Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny bore the public brunt of pro-life protestors as one of his party senators vowed to break ranks and vote against planned changes to Ireland’s abortion laws.

The Senate begins its drive this week to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill that would offer legal status to millions of undocumented residents, and Irish activists working on the issue are confident that the bill’s E-3 visa provision which sets aside 10,500 renewable visas each year exclusively for Irish use will survive the debate intact.

The bid to reform America’s dated immigration laws has received a major boost with New Hampshire Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte set to back the bill proposing sweeping changes.

Two prominent American politicians have completely dismissed claims by the Irish government that Ireland is not a tax haven for multi-nationals.

The head of the Irish Bishops’ Council for Emigrants has praised the US Senate Judiciary Committee’s recent vote in favor of immigration reform.

The Irish government is to write to a US Senate committee and revoke all claims that Ireland is a tax haven for multi-national corporations including Apple.

Ireland's Finance Minister Michael Noonan has blasted a United States Senate report into Ireland’s corporate tax rate. Noonan said the report into how the Irish taxation system is used by companies like Apple is 'misleading.'

New York Senator Charles Schumer vowed last week that if Congress passes a comprehensive immigration reform bill in 2013, it will include a special provision to allow more than 10,500 Irish citizens to come here each year to legally live and work under a new E-3 visa.

Two Republican senators made a major effort to strip 10,500 visas for Irish from the 2013 immigration bill at the Senate Judiciary hearings on Tuesday.

Radical plans to reform Ireland’s Senate have been proposed – including a vote for emigrants and Northern Irish and  parity for women in the upper house of the Irish parliament.