Almost €17m in taxpayers’ money is being spent every year to keep ambassadors and high-ranking officials in the lap of luxury, including €4.5m alone on lavish diplomatic residences.

A MOTORCYCLE parts dealer has settled a High Court action against social networking site Bebo for allegedly allowing his name to be used on a website to post defamatory comments about a biking champion killed in a racing accident.

IT’S full steam ahead for fundraisers aiming to collect the €3 million required to refloat the Cork-Swansea car and passenger ferry.