The voice of Catholic Church in Irish education has added a further item to the list: purpose. The church’s concern over a “loss of meaning” is shared by many in Ireland and internationally. Photograph: Culture Club/GettyThis “loss of a shared moral order” was the theme of David Brooks’s final column for The New York Times in January. None of this will guarantee a sense of meaning is passed on to children but setting an example is important. And for that, we need a national conversation on values, or better still a national conversation on the meaning of life.

The Irish branch of Zurich is buying the former Liberty Insurance from Italy's Generali for €337m. Zurich says the acquisition will transform its market position, putting it in the top three providers of both life and non-life insurance in Ireland. "Following completion, the RedClick team and customers will transfer and become part of Zurich’s non-life insurance business in Ireland,” he said. After it bought the former Liberty Insurance, Generali appointed Lorenzo Ioan as general manager of the business in Ireland in 2024. Liberty Insurance had been the Irish operation of the US company Liberty Mutual, having taken over the former business of Quinn Insurance in 2011.

Germans are flocking to cinemas to see this year’s Berlin Film Festival winner Yellow Letters, a gripping drama about how Turkey silences regime critics. For film-maker Ilker Çatak, a German director and screenwriter of Turkish origin, his story is a universal warning about a growing “assault” on academia, the arts and free speech. Ilker Çatak, a German director and screenwriter of Turkish origin. After an emergency meeting, Weimer announced a new oversight board for future editions of festival but allowed festival director Tricia Tuttle keep her job. Yellow Letters director Ilker Çatak, a rising star in the German film world, has already registered his protest.

UK's most famous dog visits Cardiff drawing in huge crowdsViola the Husky, a social media sensation with millions of followers, caused a sensation in Cardiff as crowds gathered for selfies with the instantly-recognisable white and red Siberian HuskyView Image Viola is so popular online, and in real life, too (Image: YOUTUBE)The owner of the 'UK's most famous dog' regularly posts brief videos showcasing their adventures together. ‌Viola's owner brought her to Cardiff and revealed that "Wales went crazy" for his beloved pet. After capturing various encounters throughout the day, he declared, "Cardiff went absolutely WILD when Viola the Husky arrived." "This was one of our craziest adventures yet... and Cardiff might just be the most welcoming city we've ever visited in Wales. ‌Throughout the day, Viola basked in public affection, whilst online commenters also expressed their fondness for the cherished dog.

A lot remains to play out, but energy prices are now in the danger zone - at levels which will, if sustained, cause damage. As well as the oil price rise, wholesale gas prices have risen sharply again. Oil and gas prices are likely to swing with the news cycle and consumers will feel short-term pain, but what matters is the longer-term trend in these wholesale energy prices. The US, as a net energy exporter, is not as exposed as Europe to higher oil and gas prices, but it is being reflected in the US market nonetheless. Oil and gas prices are, for now, at levels that would cause economic pain if prolonged – but not a calamity.

A man was left hospitalised with a flesh–eating infection after a 'pinprick' false widow spider bite left him with a hand 'the size of a bowling ball'. Reports this week from BBC Countryfile said the false widow is 'rapidly spreading its legs across Britain' after a 'rapid expansion across the world'. 'Some people are hypothesising that it could have been a false widow spider but in reality, we don't know.' 'They said it was a spider bite, very rare at this time of year but they gave me antibiotics.' He said: 'Just a day later my whole hand swelled up like a boxing glove.

The Accenture Pulse of Change survey published on Monday shows Irish business leaders have the highest confidence from leaders in 20 countries questioned. However, there is a widening gap between leaders and employees when it comes to AI readiness, communication, and overall confidence in technological change. "Employees are asking for clearer communication and clarity in how AI will change their roles and skills. Only 17% of Irish employees strongly agreed that leadership has very clearly communicated how AI agents and Agentic AI will impact the workforce, including changes to roles and required skills. The Accenture data was gathered from 3,650 executives and 3,350 employees globally, including 1,070 executives and 929 employees across Europe and 100 business leaders and 71 employees in Ireland.

The countdown to Micheál Martin’s potentially excruciating encounter in the Oval Office is now on – and the pressure continues to mount. A policy of supporting households may also yield a better political outcome than simply urging Irish energy providers to behave themselves. Everyone will feel the pinch the longer the Strait remains a no-go area for tankers. Of course, Donald Trump being Donald Trump – you never quite know what comes next. Aontú had its Ard Fheis at the weekend and made clear its line of attack remains housing.

Share markets nosedived in Asia on Monday as the inflationary jolt from surging oil prices threatened to raise living costs and interest rates across the globe, while investors desperate for liquidity fled to the US dollar. US crude shot up a staggering 28 per cent to $116.51, promising to push petrol prices quickly skyward. China on Monday said inflation had already picked up in February ahead of the current oil spike, consumer prices rising 1.3 per cent on the year. Over in Europe, Euro Stoxx 50 futures and Dax futures both slid 3.2 per cent, while FTSE futures dropped 1.4 per cent. “Asia takes the of the sharp escalation in oil prices and there are few places to run and hide,” said Vishnu Varathan, head of macro research for Asia ex-Japan at Mizuho.

Bayer Leverkusen manager decision revealed on eve of Arsenal Champions League clashArsenal are looking to move one step closer to the Champions League quarter-finals with a win over Bayer Leverkusen in GermanyView 2 Images Bayer Leverkusen are set to review Kasper Hjulmand's position as manager. (Image: Getty Images)Arsenal travel to Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday but the Premier League leaders' opponents find themselves clouded by uncertainty. According to reports in Germany, the future of Leverkusen head coach Kasper Hjulmand remains uncertain, with the club planning to hold a review at the end of the season. ‌The former Denmark manager was tasked with stabilising the club after Erik ten Hag was dismissed. Latest Gunners news and more on our dedicated Facebook pageThe tweet read: "Bayer 04 Leverkusen will carry out a review at the latest after the season.

Top flight sides are accustomed to moving games for FA Cup outings, as is the case every year. Port Vale caused the shock of the weekend by downing Sunderland thanks to a first-half goal from Ben Waine. ‌The FA Cup quarter-final will be played on Easter Weekend - Port Vale are due to face Cardiff in the Welsh capital on April 3 - and then three days later host Rotherham at Vale Park. For Port Vale, they only have one free midweek between the period of the FA Cup quarter-finals and the final day of the season on May 2. Port Vale hero Ben Waine can't hide true feelings after huge Sunderland FA Cup shock READ MORE :Phil Parkinson gutted over 'wrong' VAR and referee calls in Wrexham FA Cup defeat to Chelsea READ MORE :JOIN US ON FACEBOOK!

As of Friday, there were 227 women incarcerated in the Dóchas Centre. Photograph: Dara Mac DónaillA “failure of political will” to limit numbers in the largest women’s prison shows “a willingness to warehouse people in degrading and inhumane conditions”, according to an unpublished report. Almost 80 per cent of women sentenced in 2024 were for less than 12 months, it finds. Intellectually disabled women prisoners were “falling through the cracks”, states the report. Despite a “paucity” of data on intellectually disabled prisoners, it was likely to be a “significant minority” who experience prison as “frightening”.

Euan Ferrie, Alec Hepburn, Arron Reed and Alex Samuel have been drafted into the squad for the trip to Dublin on Saturday, March 14. Seven players have dropped out of the squad, with six returning to their clubs for assessment on knocks. Read more:A Scottish Rugby update confirmed: "Euan Ferrie, Alec Hepburn, Arron Reed and Alex Samuel have joined the Scotland squad ahead of the final weekend of the Guinness Six Nations. "Hepburn, Reed and Ferrie make a return to the national team training environment having been involved in the A match against Italy at the start of the campaign. "Seb Stephen has also returned to Glasgow Warriors."

Benchmark Brent crude soared by 17pc to more than 108 dollars a barrel, having at one stage reached nearly 120 dollars a barrel in levels not seen since the summer of 2022. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is reportedly set to join an emergency meeting of G7 finance ministers later on Monday to discuss a possible joint release of petroleum from reserves co-ordinated by the International Energy Agency to help tackle the surge in oil prices. The cost of crude can have a significant effect on wholesale fuel prices, which is sending costs at the petrol pumps sharply higher. Average diesel prices were up almost 6p over the same period to 148p, which was a 16-month high. Wholesale gas prices feed through into electricity prices and how much it costs to heat people’s homes.

Mikel Arteta should ignore unfair criticism of Arsenal team – Wayne RooneyBy Press Association Sport ReportersWayne Rooney has urged Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta to ignore “very unfair” criticism of the Premier League leaders’ playing style. “The last league title we won we weren’t great as a team, but no one is going back to that now saying ‘oh, that Man United team who won that last title weren’t great,” said Rooney on the BBC’s Wayne Rooney Show. “I don’t think they’ve been as bad as what people are saying, I really don’t. “I’m not saying this because I like Arsenal, I’m saying this because I think it’s very unfair, the criticism they are receiving for being, what, seven points top of the league? I’m sure Arteta doesn’t think this but they don’t have to change anything because people are moaning and complaining about it.”