'Women could be more politically aggressive than they had been been" and they "had been let down the most by other women" according to one member of the Irish Governments delegation in New York on 13 July. The Irish political system was one of the most difficult in Europe for women to enter into because of the party structure and voting system, according to Frank Fahey, Minister with responsibility for equality. He acknowledged the constitution was male-orientated saying it had been written in the early 1930s and needed to be changed.

The news that Gama Construction is in pole position to be awarded another huge public building contract surely poses a test for all of us. The company whose name is known all over the country for all the wrong reasons is the lowest bidder for the new Castleblaney bypass, and the question is: does Gama really deserve to be given another €50 million of public money?

Tyrone priest Monsignor Denis Faul has warned of a danger of a Republican hunger strike in Maghaberry prison in Northern Ireland because of poor prisoner conditions.

Depending on your political persuasion, Karl Rove is either a clever, bare-knuckles brawler who has mastered the arena of American politics, or a dirty dealing smear-meister who's plumbed new depths in negative politics. Either way, revelations that Rove was the White House source who "outed" CIA operative Valerie Plame in 2003 in order to punish her husband have put George W Bush's closest advisor in the hottest water of his political career.

Annette and Colm O'Carolan see no point in replacing their rotting kitchen ceiling, because if they did, it would only be a short time before it would have to replaced again and the bathroom floor above too. For now, it's just going to have to stay like that while Lewis, their autistic, 14-year-old son is denied the educational services he needs. Filling up the bath with water and flooding the bathroom repetitively is all that there is at home to keep him calm and occupied this past two-and-a-half years.

There is little in-depth or consistent coverage of development aid in Irish media, Conor Brady reports

Oireachtas Committee hears complaints about RTÉ, funding and regulation. Hilary Curley reports

The past few months have been personally fulfilling as I discovered the meaning of independence. For the first time in my life, I have 100 per cent of the decision-making power. In the past, other people played a role in determining what I did, when I did it and how I did it. The provision of a personal assistant has given me this autonomy. I just completed a BA degree and I plan to start an LLB degree in September at NUI, Galway. My interest in the law stems largely from a desire to ensure that rights and privileges of people with disabilities have a clear expression in Irish law.

'I am in a constituency of stars, yet no one outside Tallaght really knows who I am." Charlie O'Connor, backbench Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin South West, enjoys his anonymity.

The copper beech provides good shade against the scorching sun. And if you hide underneath its thick foliage, in the most aggressive downpour, you will remain dry.