Foreign Office issues new travel advice for 8 countries overnight - including Israel and KuwaitThe Foreign Office has changed its travel guidance for eight nations overnight including Israel, Lebanon, Kuwait and Jordan amid the ongoing crisis in the Middle EastView 2 Images Foreign Office changes advice for 8 countries overnight - full listThe Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for eight countries overnight, amidst the ongoing crisis in the Middle East and Iran. ‌The updated advice, effective from Friday, March 6, imposes "do not travel" bans on certain countries, whilst others have received modified instructions on how to exit the country. In Bangladesh, the FCDO has provided new details about global travel impacts due to the escalation in the Middle East. Over 140,000 Britons have registered their whereabouts in the Middle East with the Foreign Office and 4,000 have made it home thus far. Follow our live blog for the latest updates in the Middle East by clicking here.

The GAA’s new streaming policy and licensing agreement insist streaming companies at local level uphold the same sponsorship protocols as national broadcasters. Streaming firms will also no longer be permitted to carry advertisements during live footage of games. The policy also claims RTÉ and TG4’s rights to show club championship games have been strengthened by the streaming policy and licensing agreement. In recent years, both have experienced issues in televising club games of their choice because of counties’ arrangements with streaming companies. The difficulties faced by TG4 in securing games prompted GAA president Jarlath Burns to state that “we just can’t be selling the same games twice”.

An 84-year-old man has been jailed for five years after he was found guilty by a jury of sexual assault. His victim was just six years old when he began abusing her while minding her in her family home. She noted the abuse, which involved the man touching the girl’s private parts inside her clothing but outside her underwear, happened two or three times a week on a weekly basis between 2015 and 2019 when the girl was between six and nine years of age. The judge noted that the accused had no previous convictions and had not come to Garda attention since the abuse, but there was no understating the gravity of the offending, particularly given the young age of his victim. She also backdated the sentence to November 26th, 2025, when the accused was first taken into custody following his conviction by the jury.

‌Manston Airport, formerly known as Kent International Airport and, for a short period, London Manston Airport, was home to several airlines over the years and offered services across the UK, Ireland, and Europe. Manston Airport officially closed its doors on May 15, 2014, and while there have been many attempts to reinvent the site, it has mainly been used as a lorry park to help ease congestion around ports that resulted from Brexit. Now it seems that if the airport does reopen, it will be as a dedicated freight hub. Stage 3 is the public consultation phase of the airspace change proposal process, where proposed changes to flight paths and airspace structure are presented to residents, communities, and wider stakeholders." If the plans do go ahead, it is unlikely that Manston will be up and running anytime soon.

Eoghan Cleary is a secondary schoolteacher and passionate advocate for children’s rights to be free of constant bombardment by ever more extreme porn videos. Will parents stop giving their young children unsupervised access to smartphones, where it is inevitable they will come into contact with extreme pornography? But extreme pornography is now available in vast quantities online, and increasingly being viewed by children, as well as adults. The idea that boys and men are only capable of sexual relationships with girls and women that degrade them and put them in physical danger is ludicrous. Billie Eilish, talented singer and songwriter beloved of many girls and young women, has spoken of her early porn addiction: “I started watching porn when I was, like, 11.

“Like a wreck-the-head?” I ventured further, only to realise this was also very Irish. They’re adjacent to the worst insult in Irish slang which is “harmless”. If you just say the right combination of words in the right tone, you can get the outcome you want. [ Is it any wonder young women fantasise about becoming stay-at-home girlfriends?Opens in new window ]What Irish culture might consider harmless plámásing, Australians might see as an attempt to “piss down their back and tell them it’s raining”. Personally, I prefer abrasive honesty while still yearning for the mandatory 10-minute friendly chit chat at the start of Irish meetings.

Newcastle's first non-white lord mayor to step down from city council after 16 yearsHabib Rahman, who became Newcastle's first non-white lord mayor in the top civic post's 800-year history in 2021, is stepping down after 16 years as a councillor for ElswickView Image Habib Rahman, councillor for Elswick (Image: Newcastle Chronicle)A prominent former lord mayor of Newcastle has announced he will step back from city politics at May’s local elections. ‌In 2021, Coun Rahman became the city’s first non-white lord mayor in the 800-year history of the role. ‌Coun Rahman, who moved to Newcastle from Bangladesh in 1985 at the age of 12, has been a vocal campaigner against racism on Tyneside for years. ‌Announcing his impending departure from the council, Coun Rahman said: “Serving the community I have lived in all my life has been one of the greatest honours of my life. Coun Rahman said: “Leaving elected office does not mean leaving public service.

Punters 'gutted' as Calderdale pub suddenly shuts 'until further notice'The Calderdale pub made the devastating announcement on social mediaView Image The Red Rooster, Brighouse (Image: Google)Punters have expressed their sadness following the sudden closure of a Calderdale pub. ‌The Red Rooster in Brighouse announced that it would be closed until further notice in a post on social media. The Elland Road pub said it hoped to reopen "as soon as we possibly can." ‌In a post, The Red Rooster said: "Good afternoon to the Red Rooster family,‌"Due to unforeseen circumstances, the pub will sadly be closed until further notice. With sincere thanks, The Red Rooster."

When it comes to kids’ activities it can feel like we are often (understandably, and perhaps very Irish-ly) operating from a place of scarcity. The activities which I see thriving are steeped in a culture of competition and the entire set-up feels jarring to me. I’m aware that this piece reads sports-heavy and that’s because I’m becoming increasingly aware of how sporting organisations operate as well-oiled, well-resourced machines. Aspects of the arts barely get a look in when it comes to children's activities. The pressure on teachers to focus on academics over what are deemed as activities “extra” to the curriculum is not helping.

Instead, it shattered the Iraqi state, unleashed sectarian violence that killed hundreds of thousands, and destabilised the region for over a decade. The collapse of central authority there would almost certainly unleash internal conflict among competing factions from hardline clerics and revolutionary guards to ethnic militias and rival political movements. A fractured Iranian state — weakened by internal conflict and unable to project regional influence — would serve the interests of those who view Tehran as their principal geopolitical rival. Far more often, it leaves behind a vacuum filled by violence, fragmentation, and suffering that can last for generations. Thousands of UCD students at a rally in support of the medical student.

Berkshire Hathaway has revealed major stock market moves in the lead-up to CEO Warren Buffett's departure, including a shift away from technology holdings. Meanwhile, Berkshire initiated several surprise new investments in The New York Times, Domino's Pizza, insurance company Chubb and energy firm Chevron. Addressing the moves on a Motley Fool podcast, stock market analyst Travis Hoium said: 'It's just such an interesting collection of assets. Fellow analyst Rachel Warren said it was notable to see some of the final moves Berkshire made while Buffett - known for steering clear of tech investments - was still at the helm. Buffett has long urged investors to ignore fluctuations in Berkshire's net income, which reflect accounting rules for equity investments.

Enterprise minister Peter Burke is set to haul in energy representatives for questioning, after serious concerns were raised about rises in petrol, diesel, and home heating oil prices over the past week. Tánaiste Simon Harris said Mr Burke would be asking suppliers why “their pricing structure has changed so drastically, so quickly". “I have seen the text messages telling someone to get the fill of oil now or it is going to go up. Ms McEntee said the chartered flight will carry more than 300 citizens home, with priority given to the most vulnerable. “For this type of action to take place, we do believe that they should have [a UN mandate],” Ms McEntee said.

Iran - Level 7Iran is at the centre of the conflict and is now considered one of the most dangerous places in the region. Iranian missile strikes have killed 11 people, while Hezbollah has launched attacks from Lebanon. The Foreign Office urges all Brits to register their presence if they are within the Palestinian territories. Four people were killed and several others wounded on Saturday when an Iranian missile struck a building in the southern Syrian city of Sweida. The Foreign Office adds that the UK government cannot help British nationals leaving Yemen and that there are no evacuation procedures in place.

Photograph: CollinsA Dublin riots looter stole shoes from two different shops after he found that none of the shoes he took from the first shop fit him, a court has heard. Some 15 garda vehicles were damaged with two vehicles destroyed. One member of staff told the court that she doesn’t feel safe any more in work since the riots. Asked why he did what he did, Agwu told gardaí “stupidity”. The total value of the five pairs of shoes was estimated at €750 based on the average value of shoes in the shop, Gda Kavanagh said.

High Court: Judge Mark Heslin took the view that the treatment in question was manifestly in the pregnant girl's best interests. Her gynaecologist was of the view that the transfusion would only be used as a last resort when all other possible treatments were excluded. She said it would not feel right in her body, but someone else making the decision would be easier. She did not take the same view in relation to a blood transfusion for her unborn baby and was satisfied for her baby to receive blood if necessary. He took the view that the treatment in question was manifestly in her best interests.