Any time I cross the border I play the Lotto, not just for the one go, mind you, but usually for a few dates in succession, sometimes four, sometimes eight, depending how flush the funds are. There was even a time when I did it regularly without crossing the border but found it a nuisance having to return to the shop to collect my proof of purchase so I gave up on that. Free article

The failure of Prionsias De Rossa's High Court action against the Sunday Independent at the end of the second trial last week represents a serious setback not only for the Minister for Social Welfare himself but also for Democratic Left. Free article

It didn't take Binyamin Netanyahu long to deliver on his electoral promise. Campaigning last May, he stated his intention to reverse the entire `peace process'. He was later forced, albeit begrudgingly, to revoke that explicit threat. However, since assuming office in June 1996 Netanyahu's actions have made it abundantly clear that his original intention remains his truest. Free article

Nuair a bhuaigh David Coulthard ó fhoireann McLaren Grand Prix na hAstráile le déanaí ní haon ionadh é go raibh scitimíní áthais air. Dúirt sé ina dhiaidh nach raibh fhios aige an túisce a gcasfadh sé ``Flower of Scotland'' nó ``Scotland the Brave.'' Ach nuair a sheas sé ar rostram na cathréime ba é a cheiliúradh ar bhriseadh na nAlbanach ag Cúil Odar. Ach bulaí fir Dave! Amach óna thuineach tháinig an tSailtír, bratach náisiúnta na hAlban, agus chroch sé in airde í idir an dá lámh aige. Free article

Warning! Mortgages can be bad for your health. This week, banks and other lending institutions were forced to carry health warnings on their mortgage advertisements. It was the first use of new powers given to the director of consumer affairs William Fagan under the Consumer Credit Act. Free article

You can say what you like, but snooker just ain't like it was in the good old days when Alex Higgins threw skateboards out the window, headbutted referees and threatened Denis Taylor if he didn't let him march all over the table; gone is the great beer-swilling Bill Werbenuik who used to down 25 pints in an afternoon to steady his shot; gone is the great Kirk Stevens who used to dress more like Elvis and play like him, depending on how much coke he had in his system; gone is the 30 second clearance of the table by `Whirlwind' Jimmy; and who could forget Coalisland's finest Dennis Taylor potting the final black, with his jam jars upside down, to pip Mr Personality Steve Davis in a thrilling World Final? Free article

Peter O'Rourke describes the events that led to the fall of Stormont 25 years ago Free article

Despite publicity about the victimisation of IPPs in England, the Home Office campaign against these men continues. Free article

``The art of war is the only patrimony my ancestors have left me''. Thus wrote Enrique Reynaldo MacDonnell, one of the last of the Wild Geese, to the King of Spain, in about 1788. Free article

There was an almighty screaming match in the British media last week when the Portuguese police fired plastic bullets at Manchester United fans in Porto. One paper ranted about the police being one step away from their fascist past. I don't remember the same outcry when nationalist football supporters in the Six Counties have been attacked by real plastic bullets fired by the RUC,... Free article