As Colombia approaches presidential elections next year, the US decision to decertify the country in the war on drugs plays into the hands of its allies on the political right, writes NICK MacWILLIAM

THE national obsession with immigration in this country is often difficult to fathom.
The latest furore concerned net immigration figures of 745,000.
The throwing around of such figures is misleading, pulling together refugees, economic migrants, students and others in a headline figure that Daily Mail leader writers can then fulminate about.

PAUL DONOVAN recommends three new books that explore the human relationship with nature

PAUL DONOVAN recommends an excellent stage adaptation of Stephen King’s classic portrayal of the the injustice of the US prison system

Labour councillor PAUL DONOVAN wonders why the right-wing party gets so much more media attention than it seems to merit