A highly drug-resistant type of “super-gonorrhoea” is spreading across England, with senior medics warning it may become untreatable.

Graham Masterton has set a thriller in Cork and makes a senior garda, Katie Maguire, its central character. He spoke to Sue Leonard about his life with words and stories.

Improved berthing facilities at Dunmore East and greater investment in the region’s port infrastructure are vital because cruise liners find it too risky to launch passenger tenders offshore in rough weather, said a Waterford councillor.

Irn-Bru maker AG Barr said today its sales had fallen flat amid a competitive and volatile market.

Ireland U17 manager Tom Mohan, who has led the squad to next month’s European finals in Bulgaria, has defended the FAI’s pursuit of English-born players eligible for the Republic.

Their busking days stood Hudson Taylor in good stead for their highly anticipated debut album, writes Ed Power

Martina Tyrrell and her husband packed in their jobs, bought a boat and with some trepidation, sailed off into the sunset with their young family.

UK flights have been thrown into chaos after a technical problem at the southern England headquarters of air traffic control company Nats.

According to press reports, two traumatised lions have been moved from Gaza to a new home in Jordan. Let me apologise in advance for dwelling on the plight of animals when more than 1,200 people, including hundreds of innocent children, were killed in the 50-day onslaught on that beleaguered enclave.

It may be almost September but warmer weather is set to return, forecasters say.

Life is an ocean and love is a boat, as the song goes, but thankfully, there was no love on the rocks for these newlyweds.

BOURNEMOUTH is in the county of Dorset on the south coast of England.

A High Court judge has defended the right of people with learning difficulties to be free to make mistakes in their personal lives, including getting pregnant by accident.

Freezing fog played havoc with travel today, with flights cancelled, roads jammed and delays on main line rail and Tube services.

Almost 20 illegal immigrants were found hiding inside a truck bound for Dublin.

Britain enjoyed the hottest day of the year so far as the mercury rose above 30C today.

A fraudster operating in Cork, Waterford and Dublin has duped retailers out of over €100,000 in credit card payments.

The UK is seeking the extradition of a 39 year old Co Tipperary man on charges including that he alleged stole hundreds of British lottery scratch cards.

It hasn’t been the easiest few years for Denis O’Regan but the Youghal jockey served a reminder of his undoubted talents with the winning ride on Cape Tribulation in yesterday’s Pertemps Final.

The Irish and English may have a lot in common, but not when it comes to crisps, writes Dan Buckley

MILK price prospects remain favourable, with drought conditions in some EU countries affecting supply. Many parts of Europe had only 40% of normal rainfall in the past three months.

A UK crematorium may offer to freeze-dry and dissolve dead bodies.

Uncertainty over the progress of Ireland's debt rescue and China's efforts to control inflation combined to unsettle world markets today.

A man who vanished from Kenmare with the body of his dead mother is believed to have taken her to the family burial plot in England, it emerged tonight.

A man, for whom Kerry gardaí had been looking after the disappearance of his deceased mother's remains, may have driven her body to the UK via Northern Ireland.

A DEVOTED son brought the body of his elderly mother to Ireland – but it has now gone “missing”.

IRISH oil and gas exploration company Petroceltic has seen its first-half pre-tax losses widen to just under $5 million (€3.9m), from just over $2m for the same period last year.

OLIVER RACKHAM is the acknowledged guru of woodland ecology and all things to do with trees.

Another child with swine flu died in the North today – the second in less than 48 hours.

The Guardian Media Group today warned of more restructuring ahead to ensure the business remains successful.

RENEWED drilling activity in its operations in the Gulf of Mexico and planned new drilling rounds in its main British interest have led Providence Resources to talk up 2009 as potentially being a headline year for the company.

Newspaper group Johnston Press maintained its recent trading improvement today, but urged a “degree of caution” about prospects in 2008.

Norwich Union owner Aviva unveiled an 8% fall in operating profits today as the cost of flooding in the UK offset strong growth elsewhere in the business.

THE area of North County Dublin where I live used to be farmed.

British supermarket giant Tesco extended its reach even further today after agreeing a £155m (€228m) deal to buy one of the UK’s biggest garden centre chains.

ON a Sunday morning last May, Rosanna Flynn was soaking in the bath when her ever-present mobile phone rang and she heard an Afghan asylum seeker of her acquaintance on the other end.

Halifax Bank of Scotland moved to stem the tide of banking industry branch closures today by pledging to open 100 new sites over the next five years.

PROVIDENCE Resources, the Dublin-based oil and gas exploration company headed by Tony O’Reilly Jnr, is well-positioned for further growth and expects its full-year results for 2005 — to be issued in March — to illustrate a positive trading performance in line with expectations.

Exploration company Providence has completed its 2005 development drilling programme on the Singleton oilfield, onshore UK.

British supermarket giant Asda announced plans today for a major dockside warehouse operation to slash the number of miles needed to distribute UK products.

British supermarket group Morrisons today announced the sale of a further batch of stores acquired in its £3bn (€4.4bn) takeover of rival Safeway.

Northern Ireland is just one of two UK regions where annual house price inflation is still in double figures, a new report revealed today.