'While Donald Trump tries to justify Iran war UK households already feeling the cost'Donald Trump's all out war on Iran is already hitting the pound in the pocket of millions of already cash strapped households with soaring petrol prices but there are also other, less obvious, costsView 3 Images Donald Trump's war on Iran is having global consequences that includes UK households (Image: Samuel Corum, Getty Images)While Donald Trump flip-flops over justifying going to war with Iran, ordinary households are paying the price. ‌Most mortgage customers aren’t impacted for now, but those taking out a new deal - or remortgaging - won’t be thanking Trump. Labour is painfully aware of the toll the cost of living crisis has already had on many voters’ threadbare finances. But the cost of living is guaranteed to be firmly on voters’ minds ahead this May’s elections, and beyond. Hence why the actions Trump has taken threaten to have huge political, as well as economic, consequences for many years to come.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has suggested EU decision-making processes may need to change drastically. Von der Leyen, the head of the EU’s powerful executive arm that proposes laws, said Europe could not continue to be a custodian for an “old world order” that would not return. Speaking on Monday, Von der Leyen questioned the EU’s policy of requiring the unanimous agreement of all 27 states to adopt a common position on foreign affairs. In her speech to EU ambassadors in Brussels, Von der Leyen said the war in Iran had become a “regional conflict with unintended consequences”. “The idea that we can simply retrench and withdraw from this chaotic world is simply a fallacy,” Von der Leyen said.

Ian Huntley's final letter from HMP Frankland with 'safety' message to mystery womanThe Soham murderer died aged 52 on Saturday after being attacked at HMP Frankland, and in a final letter sent before the fatal assault he warned a mystery woman of the 'harm's way' she could face. ‌The notorious Soham double killer passed away aged 52 on Saturday following severe cranial injuries sustained during an incident within the confines of HMP Frankland just over a week prior. ‌Mystery womanThe final correspondence shared with the Sun reveals Huntley - identified as prisoner A5274AE - writing to an unnamed woman with whom he had maintained communication since October 2025. For your safety I've decided to discard everything you've sent and not proceed with having you cleared for calls and visits." He was subsequently transferred to HMP Frankland.

When treatments do not work, doctors must non-judgementally ask patients why they think a treatment hasn’t worked. As the basis for communicating with patients, choosing to use patient-centred language has been shown to positively influence patient outcomes. A recent article in the journal Medical Humanities is a reminder that failure-based language is all too common in medical discourse. When a medication or treatment does not produce the desired outcome, doctors are quick to label it a “failed treatment”. Doctors must make a conscious effort to remove failure-based language from the collective medical lexicon.

Jamie Fannon, Mary Mullin, Michelle Miley, Aoife Regan, Ciara Holohan and Brian Stack at the launch of the Walk in Pink Athlone event. Photo: Paulina KusaWalk in Pink Athlone event on Mother’s DayAthlone will host a Walk in Pink event as part of a national campaign for breast cancer research this Mother’s Day. Walk in Pink Athlone is supported by Radisson Blu Hotel and Collins McNicholas. This Mother’s Day, get walking, wear pink, and help make a real difference for breast cancer research in Ireland. Funds raised through Walk in Pink will directly support the breast cancer research team at the Lambe Institute, based at University of Galway.

The Government isn't "ruling anything in or out" in terms of supporting households struggling with energy costs as a result of the war in Iran, a spokesperson has said. Mr Harris said any actions taken or considered by the coalition would need to be done “with eyes wide open”. I know that’s frustrating for people, I really do, but this is a conflict that is a week old,” Mr Harris said in Brussels. Option for EU supportsThe spokesperson for the Government said it would not be “ruling anything in or out” in terms of possible supports if the war in Iran is prolonged. Asked if it was the Coalition’s preference for EU-level supports rather than direct Government assistance, the spokesperson said: “There’s an option for both.

Two major royals raise eyebrows by skipping Commonwealth Day service two years in a rowThe Royal Family, including King Charles and the Princess of Wales, gathered together for one of the biggest events in the royal calendar - the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster AbbeyView 3 Images The royals line up to sing the National Anthem at the start of the Commonwealth Day service (Image: PA)The Royal Family have been out in force for the annual Commonwealth Day service - but two major members of the family were missing. ‌The annual service is a celebration of the 56 nations that make up the Commonwealth with fellow working royals Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester also at the lively ceremony. ‌Princess Beatrice and Eugenie's real reason for Commonwealth Day absence amid scandal READ MORE :Disgraced Andrew hides as his team take Queen's corgi for walk ahead of major royal event READ MORE :View 3 Images The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, who did not attend the Commonwealth Day service today. Last year, the pair weren't there as Sophie carried out a string of engagements in New York City to mark International Women's Day, while Commonwealth Day fell on Edward's 61st birthday last year. It's because neither princess has attended a Commonwealth Day service in the past - with the event restricted to working royals only.

UFC icon Daniel Cormier has gone viral online after sharing his bizarre theory about 'voluptuous' 17-year-old girls on live TV. 'If I could go back, with my first wife, very voluptuous as a 17-year-old... that turns into fat. UFC icon Daniel Cormier (right) left presenter Laura Sanko (left) stunned after going on a bizarre rant about 17-year-old girlsDaniel Cormier and the UFC Weigh-In Show have officially gone off the rails ‼️“Laura is the idea of what the young high school guy doesn’t get. Cormier was previously married to a woman named Robin, before later tying the knot with current wife Salina in 2017. Cormier is one of the most successful UFC fighters in history after becoming heavyweight champion while also holding the light heavyweight title in 2018.

Even in retirement, former Goldman Sachs chief executive Lloyd Blankfein sounds less like a penitent banker than an irreverent trader between deals. Reflecting on his own working-class upbringing, he notes that “people from my neighbourhood didn’t have doctors to sign letters attesting to their obscure disabilities, such as bone spurs”. No great diplomat, Blankfein and Goldman became a lightning rod for criticism during the 2008-09 global financial crisis, when an outraged public failed to see the humour after Blankfein quipped that the bank was “doing God’s work”. Blankfein remains unapologetic, remarking that the 9/11 terrorist attacks brought “the rare crisis that no one blamed on us”. Bloomberg’s Matt Levine, himself a Goldman alumnus, relished the candour: no ritual contrition, just missed profit.

‌Smoke Control Areas, which dictate the types of solid fuel permissible for burning in log burners, fireplaces and chimneys within specific regions of England, could potentially face even tighter restrictions under these proposals. ‌Ministers have stated that the consultation will strive to limit the effects of these changes on individuals who rely on wood burning, whilst respecting traditional celebrations like Bonfire Night and Diwali. The World Health Organisation considers PM2.5 the most harmful pollutant to human health (air pollution is responsible for 6.7 million premature deaths every year, World Health Organisation (WHO) 2025). Rosamund Kissi-Debrah, whose nine year old daughter died from an asthma attack connected to air pollution in 2013, welcomed the new PM2.5 target as a "win". Cleaner air is achievable, and the solid fuel industry has long been committed to playing its part."

The Northern Ireland Executive in Stormont is already heavily reliant on the rest of the UK to keep it afloat. North of the Border, the Northern Ireland Executive has also been spending substantially more than the resources allocated to it. However, the level of transfers from London to Northern Ireland is exceptionally large, and greater than to other UK regions. So the transfer from London to cover public pay rises will fall short of what they cost. If, as seems more likely, it doesn’t, the dysfunctional Northern Ireland Executive will have to implement a serious austerity programme over the coming years.

Women in Ireland are more than twice as likely to be working in part-time employment than men, according to new statistics. A release themed on the landscape of men and women in Ireland in 2026 by the Central Statistics Office notes that of the women working in Ireland, 29% were working part-time, as opposed to 13% of men. The data suggests that many women are choosing to work part-time having started a family, with men remaining full-time at work while following the same life-path. The new release by the CSO is the latest from its Women and Men Hub, first established in March 2024 to provide “a comprehensive one-stop-shop for equality data related to women and men in Ireland”. Separately, as of November 2025, 27% of Government ministers in Ireland were women, while women accounted for 43% of Ireland’s elected members of the European Parliament.

Jax died at 31 weeks in his mother’s womb as a result of careless driving causing a collision. Coroner John Leckey agreed that 31 people died as he believed Avril Monaghan’s twin babies, Eimear and Evelyn, were “living, healthy babies, though unborn”. Under Irish law, unless birth had happened, it could not be an officially recorded death, but a stillbirth. This leaves people whose babies were 398g or who were 22 weeks and six days still unable to register a stillbirth. Speaking about unborn babies and their right to be recognised as people who can be victims of a third party’s crime is likely to worry pro-choice people that this is a ploy to roll back abortion rights.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has a big decision to make ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League trip to face Galatasaray, with Rio Ngumoha emerging as a wild card he cannot ignore for much longer. The big quality Liverpool have been lacking in their team all season has been pace, with Mohamed Salah losing a yard or three from what he once had and the exit of Luis Diaz last summer removing more attacking speed.

A woman has died, and three people have been hospitalised following a single-car collision in Co Sligo in the early hours of Monday. Gardaí and emergency services attended the scene of the incident on the N15 at Grellagh, Castlegal at around 3.30am. The woman in her 50s, who was a passenger, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her body has since been taken to the mortuary at Sligo University Hospital where an autopsy will take place in due course. Anyone with information is asked to contact Sligo Garda Station on 071 915 7000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.