Bee Gees star Robin Gibb paid tribute to the late Dusty Springfield today as he unveiled a blue plaque at her former London home.

US President Barack Obama yesterday sought to move past the political thumping in congressional elections as he called together Democrat and Republican leaders later this month, hoping to set a new course.

US President Barack Obama today sought to move past the political thumping in congressional elections as he called together Democrat and Republican leaders later this month, hoping to set a new course.

IRELAND is the most economically free country in Europe thanks to its low levels of corruption and competitive tax rates, according to a new report.

HAITI has received billions of dollars in taxpayer and private aid from the United States and others, yet is so poor that few homes had safe drinking water, sewage disposal or electricity even before the earthquake. With sympathetic donors around the world sending money, making sure that aid is spent properly will be a challenge.

Family and friends of comedian Peter Cook gathered today to unveil a plaque in his honour.

RUSSIA has halted plans to deploy missiles near the Polish border, a Russian news agency quoted the military as saying yesterday, in the clearest sign yet Moscow is seeking better ties with the new US administration.

US President George Bush will suggest ways in which the United Nations could be improved in his final speech to the world body today.

RUSSIAN state television taunted Sweden with past military victories before last night’s 2-0 win.

PLANS are in place to cut the red tape burden on Irish businesses by 25%, saving firms €500 million a year.

US President George Bush today warned the world not to ignore the words of Osama bin Laden in the fight against global terrorism.

President Vladimir Putin, meeting with EU leaders on Friday, will seek to advance Russia’s economic interests in Europe, defend its handling of foreign investors in its major oil and gas projects and deflect criticism of its heavy-handed response in a dispute with Georgia.

The US, Britain and France are looking ahead to sanctions if Iran continues to defy demands that it halt uranium enrichment, but not the sweeping economic and military embargoes the UN Security Council imposed on Iraq after its 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

HONG Kong and Singapore are ranked the world’s freest economies - but they face a growing challenge from Ireland, according to a survey by the Heritage Foundation and Wall Street Journal.

Hong Kong and Singapore are ranked the world’s freest economies – but they face a growing challenge from Ireland and the UK, according to a survey by the Heritage Foundation and Wall Street Journal today.

Squeezed out of sanctuaries elsewhere in the world, Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida terror group may be looking to the deserts and jungles of Africa as a haven to train recruits and plan new attacks, the deputy head of US forces in Europe says.

In a move designed to bring some comfort to Ireland's business sector, Mary Harney has said that less regulation very often means more effective regulation.

WHEN one of the plum prizes went on the block in Russia’s chaotic sell-off of former Soviet assets, the highest bid for a stake was $1 billion — but prosecutors say Mikhail Khodorkovsky snapped it up for just $210,000.

US Vice President Dick Cheney defended the invasion of Iraq as a critical strike against terror, saying today that the US still faced enemies that could inflict hundreds of thousands of American deaths in a single day.

With the UN Security Council bracing for a showdown over Iraq, a top Russian diplomat said today that Moscow continues to oppose any attempt to legitimise war but hinted that it might back a compromise proposal to preserve its warm ties with the United States.

ONE might call it the disaster scenario. The US goes to war with Iraq to rid Saddam Hussein of weapons of mass destruction, but North Korean leader Kim Jong-il launches an attack on South Korea, forcing America simultaneously to wage two major wars.