THERE’S a sort of a subtle, circular theme going on at St Rita’s, a fine-upstanding Edwardian home on Limerick city’s esteemed Ennis Road: curves, circles and oval shapes abound, inside and outside.

AN internal hospital report calling for infection control improvements to prevent a repeat of last year’s deadly clostridium difficile outbreak at University Hospital Galway (UHG) has yet to be implemented six months after it was concluded.

The husband-and-wife owners of a nursing home near New Orleans were charged yesterday with negligent homicide in the deaths of 34 people during the flooding unleashed by Hurricane Katrina.

More stragglers seemed willing to flee the filthy water and stench of death as increasingly insistent rescuers made what may be their last peaceful pass through swamped New Orleans before using force.