In a major new report The National Economic and Social Forum (NESF) has identified a massive deficit in the provision of early childhood care and education in the 26 Counties, despite the recent economic boom. Free article

Tens of thousands of anti-war demonstrators have staged rallies in Washington, demanding the withdrawal of US and British troops from Iraq. Free article

As the Dáil reconvened this week, a number of homeless people slept outside Leinster House as part of the No More Deaths on Our Streets campaign. The campaign started following the deaths of a number of homeless people on the streets of Dublin recently. Free article

Germany's newly-formed Left Party achieved an historic breakthrough in last week's Federal elections taking 54 seats in the German parliament. This is the first time that the left has broken through the country's 5% threshold to secure parliamentary representation since German re-unification. Free article

As recently disclosed figures emanating from the PSNI reveal that sectarian attacks have doubled in the past year the relentless campaign of unionist violence continued across the North. Free article

International News in Brief from the IMF, Colombia, Sahara and Puerto Rico Free article

Unionists launched a series of sectarian attacks against Tyrone GAA supporters returning from the All-Ireland Final on Sunday 25 September A two-year-old boy was hit in the face with a bottle after a mob attacked the car in which he was travelling, while in separate attacks in County Derry a number of people were squirted with petrol by a youth wielding a water pistol. Free article

As next month's expected government announcement on the future of the Western Rail Corridor nears, it was brought home to Minister Dick Roche exactly how important the re-opening of the rail network is for the region. Free article

Small businesses lost €255 million between January 2001 and 2004 because Irish banks failed to pass on interest cuts to their business customers. This was one of the startling findings of a Competition Authority report published last week that called for substantial reform of the 26-County financial services sector. Free article

Irish Workers' News Free article