“For the past two years, Ireland’s has topped Europe’s growth charts,” said EU Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, on a recent visit to Cork.

Get a taste of some of the interesting and quirky happenings in Europe from our Europe correspondent, Ann Cahill.

Measuring how much water is used by households is a basic pre-condition under EU rules, but how much to charge for water is up to the Government, according to the European Commission.

A massive stage collapse hours before a Radiohead concert was to begin left one person dead and three others injured, Canadian officials said.

Police have issued an arrest warrant for a Canadian accused of masterminding a pyramid scheme that has left millions of dollars unaccounted for.

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN actor Heath Ledger was found dead in his New York apartment yesterday.

Shelbourne and Malta Hibernians have named their teams for tonight's Champions League qualifying game in Malta.