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The release of Alan Johnston
The release of the BBC Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston is very welcome, despite the propaganda it served for Hamas in freeing him. He'd been held for 114 days in conditions he described as "like being buried alive" by the Army of Islam group, the heavily armed Doghmush family clan which is both linked to Al Qaeda and criminality. p
Farmers' markets
The local and organic food-producing sectors have struggled to make an impact in this country but, in the past few years, there have been encouraging signs of growth. A rural food conference in Athlone this week has provided guidelines for the development of farmers' markets. It identified consumer trust, the provision of choice and remaining faithful to local and seasonal foods as necessary elements. p
Opinion
RTÉ should not be in firing line
As the jokes about crass acts and brass necks abound, there is one aspect of the Beverley Flynn affair which is somewhat perverse. I refer to the occasionally savage attacks on RTÉ over the past week for agreeing to forgo €1.55 million in the settlement of its legal bills with Ms Flynn. It is a stark example of messenger shooting, writes Mary Raftery . pLetter gave terms for IRA ceasefire 7 years in advance
The death of Charles Haughey last year makes it possible to place on public record the extraordinary letter that launched the Northern peace process, writes Ed Moloney pUN hides behind climate change to mask Darfur inaction
Blaming global warming instead of asking awkward questions about governance in Africa is no substitute for the United Nations doing the right thing, argues Rob Crilly p
An Irishman's Diary
I don't remember it featuring in the news coverage back in 2002, but apparently Saipan is one of the few places in the world where McDonald's restaurants have Spam on the menu, writes Frank McNally p
