Our regular contributors select their highlights of the year.

Immigration, especially immigration provoked by climate change, is one of the issues of our time. Despite huge efforts, many of them unsuccessful and inhumane, the issue will become more rather than less challenging.

Preparations for Saturday’s meeting with Argentina have, to put it mildly, been challenging but Garry Ringrose isn’t tempted to reach for any excuses ahead of Ireland’s clash with the South Americans.

A fund has been launched to help the parents of an Irish man, who went missing almost eight months ago on a US hiking route, mount a massive search for him.

Kya deLongchamps follows the adventures of some unfettered spirits who set up home abroad or away and thrive in their creative environments.

Iarla Ó Lionáird is from Cúil Aodha, Co Cork, and is vocalist with The Gloaming. He is currently preparing for a performance at Masters of Tradition festival in Bantry next Friday, where he will appear with Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin and others. See westcorkmusic.ie

Melbourn Estate in Bishopstown has alway had a sort of American suburbs layout and feel to it, much in part due to the way it was laid out, back around 1969, with all front gardens undivided and rolling one to the other another, with neat lawns along its length, between Curraheen Rd and Model Farm Rd.

The Republican-led House of Representatives has decisively approved legislation that hits Russia with additional financial sanctions.

Jose Mourinho wants to leave Manchester United in a "much, much, much better" state than the club he took over.

Ireland’s friendly against Mexico might be small beer compared to the looming World Cup qualifier against Austria, but the game in the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Thursday is all set to be a red-letter occasion for James McClean.

Donald Trump has insisted his promised wall along the American border with Mexico will be built by the end of his first term in office.

The fight to control narcotics in Central America has cost more than 40,000 lives. Des Breen reads two books which expose the vicious reality behind the war on drugs.

An air ambulance plane taking a heart disease patient to a Utah hospital has crashed and exploded in a car park in northern Nevada, killing all four people aboard.

‘Home of the Year’ begins a new series on RTÉ One on Thursday, with new judge Deirdre Whelan joining Hugh Wallace, and Declan O’ Donnell.

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

Drones are everywhere these days, and that's not going to change any time soon.

The Revenant is coming, and we now know how long the new opus from Alejandro G. Iñárritu will be.

Faith Ryan styles autumn days with great design, soft textures and a plateful of culinary love.

BP and five Gulf states have announced an $18.7bn (€16.87bn) settlement that resolves years of legal fighting over the environmental and economic damage done by the energy giant’s oil spill in 2010.

The hurling world at large mourns the sad and unexpected death of Tipperary hurler extraordinaire Jimmy Doyle, but for the multitudes of people who knew him — team-mates and opponents at club, county and provincial level, friends, acquaintances — the grief is personal.

The English teacher is bringing new challenges to the Waterford hurlers but is learning about himself as he goes. Be less sensitive. Be truer to himself. And get the balance right between instinct and structure. Ahead of the Allianz league final, Derek McGrath offers a fascinating window to the dressing room, writes Michael Moynihan

IS any food truly safe to eat?

A lot of lyrical waxing has been done about the Irish pub, about the intangible qualities that make it a superior night-time venue. 

Jo Kerrigan explores the dark side of the much-loved musical, Oklahoma!, in advance of its Irish run.

Jane Smiley returns to the agrarian American mid-west setting of her 1992 Pulitzer Prize-winning A Thousand Acres for Some Luck, the first book in a proposed ‘Hundred Years Trilogy’.

Radical gained notoriety for incendiary speeches at mosque

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Simon Coveney has said the opening of the American market to Irish beef is "a huge prize" for the industry here.

Kelly Brook turned down a role in "EastEnders".

The American town of Fergusoni is bracing itself for further violence ahead of a ruling on whether a police officer who shot dead a black teenager should be charged.

Actress Julie Walters has told of her shock at hearing that her radical Irish great grandfather was briefly jailed on "trumped-up" murder charges because he fought against land eviction.

A total lunar eclipse - which normally only happens every few years - is set to take place from approximately 7am this morning.

As Don Draper makes his return this week, John Daly picks TV’s most memorable characters, many of them so influential, we forget they never actually lived.

Christmas had to come a little early for Gary Hurley this week as the National University of Ireland, Maynooth golfer got his yuletide celebrations done in good time for a dash across the Atlantic and a prestigious date with some of the amateur game’s leading lights.

PRESIDENT John F Kennedy was assassinated 50 years ago today. The day after the assassination, an invitation was sent to the 37th Cadet Class of the Irish Defence Forces by Kennedy’s widow, Jackie, to perform a drill at his funeral in Washington.

Because we need to obsess over it a little more while we can.

YOU ON holiday? — a man out walking his dog asked, as we stepped out of the car on the quayside at Clifden.

If at first you don’t succeed, churn out a sequel.

Nicola Furlong’s mother has said she wants to see her daughter’s murderer serve his sentence in a Japanese prison instead of being moved to more lenient conditions in his native US.

KARL Marx, who died of a chest complaint in 1883, was buried on St Patrick’s Day at Highgate Cemetery in North London.

This week's pick of what's on the box.