After a year and a half, the temporary £20 increase to universal credit introduced during the pandemic is coming to an end. The adequacy of benefits has deteriorated gradually over the past decade. In 2010, the family safety net was worth about two-thirds of the minimum income standard for familiesContinue Reading
olesea vetrila / Shutterstock Nearly 6 million people claiming universal credit will soon see their payment cut by £20 a week, as the temporary “uplift” in response to the pandemic is removed. Analysis from the anti-poverty charity Joseph Rowntree Foundation described it as “the biggest overnight cut to the basicContinue Reading
Harsh punishments: the Taliban have announced they will reinstate execution and amputations. EPA-EFE/stringer The Taliban are back in the saddle and, with them, the dreadful spectre of the harsh punishments meted out in their previous time in power: public hangings and stonings, amputation of hands and public floggings. Veteran TalibanContinue Reading
For decades, scientists have unsuccessfully tried to prove that zapping the brain can treat depression. The results of an ongoing deep brain stimulation trial hint that it could workContinue Reading
Daniel Murtagh of Melrose Grove, Bawnogue, Clondalkin has been handed a life sentence for the brutal murder of his ex-girlfriend Nadine Lott. Ms Lott was unrecognisable to her family after he savagely beat her at her home in Arklow, Co. Wicklow in December 2019. She suffered 64 injuries; the mostContinue Reading
The murder of Sarah Everard has damaged public trust in the police, and has women in the UK seeking answers about their safety in public places. A new government strategy continues to place the burden on women and girls to keep themselves safe, rather than addressing the causes of theirContinue Reading
The cute bot companions couldn’t kick-start a domestic android revolution, maybe tapping into our security fears mightContinue Reading
The Government are to announce the sites of three elective hospitals as part of a number of high-profile announcements in the coming weeks aimed at bolstering support for the Sláintecare programme. The hospitals will be located in Dublin, Cork and Galway, fulfilling a key recommendation of the original Sláintecare report,Continue Reading
In raising rents from social to affordable for council tenants, the cost burden for tackling the housing crisis effectively falls on those most in need Goldstamp | Shutterstock The UK’s housing crisis hardly requires an introduction. It affects people across the housing spectrum — from leaseholders stuck with flammable claddingContinue Reading
The hasty and badly organised US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August prompted fears among Washington’s other allies about the durability of US friendship. Kurdish troops in northeastern Syria, facing multi-pronged opposition from Islamic State fighters as well as the Assad regime and the prospect of Turkish incursion, have felt particularlyContinue Reading
