country is to have any economic future.

The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) has today called for the immediate implementation of a National Representative Forum (NRF) to replace the system of Social Partnership.

Chris Catlin is in a far stronger position than Jamie Spencer in the battle to be all-weather champion jockey and pulled three clear of his rival with a sole success at Lingfield today.

Hundreds of Belfast community workers have not been paid since the end of August because of a funding crisis, representatives said today.

THE French government was told to keep out of Irish politics and to stop interfering with the Lisbon referendum by Europe Minister Dick Roche and Labour leader Eamon Gilmore.

The Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC) has today welcomed the launch of the Department of Transport’s consultation document on sustainable travel and transport.

Sinn Féin will today launch its first phase of the party’s campaign against the Lisbon Reform Treaty.

INTERNATIONAL event rider Eric Smiley yesterday conceded that fatalities will never be eliminated from the sport, which took the lives of nine riders in 2007.

A FORUM is being set up to examine the €1.5 billion Irish beef sector and prepare a framework for its future development.

AGRICULTURE is on the agenda for two days of world trade review talks in the Indian capital New Delhi.

CONCERNS that less than half of women have occupational pensions were voiced at the National SIPTU Women’s Forum.

Prime minister Tony Blair backed US president George Bush’s new plan in Iraq and said he believed the Iraqi prime minister could meet the benchmarks set by the United States.