Esther N McCarthy picks perfect paperweights, brilliant books and Christmas collectables this week.

The body of a young man who ‘slipped through the cracks’ of the mental health system was found decomposed in his flat, an inquest has heard.

Cork campaigner Joanne O’Riordan is among 10 young people to win awards for their outstanding achievements in categories such as personal and cultural achievement, contribution to children, environmental leadership, and medical innovation.

Prosecutors seeking the death penalty for Texas housewife Andrea Yates, who drowned her five children, would face an uphill battle, legal experts said before today’s punishment phase of the trial.