A Dublin hospital had the third highest number of drug-related emergencies across 20 major hospitals in 14 European countries over the last two years.

Irish drug users are near the top of the table for problems caused by ecstasy and alcohol, an international drug survey indicates.

Young people are unwittingly acting as “human guinea pigs” in the booming market for new psychoactive substances (NPS), according to the EU drugs agency.

There are “virtually no limitations” to the range of chemicals used to produce so-called new psychoactive drugs, the world’s drug law watchdog has said.

Prison officers in England are falling ill after inhaling ‘legal highs’ used by inmates.

A law criminalising the possession or sale of headshop drugs appears to have had the desired effect of reducing usage among young people who had been using in a problematic way, according to a study by researchers at Trinity College Dublin.

Health and policing agencies are grappling with “an unprecedented increase” in the number of new synthetic drugs across Europe.

Deaths linked to legal highs could surpass those related to heroin use within just two years, a new report by a think-tank will say.

Shares in Shire hit a record high yesterday on expectations of a takeover as dealmaking sweeps the drugs sector, after Reuters reported the group had hired investment bank Citi as a defence adviser.

Ireland has the highest use of new synthetic drugs in Europe, with consumption levels three times the EU average, according to the UN.

The former operators of the State’s National Procurement Service website e-tenders has had to apologise after it used the NPS database to email clients while criticising the new version of the website.

The Government has moved to trim its massive €9bn annual outlay on procurement by setting up a National Procurement Office charged with saving up to €600m a year.

Ryanair has called on the Government to review its policy on travel arrangements for civil servants after it emerged only a fraction of more than €6m spent on air travel last year was with budget airlines.

AN Austin, Texas, woman is living with an unusual condition.

Music group Chrysalis today got a boost from renewed interest in The Beatles and Michael Jackson as it said annual results were set to beat expectations.

SPREADING waste materials over willow rather than grass or crops is far more environmentally friendly, a leading wood energy company has claimed.

A WATERFORD company bidding to promote greener energy is edging into the lucrative Dublin market.

BUSINESS people and householders in east Cork bidding to become more eco-friendly will have a swift, regular supply of woodchips on their doorstep with the opening shortly of a new Natural Power Supply (NPS) fuel depot at Ballynoe.

NATURAL Power Supply (NPS), a wood energy firm based at Ballymountain, near Waterford City, announced yesterday that it has completed the first large scale biomass harvest of willow.

Connacht have announced the signing of Samoan-born flanker Ray Ofisa from Otago.

A WATERFORD-BASED alternative energy company is hoping the Government will practice what it preaches by heating all new public buildings using sustainable biomass fuel from Irish forests and wood industry by-products.