Aid for developing countries should mimic the Chinese policy of investing in public assets, such as transport, airports, ports, utilities, and real estate, say Justin Yifu Lin and Yan Wang.

The welfare state is based on men going to work, women staying at home, jobs for life, and secure pensions. All of those certainties have disappeared, says Minouche Shafik.

Nobody in their right mind would criticise the Taoiseach when they hear him say the government he leads wants to see a continuing fall in unemployment, though they might not unreasonably dismiss it as a useless statement of the overwhelmingly obvious.

Tourism is more than ever before an industry between a rock and a hard place.

As an island nation, one of our most valuable assets is our coastguard, often unsung, whose work would be impossible without the service and skills of its more than 900 unpaid volunteers.

I am writing in relation to a message that was issued by Tullamore Parish, Offaly on Christmas Eve. The message outlined that they were praying for life, specifically for couples “struggling to naturally conceive and who are avoiding IVF treatment”.

The internet is a vital utility, but two thirds of primary schools lag behind the minimum speed in the National Broadband Plan. Jess Casey talks to teachers whose schools enjoy high-speed internet and to some whose schools do not

The Extinction Rebellion group in Ireland is attracting growing numbers to its events and counters criticism by emphasising it is on the side of the people, writes Joyce Fegan

Energy company SSE has suffered a major setback to its plans to develop an oil-fired power generation plant outside Duleek, Co Meath, after the project was refused planning permission because of its impact on greenhouse gas emissions.

A handful of Irish-related shares, including Tullow Oil, Glanbia and Bord Gáis owner Centria, were among the big stock market losers in Europe in the past year. Flutter Entertainment, which owns Paddy Power and Betfair, as well as Ryanair and Kerry Group were, however, among the big winners.

The two stories that dominated stock markets in recent months, the US-China trade war and Brexit, interestingly, did not weigh on stock markets.

Whether or not you make financial New Year’s resolutions, you no doubt want to improve your finances in the coming year. And a quick review of the last decade may help us shape decisions for the next one.

Emma McQuaid never dreamed she would become an international athlete, never mind find herself dubbed ‘the fittest woman in Ireland’.

With the 2019/20 Premier League now just past its halfway point and a busy Christmas programme almost done, it’s time to hand out some imaginary mid-season awards.

Down with the bunting, box up the tinsel. The league is over and we can all relax in the afterglow of our trophy gluttony. No late-campaign jitters, sleepless nights worrying about goal difference and whether our little star will shine brightest. It’s over and everyone knows it is.

Jose Mourinho says Tottenham’s defensive calamities have left him feeling sorry for his attacking players.

How the football world will look in another decade...

While on this island we were debating whether Rory, Katie or maybe Paul O’Donovan was our outstanding sportsperson of the decade, the Associated Press gave itself the rather grander task of identifying the finest athlete in the whole world over the same timespan.

The global community needs to come together to tackle climate change in 2020, according to the President of Ireland.

‘You really have to see it to believe it. There is no pulling back just because someone is in a wheelchair. I remember one lad got taken to hospital for concussion because he got bashed against a wall. Another went through a fire escape because of the pace he was going at when challenging for the sliotar.

Connacht coach Andy Friend said it was for the good of the game that prop Paddy McAllister had his citing for a dangerous tackle on Marcell Coetzee thrown out.

I thought my days of accumulating caps finished a long time ago, but not so. Thirty-three years after featuring for the British and Irish Lions as part of the IRB’s centenary celebrations in Cardiff, test recognition yielded just that.

The Guinness PRO14 rarely fares well when observers from across the Irish Sea compare it to their own Gallagher Premiership.

Arsenal and Manchester United, who shared an intense title rivalry in the 2000s, meet tonight withsomething else in common in the 2020s: A continuing and complex challenge to regain that status after losing legendary managers.

Mikel Arteta has challenged Mesut Ozil to keep hitting the hard-working heights of his industrious performance during Arsenal’s loss to Chelsea.

The Universal Social Charge (USC) will not be abolished in the next five years, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs says it helped more than 1,700 Irish citizens caught up in major incidents while abroad last year, including terrorist attacks, protests, and natural disaster.

It is “fraudulent” to blame the Government for the failings in health and housing, a Fine Gael minister has claimed.

Irish voters can expect more than just political candidates knocking on their doors this year ahead of a general election, with activists out canvassing now too.

Dublin welcomed its first baby of the new decade this morning.

The Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation has today announced a new round of the tariff suspension/quota schemes and is calling for applications from manufacturers in the chemicals, microelectronic and related sectors.

A 19-year-old man has been killed in a crash in Derry this morning.

New Year celebrations were ignored in many towns and villages across Co Donegal last night as the body of tragic nurse Mary Ellen Molloy was brought home for burial.

Three young women were taken to hospital following a road traffic collision in Cork on New Year's Day.

It’s January and Blue Monday - the most depressing day of the year – is almost upon us.

Two people have been injured in a crash between a tram and a car.

For a coach still only weeks into his Munster tenure, Graham Rowntree’s affinity with his new surroundings is clear and obvious. Yet the forwards coach also knows that while his connection to the province and the players he works with has been immediate, the task of getting it and them to where they need to be will require patience and a lot more time.

"Maurice Noonan from Ballingarry, our vice-captain, cut over two sidelines in the All-Ireland final. If he could walk, he’d be walking onto the Limerick team right now."

Someone in Limerick is €1 million richer this morning following the National Lottery's Millionaire Raffle.

Developers have lodged plans for nearly 3,600 homes in four sites in Dublin and Cork.

AA Ireland says the government must introduce additional incentives to encourage people to purchase electric cars.

An Irish paramedic working in Australia close to the bushfires has said the rural fire fighters are “unpaid heroes.”

Our regular contributors select their highlights of the year.

There are 17 clubs represented in the matchday panel, and 10 on the starting team.

Jeremy Loughman ended 2019 on a high after a stellar breakout year with Munster and the front-rower has every intention of continuing his good run of form through 2020.

Kya deLongchamps takes the plunge into the new year, with some advice on luxurious bathroom trends.

SIPTU have said members of the National Ambulance Service (NAS) are planning a national mobilising campaign to win respect and recognition for all ambulance professionals this year.

A female deli worker who was kissed on the neck against her will and pinched by a male colleague has been awarded €20,000 for ongoing sexual harassment.

Cheltenham Gold Cup victor Al Boum Photo oozed class in making a winning reappearance in the Savills New Year’s Day Chase at Tramore.

I was always entrepreneurial. When I was 10 I started my own golf ball business.

It is a busy New Year in one household after they had a baby boy arrive beside the Christmas tree in his family home just in time for Santa Claus.

Gardaí investigating the brutal murder of a man whose decapitated body was found on the grounds of a vacant house in Cork city last weekend are still combing the property for forensic evidence.

At times it is hard to see past a sandwich for lunch. Not everyone chooses to eat bread each day.

As Gaelic footballers prepare to adapt to the new rules introduced for 2020, a number of clarifications have been released.

Can you imagine anything better to look forward to than a bubbling pot of deliciousness, if you have a magic slow cooker or crock pot the aroma will greet you when you arrive home, battle-weary, after a day’s work — what could be more comforting?

It's been a busy festive season on the transfer front on Leeside, with Galvin's arrival coming on the back of the addition of Dylan McGlade on Monday.

A new year and unlike everyone else I’m not going to bore you with tips about losing weight.

A man has been airlifted to hospital after suffering a fall while hiking in the Burren in Co. Clare this afternoon.

At least 16 inmates in a central Mexico prison were killed and five more were wounded in a riot that closed out a violent 2019 for the country, authorities said.

A secondary school Special Needs Assistant (SNA) has been unfairly dismissed concerning an allegation that he used cocaine on school grounds.

The changing of the calendar on the wall heralds the start of a new gardening season once more.

A new crisis text line funded by the HSE will be launched in the coming weeks.

Jose Mourinho branded Southampton’s goalkeeping coach Andrew Sparkes “an idiot” after they clashed in Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat at St Mary’s.

Before Fox Sports broadcast the All-Star National Hockey League game in the US in 1996, they pitched it to their audience as “the greatest technological breakthrough in the history of sports”.

Sport fans love their statistics and, increasingly, so do sports administrators. Annual reports of the CEOs for all major Australian sports now include tables on TV viewership figures, marketing and sponsorship revenues, and, of course, participation numbers.

Leeds remain top of the Championship on goal difference after battling hard for a 1-1 draw at second-placed West Brom.

On November 29, Gillian Powell, of The Haven Montessori, Bandon,Co Cork, went on RTÉ’s Liveline radio show and told the nation we needed to get back to the drawing board with our childcare system.

I have wondered why Ireland has, until recently, been such a climate action laggard. I think it’s because we’ve always had this image of ourselves as green. The countryside is green. The flag t

Each year I toy with the idea of making New Year resolutions for the next 12 months but I always decide against them. I feel honestly that I won’t keep to them and I just don’t want to disappoint myself.

There is this idea in Jungian psychology known as the circumambulation, and it refers to the notion of how we move towards reaching full potential.

As the film awards season heats up with the Golden Globes on Sunday, Esther McCarthy assesses this year’s runners and riders.

Eoin Aher is from Cork and has been looking after the entertainment, band bookings and promo at Cyprus Avenue and the Old Oak in the city since 2003.

There was no winner of tonight's Lotto Jackpot, worth €4,373,244.

Mikel Arteta celebrated his first win as Arsenal boss as the Gunners outclassed Manchester United in a 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium.

A local report in Tyrone has claimed 2019 All-Star Cathal McShane is on the brink of starting an AFL career with Brisbane Lions.

It’s not quite a century, just 96 years, since Seán O’Casey’s Juno and the Paycock was introduced at the Abbey.

There are few things as patronising, as undermining in a we’re-all-in-this-together democracy as being told that citizens may not know how public funds are spent.

Some early images of how climate change impacts on our world were pictures of polar bears struggling to find food on ever-diminishing ice caps. Underweight and distressed bears pulled at our heartstrings.

I would like to make a few points about the article “Russia is not Putin but ‘is embodied by its 146 million citizens’” by Lyubov Sobol (Irish Examiner, December 26, 2019).

Over the last 10 years, climate researchers have filled gaps in their data to predict future weather patterns, which will be warmer, stormier and more extreme, says Faye Flam.

Fianna Fáil’s finance spokesman has had to watch on through nine budgets, but this year might be his first to preside over one, writes Political Editor Daniel McConnell.

Very few people in Ireland, least of all those of us working in the Irish drinks industry, would have voted for Britain to leave the EU.

All good things come to an end. The question, when it comes to Leinster’s current unbeaten run, is when.

As we enter 2020, we can give some thanks that a majority of people across the country are enjoying a degree of prosperity.

A year into his tenure as Ulster Rugby CEO, Jonny Petrie is pleased with the “hugely positive” strides the province has made on and off the field.

As 2019 ends, there is relief that political interference did not overly damage trade, but whereas we have escaped the bullet this time, we may not be so lucky in the new year.

Last year was the worst-ever year for hospital overcrowding, an analysis by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) reveals.

Quinn Roux’s hopes of returning to the Irish side for the start of the Six Nations have been dashed with the 29-year-old having to undergo surgery for a hand injury.

Jeremy Loughman has dealt with change throughout his rugby career. Whether it was switching from centre to the front row, or between loosehead and the tight, the 24-year-old has adapted and survived.

Ireland’s first baby of the new year and the new decade was born in Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital just 12 minutes after midnight.

Life at the sharp end of inter-county management can be challenging, if you’ll forgive the euphemism.

Fine Gael’s targeting of Mayo TD Lisa Chambers was “sinister” and was because she was a new TD and a woman, her colleague Michael McGrath has said.

Having been set to take time away from football after his spell as Kildare manager, Cian O’Neill has revealed how Ronan McCarthy coaxed him into the Cork set-up as a coach to the senior footballers.

Last year saw a “worrying increase” in the number of drivers killed in crashes.

Paul O’Donovan, manager of the Nemo Rangers team will this Saturday attempt to bring an end to Corofin’s charge to become the first club football side to take ownership of the Andy Merrigan Cup three years in succession.

Let’s face it, decades ain’t what they used to be. There was a time was when you knew where you stood with a decade. The sixties? Flower power and beards. The seventies? Sideburns and disco. The eighties? Everything was massive: shoulder pads, mobile phones, hair. You used to be able to tell a decade simply by looking at the trousers involved.

If 2018 was the year of the activist, then 2019 was the year of the climate. From Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg sailing to America to talk at the United Nations, to two more damning reports from the UN and countless headline grabbing demonstrations from Extinction Rebellion, the climate is now on most people’s minds.

Blackwater Valley Makers, which incorporates an arts centre and creative hub in Fermoy, was born from the necessity of providing a shopfront for the many artisans in the Fermoy district and was a very welcome event following some high-profile closures in the the town, writes Susan O’Shea.

St Thomas’s Kenneth Burke has predicted his cousin Fintan Burke will be the next family member to break into the Galway set-up after his recovery from a knee injury.