There has been a move away from church funerals as people want to be in control of what happens when a loved one dies & they want to add personal touches which reflect the life of the loved one who has died which are not always allowed in churches.

@MichealMartinTD has denied that senior politicians purposefully gave incorrect housing figures in the lead up to the general election, saying it was a “genuine belief” that 40,000 homes would be delivered last year. Just 30,000 were completed.

#Trump has doubled down on his plans for the US to redevelop Gaza, saying that he viewed the war-torn enclave as a “big real estate site & has again suggested that other Middle Eastern countries could house displaced Palestinians in “beautiful sites.”

@siobhanTivoli @MichealMartinTD Agrees Siobhan.

Many young men in Germany are joining the Alternative für Deutschland, the right wing party which is consistently polling second in Germany & are doing so because of the increase in attacks by asylum seekers. 26% of men support them & 11% of women.

@bbcworldservice has launched a school programme for the 30 m children in war zones around the world. It delivers weekly lessons in maths, technology, climate & it also address issues on mental health. This was first started in Afghanistan in 2023.

#Trump has had a phone call with #Putin to discuss the end of the war to discuss steps towards a negotiated solution to the war with #Ukraine. Senior members will meet with European officials next week to discuss the end of the war.

The former home of a multicultural centre in south Belfast targeted in a series of arson attacks is to reopen in the coming weeks as a supermarket. It was formerly the home of the Belfast Multicultural Association which was targeted twice for hate crime.

#Trump says he will impose 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports into the US, including from Canada and Mexico. This is yet another major escalation in his trade policy overhaul.

Israeli troops have withdrawn from the Netzarim Corridor, a military zone cutting off the north of the Gaza Strip from the south. Palestinians have begun to return in cars & carts laden with mattresses & other goods to scenes of utter destruction.

RT @thejournal_ie: As part of our Policy Matters series, this week we sat down with People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger to di…

In Australia @AlboMP says that the descendants of Australia's original inhabitants who are 4% of the population fare far worse than their compatriots in life expectancy, education, housing & health & he wants the gap to close to end the inequalities.

@GaffneyMarie3 @Jessjcasey Absolutely Marie.

Marriages in China dropped by a fifth last year despite efforts by authorities to encourage young couples to wed & have children to boost the country's declining population. The numbers dropped from 7.68m the previous year to 6.1m marriages last year.

Multiple cuts over six months see switchers lock in to lower rates with those who improved BER also enjoying more favourable rates. There has been a big increase in those switching with savings of €7,000 being made by those who make the move.

Vital development checks for newborns are being missed in certain parts of Dublin due to a shortage of public health nurses. This has been highlighted by @MarkWardSF who is concerned that this will lead to delays in diagnosing certain conditions.

The government faces an immense challenge in solving the housing crisis according to the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland who say a radical change is needed to meet the housing demands with an additional 1m people coming here in the next decades.

Dublin continues to have the highest disposable income per person in the State, according to @CSOIreland. This was 14.2% above the state's average & 36% above those working in Longford . This gap has widened considerably since 2022.