They look after us all year — so where do Ireland’s top hoteliers take time out? Tony Clayton-Lea talks holidays of a lifetime with Francis Brennan, Kevin Dundon and more.

Cork County Council and the Port of Cork are to hold a public meeting in a bid to float fresh ideas to boost West Cork tourism through the cruise liner business.

SOCIAL welfare claimants will begin receiving national identity cards in the coming months in an attempt to stamp out fraud and dole system abuse, which could be costing as much as €600 million a year.

GERMANY’S Nazi government was so angry about a dog trained to imitate Hitler that it started an obsessive campaign against its Finnish owner, according to newly discovered documents.

Charles Emmerson

BAD debt provisioning at National Irish Bank of €198 million in the first quart of this year is close to the total amount of €228m set aside last year.

Loyaltybuild, an Irish-owned Loyalty Marketing Company headquartered in Ennis, employing 70 people, has started a partnership with Nordea Bank in Finland.

THE chief executive of the HSE believes tragic cases of misdiagnosis, like the one which lead to the death of Ann Moriarty, will continue to occur if all eight centres of cancer care excellence aren’t fully up and running.

Ireland has the joint worst record for waiting times for healthcare in Europe, a damning survey revealed today.

CANCER campaigners have criticised Government inaction after a major new study showed Ireland has some of the lowest survival rates from the disease in Europe.

At least 23 people from the Nordic countries were killed and hundreds more missing after deadly earthquake-driven tidal waves swept southern Asia.

Swiss pharmaceuticals companies Roche Holding AG and Medivir AB are to amend their existing HIV collaboration and begin a joint research program into hepatitis C, it was announced in a joint press release.

STRANGE as it may seem the world’s richest bank uses words like sustainability, creating employment, preserving the environment and improving the quality of life.

THE initial feeling of disappointment was giving way to growing anger last night for members of the Scotland/Ireland bid for the European Championship finals of 2008.

WHEN it comes to timing you can be sure the Swiss have covered all the angles. As the countdown clock on the Austria-Switzerland EURO 2008 bid website clicks down to mere hours and minutes, decision day is almost here and the Alpine countries’ campaign seems to have peaked at just the right time.

TECHNICAL inspection of the Scotland/Ireland bid for Euro 2008 begins in Dublin this September, with the organisers believing they are well on track for a successful bid.