Last year saw the highest number of deaths of Irish citizens overseas reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. More than one-in-five of all new consular cases in 2025 related to the death of an Irish citizen overseas. The overall number of consular cases dealt with by the department also increased for the fourth consecutive year. This does not include the ongoing response to assist Irish citizens caught up in a series of crises in the Middle East. Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee said the safety and wellbeing of Irish citizens overseas is “central to the consular work of the department”.

Instead of submitting to 31 days of self-imposed penance, marked by abstinence and self-reproach, they begin the year by eating copious amounts of cake. In France, the idea of a month of repentance is met with a resounding “non”. This difference becomes most apparent when the conversation turns to resolutions, and specifically to Dry January. Despite growing awareness, particularly among younger and urban demographics, Dry January has never taken off in France in quite the same way. Living in France for the past two and half years has really recalibrated my own instincts around self-improvement.

The roads affected by the hike include the country’s eight PPP (public-private partnership) toll roads, as well as the TII’s own M50 and Dublin Port Tunnel roads. M50 tolls in 2026Buses and coaches will now pay €3.60 with a tag and €4.20 with a video account. Dublin Port TunnelThe increase for using the capital's subterranean Port Tunnel will apply to drivers at peak morning hours, rising by €1. Port Tunnel toll pricesPeak northbound traffic in the tunnel (between 4pm and 7pm) will also stay the same, remaining at €12. All categories of vehicle travelling through the Port Tunnel at off-peak hours will continue to pay €3.50.

Photo: GettyThe average price of a house in 2025 was approximately 7.4pc higher than the previous year, as a lack of supply fuelled price hikes. “As our market heat measure shows, the gap between the initial list price and the ultimate transaction price is close to a record high, at over 6pc. Nationally, the average price of a three-bed semi-detached house in the final quarter of the year was just over €423,000. The average list price here was €246,000. “In Dublin, second-hand supply is almost back to 2019 levels, while in Munster, it is still one-third below,” Mr Lyons said.

Tests point to contaminated drinking water as the cause of a diarrhoea outbreak in Indore, India. Photograph: iStockAt least ​nine people have died and more than 200 have been hospitalised ‍in the central Indian city of Indore after a diarrhoea outbreak that ‍officials said was linked to contaminated drinking water, according to a lawmaker and local health authorities. Indore’s chief medical officer, Madhav Prasad Hasani, told Reuters ⁠by phone that drinking water in the Bhagirathpur ‌area ​of the ‍city was contaminated due to a leak, and a water test had confirmed the presence of bacteria in the pipeline. “I ⁠cannot say anything on the death toll but ⁠yes over 200 people from the ⁠same locality are undergoing treatment at different hospitals of the city. Indore, in Madhya ⁠Pradesh state, has been named India’s cleanest city and has topped the national cleanliness rankings for the past eight years.

Transaction prices are now 52 per cent above their pre-Covid levels and 92 per cent higher than a decade ago, Daft.ie says. Prof Lyons believes that house prices will continue rising in 2026 as pressure remains on the supply of homes. “When the number of second-hand homes is pretty low, it usually means that there is tight pressure on the market,” Prof Lyons explained. “And certainly outside Dublin the number of second-hand homes for sale is well below healthy levels. There were 11,551 second-hand homes for sale in the State on December 1st, according to Daft.ie.

Photograph: iStockNegative perceptions other European governments have about Ireland’s low corporate tax rate remain a “challenge” for its reputation, an internal study on the Government’s diplomatic soft power found. “The negative perceptions of Ireland’s tax policy among EU colleagues, however, remain a challenge,” the department study said. The department had been successful at using the vast Irish diaspora in the US and other countries “to facilitate access and influence”. The internal study, completed in December 2023, was released under a Freedom of Information Act request. Diplomats were getting better at “leveraging” the State’s cultural offering, to work “on behalf of Ireland’s economic interests,” the study said.

Come St Patrick’s Day, though, the black stuff is a reliable feature of parties thrown by Irish embassies across the world. An internal Department of Foreign Affairs study has a lot to say about how Ireland exercises “soft power” when trying to make friends and influence people on the international stage. It is rare to hear what the State’s diplomatic corps thinks of itself and its efforts, which makes the internal study interesting reading. The internal department review was completed in December 2023 and released to The Irish Times in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. “The negative perceptions of Ireland’s tax policy among EU colleagues, however, remain a challenge,” the department review said.

I'm in a busy Madrid metro station with 'Patrulla Madrid', a grassroots vigilante movement that has taken on the city's pickpocket epidemic. Patrulla Madrid films and exposes pickpockets across the city's streets and stations, a strategy that has earned the group more than a million followers across their social media platforms. They most often encounter thieves linked to Bulgarian, Bosnian and Romanian groups, although they also spot Chileans, Peruvians, Algerians and Moroccans. A Patrulla Madrid member invited him to join after realising he was already chasing thieves on his own for what he jokingly describes as 'fun'. 'Patrulla Madrid has helped us identify suspects, faces, networks and nationalities,' the second officer says.

Pre-tax losses at the Wrights of Howth group increased by 15pc to €613,391 as revenues declined by 13pc. Recently filed accounts by Wrights of Howth Group Holdings Ltd show that losses rose as revenues declined by €3.2m from €24.03m to €20.83m in the 12 months to the end of January 31 last year. The pre-tax loss of €613,391 follows a pre-tax loss of €533,656 in the prior year. The Wrights of Howth airport businesses benefited from a total of 33.3 million passengers going through Dublin airport terminals in 2024 – a 4pc increase on 2023 numbers. Interest payments of €97,202 resulted in a pre-tax loss of €613,391.

Organisers said the event would be a “poignant” commemoration on the “milestone” anniversary of the Kingsmill massacre, one of the worst atrocities of the Troubles. “A lot of the first-generation Kingsmill victims, as with many other atrocities, have sadly passed away. “Our thoughts are also with the Reaveys, O’Dowds and all other innocents marking 50th anniversaries at this time – all of these acts of terror were unjustified and unjustifiable,” Mr Donaldson said. The massacre was “a stain not only on the UK and Irish governments but moreover the local community of south Armagh”, Mr Donaldson said. The watchdog report was carried out in response to complaints made by relatives and by Mr Black.

His silence is matched by the usually eloquent Sir Jacob, 56. It’s familiar territory for Sir Jacob. Life's a circus with Sir Mick Jagger, but who’s the ringmaster? The Rolling Stones singer’s girlfriend, Melanie Hamrick, donned a magenta top hat on New Year’s Eve. ‘Happy New Year – ready for a circus,’ said the American former ballerina, 38, who has a nine-year-old son, Deveraux, with Sir Mick, 82.

The Brisbane coach was handed a red card for two bookable offences in the first half of his side's 2-1 win against the Mariners. 🇦🇺🗣️ "We've become a nation of participators and passive people... and it all starts at school"An extraordinary press conference moment from Brisbane Roar coach Michael Valkanis. 🗣️"I don't think that's a true representation of Brisbane Roar Football Club." Police were already present at the venue as part of routine match-day operations, and no conduct by Brisbane Roar Football Club or its personnel required police intervention. 'Given the seriousness of the insinuations made and the reputational harm caused to the club, Brisbane Roar Football Club is seeking legal advice in relation to the comments.'

In 2023, we found that over 2,700 dangerous wild animals were being kept privately, and legally, under licence in Great Britain under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976. More 👇https://t.co/tt1INMOTKu — Born Free Foundation (@BornFreeFDN) February 28, 2024The dangerous wild animals living in HampshireHampshire was among the areas in Britain where dangerous wild animals can be found. The Born Free survey showed there are 189 dangerous wild animals living in Hampshire, including Gila Monsters and a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. The full list of dangerous wild animals living in Hampshire, according to Born Free, are:Chinese Alligator - 37Dwarf Caiman - 1Eurasian Lynx - 4Gila Monster - 2Margarita Island Capuchin - 2Przewalski’s Horse - 4Suphan Cobra - 2West African Dwarf Crocodile - 2Western Diamondback Rattlesnake - 1White-Lipped Viper - 1Wild Boar - 133You can see all the dangerous wild animals living in Britain, and where they are located, on the Born Free website. Venomous snakes among animals being kept in HampshireA few venomous snakes were found to be among the dangerous animals living in Hampshire, including a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake in Portsmouth.

Photograph: Peter Morrison/PA WireA new plan is expected to increase the target number of police officers in Northern Ireland to more than 7,500. It comes as Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officer numbers dropped to 6,190 last summer, well below the target number of 7,500 set in the Patten Report in 1999. Chief constable Jon Boutcher has created a recovery plan that aims to boost officer numbers to 7,000 by 2028. “We actually had our lowest number of officers just before the summer, we had 6,190,” he said. “The business case for the recovery plan was based on our starting figure being 6,350, so we’re behind where it needs to be.