Martina Devlin: Housing crisis will leave a long legacy of pain still felt in Ireland decades from now

Nearly 70 incidents of missing or stolen parliamentary IT equipment involving MPs and their staff were reported in 2024, including a new MP's laptop and iPad that vanished from the House of Commons cloakroom. The loss of such devices raises security concerns amid fears of espionage from countries like Russia and China, particularly given the sensitivity of the information they may contain. Although the House of Commons has not disclosed specific details about suspects or...

Nerys Lloyd, a former police officer and paddleboard tour company owner, was sentenced to ten years and six months in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter for a tragic incident in which four people drowned while paddleboarding on the River Cleddau in Wales on October 30, 2021. The tour proceeded despite severe weather warnings, and the court highlighted the lack of safety briefings, proper equipment, and necessary precautions. The victims, Nicola Wheatley, Morgan Rogers, Paul...

A CNN Türk anchor, Meltem Bozbeyoglu, experienced a live earthquake during an interview when three consecutive tremors, reaching magnitudes of 6.2, struck Turkey, with the epicenter located 40km south of Istanbul. As the studio shook, she requested a producer to contact her mother, highlighting the panic caused by the event. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya and football team Fenerbahçe SK expressed concern for affected citizens, wishing for no loss of life or property, while the situation...

Learner drivers are currently facing an extensive backlog for driving tests, with the Department for Transport anticipating a resolution by summer 2026. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described the waiting list, which has swelled due to Covid lockdowns, as "totally unacceptable" and outlined plans to increase test availability by securing an additional 10,000 tests monthly through overtime incentives and voluntary returns of qualified DVSA staff. A consultation on the booking system aims to combat issues caused...

A bus driver, Martin Asolo-Agogua, 23, has pleaded guilty to causing the death of nine-year-old Ada Bicakci while driving under the influence of cannabis in Bexleyheath, London, in August 2022. Ada and her five-year-old brother were struck by the double-decker bus on Watling Street; Ada succumbed to her injuries two days later. The Bicakci family expressed their grief and gratitude for support received, highlighting Ada's organ donation that helped six other children, while the judge...

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has indicated that the long-term effects of Trump's tariffs will negatively impact the global economy, as stated by the IMF's chief economist, Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas. The organization has also revised down its growth projections for the UK, attributing this adjustment to both the tariffs and various domestic factors affecting the UK economy. Additionally, the IMF has warned that these tariffs are straining the global financial system and could lead to a...