Employees have been given a greater degree of control over the decision as to whether they choose to work on for another year after their contractual retirement age. What has the Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Act 2025 clarified in relation to contractual retirement ages in Ireland? While the State pension age is currently 66, many employers operate contractual retirement ages of 65, or in some cases, lower. The new Act enables employees to decline to retire at their contractual retirement age and instead continue working up to the State pension age. However, the 2025 Act specifically requires employers to justify a lower retirement age in relation to “the retirement of the employee concerned”.

Hopefully it signals that a sense of urgency has at last started to permeate the various government bodies with responsibility in the area of housing. It found that, for a variety of reasons, less than half of the large housing projects granted planning permission since 2022 had started construction. This would appear to explain why both the LDA and Metrolink appear to have political support for their new-found appetite for action. It is inevitable that political support for this focus on getting things done will be tested. Put simply, this means that more people are being squeezed out of the housing market by rising prices.

Black leather sofas on chrome frames sat on one end of the taste spectrum, with floral prints, pastels and what we now call brown furniture on the other. Sorcha Harman, interior designer at Porcha Design, integrates vintage into modern and sees the potential of this 80s-style revival. There's a striking blend of streamlined contemporary dining furniture and opulent textures and fabrics in this room by Porcha Design. Brown furniture carries a lovely visual weight that can ground a room. “This resurgence of brown furniture like mahogany, walnut and teak alongside the 1980s aesthetics is driven by a craving for warmth and character.

As Gas Networks Ireland engages in one of the most significant periods of operational and strategic change in its history, an unwavering commitment to safety remains its guiding principle. Instead, it focuses on creating the conditions for safe work, strong reporting and early intervention. If you smell gas, call Gas Networks Ireland.”The Dial Before You Dig campaign is aimed at preventing accidental damage to underground gas pipes by building contractors and other third parties. Paul O'Brien, head of health, safety and quality, and Paul Cooper, quality assurance manager with Gas Networks Ireland. “Work Safe Home Safe was originally launched in 2015,” O’Brien says.

It comes as yesterday, Minister for Housing James Browne accused Met Éireann of holding back information on the severity of Storm Chandra. Meanwhile, Mr O’Brien said Met Éireann has a “very difficult job” and "they do it very well", adding that he would like to see river flood forecasting "accelerated". "I don't accept that a further 10 years are required for the river flood forecasting. What we need is even indicatives, and you can actually put warnings on the warnings, if you understand what I mean. I think where data is available, particularly around river flood forecasting, that should be provided.

A new nursing home in Killarney has finally been handed to the HSE by the builders, two years after it was first mooted, but the wait goes on for two homes in Cork. However, it could be March before new homes in Midleton and Cork City are given over, the HSE said. It could even be as far away as December before the St Finbarr’s unit in Cork City takes in residents. These three nursing homes are part of a €250m seven-unit public-private partnership (PPP) between venture company Equisisk (John Sisk & Sons with Equitix). It was expected to be complete in 2024, but although all seven are built, Killarney is now only the third handed over to the HSE.

Do not complain to Andrew Goodman that rugby is changing for the worse, Ireland’s attack coach couldn't care less. Didn't kind of trust it to throw it, so I think there's still a great opportunity in the game. That deficiency led to inaccuracies and poor decision-making under the sort of immense pressure the Springboks applied in Dublin. You know, look at the better teams in terms of France and a Bordeaux or someone like that. The way they transition the ball to space straight away, that's part of the evolution we really want to go after.

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Photograph: Getty ImagesGlobal shares slipped on Thursday and were on track to snap a six-session streak of gains, weighed down by a sharp drop for Microsoft after its quarterly results, while oil prices jumped on US-Iran tensions. The FTSE 100 index closed up 0.2 per cent. Lloyds Banking Group rose 0.1 per cent after the bank reported a better-than-expected 12 per cent rise in annual profit. EuropeThe pan-European Stoxx 600 index rose 0.17 per cent as gains in mining and energy stocks helped offset a drop in technology names. Southwest Airlines’ shares advanced 12.9 per cent after the airline forecast a stronger-than-expected annual profit.

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An emotional Anthony Joshua has insisted he knows what he has got to do after the death of close friends Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele last month. Two-time world heavyweight champion Joshua was involved in a fatal car crash in Nigeria on December 29 which killed Ghami and Ayodele and shocked the boxing fraternity. I’ve lost people before, but I don’t think I’ve lost people like that, my left and my right you know? I don’t want to say their legacy, because I had a lot of those questions about legacy during my fight in Miami. “It ain’t about legacy, it’s just about doing what is right and I know I am going to do what is right by them.

A new tax relief for the unscripted production sector launched earlier this month looks set to give Ireland’s film and television sector a significant boost. The novel incentive is the first tax credit in Europe dedicated solely to unscripted programming, and is designed to support the fast-growing unscripted sector by attracting international investment as well as encouraging increased activity in the domestic space. Ireland is gaining international prominence as a premier European hub for reality TV, and has attracted interest from major players in the sector such as Netflix and Fox. This initiative is seen as making Ireland “significantly competitive” following the success of local productions like The Big Deal and The Traitors. The Netflix global hit ‘Wednesday’ was amongst those receiving corporation tax credits for the second season of the series.

Laurence Whittaker, of Cowley Road, is on trial for the attempted murder of Lindsay Webber, his former partner’s mother. He pleaded guilty to section 18 wounding with intent to commit grievous bodily harm against Ms Webber. However, he denied the attempted murder of Ms Webber. On that day Ms Webber and Ms Clements were subjected to a ‘ferocious attack’ at an address in Burton Close, Abingdon. Dr Kim said: "The knuckles had been in contact with a hard object, it was an abrasion type injury.

Belly fat is stored in two ways: As visceral and adipose fat. Men typically carry more of this risky intra-abdominal or visceral fat than women. Too much visceral fat secretes molecules linked to inflammation and raised blood sugar, making it a risk for conditions from heart disease to type 2 diabetes. All types of olive oil are relatively high in beneficial monounsaturated fatty acids Picture: iStockMake olive oil the staple fatSwitch butter or coconut oil for olive oil and your belly fat will thank you for it. All types of olive oil are relatively high in beneficial monounsaturated fatty acids, but extra virgin olive oil — the purest, most antioxidant-packed variety — has the most health benefits.

The league phase of the Champions League concluded on Wednesday night with a bumper round of 18 matches as all 36 teams competed. Arsenal finished top of the league phase with a flawless eight wins from eight and they are predicted to go on and win the competition for the first time in their history. With Newcastle in eighth; Barcelona (sixth - seven per cent) and holders Paris Saint-Germain (seventh - 5.1 per cent) sit above them. The latter were third-favourites before the Champions League started at 12.1 per cent but that has dwindled due to being in the play-offs once more. Real's bitter rivals Atletico Madrid are 13th and the last team to have one per cent or higher chance of winning the Champions League - at exactly one per cent.